Week Sixty-Eight - Saint Peter in Chains Cathedral
4:30 Saturday afternoon mass, St. Peter in Chains. Well, the first significant snowfall of the year moved in this weekend, "significant" meaning "anything more than a dusting." Therefore, being the Cincinnati native that I am, it was with some hesitancy that I ventured out, unsure as to whether the mighty Honda Odyssey could meet the challenge, but venture out I did, and of course, the roads were fine.
My destination this week? Cincinnati's cathedral, St. Peter in Chains. Truth be told, I probably could have stayed home and just as accurately written this entry. I've been to the cathedral more than a few times - for weekend masses, for weddings, confirmations, baccalaureates, even concerts and art exhibits - but, in the spirit of the tour, I wanted to make the "official" visit.
A Cincinnati police officer stood guard outside of the front door of the cathedral, something that both reassured and worried me. Ahh, life in the big city. Upon entering, the faithful were directed via signs to "Please take a seat at the front of the church." The signs seemed redundant, as there really was no other option available - roughly two-thirds of the pews had been cordoned off. Even with the seating significantly limited, however, the church remained mostly empty. I counted no more than 60 or 70 in attendance. Granted, it was a cold and snowy day, at the height of the holiday shopping season, no less. Even more demanding, "Redsfest" was going on right down the street. This annual homage to everything Reds had entirely slipped my mind until a nice middle-aged couple sat down in the pew in front of me. Outfitted in parkas and hats, boots and gloves, and lugging their umbrellas and souvenir nylon Reds bags filled to the brim, these diehard Reds fans had obviously walked the few blocks from the convention center to the cathedral for mass. There was also no questioning their team loyalty when the woman slipped off her coat to reveal her best Reds' jersey underneath. It was the type of thing you break out only for the most special of occasions, and clearly, this had been one of them. "VOTTO 19" stared at me for the rest of the mass.
In terms of aesthetics, I've never been a big fan of the cathedral. A lot of money has been poured into the construction, restoration, and enhancement of the church, including over five million dollars in the 1950's to bring the church back up to speed after it was abandoned and fell into disrepair when the cathedral's location became "less than fashionable." According to the cathedral's website, "long-closed old quarries" were even reopened to provide the same limestone as that used in the original construction. Yes, I suppose things like that would run up the bill.
Still, the Grecian architecture, both inside and out, just doesn't do much for me. Oh, all the design details are there, beautiful in their own way, but I've always found the cathedral rather somber and serious and, in some respects, creepy, especially the hieroglyphic murals on the side walls. I will say that the huge mosaic behind the similarly huge altar is pretty cool though. I don't know. Maybe it's all part of an image the cathedral is trying to project, an image of dignity and class. It would be interesting to know how many parishioners versus visitors attend mass there every weekend. Assuming that the visitor count is fairly high, I suppose you would want to look your best when company's coming over. Tours are offered to the public on the second Sunday of the month after the 11:00 mass. I would like to take one sometime to gain a better appreciation and knowledge of the cathedral.
The mass itself matched the seting - dignified and reverent with a formality that was maintained in every aspect of the liturgy, from the traditional organ accompaniment to the readings by the lectors. Granted, it wasn't the most exciting liturgy I've ever been to, but it seemed setting-appropriate. A contemporary mass would have seemed almost sacrilegious.
One last thing. The web site of St. Peter in Chains claims that Cincinnatians have always referred to the cathedral as "The "White Angel." Hold the phone. Having lived in Cincinnati as a practicing Catholic for half a century now, let me just say I have never used or even heard that phrase before in my life, and I seriously doubt that anyone else has either . . . have they?
ATTENDANCE: Mostly empty
DURATION: 55 minutes
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