The Cathedral of the Good Shepherd is built in a restrained
Renaissance style. Its
porticos are in the
Palladian manner, which was established here by George Drumgoole Coleman. Its plan is in the form of a
Latin cross and like all traditional churches, it is orientated east.
Steeple The steeple, surmounted by a cross, consists of two sections. The first section is a square with each corner of the square marked by three
engaged columns in the
Ionic order. On each façade is an arched window. The four façades are topped with
pediments ornamented with a circle. The cathedral's three bells are located inside this section and are decorated with religious motifs. Cast by the Crouzet-Hildebrand Foundry in Paris, the bells were originally hung for
swing chiming, but electric tolling hammers have since replaced the long ropes for stationary chiming. During the 2016 restoration, following the stabilization and reinforcing of the tower's structure, the bells were re-hung for swing chiming with an electric motor. On the second section of the steeple is an octagon with each corner of the octagon marked by an engaged column in the
Tuscan order. On each façade is a narrow rectangular window. The eight façades are topped with pediments.
Entrances There are six entrances into the cathedral with the one fronting Victoria Street closed to public access. The entrances are porticoed and have heavily moulded pediments. All pediments are ornamented with a moulded circle at the centre and, except for the ones at the ends of the
transept and the one fronting Victoria Street, all are surmounted with a cross. The main entrance at the west end of the cathedral serves as the
porte-cochère. The two side entrances at the
nave are in the form of diminutive porticos and are smaller and less imposing than the entrances at the ends of the transept. At the main entrance are three doors. Apart from the main entrance, all other entrances, except for the one fronting Victoria Street, have only one door. The entrance fronting Victoria Street had three doors initially until the walling up of the centre door. All doors are double-leaf, of timber construct and, except for the two fronting Victoria Street, all are panelled. While the doors of the two side entrances at the nave are double the height of the doors found at the ends of the transept, these four doors have each a stained-glass window over them. Over the centre door is a statue of the Good Shepherd in a niche, with an inscription over it that reads
I am the Good Shepherd. Over each of the two doors flanking the centre door is an arched window.
Nave The nave is a
simple hall without aisles. There are two transepts, also without aisles, and these are screened off by two doric columns on each side. Upon entering the cathedral through the centre door at the
narthex, one will see the statues of
Saint Anthony of Padua and
Saint Francis Xavier, the four cast iron
Composite columns supporting the gallery, and the two cast iron spiral staircases leading to the gallery. To the left sits a statue of the
Pietà and a statue of
Saint Joseph stands at the other end. The eight large windows at the nave together with the other six at the transept and two at the
sacristy are arched. There were originally eight large windows at the transept until the walling up of the two fronting Victoria Street. The original timber louvred casements of the windows were replaced by glass shutters with green glass in 1937. The stained glass windows in the lunettes of the nave and transept windows were presented to the cathedral by Bishop Charles Arsène Bourdon. The timber ceiling is in a concave form and is made up of three rows of six rectangular panels. All eighteen panels are rather simply ornamented, with a simple rectangular border and a ceiling rose at their centres. The ceiling roses in the centre row are larger and more elaborate than those in the side rows. From the centre of each circle hangs a lamp. The ceiling edge ends in deeply moulded plaster cornice that runs along the length of the cathedral. As the height of the east end has been raised at different times, the dimensions of the entablature no longer relate to the columns properly, as their bases have been raised. The cathedral was once lit with Victorian crystal chandeliers, but these have since been replaced with simpler lamps. There are two
confessionals to the left and right side of the nave and they are topped with pediments ornamented with a circle and cross at the centre. The set of fourteen oil paintings on the walls of the nave depict the
Way of the Cross. At the
crossing is the final resting place of Bishop Edouard Gasnier, the first bishop of the revived Diocese of Malacca.
Gallery The gallery, which is closed to public access, houses the Gallery Organ and an audio-visual control room.
Sanctuary On the wall of the sanctuary is a
crucifix, It is framed by a pediment and four
pilasters – two pilasters on a
pedestal on either side of it. This reredos is not original, and was installed sometime in the 1960s, and is typical of the period, using standard glass mosaic tiles to create a 'starburst' background to the crucifix, as a replacement for the original high altar arrangement that was removed following the
Second Vatican Council. At one point, the cathedra was moved to this spot where the high altar once stood, with the altar being moved forward as a free-standing 'communion table' style altar to allow
versus populum celebration of the Mass. Following the most recent restoration, the traditional placement of the cathedra, to one side of the altar, has been reinstated. However, the decision was made to retain the 1960s reredos instead of reinstating the original high altar. However, the tabernacle was returned to its rightful place at the centre of the church, and a new retable was built for it. On either side of the main altar are doors that lead to the sacristy. A new altar table was also installed, of white marble and a more sympathetic design than the previous one, with a roundel containing a depiction of the Agnus Dei at its centre. There were once niches over the doors (which were also round-headed to match the windows) on either side and in the centre that held statues, but they were filled in and plastered over at the time the reredos was replaced. Today the doors are of a more conventional rectangular shape, and where the niches once were is now blank wall that serves as projector screen. The four crosses engraved on marble slabs in the sanctuary together with the other eight in the nave make up the twelve
consecration crosses put in place on the interior walls around the cathedral for its consecration in 1897. They may never be removed and are proof, in the absence of documents, that a church has been consecrated.
North transept In the north transept stands a statue of
Our Mother of Good Counsel in a niche topped by a pediment and flanked by two pilasters – each pilaster on a pedestal on either side of it. The north transept is where the
baptistery is located. The statue of Our Mother of Good Counsel and the stained-glass window over the door hints to its previous designation as the Chapel of the
Blessed Virgin Mary. On the walls are memorial plaques to early personalities of the church, notably, John Connolly and Bishop Michel-Esther Le Turdu. The relics of Saint Laurent-Marie-Joseph Imbert can be found enshrined in the wall at the right side of the door.
South transept In the south transept stood the
tabernacle in a niche topped by a pediment and flanked by two pilasters – each pilaster on a pedestal on either side of it. This was the
Blessed Sacrament Chapel. It takes the place of what was originally the Chapel of Saint Joseph. On the wall to the left of the tabernacle is a memorial plaque to Father Jean-Marie Beurel. The 2016 restoration saw the return of the Chapel of Saint Joseph to the cathedral main building. A statue of Saint Joseph, a match of the Our Mother of Good Counsel statue at the Lady Chapel was returned to the mentioned chapel. A new tabernacle was installed at the centre of the sanctuary.
Grounds Outside on the grounds of the cathedral near the main entrance was a bronze life-size statue of
Pope John Paul II, the Glorious Cross of 7.38 meters and a statue of the Virgin Mary. A statue of the Good Shepherd stands opposite the entrance at the south transept. After the 2016 restoration, the statue of the
Virgin Mary and
John Paul II statues were reinstalled in their original place. A new, contemporary crucifix is installed at the north transept entrance. A statue of the
Homeless Jesus by
Timothy Schmaltz is installed at the west end of the compound. The Good Shepherd statue has been moved to the crypt at the new basement.
Other buildings Apart from the cathedral itself, there are five other buildings within the grounds of the cathedral: • The Archbishop's House is a simple, unadorned nineteenth-century two-storey
bungalow with a projecting portico. Its
verandahs were previously unenclosed. • The Resident's Quarters is a U-shaped single-storey building with handsome Tuscan columns rising from the ground. • The Cathedral
Rectory is an ornate early twentieth century two-storey rusticated bungalow with decorative plasterwork. There is a covered linkway to a rectangular single-storey building at its rear. • The
Jean-Marie Beurel Centre is a newly built 4-storeys building to support the ministries works of the cathedral. The building is connected to the new basement with a covered linkway. • A newly constructed basement that houses a function hall, crypt and a perpetual Adoration Chapel. ==Music==