An American history lesson in Cathedral glass

As a comment within a post yesterday, I remarked that Catholics all too often do not know the history of Catholics in the United States of America, either the positive contributions made by Catholics to American society or American society's negative attitude and persecution of Catholics.

When His Excellency the Most Reverend James Aloysius Griffin set out to establish his Seat in the newly erected Diocese of Springfield in Illinois, he looked to the example of his mentor, His Eminence George Cardinal Mundelein, to demonstrate that it is possible to be both a good Catholic (this must always come first for our duty to God is of the utmost importance) and a good citizen at the same time.

Bishop Griffin expressed this reality in the windows of the Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception. 

The windows in the north wall of the Cathedral depict the growth of the growth of the Church in Europe whereas the windows in the south wall depict the growth of the Church in the New World.

Of particular interest to us today are three of these northern windows.

Here, General George Washington is shown commissioning Bishop John Carroll to gain the support of the French Canadian Catholics in the cause of independence.  Bishop Carroll was successful in his mission.  Above the two men stands the angel of peace, signifying God's Providence.

Here, President Abraham Lincoln is shown asking Bishop John Hughes of New York to convince Napoleon III against recognizing the Confederacy.  Bishop Hughes was successful.  (Incidentally, the face of Mr. Lincoln's assistant is the face of Bishop Griffin.)

In this third window, a Catholic chaplain is shown blessing American soldiers from Illinois as they leave Springfield during World War I.  The State Capitol is shown in the background surmounted by the gold star of the Gold Star Mothers whose sons were killed in battle.

It is indeed possible to be a good Catholic and a good patriot, but our faith must always come before our patriotism.  By our prayer and fidelity to the Gospel of Jesus Christ, we are also good citizens seeking to build up this nation in morality, in truth and in justice for all.

What's in a name?

If your surname happens to be Griffin, an excellent device for architectural ornamentation.

When the first Bishop of the Diocese of Springfield in Illinois, James Aloysius Griffin, set about the construction of the Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception he made good use of the mythological creature that bears his name.

Looking around the Cathedral, one can find griffins in many places: in the arms of a pew, supporting the espiscopal arms on the cathedra and flanking an image of the Eucharist, to name a few:

Personally, I am a great fan of the griffin and have been since I was a young boy. Because the griffin is both a nonexistant creature and a product of pagan mythology some might well wonder why the Bishop chose to incorporate it into his Cathedral.

At first glance the griffin doesn't seem to fit, but in the heraldic tradition the griffin serves as a guardian of hidden treasure and represents valor and vigilance. Bishop Griffin placed the creature throughout his new Cathedral to guard the treasure of the Eucharist and to call his faithful to be vigilant as they wait for the return of the Eucharistic King.

No small number of people today suggest that by the use of the griffin, the Bishop demonstrated his arrogance and pride. Perhaps, but he might have also been following the medieval/renaissance custom of members of the nobility placing their names upon buildings to show that they had carried out their civic duty; it could not be denied. This, I think, is more in keeping with Bishop Griffin's intentions.

The anniversary of the Cathedral

This past Sunday marked the anniversary of the dedication of the Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception in Springfield, Illinois. To honor the anniversary, I will try to post a series of posts about the Cathedral and the Bishop who built it.

Our Diocese was first established and erected as the Diocese of Quincy on 29 July 1853 by His Holiness, Pope Pius IX, though we never had a resident Bishop for reasons I might relate at another time. Just a few years later the same Pontiff transferred the See City to Alton, Illinois. On 23 October 1923 Pope Pius XI transferred the See to Springfield, where it remains to this day.

A mere eighteen days after the transfer of the See City, the Holy Father appointed James Aloysius Griffin, a priest of the Archdiocese of Chicago, the first Bishop of Springfield in Illinois.

As he launched his plans to begin the construction of the Cathedral in Springfield four years after his arrival, Bishop Griffin said, after touring his Diocese and seeing to the spiritual and physical needs of his people:

Let us go up now to our Episcopal City and there build the head fortress of our Diocese, the Mother Church of all our churches and people, a Memorial to our Immaculate Mother, a testimonial to the pioneer priests and laity of our Diocese, a Home worthy of our Eucharistic King.

Rather than bring in a body of consulters and fund-raisers, as is the custom of our day, the Bishop himself was the sole campaigner for his new project, speaking across the Diocese at various functions for the Diamond Jubilee Cathedral Campaign.

Bishop Griffin sought $750,000 from the people of the Diocese and received close to $1,000,000,000. The campaign opened on 14 February 1927 with the motto, “It is God’s work. God wills it.” Apparently the slogan was rightly chosen!

At such success, Bishop Griffin wrote to the Associated Press, “I believe I am the happiest man in America. May our new Cathedral be not only a house of prayer but also a symbol of lovely friendships and an incentive to greater civic service."