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PAGE 3 — The Southern Cross, September 12,1985
Re-opening - September 15
Most Reverend
Pio Laghi
Papal Pronuncio
The majestic Cathedral of St. John the
Baptist will be the scene of an impressive
and dramatic ceremony on September 15,
the date chosen for its Solemn Re-opening.
As the procession of archbishops, bishops
and priests forms for the entrance to the
Cathedral, participants from every corner
of the Diocese will provide a living witness
to the fact that the twin-spired structure
truly represents “the very Church of
Christ, praying, singing and worshiping
throughout the world.”
Delegations from every parish and mis
sion have been invited, to represent the
thousands of Catholics who responded to
the Bishop’s appeal when the massive
drive for funds was launched, to pay for
the work of repairs. Every donation, large
or small, helped to restore the Cathedral to
its former glory.
A program of pre-service music will
begin at 12:30 pm, with choral and in
strumental selections presented by the
Savannah Deanery Choir, the Counter
point Madrigal Singers, organist and
Brass Choir.
The principal celebrant and homilist at
the 1:00 p.m. Liturgy will be His Excellen
cy the Most Reverend Pio Laghi, Papal
Pronuncio in the United States.
Other concelebrants include:
Most Reverend Thomas J. McDonough,
former Bishop of Savannah and Arch
bishop of Louisville; Most Reverend
Thomas A. Donnellan, Archbishop of
Atlanta; Most Reverend William D.
Borders, Archbishop of Baltimore; Most
Reverend Oscar H. Lipscomp, Archbishop
of Mobile.
Most Reverend Ernest L. Unterkoefler,
Bishop of Charleston; Most Reverend F.
Joseph Gossman, Bishop of Raleigh ; Most
Reverend George E. Lynch, Auxiliary
Bishop of Raleigh; Most Reverend
Michael J. Begley, Former Bishop of
Charlotte.
Most Reverend Andrew J. McDonald,
Bishop of Little Rock; Most Reverend
Raymond W. Lessard, Bishop of Savan
nah; Most Reverend J. Keith Symons,
Bishop of Pensacola - Tallahassee; Most
Reverend John F. Donoughue, Bishop of
Charlotte; Abbot Edmund McCaffrey
O.S.B.; Abbot Peter Stragand, O.S.B.
A notable part of the ceremonies will be
the dedication and blessing of the new
altar, which will begin with the Litany of
Saints and continue with the traditional
rites of annointing and incensation. A
dramatic moment will be the lighting of
the altar, when all candles and lamps are
lit as a sign of rejoicing, to the anthem,
“Light of Christ, shine in your Church.”
Among the gifts to be brought to the
altar during the Offertory procession will
be a large leather-bound ledger containing
the names of all those who contributed to
the Cathedral Fund Drive.
Immediately following the ceremony, a
reception will beheld at St. Vincent’s Hall,
near the Cathedral.
Most Reverend
Raymond Lessard
Bishop of Savannah
Altar Is Blend Of Old And New
The altar which will be dedicated during
the ceremonies on September 15 is a blend
of old and new. Created by Joseph J. Zaky,
of Guildhall Studios, Paramus, N.J., it in
corporates carved columns and grille-
work taken from confessionals and
screens which used to be a part of the
cathedral.
The top of the altar is made of white
Italian marble, four feet by seven feet,
closely matching the existing marble work
in the cathedral, according to Zaky.
Using the wooden grille-work which used
to separate the side chapels from the sanc
tuary, Zaky has cut out gothic arch shapes
which were stripped and re-stained before
being mounted on to the base of the altar.
The new base is of red oak, with leaf-
shapes from the grille-work stripped and
gold-leafed as decoration.
At the four extreme corners are four
round-based wooden columns with carved
capitals taken from the old confessionals
which used to stand at the back of the
Cathedral and in the transept.
The altar itself stands on a wooden plat
form, with castors to allow for easy
removal from one location to another.
“We have planned the altar to har
monize with and match as closely as possi
ble the Bishop's throne and the existing
woodwork,” Zaky said. “With the use of
new materials, we have created a design
which is fitting with the Cathedral ar
chitecture.”
“The end result respects the previous
craftsmen and the donors who paid for the
work years ago.”
The altar should not overly dominate the
sanctuary, Zaky said, but should be seen
as a sacred sign, one with the church and a
part of the liturgy. Incorporating wood
work from the past, it has been embellish
ed in harmony with existing interior ar
chitecture.