St Joseph Chapel

Identity restored

In 1898 the liturgical north-east chapel became St Joseph’s Chapel. Prior to this it functioned as a temporary baptistery which precluded the establishment of any permanent stone altar as with the Lady and Sacred Heart Chapels. By 1998 a wooden altar was constructed and a statue of St Joseph erected on a pedestal behind it. Some decades ago the chapel lost its identity when the altar was removed and the statue shifted to a simple plinth in the corner of the chapel which was among other things used for overflow seating.​

The Cathedral’s former principal altar erected by Archbishop Young – the Bass altar as it is known after its creator Australian sculptor Tom Bass - has in consultation with Tom Bass’s widow, been established in the former Joseph Chapel where its dignity as a significant piece of the Cathedral’s patrimony has been preserved, and it might continue to contribute to the devotional and worship life of the Cathedral.

The Bass Altar was sculpted by Tom Bass and consecrated in 1961 as the High Altar of the Cathedral when extensive alterations were made to accommodate the renewal of the Church's worship called for by the Second Vatican Council.

The altar was moved into the St Joseph's Chapel in the 2022 restoration. 
 

Since the altar represents Christ, 'the Priest, the Altar, and the Lamb of sacrifice', the front and back panels portray the Blood and Water streaming from His five wounds, 'the fountain of sacramental life in the Church.'