New York City, N.Y., Mar 19, 2012 / 23:14 pm
Restoring St. Patrick's Cathedral will help the church's mission continue centuries into the future, Cardinals Timothy M. Dolan and Edwin F. O'Brien said in remarks as they launched a capital campaign.
"If these majestic spires are to remain strong and lofty, if this cathedral's once-sure foundation is to continue to bear the burdened prayers of millions who kneel here annually in humble petition, sacrifice no less than that of the poverty-stricken Catholics of the 1850s and 60s will be called for – and with some urgency," Cardinal Edwin O'Brien, Archbishop emeritus of Baltimore, said in an early morning homily at the cathedral on March 17.
Outside the cathedral, before the city's St. Patrick's Day Parade, Archbishop of New York Timothy Dolan announced the $45 million first phase in the massive restoration project.
NY1 News reported that Cardinal Dolan said, "Since I arrived three years ago, we together have heard the chant, 'Archbishop Dolan, tear down this scaffolding. Rebuild this church.'"