The Catholic times. [volume] (Columbus, Ohio) 1951-current, 1958-08-15
Hughes Folly :.

With celebration of the first
Mass in the Lady chapel on
Christmas day, 1906, the build
ing could be truly called a COM
plete cathedral.
John Cardinal Farley, fourth
archbishop at st. Patrick's
from 1905 to 1919, officiated
at the solemn conservation of
the cathedral on Oct. S, 1911.
The conservation could not be
held until the structure was en-
tirely free of debt.
Patrick Cardinal Hayes, the
Cardinal of Charity, head of the
archdiocese from 1919 to 1888,
was responsible for an extensive
renovation program to COM
memorate in 1929 the golden
jubilee of the dedication.
Only three rectors have resid-
ed at the cathedral since its in
ception. Msgr. William Quinn
was in charge from 1879 to
1887. Msgr. Michael j. Lavelle,
whose So years of service at st.
Patrick's from 1887 to 1899 con-
stituted almost his entire prist-
ly life, endeared himself to the
countless hundreds whose lives
he touched. The present rector,
Bishop Joseph F. Flannelly, sue
ceeded M%onsignor. Lavelle. For
19 years he has devoted himself
to maintaining and increasing
the cathedral's beauty.
1t remained for Cardinal
|Spellman to make the most dra-
matte changes in the cathedral's
appearance. In 1912 he ordered
a complete face-lifting on the
exterior, work made urgent by
the buildings age and by vibra-
ton damage from nearby build
ing programs. He also exchang-
ed the old main altar tits high,
wide reredos blocked the nave
and sanctuary VISTA for a free.
standing altar and a simmer.
ing bronze baldachin or canopy
above it. A new altar in the La
dy chapel and magnificent
bronze portals at the main en-.
trance have been other out
standing improvements made
under Cardinal Spellman.
Today, in its Tooth year, st.
Patrick's is all that Archbishop
Hughes dreamed about and
more. Each year more than 3
million persons step within its
peaceful shadows to kneel and
pray, to look and admire. On
holydays as many as $4,000 at
tend Mass there. Confessions
are heard in English, Spanish,
French, Italian and German,
and special confessionals are
available for the deaf and
dumb.
In the baptistry, hundreds of
babies are baptized annually,
and in the delicately beautiful
Lady chapel as many as 900
brides have been married in a
single year. Enough packages
to fill up a good-sized room are
left behind in pews each year.
The turnover of pamphlets in
the pamphlet library at the en-.
trance keeps the two librarians
busy eight hours a day.
Cardinals McCloskey, Farley
and Hayes are inferred in the
crypt below the cathedral altar.
(Archbishops Hughes and CORR.
gan as well as Monsignor La
velle are also buried in the
crypt, which has places for Az
On Sundays, feast days and
national holidays the 10 bells in
the cathedral tower leach one
named for a different saint
ring out their call to prayer.
The angelus echoes three times
daily. The voice of st. Patrick's
mingles with, but Is never
out by, the hubub of
the great city. AT such times as
Christmas Eve, Easter and st.
Patrick's Day the profound spir-
1t of the great cathedral seems
to soar above the city like its
slender traceried spires.
One hundred years have pass
ed since Archbishop Hughes
troweled the cornerstone of st.
Patrick's into place and spoke
of "a glorious undertaking that
will make Manhattan proud and
edify your brother here and