June 2023

If you were to drive by the Cathedral of St. Raphael today, you may look up and scrunch your brow, wondering if you’re seeing things right – is the top of the Cathedral really being painted white?

It may look that way, but the white "paint" is really just exposed sheet metal that has always been white in color. The white color you see is a primer layer, which helps the top layer of paint adhere to the sheet metal. Many don't know that the top part of the steeple is sheet metal, whereas the bottom portion is limestone. The sheet metal portion will be repainted to match the limestone after the layers of sheet metal have been stripped and repaired.  

The sheet metal is only one of the projects currently being completed at the mother church of our archdiocese, thanks to the generosity of those who have contributed to the necessary repairs through the ArchdioceseOne special appeal.

Current Work Being Completed

Stained-Glass Windows
Current work in "Phase 2" of the Cathedral repairs are taking place on the exterior of the Cathedral and rectory. The stained-glass contractor, Glass Heritage out of the Quad Cities, is repairing and replacing the traceries on the stained-glass windows. "Traceries" is another word for the wooden frame around the window. 

Thankfully most of the stained-glass in the church has not deteriorated to the point of needing to be removed, so that saved a lot of expenses. However, the stained-glass in the Cathedral center is in very poor shape and nearly all of it had to be removed. 

Once the traceries have been repaired and painted, new panes of clear exterior protective glass will be installed along with vented panes to protect the leaded joints of the stained glass. This work will hopefully be completed by late fall.

Cathedral and rectory roofs
Work began on the Cathedral center roof about a week ago, to remove the current asphalt shingles. Sadly, it was discovered that there were already three layers of asphalt shingles underneath. These layers are all being removed, so that a new waterproofed underlayment can be put down. On top of this, the new aluminum shingles will be installed. These aluminum shingles are a more recently developed product, and each shingle is its own individual part (similar to asphalt shingles). Thankfully the church roof is not complicated, but it is large, so installation will take a while. There is a 30-year guarantee on the appearance of these shingles. 

"The building committee was very excited to use this product. It's somewhat new, and long-lasting. Thankfully it meets the criteria established by the Iowa Historical Commission as well," Fr. Dennis Quint, current pastor of the Cathedral of St. Raphael, remarked.

The four crosses on top of the steeple will also be removed and repainted during this process while the cranes are lifting workers to repair the sheet metal on the steeple, and installing the aluminum roof. 

This summer, any remaining tuckpointing work on the church will be completed as well. Improvements on the HVAC system will also continue at the church. Most of the condensers for the air conditioners were over 25 years old, and were at the end of their lifespans.

The Rectory
The aluminum roof at the rectory has been completed. The next step will be to remove the black, decorative iron pieces on the exterior, as well as the window shutters. Both are in poor condition, and are not original to the building, so will be removed to give the rectory a cleaner, historically accurate look.

The final step at the rectory will be removal of the storm windows, and replaced with new glass. Interior windows will also be worked on so that they are functional, and are more energy efficient. 

The goal is for exterior projects at both buildings to be completed by late fall so the campus is winter ready.

Future Work

In "Phase 3" of the Cathedral repairs, work will move inside to address necessary indoor renovations, such as fixing the damage done to the plaster from the leaks, as well as to update the paint that hasn't been addressed in over 40 years. Replacing failed lighting fixtures, as well as hopefully being able to replace the flooring, are also on the list if financially possible.

_____________________________________________________________________________________________________

Practicing Good Stewardship

"We're striving to be good stewards of the sacrifices that the people of God have made. We're stretching these dollars as best we can, and yet, trying to assure the quality of work is good when completed. We don't take these sacrifices for granted."

- Fr. Dennis Quint, Current Pastor of the Cathedral of St. Raphael
_________________________________________________________________________________________________

Why the Cathedral?

"Before I was assigned here as pastor, I wondered how on earth all of those repairs cost approximately $11 million, based upon past experiences of building and renovating churches," Fr. Quint said. "However, when I visited with these contractors and considered the invoices for the work that's being done, I quickly came to understand the impact that inflation had on building materials and labor, along with complications related to supply chains. In addition, the Cathedral is a big church. It accommodates over 700 people and the Cathedral center can seat 250." Fr. Quint also remarked that the contractors are impressed with the "bones" of the rectory and church, meaning few structural repairs were needed.

Unfortunately, making repairs to both of these structures was not feasible for the parish for numerous reasons. Especially noteworthy is how parishioner demographics have changed over time. The parishioners who belong to the Cathedral, however, have done what they can to financially support the ArchOne appeal and to repair the buildings, recognizing their own responsibilities with this project.

"The Cathedral serves as the mother church of the entire archdiocese and belongs to each of us. With that association comes a responsibility to maintain it," Fr. Quint commented. "When she (the Cathedral) looks good, it's important, because it reflects upon our own identity as the Church. The Cathedral is our spiritual home in the archdiocese - where ordinations take place, where the archbishop sits, and where the first Catholics of our archdiocese gathered over 175 years ago." 

Thank You

When Fr. Quint was asked about what he would say to someone who has donated to support the Cathedral project, he said the following:

"Realize that your sacrifices are valued. Just as parents in a family seek to stretch dollars and apply them well, so too in our archdiocesan family we are striving to be good stewards of your gifts. And, as stakeholders, hopefully you feel very welcome to come to worship and pray in this space that belongs to you."


(Below photos contributed by Fr. Dennis Quint)