The Co-Cathedral of the Sacred Heart

The day is fast approaching when the new Co-Cathedral of the Sacred Heart will be dedicated on April 2, 2008. At that time the Archdiocese of Galveston-Houston will present to the general public a magnificent House of Worship which will be an enduring presence of God among us and reflect His eternal glory. The sturdy structure with beautiful and clear lines reaches to the heavens praising God on whom we totally depend.

The Co-Cathedral of the Sacred Heart is primarily a church for Catholic liturgical celebrations and devotional practices. It will house the Bishop’s Chair (cathedra) from which the Archbishop of Galveston-Houston, His Eminence Cardinal Daniel N. DiNardo, will teach, sanctify and govern the Church in this Archdiocese. However, the Co-Cathedral is a House of God inviting all people to worship the one God who is father and creator of all.

Passing through the portals of the Co-Cathedral one enters the vestibule with an inlaid marble symbol of the Holy Trinity which immediately identifies the sacred place as the House of God and Gate to Heaven (Genesis 28,17). The vestibule opens to the great nave and visual attention is drawn to a huge cross that rises above the large beautiful red marble altar where the Eucharist is celebrated which renews in a sacramental manner the death of the crucified Christ. The altar is the focus of Catholic worship where the redemptive death of Jesus is liturgically celebrated and from which the graces of his salvific death are made available to believers. High above the altar in a rose window is the Christ of the Eucharist who offers his body and blood as the promised heavenly food needed for our earthly pilgrimage.

Centered directly over the altar is the great dome and at its apex is the Holy Spirit, the Lord and Giver of Life. He is invoked when the words of the Eucharistic Prayer are said which consecrates the bread and wine that become our Eucharistic food. Around the Holy Spirit in the dome windows are the twelve apostles who on Pentecost were sent to bring the gospel of Jesus to the world. Each Sunday, we profess the faith that has come down to us from the teaching of the apostles.

The interior design of the Co-Cathedral has a simplicity and purity which keeps attention on these fundamental teachings of Catholic faith. The two beautiful major shrines to Mary Immaculate, the patroness of the Archdiocese, and the Sacred Heart of Jesus, the patronal title of the Co-Cathedral, as well as the other six shrines dedicated to popular saints, are very important for devotional piety. They are secondary to the central focus of the design of the sanctuary which directs attention to the Sacrifice of the Mass, the core of Catholic worship.

The baptismal font and the pulpit are designed to complement the altars and each of them are vitally connected to Eucharistic worship. It is through Baptism that we become Christian and receive the new life of grace which incorporates us into the death and resurrection of Jesus. Baptismal grace prepares us to receive the other six sacraments that assist us in living our Christian faith. From the pulpit, we hear the Word of God and its explanation and application to our daily lives which also nourishes us on our journey towards eternal life.

These are a few reflections which I hope will give you a brief understanding of some of the ideas we had in designing a new Co-Cathedral. We wanted a traditional church that would be clean and simple in design that would reflect a nobility worthy of God in a truly attractive and prayerful atmosphere.

Archbishop Joseph A. Fiorenza