Saint Raphael's Cathedral, Madison, Wisconsin

Saint Raphael's Cathedral is the Cathedral parish for the Roman Catholic Diocese of Madison. The parish is located in downtown Madison, Wisconsin at 222 West Main Street. In March 2005 the building was heavily damaged in a fire. The parish community remains active, and in June, 2007 it was announced that a new Cathedral would be constructed to replace the structure damaged in the fire.

History

In the early 1840s, immigrants from Ireland settled in what would later become Madison. They were soon organized into a parish named after the Archangel Raphael. On August 15, 1842 Mass was offered for the first time by Father Martin Kundig. The land upon which the parish buildings and a later parking lot would be built was donated by Governor James Duane Doty, a close friend of Father Samuel Mazzuchelli.

From 1842 until 1853, the parish did not have a church of its own. Mass was often celebrated in homes and in the state capitol. In 1853, Father Francis Etchmann began the process of building the current church building. The corner stone was laid in 1854. Archbishop John Henni of the Archdiocese of Milwaukee dedicated the new building as the parish was under his jurisdiction at the time. In 1885 the present bells and spire were built.

On January 9, 1946 Pope Pius XII created the Diocese of Madison for an 11-county area in the southwestern area of the state. Territory was taken from the Archdiocese of Milwaukee and the Roman Catholic Diocese of La Crosse to form the new diocese. St. Raphael's was then chosen as the Cathedral Parish for the Madison diocese. At the time of the parish's elevation to a Cathedral, Msgr. William Mahoney was the pastor.

Cathedral Fire

On March 14, 2005 St. Raphael's Cathedral was heavily damaged in a fire which caused extensive damage to the church. The fire affected not only those families who attend the church, but the entire diocesan community.

The fire caused the roof to collapse into the building, however the walls and the steeple remained standing. There was further damage from the water and there were fears that the refurbished steeple would collapse. The steeple was found to be stable in the days following the fire. The mosaics sustained smoke and water damage, and the stained glass windows were damaged but still in place.

In the days following the fire, the cause of the fire was determined to be arson. Forty one year old William J. "Billy" Connell was arrested for setting the fire and charged with burglary, arson, and bail jumping. Connell said that he had broken into the Cathedral using a crowbar, stole a bottle of wine, and then "messed around with some stuff." Connell remained silent when a detective interviewed him. The fire had started in an office/storeroom under the spire, and the crowbar was found in that room. Connell had a history of mental problems, and had previously been in trouble with the law.

On June 10, 2007, Bishop Morlino announced his intention to have the structure torn down and replaced with a new and larger church capable of seating approximately 1,000 people. One day after the announcement Connell was sentenced to fifteen years in prison to be followed by fifteen years of close supervision.

A March 13, 2008 press release from the Diocese of Madison announced that St. Raphael's would be demolished during the summer of 2008. It was also announced that certain items from the "old" Cathedral would be saved, including the spire, the three bells from the steeple, three mosaics from the sanctuary, the marble sanctuary appointments, one large undamaged stain glass window, three smaller undamaged semicircular stain glass windows, some ornamental stonework from around the doorways, and some other stone from the building.

Most of the stone was, however, ground up and the cellar hole of the church filled in. A candle-light vigil was held by embittered preservationists before the sandstone walls were no more. A city landmarks commissioner denounced the diocese for failing to hold off falling the church until a landmarks commission meeting could be held to determine the church's eligiblity for landmark status.

As of the latest press release, no design for the cathedral has been developed by the diocese and there is still no timeline for the construction of a new cathedral.

External links

* [http://www.isthmuscatholic.org Isthmus Catholic Parishes Web Site]

References

* [http://madisondiocese.org/LinkClick.aspx?fileticket=uo41gIg7kg0%3d&tabid=325&mid=1191] Roman Catholic Diocese of Madison
* [http://www.dailycardinal.com/article/894244 Fire ravages historic Capitol Square church] The Daily Cardinal
* [http://www.madison.com/wsj/home/local/index.php?ntid=179414&ntpid=1 Church Arsonist receives 15 Year Sentence] Wisconsin State Journal