Upcoming Bishop's Dinner features artisans who created the cathedral's brilliant interior

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Felix B. Lieftuchter, the artist who painted the murals in the Cathedral of the Madeleine, will be among the artisans featured at the eighth annual Bishop's Dinner Sept. 23 at the Grand America Hotel.

SALT LAKE CITY — The eighth annual Bishop’s Dinner will feature the artisans and the brilliant interior decorations of the Cathedral of the Madeleine. The dinner will be celebrated Sept. 23 at the Grand America Hotel. The guest speaker will be the Most Rev. Blase Cupich, Bishop of Spokane, Wash. Also honored at the event will be Irene Sweeney, who died June 23, 2011.

Within the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops, Bishop Cupich, currently serves as Chair of the Bishops’ Committee on the Protection for Children and Young People and is a member of the Ad Hoc Committee on Scripture Translation.

Sweeney was a member of the Cathedral of the Madeleine Parish for over 50 years. Being of great generosity, she was a founding member of the Diocesan Pastoral Council, served as chairwoman of the Diocesan Development Drive, and was on numerous boards and committees for the cathedral and the Diocese of Salt Lake City, in addition to numerous civic organizations.

The Bishop’s Dinner is a fundraiser for the preservation of the Cathedral of the Madeleine.

"The dinner brings recognition to the cathedral and highlights its great importance and rich history," said Monsignor Joseph Mayo, pastor of the Cathedral of the Madeleine. "As people respond generously to other causes, we want them to consider including the cathedral in their living generosity and also as a will bequest, which will help the cathedral to move on.

"This has happened most notably in the person of Irene Sweeney," he said. "She made the cathedral her number one priority. She was very instrumental in its remodeling phase from 1991 to 1993, and very proactive in building up the initial cathedral preservation foundation’s first gift."

The artisans and parishioners at the turn of the last century made the cathedral a reality, said Msgr. Mayo. "This was a major accomplishment in a small diocese of 3,000 people. We are blessed by their foresight and wisdom for building such a structure."

"The artisans who decorated the cathedral were world-class," said Monsignor M. Francis Mannion, pastor of St. Vincent de Paul Parish and former rector of the Cathedral of the Madeleine. Msgr. Mannion served as project manager and campaign moderator for the $6.3 million renovation of the cathedral. "We were lucky to get people with outstanding records in the renovation of various areas that needed work," he said.

Utah artist Roger (Sam) Wilson, professor of art/art history at the University of Utah, will be among the artists recognized at the dinner. He painted the 14 Stations of the Cross. "The Stations of the Cross were one of the very few new elements in the renovation process," Msgr. Mannion said. "The old stations had practically disintegrated and were of a very poor quality. The new stations began to be installed in 1992."

After two national searches, Sam Wilson was selected as the project’s artist.

"We liked the fact that the stations were not simply historical reproductions, nor were they modern minimalist matter, but were done in a post-modern style," Msgr. Mannion said. "They were very colorful, symbolic and very dense in their meaning."

Also among the artisans being recognized is Felix B. Lieftuchter, the artist who painted the murals. In a 1972 letter Lieftuchter explains his work to Monsignor William H. McDougall, rector of the Cathedral of the Madeleine at the time. He wrote, "The murals in back of cathedral were painted in oil on canvas in the basement of the cathedral, and then applied to the walls with a mixture of varnish and white lead."

To paint the ceiling, Lieftuchter covered it with canvas with a thick piece of felt underneath, the latter for acoustical reasons, and then painted directly on the canvas. He used live models, but never for the faces. "I always did the faces from my imagination," he wrote. He spent six to seven hours a day while painting the work over the altar. It took Lieftuchter about a year to paint the cathedral with three assistants.