SALT LAKE CITY — The majestic Cathedral of the Madeleine has stood on the corner of B Street and South Temple in Salt Lake City for more than 115 years. Over that time thousands of worshippers and visitors have passed through its doors.
The experience can be moving. Besides being the mother church of the diocese of Salt Lake City, the building itself is an evangelization tool, said Father Martin Diaz, rector. “Before they hear one note of music, before they hear one sermon, before they say one prayer, they are touched.”
What visitors may not realize as they take in the grandeur of the building is that its maintenance can be challenging, and sometimes those challenges arise in unexpected places, Fr. Diaz said.
“The building is so beautiful [when] you walk in, and you’re just stunned at how beautiful it is, right?” he said. “And so unfortunately, people think, ‘Well, they must not need my money because it’s so beautiful.’ They don’t see that it costs money to keep it that way.”
In fact, keeping the cathedral in pristine condition comes with a yearly $1.2 million price tag, and renovation or updating projects are always ongoing. In recent years, the cathedral’s floors and main doors have been restored, and the boiler was replaced. Repairs to the ceiling were needed after the 2020 earthquake, and a leak in the roof had to be addressed. Outside work also was done to ensure the stability of the building and to protect it from encroachment.
This year, pending approval from diocesan officials, Fr. Diaz is looking at replacing the cathedral’s sound system, which is more than 30 years old. A new system, which is anticipated to cost about $15,000, is expected to improve the sound quality, particularly toward the back of the cathedral in the nave.
“It’s difficult in the back because of the echo to hear clearly; especially if people speak fast, you don’t get it at all,” Fr. Diaz said.
The new design under consideration will install speakers in the nave’s midway point, which will increase clarity for those in the back pews. The system will feature new technology that provides one driver motor for each speaker – previously each array shared a driver motor – meaning that replacement of components will be less costly, and parts will be more easily available. The new system will also include a speaker in the vestibule, and updated microphones.
Fr. Diaz does not have a timeline for the replacement, which would take less than a week.
“We would hope that by the summertime we would have this all complete, [but] it could be a year,” he said.
Another needed repair is to the building’s elevator, which is also more than 30 years old. Its hydraulic system went out last fall and the replacement is expected to cost more than $130,000. With the elevator out of commission, patrons with mobility issues are unable to access the cathedral’s lower floor, where classrooms, bathrooms and a gathering space are located.
The cathedral underwent a major interior renovation from 1991 to 1993. For many parishioners and members of the diocese, that renovation seems like such a recent memory that often they do not realize that their financial help is now needed, Fr. Diaz said.
“People who have been in the diocese for a while, that was such a big event, it’s almost like it happened yesterday, not realizing that that was over 30 years ago,” he said. “And you know, in all kinds of construction and work, what do they tell you? ‘Well, it’s got about a 30-year life.’ We’re getting to that point with a lot of things.”
The cathedral’s maintenance is funded by collections at Mass, funds raised at the annual Bishop’s Dinner and a diocesan subsidy. The cathedral maintenance, upkeep and restoration also benefit from several endowments within the Catholic Foundation of Utah.
Despite the high cost, keeping the cathedral open and in good shape is critical, Fr. Diaz said. “There are hundreds of people every week that come in, some for the first time, some for many, many times, and they come in and they are touched by God. There’s an uplifting spirit in that building itself.”
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