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Every Roman Catholic diocese must have a cathedral church. For Catholics in the Albany Diocese, however, their cathedral will be taking a hiatus.

As of Feb. 26, the Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception in Albany, the third oldest cathedral in the United States, will be closed for renovations that address safety, utilities and comfort. The closure is expected to last about a year.

"The project is much scaled back because of the difficulty of raising the proper funds to do the restoration," said Rev. William Pape, rector of the Cathedral.
Despite not having enough funds to renovate the building as much as originally desired, there will still be a complete overhaul of the Cathedral. Over the next year, the floors will be repaired, the pews reconfigured and made more comfortable for Mass-goers, and the sanctuary platform extended. 

There will be new electrical wiring throughout the building, a redesign of the lights in the center aisle, new lighting in the side aisles and the sanctuary, plaster repair, painting, and sealing holes and insulating the attic. A fire detection system will be installed in the attic.

"The Cathedral has been under restoration for a long time," Father Pape pointed out. In fact, renovations actually started back in 1974, when Bishop Edwin Broderick announced his wish to restore the building in keeping with reforms of the Second Vatican Council.

Over the years, other repairs have been done. In the fall of 1995, a piece of stone fell off from the building's north tower during a wedding. As Father Pape recalled, "That sparked a greater awareness of the need to address the Cathedral because of safety issues."

Since then, Catholics and visitors have seen the Cathedral's face through scaffolding, as stone has been replaced in the north tower and the north steeple has been rebuilt, among other changes.

The closing of the building is significant, but the effort points to the future of the Cathedral and the Catholic Church.

"We as Catholics in the Albany Diocese have a very historical building and a jewel of architecture that needs to be preserved, and it falls on our generation to do its part," he said. "We're not just building for today; we're building for the centuries ahead. The [Catholic] Church will be around for a long time - 'til the end of the world, the Lord said."

During the renovations, the Cathedral community will hold its Saturday vigil and Sunday Masses at St. James in Albany. Daily Masses and Confession and the Saturday 9 a.m. Mass will be held in a trailer on the Cathedral grounds. 

Major diocesan liturgies will be held at Blessed Sacrament parish in Albany (Rite of Election, March 1); Christ the King in Guilderland (Chrism Mass, April 2); Assumption/St. Paul in Mechanicville (Ordination to the Diaconate, May 30) and the Church of the Immaculate Conception in Glenville (Ordination to the Priesthood, June 13). 

"I certainly will miss this space," said Father Pape, "but it will still be the Mass, and I will still be part of the people who come to the Mass - and a part of the parish."[[In-content Ad]]

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