Cathedral Shrine of Our Lady of Guadalupe
DALLAS, Aug 8, 2009 — Though we have been attending Sunday mass at the Cathedral Santuario de Guadalupe (Cathedral Shrine of Our Lady of Guadalupe), the cathedral church of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Dallas for some time now, August 6th was the first time that we heard services at the Dallas cathedral during an ordinary day.
Recognizing it as a gothic beauty the first time I laid eyes on the church, it was not until last Thursday that I truly appreciated how beautiful it truly was. Perhaps, it’s because during Sundays, there are just too many people around. With an average Sunday attendance of 11,200 faithfuls, the church oversees the second largest church membership in the U.S.
Hence, on August 6, the Feast of the Transfiguration, though it is a very important day in the Catholic religion, because it fell on a Thursday, there were fewer churchgoers resulting to a very quiet atmosphere. And in this hushed ambiance, where footfalls are magnified 10 times and even a whisper can be heard, I saw for the first time the true vision of architect Nicholas J. Clayton who designed the church in 1896.
Originally designated as the Cathedral of the Sacred Heart, the cornerstone for the church was laid on June 17, 1898 and it was formally dedicated on October 26, 1902.
As the Dallas-Fort Worth Metroplex grew through the early 20th century, other diocesan parishes were built in neighboring suburbs, decreasing Sacred Heart’s attendance. However by the 1960s the neighboring Our Lady of Guadalupe parish had outgrown its facilities. The parish, located on Harwood Street, was established in 1914 and primarily served Mexican immigrants.
Bishop Thomas Tschoepe of Sacred Heart invited Our Lady of Guadalupe to merge with Sacred Heart, and by 1975, the Guadalupe church on Harwood closed following the churches’ consolidation. On 12 December 1977, Sacred Heart Cathedral was renamed Cathedral Santuario de Guadalupe — “the Cathedral Shrine of Our Lady of Guadalupe.”
The Cathedral recently underwent a major multi-phase renovation project. As part of the project, a US$20 million bell tower housing a 49-bell carillon was constructed. The bell tower was planned by the original architect, Nicholas J. Clayton, but was never built.
Beautiful as the Cathedral Shrine of Our Lady of Guadalupe is, my thoughts turned to the over 400-year old church of Cavinti. Chances are our parish church in Cavinti could never rival the level of maintenance that the Guadalupe Cathedral enjoys. What the two churches share in common is the belief of the faithful.
And though this might come as a surprise to many Cavintinians, the mass said on August 6th was in honor of the Transfiguration. In fact, all of the masses said on August 6 in all the Catholic churches in the world were in honor the Transfiguration. As we Cavintinians honor our patron saint, the whole Catholic world also honors him.
[MARI DAVIS]
