River Falls journal. [volume] (River Falls, Pierce County, Wis.) 1872-2019, 1897-11-11
WHAT MAKES A CATHEDRAL.
Meaning of the word and How n
Church Becomes One.

New York has the largest Roman
Catholic cathedral on the continent OF
America vast structure requiring
over 20 years TO bring il TO its present
state OF architecture, and not vet com
pleted. And shortly we are to have in
orr city another great cathedral 10 be
erected under the auspices OF the
Protestant Episcopal church We hear
OF still another projected in Newark,
anG cathedrais seem 20 be spriuging up
over the land.
Naturally the question arises where
in does a cathedral differ from an ordi-
nary church? What is a cathedral? The
word is derived from kathedra, which
means a raised seat; in this case the
seat of bishop. For the cathedral is
The church in which the bishop has his
seat or chair. IL was in former times
called Dormus--that is, the house (duo-
mo, Italian; dom, GERMANY, meaning
the house Of the Lord. And still earlier
the name Matrix Ecclesia was given 10
the cathedral, but at the present time
any church which has others su biect TO
il can lay claim to this title.
In the Roman Catholic communion no
cathedral can be established without
direct permission from the pope, nor
can church, collegiate or otherwise,
be converted into cathedral without
the same permission. Nor can one
bishop have jurisdiction over more than
one cathedral. OF course, temporal
power has often arisen against papal
authority, as when. for instance, in
France the revolutionary government
reduced the number OF dioceses from
135 10 Go, in opposition 10 the vatican.
However, had the revolutionists asked,
permission might have been granted
for so doing. inasmuch as the authori-
ties of the church are often willing 70
yield 10 the demands of the times. By
the concordat with Napoleon i'm 1908
Rome sanctioned the notification of a
large number Of bishoprics, in conse-
quence of which France from that time
has contained only about IS episco-
pates, instead of the 1875 existing be
fore the revolution.
Analogous changes are provided for
in the Anglican communion by the
theory of the royal supremacy, though
this theory has been modified some
what by the progress of polite / de-
mands. In the Anglican church the
sovereign is still supreme sin all causes
and over all persons, ecclesiastical as
well as civil"
The sovereign still has the title of
defender of the faith though the alb
solute power thus vested is somewhat
curtailed by the parliament, which has
a right to condemn or uphold the will
Of the ruler. But. for the most part,
parliament aud head act conformity, and
both have often wiped out old and set
up new sees. In Ireland ten protestant
bishoprics were suppressed at one
stroke by act OF parliament. and also
several suffragan sees in England. But
with the Roman church the power of
expressing or creating cathedral see
rests with the pope alone.
When a cathedral is once established
there are certain laws laid down for its
government. The council of Trent for
bids the holding of more than one
cathedral church or the holding of a
cathedral along with parish church
b. the same bishop. 1t also enioins
that The ordinations OF ministers shall
he publicly celebrated in eathedrals
The bishop must be present in his own
cathedral at such ceremonies as neces-
state the services of bishop. He can
not name deputy unless there Is a
coadiutor in the diocese. Neither has
the bishop absolute control of the
cathedral funds. As in all other
churches, he is voted certain yearly
stipend. The cathedral differs in no re-
spect from other churches beyond the
fact of the bishops chair being located
there.-Church Economist.