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.

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.

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.

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 ;)

In these "end times", this heart of the city of Sydney is getting better daily ... is focused on…read morereaching 7 stars. Faithful to proclaiming the Gospel of Jesus Christ, for the glory of God the Father. Consider the pre-Rapture invitation and COME - research the end of the New Testament (ie Revelation 22:17). Until the Net is full, The Watchman

Checking off as many historical sites as I could while in Sydney…read more Sydney's first church, built in the early 1820's, was on the list. St James is located in an area full of history and beauty. Hyde park is across the street. St Mary's Cathedral and The Barracks are a block away. Town Hall and the Queen Victoria Building are four blocks away. St James' architectural style is Georgian and designed by convict architect Francis Greenway. Other tours would also give credit to other convicts for their contributions in building the city. The exterior is built of warm salmon-coloured sandstock bricks called samels. And started as a rectangular block building. The last 200 years has seen some additions and upgrades. Today the Anglican church still show off its simple charms. The coffered ceiling. The high arched alcoves framing the stained glass windows. The meticulous mosaic tile floor. And the creaky old wooden pews. St James has been in continuous use. It took two attempts to see the church. It isn't always open. And I couldn't find posted hours.

I've never set foot in this church, but I have partied like a bandit beneath it…read more Now, hold on, hold on. Avert your accusatory stares. Put away those stink-eyes, people. This was legit. There was a gig on in the crypt beneath the church (side note: how freaking sweet is it not only that there's a subterranean crypt, but that they open it up for gigs? Go clergy!) You stoop to go through this little tunnel and there's a long, kind of cramped sandstone hallway with a bunch of side passages running off it every 15 metres or so, it's super cool. The reverb was immense! And the bathrooms were a revelation, modern and spotless. I didn't want to leave. The bathrooms, or the crypt. If you ever get a chance to see a gig here (mine was Kirin J Callinan, btw) jump at it.

Hope Sydney is friendly and welcoming, an excellent international church with great music and…read morevaluable teaching.

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

I was at the Church last night for "Medicine Rhythm presents Water" a music and dance event to kick…read moreoff "Mindful in May", a month-long mediation fundraising "festival". The Church itself is pretty cool, and it's great that it lends itself to such positive spiritual celebrations. The large, serene space with raised platforms at the front was a good fit for the event. Some of the artwork on the walls was a bit off-putting, though, I thought. The event itself was a mixed bag for me. I'll be the first to admit: this is not my scene. I've been purposely trying in the last few years to not limit my exposure to things. And this was a very happy and positive celebration, with music and dancing and everyone trying to produce a good vibe. And raising money for Charity: Water, a charity I myself helped with fundraising when I helped organise the 2010 Twestival. I liked the ambient band that greeted us, the Yelp Elite group, on arrival. And I thought the taiko drummers were fantastic. I could have listened and danced to them all night. And I liked some of the calm, quite moments; I think cultivating a restful mind is something more people should do. But ultimately the sage smoke blessing, the belief in connectedness, the water dance, and the general spiritual beliefs going on amongst everyone else were something I couldn't share. I am a (former) scientist and a materialist. And I had a sick wife at home. So I slipped our partway through. It looked like people so inclined were having a great time, so I think the event went well. Good for them. The focus of the night was on water, and besides all the mystical attributes that were given to H2O there was a brief statement about not using water in ways that were harmful. The examples given for this were fracking and adding fluoride to it. As a scientist and a materialist I can get behind the fracking thing. But railing against fluoridated water? That's pure anti-scientific ignorance.

Another Elite event. Was (and still am) grateful to have been invited to the "Medicine Rhythm…read morepresents Water" event to kick off the Mindfulness in May event, where all of us are encouraged to meditate for 10 minutes a day in May...all it takes to find some inner peace and joy in a hectic, busy world. My five stars goes to both the venue (Paddington Uniting Church) as well as to the event in equal measures, yet more so to the event. It felt like a nightclub inside, and despite a full house the space was just right. Enough room for some 'big kids' to play, as if we are swimming in a sea of water. The 'water' was cleansing us up and lubricating our joints, as in a form of meditation. All of the Yelp family agreed that it was a different, yet amazingly a cleansed and a great Saturday night spent out on the town. Loud, fast music surprisingly attuned to meditating, and a nightclub like vibe with a few bright lights and happy, enlightened people (for a change) was refreshing. So cool, words cannot explain. We arrived at 7pm, and Linda and I left at 10:45pm while we both started to get sleepy after some more dancing, and had to rely on public transport to get us home. I slept like a baby afterwards with glitter (the last remnants) on my face to prolong the occasion with a wash and a cleanse this morning. Kings Cross did not seem so full on after all... Oh, and speaking of cleansing, some sage smoke was poured around some of us in tandem with drinking some milky spinach upon arrival. Some ethical food was available, and the salad was unique. Great organic chocolate samples too. Acai berries anyone? Yes they were on sale too with a bottle of soul water to cool us down from the heat of the water inside, protecting us from the super chilly weather outside. The fans had to be used too. Sweat, love and water brought us into a state of trance and gratitude for life. It worked. The night made all the difference to hopefully scoring my second book publishing contract. I have just finished, 31,000 words in a record five days, voila...I have now just finished writing my fourth book on the back of this, and the deadline is next week, from something I have just been invited for in my business, and this event helped with one paragraph on spirituality. Thank you, the two more powerful words we can ever say, and this is what last night was all about. See, it pays to be Elite. Thank you so much to Ben and to Yelp Sydney. Pity none of us could stay right to the end. If that's awareness in April, kick starting a mindfulness month, then we're in for a meditative treat...May will be busy...yep...with other meditative events like Vivid Sydney and the like, phew. And sorry I could not take any pictures, my phone did not last as long as I did yesterday, and that is now saying something! Other attendees, please feel free to post your pictures on this review! Danke.