Msgr. Mayo named honorary canon of the Cathedral Church of Saint Mark

Intermountain Catholic

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Msgr. Joseph Mayo

SALT LAKE CITY — For 101 years, the Cathedral of the Madeleine and the Cathedral Church of Saint Mark have stood a block from each other. The sister cathedrals, one representing the seat of the Catholic diocese, the other the seat of Utah’s Episcopal Church, “stand as icons in this city, representing and proclaiming to all the message of salvation given by our Lord Jesus Christ,” said the Very Rev. Rick Lawson, dean of St. Mark’s.

As a boy, Fr. Lawson attended St. Mark’s School – now the campus of the Madeleine Choir School. At the same time, the current pastor of the Cathedral of the Madeleine, Monsignor Joseph Mayo, attended the Cathedral Grade School – now the Pastoral Center. The two may have thrown snowballs at each other as youth, but as adults, the two became friends in 2002, after the Winter Olympics, when Fr. Lawson was installed as dean, Msgr. Mayo said.

Now the two have a unique relationship as deans of the sister cathedrals, Msgr. Mayo said.

That relationship was underscored at the 2010 Bishop’s Dinner for the support of the Cathedral of the Madeleine, when Fr. Lawson presented Msgr. Mayo with the title of honorary canon.

“Because our two cathedrals have such a friendship, it is my privilege to make this announcement tonight,” Fr. Lawson said on Sept. 22. “Be it known to these present that the Cathedral Church of Saint Mark acknowledges the long and significant association of the Rev. Msgr. Joseph Mayo of the Cathedral of the Madeleine of the Diocese of Salt Lake City with the Cathedral Church of Saint Mark of the Diocese of Utah. He is a son, faithful priest, faithful friend and priest of the Diocese of Salt Lake City. Therefore, upon nomination of the dean and the vestry of the Cathedral Church of Saint Mark, we hereby name him an honorary ecumenical canon of the Cathedral Church of Saint Mark in Salt Lake City, Utah, and we bestow upon him all the rights and privileges as befitting this office, including preaching the word of God and participating in other events within the life of the cathedral as deemed appropriate by the dean and honorary canon.”

Normally a canon would be presented with a purple cincture, Fr. Lawson said, but because Msgr. Mayo already has one as a monsignor, they chose to give him a green T-shirt emblazoned with an image of St. Mark’s and the words “The Cathedral Church of Saint Mark.”