Photography © Aker/Zvonkovic Photography

"The church building is a sign and reminder of the immanence and transcendence of God—who chose to dwell among us and whose presence cannot be contained or limited to any single place.... Churches are signs of the pilgrim church on earth; they are images that proclaim the heavenly Jerusalem." -Built of Living Stones, no. 50

A cathedral is a special church—the mother church of a diocese and the spiritual center of the prayer life of the local Catholic community. It is also the Bishop’s church, taking the name cathedral from the Bishop’s chair, the cathedra. From the cathedra, the Bishop teaches and presides over the flock of Christ entrusted to his care. A cathedral is the spiritual home for all the faithful of the diocese.

In 1959 Pope John XXIII recognized the tremendous growth and prominence of Houston as a major metropolitan area and redesignated the Diocese of Galveston to the Diocese of Galveston-Houston. Sacred Heart church in downtown Houston, established in 1897 as the fourth parish in Houston, was elevated to be a Co-Cathedral, co-equal in status with St. Mary in Galveston. St. Mary's Cathedral, the first cathedral of the Archdiocese, was dedicated in 1848.

The Rite of Dedication of a church is divided into four parts: Introductory rites, Liturgy of the Word, Prayer of Dedication, and Liturgy of the Eucharist.

During the introductory rites, those in charge of the construction of the church presented the new building to Cardinal DiNardo. Next, the Cardinal blessed water and used it to sprinkle the people and the walls of the church. The sprinkling with water is a reminder of our baptism, the time when we became one in Christ and a temple of the Holy Spirit.

The Cardinal began the Liturgy of the Word by elevating the Lectionary and presenting it to the faithful, proclaiming, "May the word of God always be heard in this place, as it unfolds the mystery of Christ before you and achieves your salvation within the church.”

After the profession of faith, the faithful sang the Litany of the Saints. Next, Cardinal DiNardo deposed the relics of St. Elizabeth Ann Seton, St Thérèse of Lisieux, St Margaret Mary Alacoque, St. Maria Goretti, and Pope St. Leo the Great. The depositing of relics is an ancient tradition in the Church. The rite of dedication of a church directs that the relics must be authentic and of sufficient size to be recognizable. Relics are deposited to remind the faithful that the sacrifice of the martyrs and saints finds its source in the sacrifice of Christ.

Following the deposition, the prayer of dedication was said. During this time, the faithful fervently implore Mary and all the saints to join their prayers with ours to make our prayer of dedication acceptable to God and invoke the Holy Spirit to make the church "an ever holy place” where "the waters of baptism overwhelm the shame of sin,” where God’s children may "be fed at the table of Christ’s word and Christ’s body”; where "the poor find justice” and "victims of oppression [may find] true freedom (Rite of Dedication of a Church, 62).”

Next, the altar and walls of the Cathedral were anointed. The altar, a symbol of Christ, was anointed with sacred Chrism. The walls of the church were then anointed at twelve places in keeping with ancient liturgical tradition. The anointing of the walls sets the building aside as a place of Christian worship.

Incense was then burned at the altar as the Cardinal prayed, "Lord may our prayers ascend as incense in your sight. As this building is filled with fragrance, so may your Church fill the world with the fragrance of Christ.”

The altar was covered with a new cloth and prepared. The altar candles were lit, followed by the lighting of the church, which reminds us that Christ is "a light to enlighten the nations (Rite of Dedication of a Church, 16c).”

The Liturgy of the Eucharist, the most ancient element of the Rite of Dedication of a Church, followed.

At the conclusion of the prayer after communion, the Blessed Sacrament was carried in procession with incense and candles throughout the church and placed in the tabernacle. While the sanctuary lamp was lit, the ministers and faithful pray in silence.

© Archdiocese Galveston-Houston

To the everlasting Father, and the Son who reigns on high with the Holy Spirit proceeding fort from each eternally, be salvation, honor, blessing, might and endless majesty. Amen. -Tantum Ergo, Thomas Aquinas

The new Co-Cathedral of the Sacred Heart had been under construction for more than three years, as ground for the new church was broken, January 30, 2005.

Seating up to 2,000 faithful, the new Co-Cathedral will serve as the home for diocesan-wide events such as priestly ordinations.

The faithful of the archdiocese will be able to visit the new co-cathedral beginning on Saturday, April 5, as the Church will host guided tours 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Archbishop Emeritus Joseph A. Fiorenza will be the main celebrant at the Solemn Vigil Mass that evening at 5:30 p.m. Mass will be celebrated in the new Co-Cathedral Sunday, April 6, at 9 and 11 a.m., 1 p.m. in Vietnamese and at 5 p.m. with Auxiliary Bishop Vincent M. Rizzotto as the main celebrant of the evening Mass.

The Archdiocesan Co-Cathedral web site has many resources, including a history of the Archdiocese and the Co-Cathedral, Catechetical tools such as lesson plans and coloring pages, notes on the anatomy of the Co-Cathedral, and a link to the Co-Cathedral's parish web site, where you can find mass schedules and other parish activities.