The bronze statue of Archbishop Daniel Mannix was erected in the forecourt of the Cathedral in March 1999. The sculpture was created by English sculptor, Nigel Boonham, who visited Australia when working on this commission, but executed the work overseas. The towering Mannix statue is believed to be approximately one and a half life sized, and features a rough textured surface effect.
A statue of Irish patriot Daniel O'Connell, a layman, was first mooted in 1875 by a committee of Irish Catholics to honour O'Connell's role in fighting for religious freedom for Catholics in Ireland and Great Britain. It took years for enough money to be raised to build the life-sized statue, which was commissioned in 1886, cast in Belgium in 1888 and erected in 1890.
The bronze statues of Italy's patron saints St Francis and St Catherine were erected in December 2000. They were commissioned to reflect the contribution made to the Archdiocese by the Italian community.
This great Australian woman inspired great dedication to God's work in the then new colonies. In today's world, she stands as an example of great courage and trust in her living out of God's loving and compassionate care of those in need.
For more information about Mary MacKillop visit
St Mary MacKillop
Mary MacKillop Heritage Centre
A bust of Cardinal Aloysius Stepinac was given to the Cathedral by the Victorian Croatian community to remind visitors of the heroism and faithfulness of Cardinal Stepinac, who as an Archbishop during World War II, helped people to escape Nazi persecution.