VIS News

See all Special Features




Providing Measurable Solutions

Mailing List

Reaching Decision Makers within the Catholic Community


Cathedral of the Madeleine, Salt Lake City, UT

Photo courtesy of the Diocese of Salt Lake City, UT

Spotlight On...
Cathedral of the Madeleine
Salt Lake City, UT

The Cathedral of the Madeleine was completed in 1909 after nine years of construction. The massive structure has a Romanesque exterior composed of Utah sandstone and is characterized by semi-circular arches and large towers. There are eight gargoyles perched on the towers. These gargoyles, now weighing 1,200 lbs each, were replaced during the five-year renovation ending in 1980 due to erosion. Included in the renovation was the restoration of the sandstone, a new copper roof, replacement of the stained glass windows in the sanctuary and the addition of a tympanum over the main doors.

The cathedral has a Gothic interior characterized by the pointed arches and ribbed vaults.  Many stained glass windows created by various designers grace the walls. The rose window in particular is set above the organ and includes St. Cecilia, patroness of music, surrounded by angels with musical instruments. In 1992, a new organ designed by Kenneth Jones and Associates of Bray, Ireland was installed. The organ, which has 4,066 pipes serves both liturgical and concert purposes.

The Cathedral of the Madeleine is the only cathedral named for Mary Magdalene. The cathedral's name was changed to the French spelling of her name in 1916 by Bishop Joseph Glass. Her image appears several times throughout the cathedral. In stained glass, she encounters the resurrected Christ. In paintings, Mary Magdalen is shown anointing Christ’s feet and also looking upwards at Christ on the Cross.

The cathedral is listed on both the Utah and National Register of Historic Places and celebrated its centennial year on August 15, 2009. Please be sure to view the panorama of the beautiful cathedral interior.

To read more about the Cathedral of the St. Madeleine and the Diocese of Salt Lake City, please visit saltlakecathedral.org/ or www.dioslc.org/.


Spotlight on the Hierarchy of the Church

Most Rev. John Charles Wester

Photo courtesy of the Intermountain Catholic Newspaper

Most Rev. John Charles Wester
Bishop of the Diocese of Salt Lake City in Utah
See full bio

View previous spotlights here.









 
News and views from Catholic News Service and its client publications
  • Determined Haitians stand strong in the face of insurmountable obstacles
    SANTO DOMINGO, Dominican Republic ? While leaving the Haitian capital of Port-au-Prince this morning we passed by a U.N. World Food Program food distribution site. Dozens of earthquake victims were hurrying back to their tattered shelters a few blocks away, large sacks of rice in their possession. The eagerness of the Haitians to return to their [...]
  • Charlie Jacques prays the rosary for comfort outside destroyed Port-au-Prince cathedral
    PORT-AU-PRINCE, Haiti ' Just about every morning since the Jan. 12 earthquake Charlie Jacques visits what?s left of the Cathedral of Our Lady of the Assumption and prays the rosary. ?It gives me comfort and gets me through the day,? the 33-year-old Jacques told Catholic News Service today, unwrapping a bright green rosary from his right [...]
  • Persevering Haitian barber rebuilds his shop amid signs of clean up
    SARTHE, Haiti ' Signs of clean up and rebuilding slowly are becoming more evident across some of the most seriously damaged neighborhoods around Port-au-Prince. Barber Chov Jean Jacques is just one example. We came across Jacques sitting in what was left of his tiny shop on the main street into and out of Sarthe, just north of [...]
  • U.S. Catholic leaders call for safeguards to protect Haitian children
    The heads of five major Catholic agencies that are serving Haitian earthquake victims have written to three Cabinet secretaries outlining steps they feel should be taken to protect  Haitian children who have been left alone as a result of the Jan. 12 quake. 'The compassion of the American people has been evident in their response' to these [...]
  • Priest says second trip to Super Bowl for him 'humbling,' 'surprising'
    Father Peter Gallagher, a pastor in the Indianapolis Archdiocese, says he never dreamed when he was first ordained in 1992 he'd be the chaplain for the Indianapolis Colts, much less go to two Super Bowls with the team. 'It's humbling and surprising to me,' he tells Sean Gallagher of  The Criterion, the archdiocesan newspaper. And the priest [...]
 




Papal Visit to The Holy Land

Archive & Reflections

Pope Benedict's 82nd birthday


Ex Libris
A look at books and other media about our church, our faith, and our people.

Evangelization and Religious Freedom: Ad Gentes, Dignitatis Humanae

Evangelization and Religious Freedom: Ad Gentes, Dignitatis Humanae
By Stephen B. Bevans, SVD, and Jeffrey Gros, FSC


This volume summarizes Catholic approaches to mission, evangelization, and religious freedom in light of the text and debates of Vatican II’s documents on the subjects (Ad Gentes and Dignitatis Humanae), traces the documents’ reception in the forty years since their publication and reflects on their significance for today.

Copyright 2009 Paulist Press