Anyone interested in attending the Easter service, should book in advance (on 1300 76 33 11) and arrive before 9am to pick up their free ticket. Note that it is 252 steep stair steps to reach the Cathedral Chamber. Once inside, worshippers can sit, relax, hear the Easter message and (after catching their breath) sing songs of praise and worship! The cave is a constant 16 degrees Celsius, so worshipers should bring warm jackets to wear during the service, which will go for an hour.
As Jenolan's early cave explorers mapped their way through unfamiliar passages and caverns, they named formations after familiar stories from the Bible. Jenolan's Cathedral Chamber was named not only because of its huge dimensions (54 metres high), but because its massive limestone formations reminded explorers of church features - the 'baptismal font', the 'pulpit', 'the organ', 'the belfry', 'the organ pipes' and 'the cathedral windows'.
Like any other Australian rural community, for most of its 165 year history, the residents of Jenolan Caves attended church. Until the late 1960s, underground church services were held weekly. In the 1870s, the services were Methodist. But over the years, the Cathedral Chamber was used by other denominations. In the 1960s, services were broadcast regularly from the Cathedral Chamber and aired live on Sydney radio station, 2GB. In 2008, World Youth Day saw the Cathedral Chamber (and other underground areas) used for Catholic Mass, approximately 50 times, over 8 days - each Mass accommodating a full busload of pilgrims.
Now, every Easter (and Christmas) cave staffs hold an underground church service. Currently, there is growing interest in the possibility of reviving the tradition of regular services.
