throne and celebrant's chairs set behind it. The style of the altar is that of the pre-Vatican II era when the altar served both as the main focal point of the church and as the throne. The retable with its extravagantly carved canopy and columned tabernacle in the shape of a church door remains in its place but the mensa has been moved forward to allow the bishop's throne and celebrant's chairs to be placed behind to allow the versus populam as prescribed by the new order of Mass. Of interest is the central panel showing one of the Stations of the Cross (Jesus falling). To the left of the chancel is the former nun's chancel now used as the Blessed Sacrament chapel and to the right is the south transept. To either side of the sanctuary proper are two more lancets representing St Joseph and St Mary. Standing before the Joseph window is a statue of Our Lady and before the Lady window is the Sacred Heart. In 2011, it was reported that the repair work is necessary to restore the fabric of the building, in particular the bell tower, which has become unsafe. Some of the sandstone from the 1800s has not weathered well and shows extensive fretting and disintegration, while early brickwork, decorative stained glass windows and copper and slate roofing also need repairs. In addition there is rising damp in the south-west corner of the cathedral and concerns about sub-floor ventilation. A public appeal was launched with expectations of raising A$2.5million with the work to be completed by 2015 when the diocese celebrates its sesqui-centenary and the city its bicentenary. Controversies The Diocese of Bathurst, like many in Australia, has been part of the Catholic sexual abuse scandal, which are a series of convictions, trials and ongoing investigations into allegations of sex crimes committed by Catholic priests and members of religious orders. The most notable institution in the diocese where convictions for sex crimes have been recorded is St Stanislaus' College in Bathurst. During the 1970s and 80's sex crimes against young boys and men occurred, instigated by religious clergy: In 2011, a conviction was recorded against William Stanley Irwin, a former Catholic brother, on two counts of gross indecency on a male under the age of 18. Kevin Francis Phillips, pleaded guilty in 2010 to four counts of gross indecency with a child under the