Sacred Heart Cathedral (Rochester)
Encyclopedia
The Sacred Heart Cathedral is a Roman Catholic cathedral in Rochester, New York
, USA. The recently renovated Cathedral is Mother Church of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Rochester
and seat of the diocesan bishop
, as well as home to a parish community. The present parish is known as the Cathedral Community at The Sacred Heart Cathedral.
, a liturgical design consultant and priest of the Diocese of Albany who has overseen the redesign and renovation of numerous churches and cathedrals around the country.
Apart from structural repairs and improvements, the renovation comprised moving the altar from the back of the church to the center in order to foster a feeling of participation and community as well as improve sight-lines, removing a massive statue of the Sacred Heart of Jesus hung on the wall at the back of the sanctuary which diverted attention from the altar and replacing it with a new organ (the choir will now stand where the old altar was), placing a new immersion baptismal font in the main aisle of the church so the community can share in baptisms, removing the pews and replacing them with padded chairs so as to allow flexible seating depending on the occasion (and enabling the cathedral to sponsor outreach musical concerts and public events), and moving the tabernacle to a side chapel.
The renovation was controversial and attempts by disgruntled parishoners to stop the renovations were not successsful. Protestors were upset with the "radical" re-configuration deemed a "wreckovation
", the unwarranted spending of substantial monies when the diocese is closing churches and schools, and the fact that the church would likely become a pilgrimage site if former Rochester bishop Fulton Sheen is canonized believing that the church should remain in the condition when he served.
Rochester, New York
Rochester is a city in Monroe County, New York, south of Lake Ontario in the United States. Known as The World's Image Centre, it was also once known as The Flour City, and more recently as The Flower City...
, USA. The recently renovated Cathedral is Mother Church of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Rochester
Roman Catholic Diocese of Rochester
The Roman Catholic Diocese of Rochester is a diocese of the Catholic Church in the Greater Rochester region of New York State in the United States. The region that the Diocese comprises extends from its northern border on the south shore of Lake Ontario through the Finger Lakes region to its...
and seat of the diocesan bishop
Bishop
A bishop is an ordained or consecrated member of the Christian clergy who is generally entrusted with a position of authority and oversight. Within the Catholic Church, Eastern Orthodox, Oriental Orthodox Churches, in the Assyrian Church of the East, in the Independent Catholic Churches, and in the...
, as well as home to a parish community. The present parish is known as the Cathedral Community at The Sacred Heart Cathedral.
History
The parish was founded in 1911. The cornerstone for the present church was laid in 1925 and the church completed in 1927. Originally serving as diocesan parish, the church became a full cathedral in 1952.2005 Renovation
An extensive and controversial $11 million renovation of the cathedral was completed in 2005. According to the diocese, the renovation was undertaken not only for structural and aesthetic purposes but also to bring the cathedral into line with church regulations and norms for cathedral design. The renovation was supervised by Father Richard S. VoskoRichard S. Vosko
Richard S. Vosko is a liturgical design consultant and priest of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Albany who has overseen the redesign and renovation of numerous churches and cathedrals around the country. Vosko has worked throughout the U.S. and Canada as a designer and consultant for worship...
, a liturgical design consultant and priest of the Diocese of Albany who has overseen the redesign and renovation of numerous churches and cathedrals around the country.
Apart from structural repairs and improvements, the renovation comprised moving the altar from the back of the church to the center in order to foster a feeling of participation and community as well as improve sight-lines, removing a massive statue of the Sacred Heart of Jesus hung on the wall at the back of the sanctuary which diverted attention from the altar and replacing it with a new organ (the choir will now stand where the old altar was), placing a new immersion baptismal font in the main aisle of the church so the community can share in baptisms, removing the pews and replacing them with padded chairs so as to allow flexible seating depending on the occasion (and enabling the cathedral to sponsor outreach musical concerts and public events), and moving the tabernacle to a side chapel.
The renovation was controversial and attempts by disgruntled parishoners to stop the renovations were not successsful. Protestors were upset with the "radical" re-configuration deemed a "wreckovation
Wreckovation
Wreckovation is a portmanteau term coined by some Catholics to describe the controversial style of renovations which historic Catholic cathedrals, churches, and oratories have undergone since the Second Vatican Council...
", the unwarranted spending of substantial monies when the diocese is closing churches and schools, and the fact that the church would likely become a pilgrimage site if former Rochester bishop Fulton Sheen is canonized believing that the church should remain in the condition when he served.