Sacred Heart Cathedral undergoes painting, wash to look its best

The grand heritage-listed Sacred Heart Cathedral overlooking the city will soon be looking its best once again with tradies hosing its walls and brushing it up with a fresh lick of paint.

Sacred Heart Cathedral gets lick of paint during routine maintenance.

The grand heritage-listed Sacred Heart Cathedral overlooking the city will soon be looking its best once again.

Catholic Diocese of Townsville spokesman Neil Helmore said the Stanley St cathedral would be getting a new lick of paint to the outside.

“It’s just some regular maintenance work. It was last done in 2014 just before Bishop Michael Putney died,” he said.

Bishop Putney died of cancer on March 28, 2014 and is buried at the cathedral. He was described as “a son of Townsville” by Archbishop Mark Coleridge.

Sacred Heart Cathedral getting repainted.

Mr Helmore said moss on the outside of the cathedral was being removed and paint details refined, with works expected to continue for a number of days – weather dependent.

“The brick is being given a hose down and painters are giving it a touch up,” he said. A large cherry-picker could be seen lifting a worker to the top of the cathedral to give the white outlining a fresh lick.

Tradies are working from the back of the cathedral to the city-facing side.

Services are continuing at the cathedral during the COVID-19 pandemic, but Townsville’s Bishop Tim Harris issued directives including: communion will only be received by hand, that holy water should be removed from stoops at the doors of churches, and people sick with flu-like symptoms are to stay at home and not attend Mass until their sickness passes.

Originally published as Sacred Heart Cathedral undergoes painting, wash to look its best