Green Carpet & Marble Tiles

The new carpet is an olive green similar to the green paint on the lower walls of the nave. Installers will begin laying it this afternoon.

In the center of the church, workers are laying marble tile similar to what is in the sanctuary.

Cathedral's Red Carpet is being removed

An entire generation of Cathedral parishioners remembers nothing but the red carpet that lined the aisles of our church.


Today, carpetlayers are removing the aged carpet from the floor, chipping the glue away, and sweeping the subfloor for the first time in decades. Massgoers should see new carpet this weekend.


The Cathedral's original 1914 floor was polished hard wood. It was covered with linoleum around the time of the 1948 renovation.

New Stencils

Of all the projects make up the Renovation of the Cathedral, the stencils behind the high altars are often the most praised. They incorporate ancient Christian symbols with timeless floral designs. The initials are Chi-Rho (Greek: Christus the name of our Lord), A.M. (Latin: Ave Maria or Hail Mary) and J (many languages: Joseph). These stencils unify the bright red, blue and purple walls.

Monsignor Gier was enthusiastic to bring back the stencil artist, Tim Linenberger. He will use a series of scaffolding to apply a frieze pattern - a four-color stencil in a vine pattern adapted from the base of our stained glass windows in the nave.

While he is here, he is applying a gold-leaf treatment to the large green rondells, the plaster disks which mask the air conditioner ducts. Tim is using a similar treatment to color the capitals of the columns.

The Installation is complete.

Shrines installation continues

Shrines arrives; Installation today

The long-awaited Shrines have arrived! Brendan and Vincent from Fynders Keepers in Shawnee Mission, Kansas are unloading a truck full of beautifully carved and stained wood shrines.

The two shrines will include space for our historic Mission Crucifix and our Holy Family statue. Each shrine is built in the shape of a Gothic arch, very similar to the arches over the small doorways in the back of the Cathedral.

More photos today