Tours take visitors to unseen Cathedral

Guided tours of the Cathedral have always been available, but the pace has been stepped up during its sesquicentennial year. The Cathedral's public relations and development director, Thomas Prindle, said that two tours a day were offered at scheduled times every Wednesday during the summer.

Now that winter is rolling in, those interested in tours can call the parish (463-4447) to schedule an appointment. He said the guides will "stand on our heads" to accommodate anyone wanting a tour.

Inside look

Tours can be matched to each tour group's interests, whether it's the building's architecture or the religious history of the Cathedral and its surroundings.

Mr. Prindle said that one hit of the tours is a visit to the Cathedral's basement, where visitors can peer into a crawlspace and see the brick support columns dug out of the Albany clay by Irish immigrants 150 years ago.

Kids in crypt

"The kids are fun," said Mr. Prindle. "We get a lot of parochial school kids. You can lose [their attention] in the first 20 seconds! They're more interested in the surroundings. They get excited about the crypt; it's a mix between reverence and being a little scared. Kids are fascinated with the fact that when bishops are buried, they're lowered through the floor."

Pretending they're the bishop also rates high on "kid tours," he added. "They all want to sit in the Bishop's chair."

Historic moments

"What I find amazing is that on the day it opened in 1852, they somehow packed more than 4,000 people in there!" he exclaimed. "Bishop Hubbard always says that people must have been the size of leprechauns."

Another tidbit that intrigues him is that the Cathedral is one of only about three buildings in Albany built before the Civil War that are still being used for their original purposes -- and all three are churches.

"The idea of the Cathedral being a constant in the city is pretty humbling," he remarked.

Come on down

"Part of the Bishop's goal is to revamp the mission of the Cathedral so it's looked upon as not just a parish church, but the diocesan church, and also to appreciate it for the architectural jewel it is," he stated.

The vastness of the Cathedral makes it impressive to any tour group, he said, noting: "People are quite taken with the place. That's the most joy I get in showing the Cathedral to people."

(11-14-02) [[In-content Ad]]