‘This Is Our Home’: Making History In North Carolina, As Raleigh Dedicates New Cathedral

From the cathedral website:

Raleigh began the day with the smallest Catholic cathedral in the continental United States. But when the dedication of a new cathedral concluded, the diocese was home to one of the largest in the country.

Bishop Michael F. Burbidge said of Holy Name of Jesus Cathedral, “[People] are going to walk into this cathedral to gather around this altar … from which they will receive the Bread of Life and the Cup of Salvation. This is our home. This is our mother church … that will allow us to gather in great numbers.”

Holy Name of Jesus Cathedral, located in Raleigh, measures 44,000 square feet and has a seating capacity of 2,000.

Bishop Burbidge, currently bishop of the Diocese of Arlington, Virginia, served as Raleigh’s bishop during most of the cathedral project and was principal celebrant at the dedication Mass.

Concelebrants seated at the altar included Cardinal Roger Mahony, retired archbishop of Los Angeles, Cardinal Justin Rigali, retired archbishop of Philadelphia, Archbishop Wilton Gregory of the Archdiocese of Atlanta, Archbishop Christophe Pierre, apostolic nuncio to the United States, Bishop Luis Zarama, who will be installed as Raleigh’s sixth bishop on Aug. 29, and Monsignor Michael Shugrue, diocesan administrator.

More than 130 priests, 50 deacons, 15 seminarians attended the Mass. It began with the entrance hymn I Will Praise Your Name Forever, an original, 10-verse piece composed by Michael Accurso, director of liturgical music for the diocese. Based on Psalm 145, the hymn was sung in English, French, Spanish, Vietnamese, Igbo, Korean, Tagalog, Latin and Swahili.

More than 20 musicians and 70 choristers were responsible for the harmonious sounds that emanated from the choir loft. The procession included a Knights of Columbus honor guard, comprised of more than 30 Knights from throughout the diocese.

The Mass included a ceremonial passing of a key to the cathedral. Representatives involved in the building of the cathedral presented a key to Bishop Burbidge who, in turn, passed it to his successor, Bishop Zarama.

Archbishop Pierre, who is the pope’s representative in the United States, read an official letter from the Vatican designating Holy Name of Jesus Cathedral as the mother church for the diocese. Dedicated in 1924, Sacred Heart, a 300-seat church in downtown Raleigh, previously served in that role.

“May your lives each day reveal the handiwork of God’s grace,” Archbishop Pierre said to the faithful.

As part of the dedication Mass, Bishop Burbidge blessed water, which he later used to sprinkle the faithful and purify both the walls and altar of the new cathedral.

“Bless this water; sanctify it,” he prayed. “As it is sprinkled upon us and throughout this church make it a sign of the saving waters of baptism … May all here today, and all those in days to come, who will celebrate your mysteries in this church, be united at last in the holy city of your peace.”

Two readers – parishioner Tricia Moylan and seminarian Noe Ramirez – presented the new lectionary, or book of Scripture, to Bishop Burbidge who showed it to the congregants.

In English, Ms. Moylan read from the Book of Nehemiah; Mr. Ramirez read in Spanish from the Book of Ephesians.

In his homily, Bishop Burbidge spoke about the name of the new cathedral, noting that the property it sits on was once home to a Catholic orphanage. That orphanage had a chapel named Holy Name of Jesus.

“We knew that had to be the name,” Bishop Burbidge said.

He spoke about God’s holy name, urging the people of the diocese to always hold it in reverence. “I firmly believe that reverence for God’s holy name – never to be taken in vain – is a witness we all need to offer society now more than ever,” he said. “Dear Diocese of Raleigh, please renew that commitment today.”

Bishop Burbidge shared an experience he had Dec. 9, 2015 when he represented the diocese and presented the cathedral’s cornerstone to Pope Francis for a blessing.

In a lighthearted moment, he shared a challenge from that day. “The hardest part was trying to explain to the Swiss guard what I had in my hands,” he laughed, as the faithful joined in laughter.

“That cornerstone, now situated in our building, is a reminder of the truth we heard today [in Scripture]” he continued. “Our faith is built on a foundation … with Jesus Christ as the capstone.”