February 25, 2011
By Mary Frances Schjonberg

The mayor of Christchurch, New Zealand, has vowed that the iconic Anglican cathedral in the center of that earthquake-ravaged city will be rebuilt "brick by brick, stone by stone" because "we need to find some symbols like that."

Bob Parker told the Dominion newspaper that in the wake of the Feb. 22 magnitude-6.3 quake that struck very near Christchurch "we will have to take some bold steps."

On the fourth day after the quake, emergency workers were preparing to begin retrieving an estimated 22 bodies from the ruins of the cathedral. Tourists were in the building at the time, many or most of them in the collapsed tower.

An unnamed search and rescue expert told the New Zealand Herald that a camera lowered into the damaged nave found no signs of life.

"No sound, nothing," he said.

He estimated that stone and rubble filled the building to a height of around 65 feet.

The quake's official death toll now stands at 113, with more than 200 people listed as missing.

About 600 search and rescue workers, who failed to find any survivors overnight Feb. 24-25 (local time), have been working in shifts searching the central city rubble.

The Very Rev. Peter Beck, cathedral dean, said that an urban search and rescue team began to remove masonry from the top of the collapsed tower about 2 p.m. local time Feb. 25.

"The priority of all this is not the building, it's how you can get safely the bodies out and returned to their loved ones, that's the most important thing," Beck told the New Zealand Press Association.

The cathedral's east wing sustained most of the damage, according to Beck, who said that the cathedral staff was in the west wing and that all survived, along with all of the cathedral volunteers. The west wing contains a visitors' center and café, and Beck said the death toll would have been much higher had that portion of the building collapsed.

Beck echoed both Mayor Parker and Diocese of Christchurch Bishop Victoria Matthews, who have said the cathedral would be rebuilt. Structural engineers believe that parts of the building can be salvaged, Beck said.

"The cathedral is, in a sense, the symbol, the icon of our city and there is no doubt there is going to be a strong desire to rebuild it," he said.

A Herald reporter said the cathedral is one of "the city's valued gems"

The cathedral was central to the planned settlement in 1850, according to the Herald. It took 14 years for a foundation stone to be laid, a further 17 years for the nave to be built and a further 23 years for the rest to be completed. It survived earthquakes in 1881, 1888 and 1891 with minor damage to its tower.

To many, the damaged cathedral is now iconic of their losses.

"Key places like the cathedral, land forms, the center of [nearby] Lyttelton, that have always been there and in their childhood, part of the tapestry of their lives, have gone – as well as the mothers, fathers, sons, daughters, grandchildren," Cary Howard, national practice manager for Relationship Services, told The Press of Christchurch.

Cathedral dean Beck echoed that feeling. "I'm deeply aware how significant the cathedral is for Christchurch," he said. "So many people see it as a symbol of our city and how broken it is at the moment."

Beck is also stunned by the damage. "At some point I'm going to need to cry, but I'm just too busy to do that at the moment," he said.

A message on the landing page of the cathedral's website puts the damage to the cathedral in an even larger context.

Saying that the cathedral staff is "overwhelmed by the depth of concern shown and people's commitment to seeing the cathedral one day re-built," it goes on to say that "our immediate concern is for the people of this city and region, to their ongoing well-being and healing. The thoughts and prayers of so many in New Zealand and around the world give us strength and resolve to move through our current situation as we look to rebuild our lives."

No services will be conducted at the cathedral on Sunday, Feb. 27 and there are no plans to transfer services this Sunday to an alternate location.

"So much is going on in terms of responding to human need that there has simply been no opportunity to sort an alternate location and undertake the necessary preparations," the website said. "Cathedral regulars, supporters and visitors wishing to attend services of worship are encouraged to join other congregational worship where and when that may be taking place around the city."

A gallery of New Zealand Herald photos of the ruined cathedral is online at http://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/image.cfm?c_id=1&gal_objectid=10708714&gallery_id=116916#7389283.

Elsewhere in the diocese, 20 residents of Churchill Courts, one of the three Anglican Aged Care villages in Christchurch, have been permanently evacuated, according to Anglican Taonga, the news service of the Anglican Church in Aotearoa, New Zealand and Polynesia. Another 20 residents of the village's dementia unit are to be moved over the weekend.

Churchill Courts was badly damaged by the Sept. 4 magnitude-7 quake, of which this week's temblor was an aftershock. Its historic chapel had to be torn down. This time the building lost its water supply, power, phones, sewerage, fire alarms and sprinklers, the news service said.

Liquefaction, the quake-triggered ground-sinking phenomenon that has caused massive damage in Christchurch, had caused hallways to slump, walls and ceilings to crack.

Bishop Matthews and Archbishop David Moxon, one of the province's three co-presiding bishops, came to speak to and pray with the residents and staff.

"We wouldn't ask you to climb on those buses if we could care for you here," Matthews told them, according to the news service. "But I'm told this building can't allow us to do that. It's been a safe place of love and care, and we want that to continue. Sometimes we think we're in control of our lives. This event tells us we're not. But God is in control. God loves you and is waiting for you to arrive in a new place."

Bishopspark, a central-city Anglican home for 106 elderly people, has also suffered significant damage, the news service said. A seven-story building housing 28 apartments had to be vacated – its residents have had to move in with family or friends – while the heritage-listed bishop's house and chapel have also been badly damaged.

A newer building on the Bishopspark site was not affected, while a number of cottages there have suffered some damage but are still habitable.

The third Aged Care site, Fitzgerald, came through the latest quake relatively unscathed, Anglican Taonga reported.

Anglicans across the diocese and country are rallying to help each other and their wider communities. The Auckland Diocesan School for Girls has raised NZ$14,000 with a so-called "black and red mufti day." Hundreds of Year 1 to 13 students gathered on the school's front lawn at lunchtime to form a giant heart and shout out a "Kia Kaha Canterbury" message of support to those affected by the quake, according to Anglican Taonga. Kia Kaha is a Maori phrase that means "forever strong." Christchurch is in the New Zealand Province of Canterbury.

Christchurch Mayor Parker urged tolerance as tempers began to fray. "Cut people a bit of slack today. There will be grumpy people, we all express our stress in different ways," he said.

Saying his home had some "security issues" overnight, Parker told Christchurch residents to be careful.

"There are bad people out there – it makes you feel a little uneasy," he said. "We have to be aware that there are people out there for whom this is nothing but an opportunity... They do not have feelings or consideration; they have greed and a need."

Episcopal News Service
The Rev. Mary Frances Schjonberg is national correspondent for Episcopal News Service.