Do you love cathedrals? I do!!…read more After seeing St. Mary's Cathedral from the Sydney Tower and several times on the Hop On/Hop Off Bus, I knew that I had to try to visit it on our last day in Sydney. So glad that I was able to spend some time exploring this beautiful spiritual landmark. Located across from Hyde Park, St Mary's Cathedral is unusual among large cathedrals. Due to its size, the plan of the city and the way the land falls around it, it is oriented in a north-south axis. The cathedral is laid out in a traditional English cathedral plan with a cruciform shape. Love the towers, naves, spires and transepts. The cathedral is constructed in local sandstone. The Gothic Revival style of its architecture pays respect to the great medieval cathedrals of Europe. It was built in phases starting in 1866. The spires were added most recently in 2000. The design draws on many architectural elements. The long nave looks like many medieval English cathedrals while the entrance facade with the twin towers and a central rose window looks more like Notre Dame de Paris, a typical French Gothic cathedral. Walk around the cathedral to see many medieval elements of European Gothic cathedrals. Flying buttresses. Canopies. The text of the Ave Maria. Statues of saints. Towers. Turrets. Menacing gargoyles. Inside the cathedral, you will feel enveloped with the tranquility and richness of the church. As you enter the main doors, you may feel the pull to enter and absorb the stunning views along the length of the nave. The columns and vaulted ceilings of the main arcade are constructed of the same warm local sandstone as the exterior and interior walls. So beautiful. So inviting. Look around to see more saintly statues, chapels and stunning stained-glass windows. Light a candle. Make a donation. Enjoy the peace and tranquility of this sacred space in the early morning on a warm summer day. Truly a beautiful and historic cathedral to visit while exploring Sydney.

Copy and pasted from their website: "St Mary's Cathedral…read morestands on the site of the first Catholic Chapel in Australia. Constructed in local sandstone, the Gothic Revival style of its architecture is reminiscent of the great medieval cathedrals of Europe." Quality/Quantity - Beautiful cathedral, both inside and outside. See pictures. Atmosphere - They were having Mass when we arrived, so to not interrupt, we did not stay. But again, what a beautiful cathedral both inside and outside. Copy and pasted from their website, as I can NOT say it better: "The stained-glass windows in the Cathedral were crafted in England, at the Hardman studios of Birmingham, from 1881 onwards. In the area of the Sanctuary and transepts, the windows mostly depict the 15 "mysteries of the Rosary", climaxing in the great north window with the "Coronation of the Blessed Virgin Mary." The windows in the nave mostly show scenes from the New Testament, and the first four on each side also show notable moments in the history of the Church in Sydney prior to completion of the Cathedral. The 14 large oil paintings of the Stations of the Cross were acquired by Cardinal Moran in 1885 during a visit to Europe, and hung in the aisles near the sanctuary prior to the extension of the Cathedral. In 1997, the Canadian organ builders, Orgues LeTourneau, were commissioned to build a large new organ to be located in the west transept. This splendid 46 stop instrument was installed and blessed just prior to Christmas, 1999." Service - N/A. Price - Free. Owner Comment - Congrats on your success since pre 1865, when a fire burned down the previous cathedral.

Like worshipping with rock-stadium lighting and mega bass? Great! You'll love worshipping at…read moreHillsong Church. It's got the intensity of a U2 concert and with songs that are instantly singable this is the place to raise your voice and your hands and go for some heaven-touching worship. The ushers are super friendly and welcoming even if like me you enter from the garage at the side on Danks Street. Looking around the packed auditorium I noticed people from just about every nation on earth here. It's definitely not a place anyone would feel out of place with a multi-cultural, largely young and vibrant crowd attending. You would be hard pressed to hear a dud, boring message at Hillsong with lots of international visiting speakers giving the locals a constantly new and fresh feast of solid spiritual teaching. Every sermon created to uplift, inspire, motivate and be totally relevant to modern day-to-day life in the city. And each message is always big on humour and take-home-points - a nice touch. And this church runs to clock-like precision - where time is valued and honoured. Not a moment is wasted or empty. Each service is 1.5 hours and it starts bang on time. And ends the same way. This church is bursting at the seems and so the garage is converted to a cafe and meet and greet area complete with a BBQ grill serving bacon and egg rolls for a couple of dollars. Another nice touch. No car? No worries. The thing that most impressed me from my very first visit was the Hillsong buses from Central station. I joined the very long line at Central Station and jumped on one of these busses - and I recall that day it was raining so on arrival there were greeters with umbrellas offering commuters shelter from the storm. Yet another nice touch. With lots of weekend services to choose from on Saturday night, Sunday morning and Sunday night you won't have an excuse to miss out on a great time at Hillsong church.

When did going to church become one big Coldplay concert?…read more My dear old mum wanted to give Hillsong a shot to see what all the fuss was about, so I went with her to their Waterloo campus, and man, has Christianity found it's feet in the 21st century. It's unrecognisable from the Catholic Church I knew as a kid. For starters, it's in a big industrial warehouse, not a sombre, architecturally splendid old gothic church. It was rammed, completely overflowing with people, and they were all between 20-30, unlike the two old pensioners and a cat in a handbag you get at some suburban traditional services. People were losing their minds with enjoyment, hands in the air, closed eyes, fist bumps, hugs, grins, spontaneous cries of jubilation. As opposed to the shh-don't-talk sobriety of an old pastor mumbling his way through some scripture while the congregation nods off. There's a cafe on site, they do hot dogs, there's free bibles, there's a band on stage, there's lights, action, singing - so.much.singing - and every part of the complex there's meeters and greeters and huggers and holders and everyone's in expensive trainers and scoop neck t-shirts and beanies, yes beanies! In a church! I know, right?!

It is great to find a beautiful, well maintained catholic church; described as being in the…read morespiritual oasis of the city (it could be because this church is surrounded by so many other churches) and the variety of different service times available to suit the busiest of people; so yes there isn't really much of an excuse not to miss church; nor confession for that matter. I mean there are around twelve priests in total; and this is why this is a real full-time church; where it feels like there are services churning around on tap. It gets very busy here at easter more so than Christmas. Have been to their good Friday services with friends, and it is so emotional yet a great church service overall. What I particularly love about this church is not only the beautiful surroundings; but rather the short, sharp and to the point services with communion included. Church services normally go for an hour; yet here at St Patrick's (otherwise known as St Pat's) services normally only last around 20-30 minutes maximum. It is oh so peaceful to come here; pray, listen and relax. Their Tuesday lunchtime meditation sessions aren't too bad either.

Lovely church. Attended Mass and enjoyed meeting local Pastor. Church was in walking distance from…read moreour hotel and short walk from the business district.

Just walking into this sanctuary makes you feel like a new person. The aromas are beautiful and the…read morestaff are serene. I decided to give meditation a go as I've been told over and over the benefits of calming a busy mind. I attended a beginner drop in class which require no experience and cost $10. We were taken upstairs to a room where we could sit on chairs or pillows and we were slowly guided through a meditation. To be honest (I say this with fear of bad karma) I didn't particularly enjoy it. I think it was more about the teacher than meditation. I think it was one of her first group meditations and I could pick up her angst throughout the hour.I would definitely be willing to try it again - as I loved the space and sincerely enjoyed being there - but if you can get recommendations of the best teacher I would strong suggest doing that first....

Architecturally, this is a great building and definitely one of the important and recognizable…read morebuildings in Sydney. Located right next to Sydney Town Hall, this cathedral is in great condition and is a unique building with great gothic design. While I didn't get the chance to enter the cathedral, I did admire the exterior of the building. There is some seating outside so it's a great spot to rest, eat, meet or reflect...even in the seating areas outside the cathedral, one can see the bustle of the CBD, but still feel a bit removed from everything...pretty cool!

For those who are here for the architecture, it's a gorgeous building. It's one of the oldest…read morecathedrals in Australia. As a church, it's also lovely. I've been on Sunday evenings. As it's late considering Sunday evening prep, haven't stuck around but sense that it's close knit, but not exclusive. I have always left with great food for thought which is entirely connected to modern society. There is q & a at the end. I'm surprised and impressed that the parishioners are so diverse in age, background, etc as the whole thing really appeals to my ever-questioning side. On Wednesday evenings, they have the healing ministry. This has been such a game changer. Can't fully articulate the positive impact this has had. For me, it is stripped of everything that's generally put me off with church. I love that they have people to pray with you if you wish, without it being overly touchy feely and intrusive. I'm not going to edit this until later because I'm lazy like that.

If you are looking for great teaching, uplifting worship and a totally friendly community, SLC is…read morefor you.

The most local Catholic Church in Haymarket. It's conveniently located on George Street between…read moreCampbell and Goulburn. I came here to pray during my darkest days when I first arrived in Sydney so this parish will always have a special place in my heart. Daily Mass is usually 30-mins or less. There's 3 separate times Mon-Fri (730am, 1210pm and 530pm). If you're ever in need of a boost of faith, St. Peter Julian's doors are always open.. Except during closing hours ;)