Archdiocese gathers to celebrate anniversary of cathedral rededication

CT/E.L. HUBBARD

The liturgy began with a procession leading outside the cathedral and coming up the main aisle, which was incensed by the lead element of the entourage.

"Whether it's a church or a house or a shopping center, you never reach the point when you can step back and say that the project is now completed and that there's no more that needs to be done. . . . Buildings start to disintegrate the moment they are 'finished' and if you don't pay proper attention to them, they will, sooner or later, just fall apart." The same, he said, is true of cathedrals.

"This beautiful cathedral in which we are celebrating the Eucharist today was 'finished' in 1845 under the direction of Bishop Purcell. In the years that followed the attention that was given to it was enough to keep it standing, but only just. By the 1950s it was clear that major care, major renovation was required if the cathedral was going to stay standing. So Archbishop Alter undertook the rehabilitation and expansion of the cathedral and made it what we have today - a beautiful worship structure, which, of course, requires continual attention and maintenance. One of the reasons we are gathered here today is to remember the effort that has gone into our cathedral and to be grateful."

Retired Auxiliary Bishop Carl K. Moeddel joined the archbishop in celebrating the anniversary Mass, which was also an occasion to offer gratitude for the benefactors of the Catholic Ministries Appeal. Some 400 donors to the annual appeal were in attendance.

Greeted by a splendid autumn day, Mass-goers were treated to a concert prior to the liturgy, performed by the cathedral choir led by conductor Anthony DiCello and accompanied by instrumentalists, demonstrated the beauty and acoustical charms of the sacred space. Soloists during the concert, which feature works of Mozart, Bach and Handel, among numerous others, included Melissa Harvey, soprano; Katherine Zenk, Alto; Jeffrey Stivers, tenor; and Paul Scholten, bass.

The present cathedral for the Archdiocese of Cincinnati is the third such sacred structure in the city. Built in 1845, the current cathedral was extensively renovated and enlarged in 1957 (see related information on page 28).

In his homily, the archbishop likened the renovated cathedral to "another kind of church that requires ongoing attention, ongoing maintenance, and that is the church which is the people of God, the body of Christ, our local church community of the Archdiocese of Cincinnati."

"Every local church, every diocese requires ongoing infusions of energy and resources, otherwise it will simply disintegrate like a building that does not receive appropriate attention," he said. "One of the ways which we have found helpful for the well being our local church is our annual appeal . . . . This is one of the main ways in which we strengthen our local church community, in which we keep it upright and strong. Without this annual effort, our local church structure would gradually weaken and disintegrate. The issue is not that we have been inattentive to or negligent of our local church. It's simply the fact that communities need ongoing care just as physical buildings do."

He offered special thanks to those present who were benefactors to the appeal. "We have called you here today to say thank you to this important segment of fellow workers for on the well being of the church. Without the people who contributed their pennies and nickels to help build and maintain Bishop Purcell's cathedral, there would never have been a cathedral. Without those who worked with Archbishop Alter to renovate the cathedral in the 1950s the cathedral would have disintegrated by now. And without those who, over the years, have worked with their brothers and sisters around the archdiocese to strengthen our local church through our annual appeal, the structure of our community of faith would be weak and decayed."

Concluded Archbishop Pilarczyk, "Lord, your church isn't finished yet. It still requires work. It still requires maintenance. It still requires attention. But we are grateful that you have called us to be part of the ongoing work that you have undertaken."