Bishop's Dinner celebrates 10th anniversary fundraiser for Cathedral of the Madeleine

Intermountain Catholic

+ Enlarge

SALT LAKE CITY — For more than 100 years, the Cathedral of the Madeleine has been a symbol of the Catholic Church in Utah, serving as a community gathering place as well as a place of worship.

"The Cathedral of the Madeleine plays an important role in the arts community, and is a piece of art in and of itself. … [It] is more than a building. It’s a symbol of who we are, and it’s the church from which the bishop of the diocese presides…," said the Most Rev. George H. Niederauer in 2004, when he established the Bishop’s Dinner as a fundraiser for the cathedral.

The fundraiser, first held Sept 21, 2004, was intended to raise $100,000 to establish an endowment that would fund ongoing maintenance and day-to-day operations of the cathedral; the stated mission of the Bishop’s Dinner is "to enhance and maintain the beauty of the cathedral and ensure its financial wellbeing for generations to come."

The cathedral "needs our support in order to stand fast into the future," said Bishop Niederauer at the time; in 2004 he was the eighth Bishop of Salt Lake City; today he is Archbishop emeritus of San Francisco. He will return to the diocese for the Sept. 26 Bishop’s Dinner, where he will be the keynote speaker at the event’s 10th anniversary.

Throughout the past decade, speakers at the Bishop’s Dinner have reflected on the cathedral’s place in the community.

"The cathedral becomes the place where so many diocese-wide liturgies take place, and so many big events occur. It would be impossible for the Cathedral parishioners alone to be responsible for all of that. … The Cathedral of the Madeleine, with its wonderful choir school and its beautiful liturgies is certainly a church to be proud of, to take ownership of, and to support," said the Most Rev. Richard Hanifen, retired bishop of Colorado Springs, in 2007.

His remarks were echoed the next year by the Most Rev. John C. Wester, the ninth Bishop of Salt Lake City, who recalled the first time he entered the cathedral.

"It took my breath away. It wasn’t just the enormous beauty of the cathedral, but it was also the deep symbolism the structure holds," Bishop Wester said. "The people who came before us have done us a great service in leaving such a beautiful and spiritually uplifting cathedral. Now it is up to us to make certain the cathedral and its surrounding buildings are in good shape for those who come after us. The responsibility for this wonderful cathedral is ours now."

Appreciation for the Cathedral of the Madeleine isn’t limited to Catholics. At the 2008 dinner, conductor and arts advocate Ardean W. Watts, who regularly attends events at the cathedral during the Madeleine Festival of the Arts and Humanities, said, "We gather within the cathedral’s walls regularly to lift our eyes to the lofty heights, to be inspired by the dazzling light shining through the stained-glass windows, to derive inspiration from the magnificent art and breath-taking colors of her décor. We hear and witness the music which testifies to the glory of the Creator and creation; to be challenged in heart and mind to understand the mysterious and deep artistic miracles created by some of the most sensitive of our kind. I am only one of thousands of non-Catholics who could bear this witness."

Catholics from other places also admire the cathedral.

"I think it’s important for you to hear from an outsider that all of this is so very impressive, not just the fact that you have this wonderful building, but that you have a wonderful community spirit that’s behind supporting it," said Bishop Blase Cupich of Spokane in 2011.

When supporting the cathedral, "you’re not only giving money to balance the budget, but you’re investing in the work that is done to make sure that people who come from all walks of life leave transformed," Bishop Cupich said. "You are allowing and enhancing the ministry of your bishop … so keep your cathedral beautiful, for it will attract others to know God."

 The 10th annual Bishop’s Dinner will be Sept. 26 at the Grand America Hotel, 500 S. Main St., Salt Lake City. For information and tickets, contact Laurel Dokos, 801-328-8940, ext. 108 or ldokos@utcotm.org.