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A Look Back At Our Cathedral Renovations: Preserving Our Place Of Worship For Generations To Come
It’s hard to believe that a year has passed since our faith community gathered for the dedication Mass celebrating the completion of our cathedral renovations! Today, our mission to rebuild God’s kingdom here on earth is more important than ever. Thanks to the beautiful work done on St. Benedict Cathedral last year, we are blessed to have an outward sign of this renewal of faith.
Some of the renovations carried out include the installation of new floor tiling, a large choir loft, and an improved wiring and sound system. More important than these changes to the physical structure, however, are the positive effect they have on our sense of community.
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“The renovation was really a comprehensive updating, redecoration, and improvement of the church,” Fr. Godfrey says. “I think it’s important to realize that the practical pieces have led to a pride in the church building, as is right and good. The structure of the church was always beautiful, but the decoration was tired and worn. So just as Christ continues to renew His people, day after day, with His grace, so the renovation of the church reminds us of the strength we have when we work together in Him.”
With last year’s renovations, the church building became more accessible to visitors and parishioners with restricted mobility. There is now a designated area for quieting infants and children during the Mass. Updated paint and lighting have brightened the sanctuary, and as Fr. Godfrey points out, even the repainting of our statues has provided us with more lovely examples of holiness. At the same time, steps were taken to ensure that the cathedral building will be preserved for generations to come.
In addition to the structural improvements, our cathedral was also blessed to receive some cherished relics during the renovation. Diocesan relics of Pope Saint Pius X, gifted to the cathedral, have a special connection to our parish — Pope Saint Pius X was serving as pope in 1912, the year our parish was established. The relics of other saints, including St. Valentine, that were original to our church have found a new home in our sanctuary as well. Like our newly restored statues of the saints, these relics remind us of our call to holiness.
Each November, we are called in a special way to reflect with gratitude on our many blessings. It is an appropriate month for recalling the theme of our renovation project — Giving God Thanks.
“God has given to our parish,” Fr. Godfrey says. “Grateful hearts so rightly become generous hearts, especially when we begin to realize over and over that God is the giver of every good gift. Throughout the campaign, I reminded all of us that we had plenty of reason to be grateful for the courage of our founding families, who never balked at starting a parish and a school and then, only 15 years into its existence, to build a church that was far larger than necessary. Thank God for their vision, their generosity, and their hard work. Now, future generations can rightly say, ‘Thank God for the courage of our families who had the faith, courage, and generosity to move us forward again.’”
Reflecting on the physical renovations that took place at the cathedral last year, Fr. Godfrey recognizes that, for all its messiness, renewal — whether of a structure or a soul — is always well worth the struggle.
“Sometimes, that’s how conversion works as well,” he says. “Sometimes, we want conversion to be easy. But conversion is work — hard work! And getting from one spiritual place to another requires trust in God, hope in a brighter future, and faith that it will all be worth it.
“We’re called to help build the Kingdom of God here,” Fr. Godfrey continues. “Because of our commitment to discipleship through the response of stewardship, through our increased prayer and generosity of talent, through our financial sacrifices for the sake of the parish’s mission, we have rightly made our parish a better place, and therefore our world as well.”
