Bishop's Dinner is a benefit for the Cathedral

Archival photo/Dicoese of Salt Lake City

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Cathedral supporters and dignitaries gather around a table at the Hotel Utah Oct. 31, 1912. The fund raising dinner was in honor of His Eminence John Cardinal Farley (far left), the fourth archbishop of New York. The Diocese of Salt Lake City's first Bishop, Lawrence Scanlan, is third from the left of the Cardinal. On Aug. 15, Cathedral supporters will again gather at a special Bishop's Dinner to help raise funds to provide for the maintenance and preservation of the Cathedral.

SALT LAKE CITY — "It is hard to imagine 100 years have passed since the original Cathedral of the Madeleine opened it doors in August 1909," said Msgr. Joseph M. Mayo, Rector of the Cathedral of the Madeleine.

"Much the same amount of preparation is taking place to prepare for the Centennial celebration in 2009," said Msgr. Mayo. "As was the case then, there were dignitaries, prelates, bishops, civic leaders, and honored guests coming to the celebration that took place over many days during that time.

"Bishop Lawrence Scanlan (1887-1915) had 10 years of hard work in building the Cathedral. He did live to see the completion of the building," said Msgr. Mayo. "It is a great honor to him and his ability to take on such a huge task to build the Cathedral and then to welcome everybody there.

"Today, we stand in awe of everything he did," said Msgr. Mayo. "Now 100 years later on this occasion, we will welcome prelates, dignitaries, and civic leaders to the Cathedral to celebrate our faith and our service for 100 years. Faith in the context of the ever growing Catholic population in Utah and the many different ethnic populations of people who come to this state. And also the idea of service that the Cathedral has offered to so many people in terms of housing, clothing, and food, and throughout the diocesan agencies.

"All of the previous bishops have built on the legacy of Bishop Scanlan," said Msgr. Mayo. "And each have contributed their own mark on the Cathedral, for which we are truly grateful.

"Now the Most Rev. John C. Wester, the ninth Bishop of the Diocese, continues to do the same, and at this point welcomes everyone to join in the celebration of all of the events that will take place during the centennial from Aug. 9-16," said Msgr. Mayo.

In celebration of the historic and spiritual milestone of the Cathedral of the Madeleine the Bishop’s Dinner will have a special meaning this year.

The day, Aug. 15, will begin with a Solemn Mass concelebrated by Cardinal William Joseph Levada, Archbishop of San Francisco George Niederauer, and Bishop Emeritus of Sacramento William K. Weigand. The Mass is by invitation only, and is not open to the public.

The Bishop’s Dinner, a benefit for the Cathedral of the Madeleine, will be held at the Grand America Hotel, Aug. 15, at 6 p.m. There will be seating for 1,200 people. Cardinal Levada will be the guest speaker.

Bishop Weigand was Bishop of the Diocese of Salt Lake City from Nov. 17, 1980 until December 1993.

Archbishop Niederauer was Bishop of the Diocese of Salt Lake City from Jan. 25, 1995 until December 2005.

Cardinal Levada is an American Cardinal of the Roman Catholic Church. He currently serves as Prefect of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith in the Roman Curia, previously serving as Archbishop of Portland, (Oregon) from 1986 to 1995 and Archbishop of San Francisco from 1995 to 2005. Levada was elevated to the cardinalate in 2006.

Ninety-seven years ago, Bishop Scanlan gathered about 30 influential men around a table at the Hotel Utah to discuss the continuing effort to support the Cathedral of the Madeleine, completed in 1909.

In 1909 they said their work was not yet finished, and in all likelihood, never will be, for the Cathedral of the Madeleine, the mother church of the Diocese of Salt Lake City, was still facing financial challenges.

On Sept. 21, 2004, then Bishop Niederauer hosted the Bishop’s Dinner at the Grand America Hotel, where the subject was the maintenance and preservation of the Cathedral. In a May 19, 2004, letter to supporters, Bishop Niederauer wrote: "As you know, over the last 30 years, major renovation was completed by my predecessors that provided much needed repairs and renovation for the Cathedral. I applaud the efforts of Bishop Joseph Lennox Federal (1960-2000) and Bishop Weigand to preserve the Cathedral as a true jewel of the diocese.

"It is our responsibility to preserve the Cathedral for future generations," said Bishop Niederauer. "This will require that we substantially increase the Cathedral of the Madeleine Preservation Fund. Some funds have already been invested with the Catholic Foundation for this purpose. However, in order to provide for future generations, we must significantly increase that amount. We cannot afford to wait for some major need to occur before we act. It is our responsibility to establish funds for significant future needs."

To facilitate the fund raising effort, a governance board was formed including people from throughout the diocese who support the effort to build a $100,000 endowment, the interest from which will be used for maintenance and upkeep of the Cathedral.

The Cathedral of the Madeleine Centennial events are all free of charge, except the Bishop’s Dinner. Individuals can call ahead to get seating passes for events taking place in the Cathedral. For more detailed information, visit the website at www.saltlakecathedral.org.