St Christopher’s Cathedral

St Christopher’s was built as the first parish church in Canberra by the first priest, Father Patrick Haydon, although the beginnings of Catholic life in the district go back to 1862 when the Diocese of Goulburn was erected.

Following the Depression, Fr Haydon decided to build a church for Canberra, and the foundation stone was laid on 8 May 1938 by Archbishop Gilroy of Sydney. The ceremony was attended by the then Prime Minister, Joseph Lyons, and the former Prime Minister, James Scullin (Australia’s first Roman Catholic Prime Minister). The church was dedicated to St Christopher because it was recognised that Canberra (which means “meeting place”) would be a place to which many travellers would come. On 4 June 1939, the parish church of St Christopher was officially opened by the Apostolic Delegate, Archbishop Panico, in the presence of the new Prime Minister, Robert Menzies.

St Christopher’s striking Spanish Romanesque style was the work of the Sydney architect Clement Glancy.