Cathedral of St. Raphael &
St. Patrick Church

If we don’t make much-needed repairs to the Cathedral of St. Raphael now, we may have to abandon it and look for another church to serve as our Cathedral. What we need to do isn’t gilding the lily, but trying to keep the lily from dying. For example: repair leaky roofs and damage due to leaky roofs; address the water run-off that floods the basements and the resulting damage; and do tuckpointing to keep the exterior bricks from falling out. There are also needs related to hospitality, such as: upgrades to the heating and air conditioning system and to the elevator; greater attention to handicap access and adequate parking nearby.

The Cathedral of St. Raphael is a parish church, and the parishioners will certainly do their part to make much-needed repairs. But the Cathedral of St. Raphael is also the mother church for the whole Archdiocese of Dubuque, where celebrations for the whole Archdiocese are held. That is why making much-needed repairs to the Cathedral of St. Raphael is the responsibility of our whole Archdiocesan Church family. In a very real way, the Cathedral of St. Raphael is a reflection of us as an archdiocese. We have to repair where the buildings are falling apart or unsightly in order to convey the image that our Church family is united, strong, beautiful, and sacred.