Annual Bishop's Dinner celebrates the cathedral

Intermountain Catholic

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The Most Rev. Blase Cupich, Bishop of Spokane, Wash., presents his keynote address at the annual Diocese of Salt Lake City Bishop's Dinner in support of the Cathedral of the Madeleine. IC photo/Marie Mischel

SALT LAKE CITY — The Cathedral of the Madeleine’s artistic heritage, along with one of its staunchest champions, were celebrated Sept. 23 with a gala event attended by numerous local dignitaries.

The late Irene Sweeney was instrumental in the cathedral renovation that occurred in the 1980s, Monsignor Francis Mannion, the cathedral’s pastor at the time, said in the video presentation during the eighth annual Bishop’s Dinner at the Grand America Hotel. "Without Irene’s contribution, the cathedral renovation project would not have reached the successful proportions that it did," he said.

"For over 50 years she was one of our most preeminent members of the cathedral parish but also in the greater Salt Lake area with all her various activities," said the cathedral’s current pastor, Monsignor Joseph Mayo of Sweeney, who arrived in the area in 1960 and died June 23 at the age of 96. Sweeney "gave the entirety of her life in the service of her church and to her family and to her friends," Msgr. Mayo added.

By the time Sweeney helped organize the cathedral’s restoration, the artwork that had been created in 1919 was showing the effects of time, but the creations of the carvers, stone masons and painters appeared vibrant in the video.

"The Cathedral artists hailed from Europe and the United States and would transform the Cathedral of the Madeleine into one of the finest sanctuaries of great artisanship," according to the video. The dignitaries who viewed the video at the dinner included the Right Rev. Scott B. Hayashi, Episcopal Bishop of the Diocese of Utah; Chorbishop William Leser of Saint Jude Maronite Church in Murray, Salt Lake County Mayor Peter Corroon, Salt Lake City Police Chief Chris Burbank and Salt Lake County District Attorney Sim Gill, among others, as well as numerous Diocese of Salt Lake City priests.

"This is a time for us to gather together to celebrate, but also to be nourished and strengthened to continue that work," said Bishop Hayashi in his opening prayer, during which he said the Cathedral of the Madeleine has been a light in Salt Lake City and in Utah.

In introducing the keynote speaker for the event, the Most Rev. John C. Wester, Bishop of Salt Lake City, recited a long list of the posts that the Most Rev. Blase Cupich, Bishop of Spokane, Wash., has held, from pastor to secretary to the apostolic nuncio in Washington, D.C.

"If I were to give you a sampling of what he does for the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops, we wouldn’t have any time to hear his talk, but I can tell you that they involve him in communications, Native Americans, young adults, liturgy, the Catholic catechism and Scripture translation," Bishop Wester said. "But all of this, as impressive as it is, pales when you consider who he is. He is a man and a bishop of incredible integrity. He is, in our national bishops’ conference, one of the true leaders in the conference. He’s generous in his service to the Church and to others, and he has a great love of the Gospel and of God’s people. And, to boot, he has a wonderful sense of humor."

Bishop Cupich said he envies Bishop Wester for a number of reasons, one of which is the Cathedral of the Madeleine. "I think it’s important for you to hear from an outsider that all of this is so very impressive, not just the fact that you have this wonderful building, but that you have a wonderful community spirit that’s behind supporting it, as you are here tonight."

In addition to the artwork, the cathedral offers the beauty of its choir and the way in which people gather for worship, Bishop Cupich said. "That, too, is beautiful and adds so much to a bishop’s ability to preach the Truth and the beauty of the Truth effectively."

When supporting the cathedral, "you’re not only giving money to balance the budget, but you’re investing in the work that is done to make sure that people who come from all walks of life leave transformed," Bishop Cupich said. "You are allowing and enhancing the ministry of your bishop… So keep your cathedral beautiful, for it will attract others to know God. Reach out to those who need to be reminded that they are blessed and not forgotten, through your hospitality, your social ministry, your Good Samaritan program, and be willing to see that what you are doing is creating witnesses for the Resurrection."

In his closing remarks, Bishop Wester said that the Diocese of Salt Lake City has been given a great gift in the Cathedral of the Madeleine. "Many, many people have given very much so that we can have what we have in the cathedral, and now we must do our part to preserve and nurture this precious gem of our city. Tonight you all give me great hope and great peace of mind that we are not alone, that we are together in this desire to keep our Cathedral of the Madeleine going for many generations to come."