Parishes in the Archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis will take up a special collection at Masses Sept. 21-22 to help the Cathedral of St. Paul pay down the debt remaining from emergency exterior restorations made a decade ago.
The work from 2000 to 2002, which included replacing the Cathedral’s leaking copper dome, cost approximately $30 million. Capital campaigns, several archdiocesan collections and other fundraising efforts have helped to repay much of that cost. Today, the remaining debt stands at $5.3 million.
Reducing the principal of the debt is necessary so the Cathedral can sustain its ministries and continue the work of ongoing restoration, said Father John Ubel, Cathedral rector. The Cathedral’s monthly interest payment on the debt is about $20,000.
The Cathedral is home to the archbishop’s chair — the “cathedra” — and it is considered his official church. In 2009, it was designated as the National Shrine of the Apostle Paul by the Vatican and the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops.
Catholics from throughout the archdiocese come to the Cathedral each year to celebrate confirmations and other events important in the life of the local Church, including ordinations to the priesthood and the Rite of Election for catechumens being initiated into the church.
“I have found that not a week goes by without me meeting someone from another parish in the archdiocese visiting the Cathedral,” Father Ubel said. “Perhaps they have a relative visiting from out of town, or are catching the late Sunday afternoon Mass following a busy weekend. They love their parishes, but also their Cathedral. I thoroughly enjoy this aspect of my ministry and it reminds me that we truly serve people from all over this great archdiocese.”
