On October 4, 1908, exactly one century ago today, local newspapers began publishing a series of articles about the raising of this great Cathedral, beginning with the blessing of the cornerstone, which we commemorate today. The articles captured well the excitement – more accurately, the exuberance of the whole community as the architectural blueprints materialized before their eyes.

One reporter described the building of this edifice as “the greatest event in the history of Montana Catholicity.” Another opined that here, on this site, was soon to be “one of the finest Cathedrals between St. Paul and Seattle, Wash., designed by famed Austrian architect A.O. Von Herbulis of Washington, D.C. Their descriptions were not far from the mark.

Exactly one century ago today, 5,000 people gathered on this site as Bishop John Patrick Carroll laid the cornerstone of our beautiful Cathedral. He was surrounded by seven visiting prelates, his own diocesan clergy, and flanked by civic officials and representatives from parishes across the state. To add to the import of the occasion, the ebullient Bishop read a cablegram from the Holy Father, Pope Pius X, and a congratulatory letter from President Theodore Roosevelt.

One hundred years ago today, as crowds gathered, the skies were cloudy, the air sodden and the streets thick with mud. But spirits soared as 2,000 people paraded through the streets of Helena – from Catholic Hill, down Broadway to Main Street, then north to Lawrence and east to the Cathedral site. They marched to festive strains of three brass bands, one from Butte, and one from Anaconda that had come to join Helena’s own State Capital Band.

In the wee hours of October 4, 1908, parishioners from across Montana poured out of specially-chartered railroad cars in show of unbridled support for this vast diocesan undertaking. The editorial board of Butte’s Montana Standard pointed out that this great day was an occasion for jubilee and celebration, not just for the Catholic community, but for Protestants and for all people of good will.

Newspaper editors offered special congratulations and laudations to Bishop John Patrick Carroll, writing “the people of Montana, irrespective of creed, wish (Bishop Carroll) well. Such a man is entitled to the support of all good citizens.”

The Bishop, in turn, expressed his love and devotion for all the people, regardless of creed or religious affiliation. “This is their Church as much as that of the Catholics, and I love (them) as much as I love those of my own Church.”

Bishop Carroll donned his Pontifical robes and rose onto the specially built platform adjacent to the cornerstone. He was led by the cross and followed by the choir, and after he solemnly blessed the cornerstone, Bishop Carroll took a silver trowel and placed mortar around a slab of granite inscribed with the date: AD 1908.

The speeches that followed contained high praise and accolades, much of it directed toward the visionary and courageous Bishop Carroll, the catalyst and dynamo who personally directed every detail leading up to the planning and construction of the Cathedral of Saint Helena.

Amidst the pomp and circumstance of the day was also an untold story of courage and sacrifice, a humble story that should not be lost as we recall the pomp and pageantry of the day.

Still alive and present on that day of celebration were several pioneer Catholics, who had come to the region in their youth, dreaming dreams of golden opportunity and prosperity. As they encountered the hardship and challenge of life along the gulches, they drew strength and courage from the Church, which stood by them in good times and bad. These pioneers attended Holy Mass in the rustic log cabins sprinkled along the hillsides and valleys. These pioneers were profiles in courage and fidelity, who held fast to their beloved faith long before they had even a modest log hewn church to call their own.

We cannot forget that on that same historic day, Helena’s first pioneer pastors were still alive, though unable to attend the events due to their advanced age and infirmity. But they were very much present in spirit – Jesuit Fathers F.X. Kuppens and Jerome d’Aste, who had constructed the first rustic Catholic Church in Helena in 1866. Still living too was the strong and tenacious Father Lawrence Pallidino, S.J., responsible for the raising of Helena’s Church of the Sacred Hearts of Jesus and Mary, which eventually became the diocese’s first Cathedral.

On that day of jubilee, Bishop Carroll also wisely and sensitively recalled the foundational work of Helena’s first Bishop, John Baptiste Brondel, who had dreamed and longed for the day when the See City would be graced by a great Cathedral, a day he would never see. But as Bishop John Carroll acknowledged the import and impact of the late Bishop Brondel’s life and ministry, the crowd burst into spontaneous and sustained applause.

In our own day, the question is frequently asked, “How is it that the small Western town of Helena is graced with such a masterfully constructed cathedral – the kind most often seen in Western Europe? How was Bishop Carroll’s dream brought to fruition, especially when the projected cost of the Cathedral project in 1908 was some $650,000 – or in today’s dollars, a staggering $14.5 million?

The story is nothing short of remarkable, for a community so small in numbers. Yet the short answer is found in two words – “sacrificial giving” on the part everyone, from the major donors to the humble widow’s mite.

Did you know that in 1908, the financial climate was chillingly parallel to the economic climate of 2008? Did you know that in 1908 the nation was just beginning to recover from a period of financial overspeculation and instability? Did you know that in 1907, there was a panic brought about by an unregulated banking industry and flawed national credit structures? This was the climate in which the bishop inaugurated a massive building project, second to the construction of the state’s Capital complex.

In 1907 there was a short-lived but serious recession spawned by a dramatic plunge in the stock market, and endemic unemployment across the land. On Oct. 21 of ’07, there was a run on Knickerbocker Trust in New York City, which caused national distrust of the savings institutions across the land.

The laying of our cornerstone took place in a time when investors lacked confidence in the market and the specter of rampant inflation and the rumor of depression swept like wildfire across the land.

To be sure, our ancestors and the local clergy were deeply affected by the uncertainty emanating from the country’s financial epicenter in New York City. But they faithfully forged ahead, apparently undaunted by the difficulties of the day.

To be sure, the lead donations to this Cathedral were made by affluent families of the city – the Colonel Thomas Cruse family, the Peter Larson and T.C. Power families, to name a few. But these major donors inspired everyone to give to the degree their circumstances permitted, and every gift was made in a spirit of altruism, and given in the climate of uncertainty and instability that undoubtedly affected all donors, great and small alike.

The leadership of the Bishop, the dedication of clergy and religious, and the sacrificial giving of this remarkable generation of parishioners left a legacy to this parish, diocese and community that continues to inspire anyone who sees the towering spires or who pass through the doors of this great Cathedral.

On this historic day, amidst the beauty and grace of our Cathedral, I would be remiss if I did not anchor and re-focus our celebration today, not on brick and mortar, glass or gilding, but rather on the words that loom so large in the gospel of the day. We are and must remain a community of “living stones” with Jesus Christ as the true cornerstone of the structure. Jesus Christ, “the same, yesterday, today, and forever” is the source of our stability and endurance! In the final analysis, we are a church built, not of mortar or stone, not built by human hands, but a community that rests on the foundation of faith that comes to us from the Apostles.

On this day of holy remembering, we ask God to bless and reward all those whose pioneering efforts help raise this mighty edifice on a hillside in rural Montana. We ask God also to endow us with generous hearts, and the same spirit of optimism and confidence that belongs to those in every generation, who choose to walk in the footsteps of the Master.

We pray that the Son of God will be for us the cornerstone of all we are and all we do, so that our own humble efforts will prosper and welcome new generations of believers to walk in the footsteps of Jesus Christ, who is ever present in this holy place, from age to age, as one who serves. Amen.


Published in The Montana Catholic, Vol. 24, No. 10, October 17, 2008.