By Julie Godfrey Miller
Catholic Herald

Cathedral preservation, enhancement project continues

SUPERIOR -- Since the fall of 2001, parishioners and visitors have watched as the initial phases of Cathedral of Christ the King preservation and enhancement project have taken place.

Exterior repairs and replacements came first -- roofs, stone walls, bell tower, windows. More recently "cartoons" of the proposed designs of angel mosaics for the arches and Christ the Pantocrater for the apse were put on the walls, along with test sections of embellishments for some areas of the walls and ceiling.

The cathedral building turned 75 years old at Christmas 2002 and has had considerable maintenance over the years. Fr. Daniel Dahlberg, cathedral rector, said, "Cathedral parish has maintained and upgraded facility over the 75 years. ... Over the years the parish has probably invested over a million dollars, already spent by the parish on the upper tile roof, a new elevator, granite front steps and lower copper roofs."

Now, however, the building is in need of major upgrading and enhancement, including upgrading infrastructure -- heating, ventilation, lighting and sound -- and painting and decorative art in the worship space, he said.

Thanks to the further generosity and sacrifices of parishioners and Catholics throughout the diocese, the needed renovation work on the interior will begin soon.

According to Dahlberg, cathedral parishioners have pledged close to $700,000 for the project. The parish's three-year goal is $750,000, but they hope to raise more than that. He added, "Our parish has already collected close to $350,000 of three year pledges, and this is only the first year."

The other parishes in the diocese are also involved in raising funds for the cathedral project.

Dahlberg said, "This is the cathedral. The cathedral is the bishop's church, the diocesan church. It is the seat of the bishop who is the pastoral leader of the diocese who celebrates, preaches and teaches as spiritual leader of our diocese in union with Rome. And because it is the diocesan church, it is important that all of our parishes are connected as a diocese with the bishop and with the cathedral church -- hence the importance of eliciting their financial support in this undertaking."

In a letter to the diocese relating to the 2002-3 Diocesan Services Appeal, Bishop Raphael M. Fliss said, "The Cathedral of Christ the King is a parish home to many, but it truly belongs to our diocese and the community of Catholic believers as a whole. No individual parish can accomplish all the initiatives laid before us, but together we can work to ensure that our cathedral will remain a beautiful beacon for many years to come. "

The cathedral is used for many diocesan events each year, including the Chrism Mass, Scout Recognition Sunday, Rite of Election and other special liturgies.

Steve Tarnowski, director of the department of stewardship and development for the Diocese of Superior, said the recent Chrism Mass raised interest in the project.

He said he noticed Catholic school groups looking at the drawings of proposed changes and looking at the cartoons for the mosaics. "Many of them posed for photos with the bishop after Mass -- many of them with the cartoon of Christ the Pantocrator in the background."

Funding for the cathedral enhancement and preservation project has been included in the DSA beginning in 2002-3, and the campaign was split into two tiers. Tier I was launched in November and Tier II in March. According to Tarnowski, the first $1,000,000 raised by the campaign will be used to support the many diocesan services normally funded by the DSA. The remainder will be used for the cathedral project.

He said results from the campaign have been very good so far. "Many parishes have already exceeded this goal and they will be getting refunds."

Tarnowski explained that each parish has a goal. If they exceed that amount, any excess goes back to the parish for its own use.

As of April 15, about 10,000 donors, out of 15,000 donors the diocese expects, based on a 15-year track record, have responded to the campaign. They have pledged a total of $1,400,000, which is about 70 percent of the total goal of $2,083,000 for the 2002-3 campaign, Tarnowski said.

The diocese is also in the process of identifying contributors capable of making an extraordinary gift, Tarnowski said. These gifts would be earmarked for specific items in the cathedral. They range from $1,000,000 for a new organ, or $150,000 for new Stations of the Cross, to chairs, and crosses for $1,000 to $2,000.

Tarnowski said one of the phases of the campaign will be reaching out to solicit corporate gifts from businesses in the diocese and approaching foundations for grants, and seeking other major donors. He said he has already received an anonymous donation of $25,000 to be used for the cathedral renovation.

Because of the building's historic value, Dahlberg said his congregation is working to get the building listed on the register of historic places.

Tarnowski said that could generate donations from people who are not part of the diocese but have an interest in historic buildings.

Interior renovation will begin in early June with upgrading of the bathrooms in Kress Hall in the church basement, Dahlberg said. In October the upper church will be closed for 10 to 12 months to allow renovation and enhancement of the worship space. Dahlberg said daily and weekend worship will take place in Kress Hall during that time.

Plans for the work on the worship space itself are also moving along. Fr. Gabriel Baltes, director of the diocesan Office of Worship and co-chair of the cathedral preservation and enhancement committee, said the committee is refining the designs and getting ready to solicit bids.

Having the cartoons of the angel mosaics and the mosaic of Christ the Pantocrator up on the walls has given the renovation committee an opportunity to see what changes need to be made. The colors of the angels are being muted and the design changed to a more iconic style to complement the mosaic of Christ, which is in the style of an icon. The design for the mosaic of Christ is also being refined and enlarged. Baltes said, "We really couldn't tell that until we put the cartoon up."

In addition, Baltes said, the site for the new organ has been designed. The old organ will be removed from the choir loft so the back wall of the choir can be treated and decorated. The old organ will not be reinstalled. Because of its size it is not adaptable to the new location, Baltes said. The organ and space for the choir will be on the main floor of the renovated cathedral.

Also, proposed designs for the altar, ambo, baptismal font and bishops' chair are expected to be completed and ready for the renovation committee to evaluate within a week or so, Baltes said.

< Local Archives

© Superior Catholic Herald, 2003