First dedication of cathedral recalled

Intermountain Catholic

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Diocesan Archivist Dr. Gary Topping and Father Joseph M. Mayo, rector of the Cathedral of the Madeleine, remove items from the time capsule. IC photo by Barbara S. Lee

SALT LAKE CITY — The Cathedral of the Madeleine would not give up her treasures easily. Stone masons from R. J. Enterprises, Inc., Stone & Block Masonry of Heber, Utah, worked diligently and delicately from 9 a.m. to 5:03 p.m. Feb. 19, to first locate the time capsule placed behind the cornerstone of the cathedral in 1909, when the massive church was dedicated, then replaced in 1978 after the renovation of the exterior of the cathedral.

After the steel box was located with a tiny camera, the delicate work of extracting it from the cornerstone began. Using an array of drills, stone saws, and their bare hands, Tad Boyer and José Omingo spent hour after hour exposing the box, then cutting away tiny pieces of stone to free it from its resting place.

The day following the box’s extraction, Diocesan Archivist Dr. Gary Topping and Cathedral Rector Father Joseph M. Mayo oversaw the opening of the box, sealed in 1978 with tiny screws that could only be opened with an allen wrench (supplied by those who sealed the box in 1978.)

The steel box concealed letters from the late Bishop Joseph Lennox Federal and the late Msgr. William H. McDougall, then-rector of the Cathedral of the Madeleine and editor of the Intermountain Catholic. Their letters explained why the box had been disturbed during the 1970s – the exterior of the Cathedral was undergoing renovation at the time.

It also included photographs of those who had been instrumental in raising funds for the 1970s renovation, including Bishop Federal and Jack Gallivan.

Beneath the 1970s layer of memorabilia were a host of treasures placed in the box in 1909, when the cornerstone was set: A typed history of Bishop Scanlan by his colleague Father Denis Kiely; medals of saints; coins and stamps of the day; invitations to the first dedication of the Cathedral of the Madeleine and corresponding R.S.V.P. cards; photos of Bishop Scanlan; the old Church of St. Mary’s; and newspapers of the day – The Intermountain Catholic of July 21, 1900, The Deseret Evening News of July 21, 1900, The Salt Lake Tribune of July 11, 1900, and The Salt Lake Herald of July 22, 1900.

There were also two copies of the Declaration of Independence, and a roll of thin paper on which many women had written their names. Were they the women of the Cathedral Parish? The first Council of Catholic Women? It’s a mystery.

In 2009, on the 100th anniversary of the original dedication of the Cathedral of the Madeleine, the time capsule will be returned with additional, current memorabilia added.