Cathedral celebrated as sacramental presence

Intermountain Catholic

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The Very Rev. Rick Lawson (left), dean of Saint Mark's Episcopal Church, congratulates Msgr. Joseph Mayo after naming him an honorary canon of St. Mark's during the Sept. 22 fundraising dinner at the Grand America. Fr. Lawson was the event's keynote speaker.

SALT LAKE CITY —In 1917, the world was at war, the United States faced a brutal winter with record cold temperatures, fuel was in short supply, food was rationed. Yet in Salt Lake City, the Most Rev. Joseph S. Glass, the diocese’s second bishop, prepared to open the Cathedral of the Madeleine after its interior renovation, unveiling 258 angels painted on the walls and ceilings among other Biblical scenes.

That interior magnificence was restored in 1993; the exterior was renovated in 1980; the interior was restored again in 1993.

“Today the Madeleine Cathedral is a magnificent and glorious structure that invites everyone within its doors, and then uplifts with color, light and beauty that thrills you and me every time we enter,” said the Very Rev. Rick Lawson, dean of Saint Mark’s Episcopal Cathedral, who was the keynote speaker at the seventh annual Bishop’s Dinner for the benefit of the Cathedral of the Madeleine.

The dinner, on Sept. 22, was attended by numerous dignitaries, including Elder M. Russell Ballard, a member of the Quorum of Twelve Apostles of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, Salt Lake County Mayor Peter Corroon and Salt Lake City Police Chief Chris Burbank.

Fr. Lawson’s keynote address was preceded by a video giving some of the cathedral’s history, as well as comments from the Most Rev. John C. Wester and others, including some schoolchildren who visited the cathedral, counted the angels and talked about their meaning. The humorous high point of the evening was when one of the children, while standing with others around the baptismal font, said it was Jesus’ hot tub.

During his keynote address, Fr. Lawson explained that a cathedral has many meanings: It’s a seat for the bishop’s chair, representing the authority of the bishop. It’s also the mother church for the diocese – where ordinations take place, the center of pastoral, liturgical and education ministry. And, as with any church, it’s where the word of God is proclaimed, the site of baptisms, weddings and funerals.

The Cathedral of the Madeleine also resounds with the music of the choir school as well as community events such as the annual Eccles Organ Festival.

“A cathedral is not just for itself, it is for the community and for all, just as a sacrament is not for one but to be shared among the faithful to build up the body of Christ,” Fr. Lawson said.

However, the Cathedral of the Madeleine’s soaring spires, sonorous bells and brilliant artwork must be maintained, Fr. Lawson said. “Every church requires financial support to keep it and its ministry going and a cathedral is no different…. It’s a never-ending battle and without the financial support of donors such as all of you here tonight this would not be possible. Your generosity helps make this cathedral the magnificent cathedral it is.”

The cathedral is expensive to maintain, said Monsignor Joseph Mayo, pastor. Expenses include a $7,000 monthly light bill – “things that an ordinary parish would conceivably never undertake,” Msgr. Mayo said.

In his concluding remarks for the evening, the Most Rev. John C. Wester, ninth bishop of Salt Lake City, said the cathedral is a responsibility that all share. “We – you and I – owe a great debt to those who went before us, to the generations of people who, like you and me, love our cathedral, who have given to it so selflessly, who have sacrificed for it, for whom it meant so much. We owe a great debt to them, but we can’t pay the debt back to them; the debt has to be paid forward, to the future. We have to pay our debt to the future generations who will come along and enjoy this beautiful edifice, this cathedral.”