SYDNEY (OSV News) — Sydney’s St. Mary’s Cathedral is set to shine once again as the Archdiocese of Sydney invites the public to its beloved Christmas at the Cathedral celebration.
Running Dec. 17-25, Sydney’s favorite free family event will see the cathedral forecourt come alive with Christmas market stalls, nightly live musical acts and activities open to all.
After sunset, the cathedral stays open until 10 p.m., and traditional displays will be unveiled, including a Nativity scene, a towering real fir Christmas tree and insightful exhibits.
Art projection display
The Jubilee Year’s Christmas at the Cathedral’s theme, for its iconic state of the art projection display, will focus on the timeless tale of “The Little Drummer Boy” in a message of hope, generosity and the true spirit of Christmas.
The beloved Christmas carol will be brought to life by The Electric Canvas, the same team behind the award-winning light shows and designs at events such as VIVID Sydney and the Melbourne International Arts Festival.
The Electric Canvas managing director Peter Milne said they are thrilled to deliver Archbishop Anthony Fisher’s vision for Sydney, with his creative team working around the clock for 200 days to create the spectacular state-of-the-art animation and imagery that will transform the facade of St. Mary’s Cathedral.
“It’s great to be back doing the cathedral Christmas show. … We start quite early, around June, which is a key to making it bigger and better every year,” he said.
Emphasizing the importance of offering oneself humbly to Jesus, regardless of material wealth or status, this year’s theme resonates with a timely message this Christmas — that true sacrifice and worship come from the heart, in love and humility.
The drummer boy’s simple, humble gift of music reminds us that Jesus values the devotion of the heart more than material offerings, the organizers emphasize.
Partnership with local government
“When the team at the archdiocese presented us with the theme of ‘The Little Drummer Boy’ for this year’s projections, we were thrilled,” said Milne.
“It’s a beautiful Christmas story with a strong Christian message. We work very closely with the executive team at the archdiocese, and of course, that is entirely their focus. It’s about the message.
“Our job is to interpret that and display it in a way that is compatible with the challenging architecture of the facade.”
This year, the archdiocese is cooperating with the New South Wales government agency that supports the event.
“Christmas at the Cathedral is a much-loved event that brings together people of all ages and backgrounds to celebrate the festive season,” said Steve Kamper, New South Wales minister for jobs and tourism.
The cathedral will come alive with Christmas projections and entertainment running from 5.30 p.m. to 10.30 p.m. each day. Organizers said that international visitors to Sydney are invited to experience both the golden beaches of Bondi and a European-style Christmas only miles away, at Sydney’s mother church.
Darren Ally is a reporter for The Catholic Weekly, the newspaper of the Archdiocese of Sydney. This story was originally published by The Catholic Weekly and distributed through a partnership with OSV News.
