Community comes together as one for Bishop's dinner

Intermountain Catholic

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Bishop John C. Wester applauds Msgr. J. Terrence Fitzgerald for his work as a priest and as the greatest vicar general in America.IC photos by Christine Young

SALT LAKE CITY — "I rejoice with you tonight and have done for decades past, that the great souls who have guided the Catholic community in Salt Lake City have chosen to establish the Cathedral of the Madeleine as a mother of beauty, wisdom, and truth for all of your neighbors in Utah regardless of religious affiliation," said Ardean W. Watts in his welcome at the Bishop’s Dinner.

The Bishop’s Dinner, a benefit for the Cathedral of the Madeleine, was held Sept. 24, with the Most Rev. Bishop John. C. Wester of the Diocese of Salt Lake City, at the Grand America Hotel. This is an ongoing effort to enhance and maintain the beauty of the Cathedral of the Madeleine and ensure its financial well being for generations to come.

Watts is well known throughout Utah and beyond as a prominent conductor, teacher, pianist, lecturer, and arts advocate.

"I knew a new era had begun when I attended the opening concert of the Madeleine Festival in 1993," said Watts. "The Mormon Tabernacle Choir performed Rachmaninoff’s "Vespers," the text taken from the liturgy of the Russian Orthodox church.

"It is also notable the Tabernacle Choir will again perform to open the 2009 Madeleine Festival in March next year. It appears that music unites even when theology divides.

"We gather within the Cathedral’s walls regularly to lift our eyes to the lofty heights, to be inspired by the dazzling light shining through the stained-glass windows, to derive inspiration from the magnificent art and breath-taking colors of her decor. We hear and witness the music which testifies to the glory of the Creator and creation; to be challenged in heart and mind to understand the mysterious and deep artistic miracles created by some of the most sensitive of our kind. I am only one of thousands of non-Catholics who could bear this witness.

"You who have gathered here tonight are the caretakers of this great enterprise," said Watts. "Through your generosity, your Cathedral and your faith will continue to play the role defined by the tradition you follow, to nurture and share the riches you have inherited, with your neighbors around you."

"As a native Utahn, the Cathedral has been significant in my life," said Vicar General Msgr. J. Terrence Fitzgerald. "I was baptized in the Cathedral, received my Judge Memorial Catholic High School diploma there from former Bishop Duane G. Hunt, and was ordained a priest there by former Bishop Joseph Lennox Federal.

"For Catholics, it is the church of our bishop, where we gather around the altar in prayer; it is a sign of our unity," said Msgr. Fitzgerald. "For the community at large, the Cathedral is an architectural masterpiece and a testament to the rich diversity of the Utah community; a place where the arts are celebrated, intellectual life nourished and the Sermon on the Mount exemplified in works of charity. Next August we will celebrate the centennial of the Cathedral’s dedication with great festivity."

Msgr. Fitzgerald said erecting and maintaining this historic Cathedral has been a challenge for more than 100 years. Ground was broken in 1899, on property purchased by first Bishop Lawrence Scanlan for $35,000. He had been told the construction of his dream would cost $100,000. When he announced his plan, two wealthy Catholic families provided $20,000 and encouraged the bishop to construct something more significant. When the cathedral was dedicated eight years later in 1909, it had cost $300,000 and another $44,000 for the furnishings. The debt would be a challenge for years to come.

In an article in the Intermountain Catholic Aug. 21, 1909, taken from the current edition of "Salt of the Earth," Msgr. Fitzgerald noted the dedication was magnificent.

Msgr. Fitzgerald said to celebrate the centennial of the diocese in 1991, a fund raising effort was initiated for the restoration of the Cathedral. What had been estimated to cost six million dollars eventually totaled 10 million.

"This brief overview does not begin to tell the life within the Cathedral community," said Msgr. Fitzgerald. "I have not mentioned the beautiful Christmas and Holy Week liturgies, or the marvelous choirs and symphonies, the lectures and cathedral drama we have experienced.

"We are gathering in support of our beautiful Cathedral of the Madeleine, the Cathedral of all people – the great legacy that is ours because so many before us have sacrificed so very generously," said Msgr. Fitzgerald. "Those of us gathered this evening have been blessed by their generosity."

"The important thing is to continue the greatness of the Cathedral, the importance of our choirs, to stand on the shoulders of those who have done so much for our Cathedral since its opening some 100 years ago," said Father Joseph Mayo, pastor of the Cathedral of the Madeleine. "During this past year alone, the choir has been on a national tour and made a recording. The choristers have sung at 156 Masses, and funerals, nine concerts, 13 others performances, and five events. This totals 183 performances in 182 school days. The choirs, under the direction of Gregory Glenn, Melanie Malinka, and Doug O’Neill have given us a great vision.

"Tonight as we honor that very important part of the Cathedral, in the words of our honorary chairwoman, Irene Sweeney, who in her 93 years, said, ‘We have got to do something about the future of this building and this Cathedral, and the only way to do it, is just to do it."

Bishop Wester thanked Sweeney as the honorary chairwoman, and as a woman of great talent, wisdom, and great experience, who has given so much to the Cathedral and the Catholic community.

"I want to acknowledge from our Board of Governors, the late Robert Evans, who recently passed away, and his wife Mary who is here tonight. I want to thank him for the legacy he leaves to us. I also want to thank the ecumenical, interfaith, and civic leaders who are with us as we come together to deepen the bonds that unite us."