Sacred Heart Cathedral, Bendigo

Towering above the city skyline, Sacred Heart Cathedral in Bendigo is one of Australia’s most awe-inspiring churches—and the final destination of the Christus Rex Pilgrimage. Built in the Gothic Revival style and constructed from local sandstone, the Cathedral is among the largest of its kind in the Southern Hemisphere.

The Cathedral’s spires first come into view as pilgrims approach the city, a visible sign of the heavenly goal for which they walk. As they ascend the main road toward its steps, pilgrims join in solemn procession, singing hymns and offering prayers before entering for the climactic Solemn Mass of Christ the King, celebrated in the usus antiquior.

Inside, the grandeur of the architecture—soaring arches, stained glass, and carved stone—lifts the soul heavenward. Yet it is not the building itself that moves the heart, but the liturgy it houses: the sacred rites offered to the King of Kings by hundreds of faithful pilgrims united in worship.

To enter Sacred Heart Cathedral after days of walking is to arrive not just at a physical destination, but at the very heart of our purpose—to honour Christ as King, publicly and joyfully, in the most fitting of earthly temples.