Dear brothers and sisters,
Peace of Christ!
The Cathedral renovation project is in the final stages of completion. There are still some outstanding works but come 18th Feb, the Bishop will re-dedicate the Cathedral.
The principles that guided our renovation are both conservative and forward looking. We have restored as much as we can the existing artwork that we have, notably the Cross, the Sacred Heart Tabernacle, the side altars dedicated to the Divine Mercy and the Perpetual Succour stained glasses. The Sacred Heart statue outside the front entrance has been refurbished and it will be mounted at the corner where the flagpoles once were.
The four panels of stained glass are now in the process of repair and restoration in the Philippines. In addition, two more panels will complete the Joyful Mystery of the Rosary and they are the Birth of Christ and the Finding of Jesus in the Temple. Once they are done, they will be shipped back to the Diocese for future use in a Church that has an appropriate Marian theme.
Peace of Christ!
The Cathedral renovation project is in the final stages of completion. There are still some outstanding works but come 18th Feb, the Bishop will re-dedicate the Cathedral.
The principles that guided our renovation are both conservative and forward looking. We have restored as much as we can the existing artwork that we have, notably the Cross, the Sacred Heart Tabernacle, the side altars dedicated to the Divine Mercy and the Perpetual Succour stained glasses. The Sacred Heart statue outside the front entrance has been refurbished and it will be mounted at the corner where the flagpoles once were.
The four panels of stained glass are now in the process of repair and restoration in the Philippines. In addition, two more panels will complete the Joyful Mystery of the Rosary and they are the Birth of Christ and the Finding of Jesus in the Temple. Once they are done, they will be shipped back to the Diocese for future use in a Church that has an appropriate Marian theme.
In place of the four panels of stained glass, we now have a much bigger panel. Ideally, it would have been good to have a rendition of the Sacred Heart of Jesus but artistically, it would have been asymmetrical as to where we can locate the symbol. Thus, we settled with the Saints who are connected to the devotion to the Heart of Jesus.
Firstly, Mary, the Mother of Christ holds a place of honour at the foot of the Cross. Secondly, St John the Evangelist is considered to be the proto-Apostle of the Heart of Jesus as he rested his head on Christ’s chest at the Last Supper. Thirdly, St Margaret Mary Alacoque, to whom Christ appeared as the Sacred Heart is prominently featured standing behind the Evangelist. Fourthly, the saint who helped promote the apparition at Paray-le-Monial is St Claude La Colombière. He was the spiritual director of St Margaret Mary and thus, he stands behind the Mother of God.
These four are surrounded by various saints known for their devotion to the Heart of Christ. We have from the left, St Veronica Guilani, a Capuchin Poor Clare. She received the stigmata and through it, she was dedicated to the Heart of Jesus. St John Bosco is the founder of the Salesians of Don Bosco. The Congregation is consecrated to the Sacred Heart of Jesus. St Madeleine Sophie Barat is the foundress of the Society of the Sacred Heart—a congregation of religious sisters. St Julian Peter Eymard, who established the Congregation of the Blessed Sacrament fused the devotion to the Sacred Heart with the love of the Eucharist.
From the right, St Gertrude the Great encouraged prayers to the Heart of Christ so that souls in purgatory may draw forth all they need from His Divine Heart. Next to her is St Louis de Montfort, a third order Dominican whose devotion the Sacred Heart was manifested in a hymn, numbered 905 lines. St Pio, a Capuchin priest, promoted the Efficacious Novena to the Sacred Heart of Jesus. St Alphonsus Ligouri, the founder of the Redemptorists in 1758 petitioned the Pope to establish an Office and Mass proper to be celebrated. This was granted in 1765 by Clement the XIII and later extended to the Universal Church by Pius IX in 1856.
The entire stained glass also bears a Trinitarian motif. The pointing hand symbolises God the Father and the dove, the Holy Spirit. The Cross completes the Trinitarian picture. The rays represent the 9 fruits of the Holy Spirit taken from St Paul’s Letter to the Galatian 5:22-23 (12 if we follow the Vulgate translation of St Jerome, and the number 12 is adopted by the Catechism).
Firstly, Mary, the Mother of Christ holds a place of honour at the foot of the Cross. Secondly, St John the Evangelist is considered to be the proto-Apostle of the Heart of Jesus as he rested his head on Christ’s chest at the Last Supper. Thirdly, St Margaret Mary Alacoque, to whom Christ appeared as the Sacred Heart is prominently featured standing behind the Evangelist. Fourthly, the saint who helped promote the apparition at Paray-le-Monial is St Claude La Colombière. He was the spiritual director of St Margaret Mary and thus, he stands behind the Mother of God.
These four are surrounded by various saints known for their devotion to the Heart of Christ. We have from the left, St Veronica Guilani, a Capuchin Poor Clare. She received the stigmata and through it, she was dedicated to the Heart of Jesus. St John Bosco is the founder of the Salesians of Don Bosco. The Congregation is consecrated to the Sacred Heart of Jesus. St Madeleine Sophie Barat is the foundress of the Society of the Sacred Heart—a congregation of religious sisters. St Julian Peter Eymard, who established the Congregation of the Blessed Sacrament fused the devotion to the Sacred Heart with the love of the Eucharist.
From the right, St Gertrude the Great encouraged prayers to the Heart of Christ so that souls in purgatory may draw forth all they need from His Divine Heart. Next to her is St Louis de Montfort, a third order Dominican whose devotion the Sacred Heart was manifested in a hymn, numbered 905 lines. St Pio, a Capuchin priest, promoted the Efficacious Novena to the Sacred Heart of Jesus. St Alphonsus Ligouri, the founder of the Redemptorists in 1758 petitioned the Pope to establish an Office and Mass proper to be celebrated. This was granted in 1765 by Clement the XIII and later extended to the Universal Church by Pius IX in 1856.
The entire stained glass also bears a Trinitarian motif. The pointing hand symbolises God the Father and the dove, the Holy Spirit. The Cross completes the Trinitarian picture. The rays represent the 9 fruits of the Holy Spirit taken from St Paul’s Letter to the Galatian 5:22-23 (12 if we follow the Vulgate translation of St Jerome, and the number 12 is adopted by the Catechism).
The altar has been clad and its centre-piece draws our attention to a powerful symbol of the Eucharist. The pelican, in times of famine, feeds its young with its own blood, done through the pecking of its chest. This symbolises Christ who sacrificed Himself for the salvation of mankind through the sublime gift of the Holy Eucharist.
Facing the retablo, the Ambry is located on the right side of the sanctuary and it will feature prominently the three blessed oils: Oil of the Infirmed, Oil of the Catechumens and Sacred Chrism.
The Bishop’s Cathedra is a throne of liturgical prominence. And it highlights Christ as teacher. “He went up the hill and there He SAT down and began to teach” (Matt 5, the Sermon on the Mount). Seating is the posture of teaching.
The ambo/pulpit where the Gospel is proclaimed is adorned with the four symbols of the Evangelists. These are derived from the Prophet Ezekiel (1: 1-21) and found parallelly in the Book of the Apocalyse (4: 6-8). the Winged Man represents St Matthew, the Winged Lion, St Mark, the Winged Ox, St Luke and the Eagle, St John. St Irenaeus (Adversus Haereses or Against Heresies XI) made the connexion between these scriptural images with the Evangelists going as far as to state that the Lion symbolises Christ’s leadership, and royal power. The Ox signifies the sacrificial and priestly order of Christ. The Man represents His coming as a human being. The Eagle symbolises the gift of the Spirit hovering over the Church.
Often enough we are concerned with the transcendental pillars of goodness and truth forgetting that there is also beauty. Beauty inspires. When it is encountered, we are awed and we are inspired to goodness and truth. Nobody ever sees a majestic sight and is immediately filled with thoughts of committing evil. “Beauty will save the world”, according to the Russian poet Fyodor Dostoevsky. Christ who hangs on the Cross is that beauty who saves all of us, “For He has entered, not into holy places made with hands, which are copies of the true things, but into heaven itself, now to appear in the presence of God on our behalf.” (Heb. 9:24)
Let us continue to make our Cathedral more beautiful. May its external beauty be a reflection of the inner beauty of our belief and our behaviour.
God bless
Padre
Let us continue to make our Cathedral more beautiful. May its external beauty be a reflection of the inner beauty of our belief and our behaviour.
God bless
Padre