September 23, 2018 - "The Cathedral of St. Matthew the Apostle"

On Friday, September 21, 2018 we celebrated the Feast of Saint Matthew, the Apostle.  Our archdiocesan cathedral is named for this great Apostle and Evangelist.  I thought it might be good to present the history of our cathedral as presented on the cathedral website:
 
The Cathedral church and parish is named for Saint Matthew the Apostle, the patron saint of civil servants, recognizing all those who serve in the municipal, state, and national governments and the many international organizations located in the metropolitan area. The church is the seat or cathedral of the Archbishop of Washington. As the Mother Church of the archdiocese, it plays a major role in the Catholic life of the nation’s capital.
 
The funeral Mass for President John F. Kennedy was celebrated in the Cathedral on November 25, 1963 with many international heads of state and governments in attendance. Mother Teresa visited the Cathedral in 1974. In 1979, Pope John Paul II celebrated Mass in the Cathedral during his visit to the United States. Pope Francis presided at a Midday Prayer Service at the Cathedral with the U. S. Bishops during his visit to the United States in 2015. Annually, on the Sunday before the first Monday in October when the Supreme Court of the United States begins its regular term, a special Mass is celebrated praying for the Holy Spirit to guide all those who are members of the legal profession. Known as the "Red Mass" in reference to the vestment color, the Supreme Court justices, members of Congress, the President's Cabinet, diplomatic corps, local municipal, state and national government leaders, and sometimes the President of the United States join the celebration. 
 
The parish of St. Matthew the Apostle was the fourth established in the District of Columbia, on the northeast corner of 15th and H Streets, NW. It was dedicated on November 1, 1840 and served its parishioners through the 1890s.
 
In 1892, its then-pastor, Monsignor Thomas Sim Lee, purchased the land on which the current church structure is located on Rhode Island Avenue, NW. He commissioned the architect Christopher Grant LaFarge to work on the design of the new church structure. LaFarge had worked on the plans for the Cathedral of St. John the Divine in New York City and the Cathedral of St. James in Seattle. His church design was accepted in 1893. The cornerstone was laid and blessed in 1893 and the first Mass celebrated in 1895. Construction continued in various stages with the dome put in place in 1913. After Monsignor Lee's death, the new pastor, Fr. Edward Buckey, completed the interior.
 
In 1939, St. Matthew's was designated a Cathedral when the combined Archdiocese of Baltimore and Washington was created under the leadership of Archbishop Michael Curley of Baltimore. Upon Curley's death in 1947, Washington was separated from Baltimore and the Archdiocese of Washington was established. St. Matthew's became the Mother Church of the new archdiocese. In 1974, the Cathedral of St. Matthew the Apostle was placed on the National Register of Historic Places.

On November 25, 1963, the funeral of the 35th President of the United States, John F. Kennedy was celebrated in the Cathedral and is memorialized by a marble plaque imposed in the floor immediately before the gates of the sanctuary commemorating the place where his casket was placed for the funeral Mass and rites. Funeral services have also been held at the Cathedral for other notables, such as the Chief Justice of the U.S. Supreme Court William Rehnquist and Associate Justice William J. Brennan.
 
In 1999, the Cathedral underwent a major restoration with major repairs to the exterior dome, along with extensive work on the interior to refurbish the mosaics and other artwork in the interior, to upgrade the lighting and sound systems and other functional parts of the interior. The extensive effort was completed in 2003 with a grand celebration on September 21st, the feast of St. Matthew. A plaque commemorating the Stewards who gave generously to the restoration is located at the entrance to the Baptistry.
Let me close by presenting the Collect or Opening Prayer for the Feast of Saint Matthew the Apostle:
 
O God, who with untold mercy were please to choose as an Apostle Saint Matthew, the tax collector, grant that, sustained by his example and intercession, we may merit to hold firm in following you.  Through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son, who lives and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit, one God, forever and ever.  R/. Amen.
 
Until next week,
Fr. John