AP Features, May 29th, 2007
On June 2, 1907, tens of thousands of people paraded from the Capitol to the site of Cathedral of St. Paul _ celebrating the laying of the cornerstone for a grand church that was being built on one of the city's highest hills.
Now, 100 years later, the cathedral wants to recapture that excitement with a three-day Cornerstone Centennial celebration including tours, a picnic, entertainment, fireworks and a reenactment of the big parade.
"At the time, this was the greatest civic event in the history of the young state," said the Rev. Joseph Johnson, rector of the cathedral. In the same spirit, cathedral leaders wanted to celebrate the cornerstone centennial as a civic event, rather than a religious one.
"We want to mark the cathedral as an important part of the fabric of our community," Johnson said. "Archbishop (John) Ireland said everyone should be able to come inside and say, 'It's mine.'"
Johnson hopes the weekend festivities will attract people who have never seen the inside of the Renaissance structure.
"I'm amazed at the number of people who haven't ever been inside," he said. "Something like this, towering on the hill, and there are busloads of tourists from Japan who stop in after they've visited the Mall of America. But Twin Cities residents drive by on I-94 who have never come in.
"Let's reconnect the community to the cathedral."
Joe Rothstein, a construction worker from Litchfield, stopped at the cathedral for the first time a few weeks ago. He was so impressed he went back with his grandmother for a tour.
Tour guide Celeste Raspanti told them of the stained-glass windows, the bronze grills encompassing the altar, and the fresco paintings. She pointed to symbols everywhere, including the stained-glass portrait of a Polish saint with a finger at his lips because he was martyred for refusing to reveal a queen's confession.
She also pointed out the pew where President Kennedy knelt during Mass on Oct. 7, 1962. (It's below the high pulpit, fourth pew from the front).
High on a hill, the cathedral is one of the most visible landmarks in St. Paul. It's the city's fourth Catholic cathedral. The first one, a log cabin, was built on the river bluff in 1841 on the site of today's Kellogg Park. The next two were modest churches built back-to-back on 6th Street, between Wabasha and St. Peter Streets.
Each quickly reached capacity, and Ireland wanted something bigger. He hired an architect from France, Emmanuel Masqueray, to design a new cathedral for St. Anthony Hill. Construction began in 1906 and continued for nine years. Work on the interior wasn't substantially completed until 1958.
In 2002, the cathedral parish replaced the roof and cleaned the building's granite exterior for $30 million. Johnson said there's $12 million worth of water damage and other interior renovations that need to be made.
But for now, workers are busy sprucing up for the big weekend.
Johnson said some of the centennial events will be religious, but most were designed for everyone, including an interfaith service for peace next Sunday.
"We want to unite around a place and appreciate how it enriches with art and concerts and is a living, vibrant part of our community," he said.
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Information from: Star Tribune, http://www.startribune.com
