This Cathedral stands for the glory of God in Jesus Christ and for the good of all people. It is the newest Cathedral in New Zealand, and the only Cathedral in the world made substantially of cardboard. In February 2011, Christchurch suffered a devastating earthquake which destroyed large parts of the city, killing 185 people and injuring many more. During the quake, the tower of the original neo-
Gothic Cathedral collapsed. Further aftershocks destroyed the iconic rose window and cracked the whole Cathedral like a plate. We continue to give thanks that no one lost their lives in the Cathedral. A few weeks after the earthquake, one of the Cathedral staff saw an article in a NZ design magazine about a Japanese “emergency architect” called Shigeru Ban. After the Kobe earthquake, he had designed a cardboard church to replace one which had been destroyed. Shigeru Ban visited Christchurch and offered to design a cardboard cathedral for us. A vision was born. Little over two years later, the building you are looking at became a reality. It is made of cardboard, local wood, and steel, with a polished concrete floor and a strong polycarbonate roof. It is built to 130% of the current New Zealand earthquake code, making it very safe. It is designed to last for at least 50 years, and it will eventually become the parish church of St John in Latimer Square, when a permanent Cathedral is built again in Cathedral Square. The design is quite simple, with waves of cardboard tubes drawing the eye and the attention towards the cross and the altar. At full capacity, it seats nearly 700 people, yet it has a remarkable sense of both space and intimacy. Cathedrals are by nature multi-dimensional. They are places of spiritual exuberance and quiet beauty, expressions of visions that transcend human knowing, meeting places for the spirit, libraries of stories, cornucopias of artistic achievement. And they are places where worship takes place in countless forms, music pours forth in daily offerings of resonant beauty—where spiritual growth and education deepen the mind and spirit, and where people meet in search of common ground and a common good. You too are invited to come and be part of this story. This is the home of a vibrant community of “Cathedral Regulars”, those who may be members of other parishes or other denominations, but who choose to worship with us. But you can be part of the wider Cathedral Community, simply by following us here and seeing what we are doing. The Cathedral hosts more than 750 regular worship services each year, offering praise to God in words, music, ritual and symbol and in quiet contemplation. Whether you come physically as a visitor, a spiritual seeker, a pilgrim, or someone who is just looking for a calm space in the midst of a busy life, or whether your visit is a virtual one, you will find a warm welcome here.
