La Crosse St. Joseph Cathedral restoration kicks off with hopes of repairing both building and parish

Deterioration shows on the stone of the St. Joseph Catholic Cathedral bell tower. The stone will be carefully remove and inspected during the restoration project.

The historic St. Joseph the Workman Cathedral will be undergoing restoration this year, a project that officials hope will not only save the towering downtown building, but also restore its Catholic community.

The $6.1 million project officially kicked-off Friday with a blessing from church leaders at the cathedral, a “living parish” which is the landmark church of the Diocese of La Crosse, and home church to Bishop William Patrick Callahan. The entire restoration is expected to be completed by the end of this year.

“A 16 pound piece of stone, it fell from 130 feet, it hit the roof, and from there went 100 more feet down to the ground. It hit the ground with tremendous force, in the middle of winter, it was driven into the ground about six inches into frozen ground,” Mar-Pohl said, giving an example of the danger the crumbling infrastructure poses.

continue at LaC Trib

 

Organ recital April 28th at La Crosse Cathedral featuring Donald VerKuilen

An organ recital will be performed at the Cathedral of Saint Joseph the Workman in La Crosse on Saturday, April 28, 2018 at 7:00 pm.

The performer is Donald VerKuilen, who is Director of Music and Musical Arts at The Old Stone Church in Cleveland, Ohio. He was a student of James David Christie at Oberlin. The program will be about one hour in duration. Admission is free; a freewill offering will be accepted. He will play works by Langlais, Couperin, Franck, Sløgedal, Tournemire, Widor, Karg-Elert, and Craig Phillips. We hope you will be able to attend!

Padre Pio in La Crosse

They are moving through the probably ten of thousands of people pretty quickly, a few seconds with Padre, no photo close ups, gotta stand back.  The lady in front of me was hanging out for a while so never got a good shot at the front.  Great work to all the organizers!

The lines have begun! All are welcome to come by the Cathedral from 9am-630pm to venerate the relics of Saint Padre Pio!

— Diocese of La Crosse (@DIOLaCrosse) September 20, 2017

Traditional Regalia for the KCs, right on!

Today 99 years ago - September 20 1918, Saint Padre Pio received the visible Stigmata. He suffered the wounds of Christ for 50 years. pic.twitter.com/Zw3SUK2bLc

— Man of Catholicism (@CatholicismGuy) September 20, 2017

Reminder: Padre Pio’s relics to stop in Wisconsin: La Crosse 20 Sept; Milwaukee 21 Sept

A glove and blood-stained cotton gauze are among the relics of St. Pio of Pietrelcina — better known as “Padre Pio” — that will be on display Sept. 20 in La Crosse, Wisconsin, and Sept. 21 in Milwaukee.

The relics have been on tour in the United States and will be traveling to 11 dioceses this fall. The relics will not be stopping in the Archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis.

They will be on display 9 a.m.–7 p.m. at the Cathedral of St. Joseph the Workman in La Crosse and 9 a.m. –9 p.m. at the Cathedral of St. John the Evangelist in Milwaukee.

Also displayed for veneration will be “crusts” from St. Pio’s wounds, a lock of his hair, his mantle and a handkerchief that was soaked with his sweat hours before he died in 1968.

The Catholic Spirit

Details on the La Crosse stop here: http://diolc.org/relics/ (Tip: parking in the public downtown ramps is free for three hours, that will be your best bet)

Details on the Milwaukee stop here: http://www.stjohncathedral.org (halfway down the page)

Vienna Boys Choir in La Crosse 20 November

Details on Padre Pio relic visit to La Crosse Cathedral Sept 20, 7 PM Mass with Bp Callahan

St Padre Pio relics to visit Milwaukee, La Crosse, in tour this year

Relics of St Padre Pio, a Capuchin priest who bore the stigmata of Jesus, will be on public display in several US dioceses and archdioceses in May and again in the autumn.

The Saint Pio Foundation announced that the tour corresponds with the 130th anniversary of the Italian-born saint’s birth.

— May 9 at St Paul Cathedral, Pittsburgh.— May 10-11 at the Cathedral Basilica of the Immaculate Conception, Denver.
— May 13 at Cathedral of the Risen Christ, Lincoln, Nebraska.
— May 18-19 at St Andrew Church, Pasadena, California.
— May 20-21 at St Ann Church, Arlington, Virginia.
— Sept 17-18 at St Patrick Cathedral, New York.
— Sept 20 at Cathedral of St Joseph the Workman, La Crosse, Wisconsin.
— Sept. 20 at Cathedral of St John the Evangelist, Milwaukee.
— Sept. 22-23 at Basilica of St John the Evangelist, Stamford, Connecticut.
— Sept. 24 at St Theresa Church, Trumbull, Connecticut.
— Sept. 29 at Cathedral of Mary of the Assumption, Saginaw, Michigan.

continue at UK Catholic Herald

Image

Arial of St Joseph the Workman, La Crosse, WI

Turn the audio down, unless you enjoy loud buzzing noises. In that case, crank it up!


A good post for Ascension Thursday! Hope Jesus wasn't afraid of heights!

A Wisconsin ordination from 1989

I trust Father doesn't minds me sharing.

Then-Father Raymond Leo Burke imposes hands on his newly-ordained nephew Father Kevin Louis
 at Cathedral of Saint Joseph the Workman. July 22, 1989

St. Cecilia, ora pro nobis!

This carving of St. Cecilia is from the old [La Crosse] Cathedral and held it's place of prominence somewhere near the organ balcony. Legend has it that it was rescued from a dumpster by a parishioner of the Cathedral when the church building was being razed in 1959. This is real craftsmanship. If you were to have this carved today, one could easily spend thousands of dollars. A generous person brought the carving to the Cathedral Rectory in order that it might be photograph it for use in an upcoming bulletin since the Memorial of St. Cecilia is coming up on Friday, November 22. St. Cecilia is the patroness of musicians.

Here is the bulletin

Abp. Listecki returns to La Crosse for Cathedral 150th anniversary

Wednesday is the deadline to buy tickets to a May 5 banquet celebrating the 150th anniversary of the Cathedral of St. Joseph the Workman.

Milwaukee Archbishop Jerome E. Listecki will officiate at the 10:30 Mass that day, with the banquet starting at 5 p.m. at the Lunda Center at Western Technical College.

Bishop William P. Callahan, who in 2010 succeeded Listecki as bishop of the Diocese of La Crosse, will speak at the event.

Tickets can be purchased after Sunday Masses in the Gathering Area, inside the cathedral’s west entrance. They also are available at the rectory on weekdays and under the gift shop tab on the parish website, www.cathedralsjworkman.org.

La Crosse Tribune 

Houlihan organ recital in La Crosse this Friday

This coming Friday, April 26, phenomenal concert organist Christopher Houlihan will perform a recital at 7:30 pm at the Cathedral of St. Joseph the Workman in La Crosse. No admission fee, but a freewill offering will be accepted.

Program:

Fantasia and Fugue in G Minor, BWV 542 by Johann Sebastian Bach.

Intermezzo, Adagio and Final from Symphony No. 3, opus 28 by Louis Vierne.

Fantasy in E-flat major by Camille Saint-Saëns.

Fantasy and Fugue on “Ad nos, ad salutarem undam” by Franz Liszt.

“Christopher Houlihan has traversed the trajectory of ‘Rising Star’ to ‘Risen Star’ in a remarkably brief period of time…. He combines elegance and grace with brilliance and bravado…. His outstanding interpretive and communicative skills make him an audience favorite.” (The American Organist, 2012)

“Once again the pipe organ emerges as ‘The King of Instruments,’ and Christopher Houlihan is its youngest and most promising interpreter in the realm…. the crowd was in a full roar of approval….Christopher has “IT” – that elusive something ‘which draws others with its magnetic force.’” (Huffington Post, 2012)

“A rising young American organist…displaying a virtuoso’s technical prowess, an architect’s grasp of structure and a torch singer’s ability to convey emotions . . .” (The Wall Street Journal)

Photos of St. Andre Besette relic at La Crosse Cathedral

For the record, I saw Susan.  I couldn't stay to talk to her.  If you don't understand what I'm talking about, please disregard. 

La Crosse Cathedral to recieve first class relic of St. André Bessette this Saturday

Holy Hour honoring St. Joseph & St. André
Saturday, Nov. 17th, 2 PM

Have you ever heard of St. André Bessette?  A native of Canada, he lived from 1845 to 1937 and was renowned for his works of charity, devout prayer, countless miracles, and unwavering trust in St. Joseph.  He built the Oratory of St. Joseph in Montreal, which is still the largest church in Canada today.  Canonized on Oct. 17, 2010, St. André is a saint for our time!

The Oratory of St. Joseph in Montreal sent our Cathedral a First Class Relic of St. André in honor of our Sesquicentennial anniversary. We invite all parishioners to come learn about St. André , venerate his relic, celebrate his holy life and invoke his powerful intercession.

The devotions include:
2:00 PM History of St. André Bessette
2:30 PM Movie on the life of St. André (50 min)
3:30 PM Holy Hour with adoration & Benediction
4:30 PM Veneration of the Relic of St. André
5:10 PM Mass celebrated by Bishop William Callahan

HT Diemish 

Denis McNamara to speak at La Crose Cathedral Oct 6th

LA CROSSE – Cincinnati architect Edward Schulte designed the La Crosse Cathedral of St. Joseph the Workman at the peak of his career as a church architect of national prominence. The designer of four cathedrals and more than 80 churches across the nation, Schulte was recognized as the leading American architect for Catholic churches in the years from World War II to the early 1960s. With his unreserved commitment to both modern inventiveness and a deep sense of churchliness, he used traditional imagery, texts, materials and allied arts integrated into buildings recognizably of his age, making him a uniquely inventive and successful fi gure in ecclesiastical circles.

On Oct. 6, from 9-10:30 a.m., Dr. Denis McNamara, assistant director and faculty member at the Liturgical Institute of the University of Saint Mary of the Lake and today’s foremost expert on Edward Schulte, will discuss his life and work, highlighting in a special way the Cathedral of St. Joseph the Workman. Come learn how our very own Cathedral – now celebrating its 50th anniversary – stands as one of the most significant designs of an architect of national prominence and plays a part in an important, but little-known movement, in liturgical architecture. [I believe called "End of the World" architecture, you know, before churches stopped looking like churches] 

McNamara holds a bachelor’s degree in the History of Art from Yale University and a PhD in Architectural History from the University of Virginia, where he concentrated his research on the study of ecclesiastical architecture of the 19th and 20th centuries. He makes a specialty of bridging the gap between the Church’s great artistic tradition and the documents of the Second Vatican Council. He has also done groundbreaking research on the sacramental meaning of the classical architectural tradition.

His 2009 book “Catholic Church Architecture and the Spirit of the Liturgy” (Hillenbrand Books), was honored in two categories by the Catholic Press Association, and his newest title, “How to Read Churches: A Crash Course In Christian Architecture” (Rizzoli, 2011) is published in English, German, Spanish, Portuguese, Italian and French.

the Catholic Times

I've got the second book, very good, worth having on your bookshelf.  I haven't read the first yet but I hear it's killa.  Creative Minority Report has posted several talks by "D Mac". 

I worry this will end up being an apologia for the current state of the Cathedral, but maybe he will make the case that it is clear certain aspects of the La Crosse Cathedral miss the mark.  I can't build my Basilica here.  I know.  I am hopeful there are lessons learned from the construction of this Cathedral that new constructions can learn from. 

Fourteen Holy Helpers, orate pro nobis!

Source

The Legend

St. Denis at Basilika Vierzehnheiligen

Fourteen Holy Helpers from the original Cathedral in La Crosse (since been removed)

Wiki: The "fourteen angels" of the lost children's prayer in Engelbert Humperdinck's fairy opera, 'Hansel and Gretel', are the Fourteen Holy Helpers. The English words are familiar:

When at night I go to sleep,
Fourteen angels watch do keep,
Two my head are guarding,
Two my feet are guiding;
Two upon my right hand,
Two upon my left hand.
Two who warmly cover
Two who o'er me hover,
Two to whom 'tis given
To guide my steps to heaven.

Bp Callahan: La Crosse Cathedral celebrates 150th year as a parish

Cathedral of St. Joseph, 1950

Our cathedral, under the patronage of St. Joseph the Workman, begins some major anniversary celebrations this Sunday, May 6, at the 10:30 a.m. Mass. The Cathedral Parish begins its 150th or sesquicentennial anniversary and the present cathedral church building itself begins its 50-year anniversary at the same time.

This anniversary celebration will take place at our cathedral for the coming year and will involve all of us in our diocese in one way or another – and everyone is invited – no, encouraged,heartily encouraged to participate. All the parishes will be invited to celebrate Mass at the cathedral through your deaneries and with your pastors and parish priests. Remember the Year of Faith will kick off on Oct. 11, 2012 and runs through to the Solemnity of Christ the King in 2013 (the end of November). Busy times lie ahead of us; they are exciting and stimulating for our faith and our lived expression of it.

I sure hope that you will find time to get to your cathedral this year. I have proclaimed a special indulgence for those people who make a pilgrimage to the cathedral and offer the Our Father, Hail Mary, Glory Be for the special intentions of the Holy Father along with the reception of the sacraments of penance and Eucharist according to the custom of the Church. You can make a day of it in La Crosse. The city is trying to become more visitor-friendly and is providing some good family fun. We also have the beautiful Shrine of Our Lady of Guadalupe where daily Mass is also offered and a beautiful restaurant is available for great eats before heading back home to any of our 19 counties and beyond.

continue at The Catholic Times

Altar Rails; not just for ignorant, illiterate peasants anymore!

Guadalupe Shrine altar rails

In Tiverton, R.I., when some parishioners suggested returning altar rails to the sanctuary of Holy Ghost Catholic Church, Father Jay Finelli gladly accepted, little knowing shortly thereafter the Pope’s 2007 motu proprio letter Summorum Pontificum would follow and he would be interested in learning how to celebrate the extraordinary form of the Mass.

In Norwalk, Conn., when a groundswell of parishioner support encouraged pastor Father Greg Markey to restore St. Mary Church, the second-oldest parish in the diocese, to its original 19th-century neo-gothic magnificence, he made sure altar rails were again part of the sanctuary.

Altar rails are present in several new churches architect Duncan Stroik has designed. Among them, the Thomas Aquinas College Chapel in Santa Paula, Calif., the Shrine of Our Lady of Guadalupe in La Crosse, Wis., and three others on the drawing boards.

Altar (Communion) rails are returning for all the right reasons.

Said Father Markey: “First, the Holy Father is requiring holy Communion from him be received on the knees. Second, it’s part of our tradition as Catholics for centuries to receive holy Communion on the knees. Third, it’s a beautiful form of devotion to our blessed Lord.”

James Hitchcock, professor and author of Recovery of the Sacred (Ignatius Press, 1995), thinks the rail resurgence is a good idea. The main reason is reverence, he said. “Kneeling’s purpose is to facilitate adoration,” he explained.

When Stroik proposed altar rails for the Shrine of Our Lady of Guadalupe, “Cardinal [Raymond] Burke liked the idea and thought that was something that would give added reverence to the Eucharist and sanctuary.”

Read more: http://www.ncregister.com/daily-news/altar-rails-returning-to-use/#ixzz1RKb1GbBQ

Thought I'd share an interesting background about the La Crosse Cathedral built in the early 1960s and her communion "tables." 

The communion stations were designed by the liturgy committee of the Cathedral.  Edward Schulte was much more into ornate buildings than he was into sacred space enhancing the participation of the laity in the Sacrifice of the Mass. 

A consultant to the bishop said that the reason a church was built was threefold:  to proclaim the gospel,  increase participation in the sacrifice of the Mass by bringing the laity closer to the altar, and protect the congregation from the elements.  He went on to say that the criticism of Schulte's architecture was that in his churches you couldn't hear the Word proclaimed, the Altar was as far from the laity as it could be placed and the congregation was surrounded by elements. 

The liturgy committee felt very strongly that a communion rail was a barrier to the sanctuary and the Sacrifice of the Mass.  The stations were designed to be direct extensions of the altar, thus the white marble which is the same of the altar with the bronze inserts of the birds being sustained by the wheat and grapes, thus bringing the Sacrifice, Eucharistic sustenance and the congregation together in unity without barriers.  This symbolism is carried out in the canopies of the choir stalls and on the ceiling of the blessed sacrament chapel, as well as the lights in there, although difficult to see on the lights.

The cathedral was designed before Vatican II and the stations were lauded as foresight into some of the changes that would take place.

The Spirit of Vatican II existed even before Vatican II I guess.  It is just so strange to me that folks were preempting the Council.  Nobody had any idea what the documents might say so they just went ahead and guessed...  Can you imagine if folks had done that prior to the Summorum Pontificum?   Interesting the "tables" were created in a way which prevented receiving communion while kneeling.  *sigh*

Does anyone else day dream about building their own church from scratch?

From beyond the deep: Listing of the La Crosse Diocese parish reassignments

Alert: Badger Catholic sighting! "The" Badger Catholic emailed me to post this. Sounds like he has a cell phone in one hand, fishing pole in the other, 2 kids hanging on his back and a Temple Police map by his side.

Anyway, this post is actually about the La Crosse diocese parish reassignments, effective July 1.

La Crosse Catholic Times:

On Sunday, May 22, 44 priests across the diocese announced to their parishioners that they were being transferred. The transfer was initiated by Bishop William P. Callahan of the Diocese of La Crosse.

In a letter to the priests, deacons and curia staff Father David C. Kunz, the vicar for clergy, explained that the vast number of changes has been prompted by the implementation of the Pastoral Plan. The Plan is a reflection of the continuing decrease in the number of priests we have to staff our parishes and institutions of the diocese. With five priest retirements and only one ordination this year, it is obvious that the status quo would no longer serve the people of our parishes.

He also said that the diocese’s Personal Council that has been planning these changes since January, 2011, took its mandate carefully, attempting to match the gifts of the individual priest with the needs of the individual parish.

List of priests and their new assignments [PDF here]:

Parish, City in bold Parochial Administrator

1: Colby/Abbotsford/Dorchester/Owen: Father Dan Hackel; Father Tim Oudenhoven (Assoc. & Hispanic Ministry)

2: Notre Dame, Chippewa Falls: Father Mark Pierce

3: Roncalli Newman, LX: Father Al Wierzba

4: Viroqua: Father Francis Abuah-Quansah

5: Cathedral, LX: Father Charles Stoetzel

6: Galloway/Bevent: Father Augustine Bentil

7: St. Charles, Chip Falls/Tilden: Father Ed Shuttleworth

8: Sacred Heart Hospital, EC: Father James Arthur

9: St. John, Marshfield/Spencer: Father Sam Martin

10: Bloomer/Cook’s Valley: Father John Potaczek

11: Plum City/Arkansaw: Father Paul Czerwonka

12: Richland Center: Father Roger Scheckel

13: Edgar/Poniatowski: Father Robert Streveler

14: St. James, LX: Father Robert Schaller

15: Loyal: Father William Felix

16: Durand/Lima/Mondovi: Father Al Jakubowski; Father Eric Linzmaier (Assoc.)

17: Fountain City/Alma/Waumandee: Father Brian Jazdzewski

18: OLQH, Wisc. Rapids: Father Sahayanathan Nathan

19: Arcadia/Pine Creek: Father Hingone (July 1)/Father Amalraj (Sept.1)

20: Holy Trinity, La Crosse: Father G. Richard Roberts

21: St. Vincent de Paul, Wisc. Rapids: Father John Steiner

22: Milladore/Junction City/Mill Creek: Father Andrzej Panek

23: Hewitt/Aurburndale/Blenker: Father Peter Raj

24: St. Joseph/St. Stephen, Stevens Point: Father Jerzy Rebacz

25: Hillsboro/Wonewoc/Union Center: Father Don Bauer

26: St. Joseph Ridge/St. Peter, M. Ridge/St. Mary, CV: Father Joseph Nakwah

27: Sparta/Summit: Father David Kunz (cont. Vicar for Clergy); Father John Mano (Assoc.)

28: Cashton/St. M. Ridge/Norwalk: Father Michael Klos

29: Holy Name, Wausau: Father David Rybicki

30: Cadott/Drywood/Jim Falls: Father Keith Kitzhaber

Drywood/Jim Falls: Deacon Mark Arnold (Parish Director)

31: Polonia/Rosholt/Torun: Father Greg Michaud

32: Cazenovia/Keyesville/Lone Rock: Father George Graham

33: St. Peter, St. Pt./St. Casimir, Hull: Father Arul Joseph; Father Robert Letona (Assoc.)

34: Rock Falls/Elk Mound/Boyceville: Father Joseph O’Hara

35: Holmen: Father John Parr

36: Custer/Amherst/Fancher: Father Jude Dioka

37: Fairview/Fairchild/Neillsville: Father Varkey Velickakathu

38: Alma Center/Black River Falls/Melrose: Father Emmanuel Famiyeh

39: New Lisbon/Castle Rock: Father Wesley Janowski

40: Resurrection/St. Michael, Wausau Father John Robert Alphonse (Assoc.)

The "big one" on the list is #5 -- Father Charles Stoetzel will be the priest at the La Crosse Cathedral of St. Joseph the Workman.

La Crosse Cathedral interior - 1950

*sigh*

...... *sighhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh*

I've tagged these all as La Crosse Cathedral 

Update: Here's what the new Cathedral looks like(finished in 1962 I think?)

To get a better idea of the what the new Cathedral looks like check out Flickr(Br. Stephen)