Why do we need a cathedral?
The word “cathedral” comes from the Latin “cathedra,” meaning “chair.”
A cathedral is the bishop’s church, housing his episcopal chair as a symbol of his authority, leadership, and service as chief shepherd of the diocese and successor of the Apostles.
Each Catholic diocese has a cathedral which serves as the “mother church” of the diocese.
As such, it is a most fitting location for the faithful to come together for diocesan events and celebrations with the bishop, such as ordinations, the Chrism Mass, and the liturgies of the Triduum.
Often built in or near the center of a city, cathedrals stand as a reminder of the primacy of God in our lives, pointing the human heart to the centrality of God amid worldly concerns.
The Diocese of Madison has been without such an important church for almost 20 years after an arson fire destroyed St. Raphael Cathedral in downtown Madison in 2005.
While we have made do by using other churches for diocesan events, this was never meant to be a permanent solution.
It is time to once again give Catholics in our diocese a place to call home, a central church symbolic of God’s abiding presence in and care for our diocese and of our commitment to making Him the center of our lives.
Why aren’t we building a new cathedral?
As the Diocese of Madison seeks to realign its resources and renew its commitment to evangelization through its Into the Deep initiative, we chose to name an existing church as our new cathedral in the interest of good stewardship.
Building a new church would cost upwards of $90 million, a difficult expense to justify as we seek to utilize our existing church buildings and our finances more strategically.
The transformation of an existing church into our new cathedral is an apt symbol of the Into the Deep process.
We’re taking a gift, a legacy that already exists, and then lovingly transforming it to serve our needs in the current moment and for generations to come.
How much will the cathedral project cost and what are the funding sources?
About $15 million is needed to renovate St. Bernard Church and close to half of that has already been raised through private donors and those with a strong interest in the project.
The diocese will continue to work with individual donors for funding, though we would like to invite the wider diocese to donate to the project in the future.
The cathedral renovations are NOT being funded by the Annual Catholic Appeal, and no collections will be taken in our pastorates for the project.
There will be no capital campaign for the cathedral and contributions to the project are going directly to St. Bernard Church, not the Diocese of Madison.
Why was St. Bernard selected to be the cathedral?
St. Bernard was selected as our new cathedral for legal, historic, and aesthetic reasons.
From the standpoint of Church law, a cathedral must be located within the boundaries of its diocese’s titular city, and St. Bernard is within the city limits of Madison.
Historically, naming an existing church as our cathedral has precedence in our diocese, as St. Raphael was built in the 1860s and only named a cathedral when the Diocese of Madison was established in 1946.
St. Bernard was also considered the “mother church of the east side of Madison” when the diocese was founded due to its rapid growth.
Aesthetically, St. Bernard Church is large enough to be a cathedral, and many of its architectural and design features — its Gothic Revival style and its beautiful stained-glass windows, for example — make it a top choice for our next cathedral.
Renovations are underway to enhance this beauty and to make the church worthy of its new cathedral status.
What changes will be made at St. Bernard to make it more cathedral-like?
Several renovations are needed to beautify St. Bernard Church, including but not limited to:
- Replacing the floor
- Replacing the pews
- Installing new pipe organs
- Installing new statues, side altars, furnishings, and fixtures
- Painting the walls and ceiling
- Installing the Bishop’s cathedra
- Installing new bells
When will the new cathedral be finished?
We expect renovations to be complete and the new cathedral to be dedicated in the latter half of 2025.