Bishop Dennis Walsh pulled up his coat of arms while talking to teens from St. Mary Parish-Wilton in St. Margaret chapel. The group visited Sacred Heart Cathedral in Davenport April 26.
By Anne Marie Amacher
The Catholic Messenger
DAVENPORT — Four teens and several adult chaperones from St. Mary Parish-Wilton toured Sacred Heart Cathedral and listened to Bishop Dennis Walsh during a visit April 26. Several youths from the cathedral joined as well.
Sarah Lawlor, a parent volunteer at the Wilton parish, arranged the visit. “Our parish has been thinking of ways to keep our high school youth involved with their faith since confirmation. So, we’ve come up with different tours and activities for them to participate in. Knowing the cathedral is one of the oldest churches around and the seat of the bishop, our parish council suggested the idea of touring/visiting Sacred Heart. We did request to meet with Bishop Walsh, so thankfully it worked out that he joined us and was able to answer questions and provide insight with his journey thus far.”
Deacon Dan Huber, who serves at the cathedral and has been giving tours since the 1990s, sat on the steps of the sanctuary to begin his talk as the group sat in pews.
He noted the current cathedral is the second one for the diocese. The original church was next door and was called St. Margaret. “It was built in 1856 — right before the Civil War and named after St. Margaret of Scotland.”
He gave history on Antoine and Marguerite LeClaire. Between the two, they spoke several languages. Antoine received land in what is now Davenport for his role in negotiations between Native Americans and the U.S. government. He donated land, which was used as the site of St. Margaret Church.
That first church held 350 people and, in the 1870s, was expanded to hold about 450 people.
An oil painted portrait of St. Margaret of Scotland hung in the original church. Today it is to the right of the current sanctuary at Sacred Heart Cathedral, Deacon Huber pointed out.
In 1881, the Diocese of Davenport was carved out of territory from the Diocese of Dubuque. St. Margaret’s was chosen as the cathedral parish. With continued growth, a new church was built west of the first one.
Deacon Huber said Bishop Henry Cosgrove asked the Holy See to name the new cathedral after the Sacred Heart of Jesus. The request was approved on the condition that a chapel inside the main building be named after St. Margaret.
“The church was built by immigrants,” Deacon Huber stated. Catholics and non-Catholics worked beside each other doing their trades. Catholics from throughout the Diocese of Davenport contributed to the new cathedral in 1889. The church was dedicated in November 1891.
The cathedral experienced a fire in 1926 that damaged frescos. Deacon Huber said the design currently on the ceiling is not original. He noted the church underwent a renovation in 1990 and the addition of the gathering space was dedicated in 2017.
Deacon Huber noted that the immigrant workers of various religions not only built the cathedral together, but also worked side by side to build Trinity Episcopal, First Baptist, First Presbyterian and St. John United Methodist.
The students and adults were invited into the sanctuary. There, Deacon Huber talked about the cathedra — the bishop’s chair. Before the renovation, it was located on the left side of the sanctuary. After the renovations it was moved behind the altar in front of the reredos, which is a decorative piece located behind the altar.
Moving the cathedra and two additional chairs, Deacon Huber talked about three pieces of art with themes of sacrifice.
Moving to the St. Joseph altar with its statue, Deacon Huber noted that statues of St. Anthony of Padua and St. Ignatius Loyola are also found there. At the Mary altar, beside a state of her, are statues of St. Thomas Aquinas and St. Benedict.
The deacon showed the visitors the baptismal font, sacristy/presence lamp, and the three oils blessed at the Chrism Mass and spoke about the history of each of these items.
Bishop Walsh joined the group and invited them into St. Margaret Chapel.
One person in the group asked the bishop if he has issued any decrees from his cathedra. The bishop said no, not even a homily. When he presides at Mass at the cathedral, he does sit in it.
The bishop talked about his coat of arms. Taking out his cell phone, he pulled up a picture of the emblem he chose to symbolize his authority as a bishop. He described the various parts to the Wilton group. “Each bishop has his own,” Bishop Walsh said. His integrates a personal coat of arms along with his motto “Into Your Hands Lord.” He noted the original motto he thought of was already used by one of the Diocese of Davenport’s bishops.
Bishop Walsh told the youth to strengthen their faith by attending events such as the National Catholic Youth Conference. He told them to pray as well.
He pointed out many young saints, several canonized in recent years, are models of holiness.
When asked to describe a highlight of his time as a bishop so far, he replied that it has been being in the parishes. He noted there is a lot of administrative work as a bishop, but “my joy is being in the parishes.”
Following the talk, the group went to the parish hall for pizza. Bishop Walsh joined them.
Wilton youth Lucy Costello said, “I really enjoyed meeting the girls of Sacred Heart Parish and also learning about the history of how the cathedral was built. The immigrants worked hard to create the beautiful church.” Collin Lawlor said, “I learned that the cathedral took less than two years to build.” And Alaina Lawlor said, “I learned that Bishop Walsh is originally from Ohio and was sent to Davenport (to serve).”
Deacon Dan Freeman, parish life coordinator at St. Mary Parish, said, “Deacon Huber gave an awesome tour and was the glue that held our attention in learning about the cathedral.”
Deacon Huber said when he gives tours of the cathedral he makes sure to talk about the role of Antoine LeClaire. “I want them to hear how Antoine was committed to ecumenical healing even in times of great division. I want people to hear how Antoine and his wife welcomed the people that many didn’t feel should be here. I want visitors to appreciate how he was willing to give everything back as a response to God for everything that he received from God. We all can learn a lesson from this.”
To schedule a tour of Sacred Heart Cathedral — any age, group — call the parish office at 563-324-3257.
