The Friday before Palm Sunday, there was a steady patter of rain outside, just as a steady stream of ready-mix concrete was poured inside at St. Bernard Church in Madison.
Over the course of the morning and into the early afternoon, 22 concrete trucks came and went from the soon-to-be cathedral.
By the evening of March 22, the construction team had efficiently poured nearly 200 cubic yards of concrete.
The concrete was poured six-and-a-half inches thick and reinforced by two layers of rebar.
Once the concrete floor solidifies, construction at St. Bernard Church will be open to “new horizons,” said Paul Lang, chair of the diocesan construction commission.
The next phase
After months of preparation, Lang was enthralled to watch construction workers seamlessly pour the new floor.
Now that it has been laid, the next phase of construction — a transition from setting a good framework to artistically enhancing the space — will begin.
After a thorough floor-to-ceiling cleaning, various artists, such as painters, stained-glass glaziers, and craftsman, will begin their work beautifying St. Bernard Church.
Their work is expected to continue through the latter half of 2025.
Fr. Michael Radowicz, pastor of St. Bernard Parish in Madison, was as delighted as Lang at the completion of the church’s floor.
He said, “There’s a lot of moving parts, [we’re] trying to keep everybody on task, keep everything moving along as well as we can.”
He continued, saying, “[We] realize that there will be some bumps and bruises along the way, [but] we remember that the Lord is leading us through all of this. This is for His honor and for His glory.
“He has blessed us abundantly here [at St. Bernard Church], and I know that He and Our Lady will see this process through to the end.”
Preparing for construction
Father Radowicz has been pastor of St. Bernard Parish since 2013.
He said it was difficult to watch the church interior be completely stripped during the construction process.
However, he added that the parish community “had done little projects along the way to make it more solemn” in preparation for the larger changes to the church, such as the removal of the tabernacle, altar, choir loft, and pews.
The projects that prepared the church for construction “opened the hearts of the people to see how beautiful our spaces are and how beautiful [the church] will become,” Father Radowicz said.
While the congregation awaits the church’s cathedral consecration, Masses at St. Bernard Parish are
currently celebrated in the parish school gym, which has been appropriately decorated for the celebration of the Sacred Liturgy.
About the gym space, Father Radowicz said, “I think people were surprised. Even I was a bit surprised when I saw how everything came together. Deacon Chris [Schmelzer] had a wonderful hand in painting and cleanup. We were all pitching in and doing what needed to be done to appoint the space, knowing that we were going to be there for a while.
“I didn’t want it to feel like a transitory space; I wanted people to feel at home, that it was a place of sacred worship, even though it is a gymnasium. I think we’ve done a beautiful job in making that happen.”
He added, “A lot of credit has to be given to the parishioners for doing such a wonderful job in keeping this campus up, keeping the buildings in beautiful condition, and making this possible.
“[Construction in the church] would have been far more difficult if the building would have been run down. If it needed lots of exterior work, it would have been far more difficult, but thanks to the people and their dedication to the parish, this is really becoming a beautiful reality for us.”
‘Home to all the faithful’
As much as parishioners of St. Bernard Parish and Father Radowicz anticipate the completion of church construction, Father Radowicz said that, “This is something for the diocese, too.”
He said, “I keep reminding [parishioners] that this will be our home, but we also will be opening that home to all the faithful of the diocese.
“The life of the diocesan church here in Madison will be celebrated in this space. We have a home again, and it’ll be wonderful to have beautiful liturgies, Masses, and celebrations here at the cathedral,” he continued.
Acknowledging the rarity of a new cathedral in an established diocese, Father Radowicz said, “It’s a very humbling experience for me to be a part of this. This is a once-in-a-generation-type project, and it’s such a humble honor to be a part of it.”
By the end of April, the church’s floor will have completely cured and be able to bear weight at full strength, at which point construction will resume.