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For centuries, Catholic cathedrals have been the destination of spiritual pilgrims as well as centers of human interaction. With this in mind, the plan for renovating the Cathedral of the Most Blessed Sacrament began with the creation of an exterior gathering space to the north of the building. This extensive reconfiguration of the land was meant to complement the great lawn on the south side of the building. These two landscaped areas now offset Blessed Sacrament Cathedral like a setting for a gemstone.

Trees and plants native to Michigan serve as a message that this building is organically grounded in this place. By removing a street and relocating parking, this new north plaza has become a gathering place for those coming to worship. The cathedral may be seen as the church among churches. Its ascribed definition as the bishop's seat requires that it reflect environmentally a sense of solemnity and the evocation of that continuity of apostolic succession, as well as accessibility for worship by ordinary men and women …

The cathedral, as the bishop's church, is the magnet for events involving the Church beyond the natural bounds of the diocese … It is the objective correlative of the Church standing in its particular time and place … The cathedral is the people's church. There they find a gathering place to which they come as affirmation of the human community they represent (Robert Rambush, The Cathedral Reader).

THE PLAZA

The Cathedral entrance is designed to be symbolic, signifying the passage from secular to sacred time and place. The name of every Archdiocesan parish is carved in granite on the plaza walls. The list begins with the original Ste. Anne Church, our first Catholic church, built more than 300 years ago and later designated the first cathedral in southeast Michigan. The great new plaza serves as a place of transition as pilgrims find a visible connection between their neighborhood church and their mother church, the Cathedral.

The bishop's church was at first simply referred to as the "ekklesia," the Greek term denoting the assembly of the faithful. The bishop's house is therefore a house that receives Christians, who assemble there to pray, to listen and to observe. The use of the term "ekklesia" became so widespread that it was applied to every place of worship. It thus became necessary to invent a new name to distinguish the bishop's church from the other churches in the diocese. That is how the bishop's cathedra gave birth to the "cathedralis"- the cathedral (Francois Icher, Building the Great Cathedrals).

THE ENTRANCE

From the creation experience of the plaza, the slight incline of the walkway signifies life's uphill journey. Entering the dark, womb-like vestibule of the Cathedral, worshippers pass an evocative, candle-lit shrine to Mary, the mother of all Christians, and the porta coeli, the welcoming gate of heaven.

And I entered, and with the eye of my soul, I saw above … my mind, the Unchangeable Light (St. Augustine, Confessions X.16).

Through the vestibule doors, pilgrims are drawn from the dark into the light of the worship space. One of the integral elements in the redesign of the Cathedral is the experience of light in a new way - the light that unifies and animates all creation.

Just as in the heights of heaven you have shown forth the splendor of the firmament, so on earth you have shown forth the beauty of the holy place where your glory dwells, O Lord. You have made the Church a heaven of dazzling light that illumens all of the faithful. For this reason, as we stand in this holy dwelling place, we cry to you: 'Make this house firm, O Lord' (Byzantine prayer for the dedication of the Basilica of the Resurrection).

THE ASSEMBLY

With walls now pierced by reflective glass prisms, light replaces the fortress-like darkness of the original Gothic design. The people who walked in darkness have seen a great light; upon those who dwelt in the land of gloom a light has shone (Isaiah 9:1).

Now, no matter the time of day or the season, those inside the Cathedral are never shut off from an awareness of the rhythm and reality of the world outside. The sunlight that enters the upper part of the nave gives life to the antique stained glass windows. These windows celebrate the history of the Church and the glory of the saints. The same light that makes history come alive, pours through the lower nave in a pure, direct way, expressing God's grace in this particular moment of time - light ever ancient, ever new.

The Cathedral illumination is reversed at night through the use of prism transparencies.

Thus when darkness falls outside, the lights of the Cathedral's interior project outward to the street, alerting and inviting passerby to the life inside.

A city set on a mountain cannot be hidden. Nor do they light a lamp and then put it under a bushel basket; it is set on a lampstand where it gives light to all in the house. Just so, your light must shine before others, that they may see your good deeds and glorify your heavenly Father (Matthew 5:14-16).

THE FONT

The baptismal font carved deep into the floor of the main aisle momentarily halts the journey into the worship space. Its placement is deliberate - even confrontational. Before anyone enters into "sacred mysteries" they must first reject the darkness of sin and experience the regenerative power of baptism. In the early days of Christianity, this baptismal ablution was called "illumination." The power of this font is meant to recapture some of that experience of enlightenment for all who enter the Cathedral.

Like the pillar of fire that led God's chosen people on their journey through the desert, the paschal candle towers over the baptismal font. It spreads its light over this full immersion pool shaped to mirror the anatomy of the person descending into these regenerative waters. As the rock gave water to God's people in the desert, the upright stone basin supplies circulating water for the font. It also provides a place for infants to be baptized and allows others to sign themselves with the blessed water reminding them of their own baptism.

God gives light to everyone who comes into this world. You have followed God's light, and the way of the gospel now lies open before you … Walk in the light of Christ and learn to trust in his wisdom …(Rite of Christian Initiation of Adults).

THE SANCTUARY

Five strong, white stone mountain-range formations rise from the floor of the Cathedral marking specific areas for liturgical activity. These rock-like focus points are intended to recall Christ's promise to Peter:

I for my part declare to you, you are 'rock', and on this rock I will build my Church and the jaws of death shall not prevail against it (Matthew 16:18).

In the center of the sanctuary are: the altar, the axis for the entire building; the ambo, the elevated bema, from which the Scriptures are proclaimed; and the cathedra, or chair of the archbishop, from which the building derives its name. The mountain formations here, made from Italian Botticino Fiorito stone, are meant to evoke Mount Tabor near Nazareth, the traditional site of the Transfiguration.

The scriptural accounts of the Lord's Transfiguration give testimony to Christ's glory being manifest in light as

his face became as dazzling as the sun, his clothes as radiant as light (Matthew 17:2).

Just as the disciples were drawn into the privileged moment of the Transfiguration, so too are those who come to worship in this Cathedral.

God's holy mountain we ascend, where truth and love together blend … Christ leads us to his holy hill where he fulfills His Father's will in perfect expiation … (Philipp Nicolai, from the Renaissance hymn Wie Schon Leuchtet Morgenstern).

A double ramp provides a barrier-free approach to the altar. The stone inlay floor of the sanctuary replicates the one originally installed a half-century ago, and from a distance reads like colorful glacial scree that builds up at the base of a mountain range.

THE AMBO

On the Mount of Transfiguration, the voice of God was heard:

This is my beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased; listen to him (Matthew 17:5).

The ambo, the highest area of the sanctuary used during the liturgy, is the place from where the Word of the Lord is proclaimed. The word "ambo" is derived from the Greek verb, amabainein, which means, "to go up."

The shape and size of the new ambo recalls the elevated pulpits found in cathedrals built during the Romanesque and Middle Ages. It is from this point the faithful are called to listen and to make a covenant with God. The height of this platform is meant to provide better visibility of the lector/homilist and better audibility for the important words spoken from there.

Signifying the dignity of the activity that takes place at the ambo, the steps, as well as the book stand, are rosewood. A state-of-the-art sound reinforcement system has been created for the Cathedral to compensate for acoustic problems inherent in the space.

The mountain of the Lord's house shall be established as the highest mountain and raised above the hills. All nations shall stream toward it; many people shall come and say: 'Come, let us climb the Lord's mountain, to the house of the God of Jacob, that he may instruct us in his ways, and we may walk in his paths.' For from Zion shall go forth instruction, and the word of the Lord from Jerusalem (Isaiah 2:2-3).

THE CATHEDRA

Opposite the ambo is the cathedra, the oldest insignia of a bishop's teaching office. The chair is the sign that he, like the apostles and prophets, is invested with the authority to preside over God's people. As Moses witnessed the transfiguration, this "seat of Moses" stands as an ancient sign of leadership. From here, the archbishop brings insight to the Scriptures as he preaches, teaches and presides as chief celebrant of the Eucharist.

(W)e possess the prophetic message as something altogether reliable. Keep your attention closely fixed on it, as you would on a lamp shining in a dark place until the first streaks of dawn appear and the morning star rises in your hearts (2 Peter 1:19).

Speaking and acting ex cathedra (from the chair), the archbishop proclaims Christ as the light of humankind … a light that shines on in the darkness of a troubled world. The rosewood outline gives the cathedra a more human dimension. The archbishop's personal coat of arms above the chair signals he is the proper and only occupant of this seat. Upholstery in bright red, the heraldic color of a cardinal, further defines this chair of office.

THE ALTAR

The center of the sanctuary mountain-peak formations commands attention to the stone and glass altar. In a building named for the Most Blessed Sacrament, it is appropriate that the altar is the focal point of the worship space. The placement of the altar was the initial step in the design process. The word "altar" comes from the Latin adolere, which means, "to burn." It is a reminder that ancient sacrifices to God were usually immolated, i.e., burnt offerings. According to Old and New Testament customs, the altar is fashioned as a table of sacrifice, as well as the paschal banquet table. Like a table, the altar has four legs that carry the solid-stone slab mensa.

Beneath the mensa are four sand-cast cruciform pieces of glass illuminated from within. This glass also contains saints' relics from the previous altars in the Cathedral. In addition to these relics, Cardinal Maida added the relics of three recently canonized saints: Elizabeth Ann Seaton, Katharine Drexel and Faustina Kowalski.

Because the altar is Christ (Pope Pius XII, Mediator Dei), it is seen to radiate as the face of Jesus did at His Transfiguration. The words of the liturgy of the dedication of an altar confirm this image: Light of Christ, shine on this altar and be reflected by those who share at this table. As a table where the sacrifice of the cross is perpetuated, the Cathedral altar is a permanent fixture worthy of bearing the weight of so great a mystery. It is open and accessible from all sides allowing the faithful to gather in thanksgiving and receive the body and blood of Christ.

The carved wood crucifix suspended over the altar was originally hung in the Cathedral as a memorial to those who gave their lives in World War I. The position of the crucifix also references the sacrificial mountain of Calvary.

The glory of the Cross led those who were dark through ignorance into light, loosed all who were held fast by sin and ransomed the whole world (Cyril of Jerusalem, Homilies XIII).

EUCHARISTIC RESERVATION CHAPEL

One of the earliest goals of this renovation was to provide a special place for the tabernacle and personal prayer in the Cathedral whose name honors the abiding presence of Christ in the Eucharist. A sanctuary lamp announces the Eucharistic Reservation Chapel from the main nave. This ever-burning lamp, cradled in limestone, is a reminder of the words of the Easter Vigil proclamation: the light that no darkness can extinguish. A second sanctuary lamp hangs dramatically from the chapel ceiling, further emphasizing the Lord's abiding presence.

Directly on axis with the altar, the peaks of the mountain-like formation begun in the sanctuary reach over the tabernacle. The word "tabernacle" is taken from the Latin word for tent. Peter offered to set up a tent on Mount Tabor to house the transfigured Christ. This chapel recalls that event with carved French Caen stone statues of Christ and those mentioned in the Transfiguration account: Christ, Peter, James, John, Moses and Elijah. St. Paul, who experienced a conversion in a blinding light and whose epistles contain so much about the importance of the Eucharist for the early Christian community, is also given the honor of being represented as part of this gathering. The statues are taken from the original reredos of the apse. Mary, Joseph and other saints are honored on the sidewalls in carved Caen reredos relocated from the former side altars.

The restored cedar coffered ceiling harkens back to the architecture of the Jerusalem temple built by Solomon. In this setting, the tabernacle recalls that ancient image of a "house" for the divine presence. To accommodate personal prayer in the presence of the Blessed Sacrament, this chapel is also accessible through a separate entrance.

If we can grasp it, the mass is our way of standing with the disciples on Tabor. We hear in faith the word of the Father; we see by faith the glory of the Son; we experience in Holy Communion the flood of the Holy Spirit's love that makes us taste, like Jesus on Tabor, the glory of the life awaiting us …  By prayer we conquer, as did he. It is no accident that Paul descried the results of our prayer in the very word used of Jesus on Tabor. He wrote, 'All of us, gazing with unveiled face on the glory of the Lord, are being transfigured into the same image from glory to glory.' Tabor is for us too (Herbert Smith, Sunday Homilies).

THE AMBRY

At the right of the cathedra, there is another reservation area, crafted out of the same Botticino stone of the other mountain-like formations. This triple peak holds the three vessels of holy oils.

Called "the ambry," from the Latin word for armory, this is the storehouse from which these oils, meant to provide God's protection, are dispensed to all the parishes in the Archdiocese. The archbishop is the chief consecrator of these oils. Locating them next to his cathedra symbolizes that all the pastoral care of the Archdiocese is, in a certain way, connected to his apostolic office. These three oils are the spiritual resources for initiating new members (oil of catechumens), for healing (oil of the sick) and consecrating churches, altars, and sacred ministers (Chrism).

Of this the blessed Isaiah prophesying of old time said, 'And on this mountain … shall the Lord make unto all nations a feast; they shall drink wine, they shall drink gladness, they shall anoint themselves with ointment' … Having been anointed, therefore, with this holy ointment, keep it unspotted and unblemished in you, pressing forward by good works, and being made well-pleasing to the Captain of your salvation, Christ Jesus … (Cyril of Jerusalem, XXI.7).

THE RECONCILIATION CHAPEL

The Cathedral is a place where direction can be given and reconciliation can begin. Carved into the northeast wall of the Cathedral is an opening that leads a penitent to two confessionals, or reconciliation chapels. Another peak of Botticino stone announces this location in the Cathedral. Amply sized and brightly lit, these rosewood-lined rooms are soundproof, and allow penitents to choose anonymity or a face-to-face dialogue with the confessor. The oblique angles of these rooms repeat the design of the sanctuary while expressing the uniqueness of every act of reconciliation that takes place within.

Original sculptures of the crucified Christ grace the walls of each of these rooms.

(God said,) 'Let there be light,' (The Baptist said,) 'Repent ye, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.' Repent ye, let there be light. And because our soul was troubled within us, we remembered Thee, O Lord, from the land of Jordan and that mountain equal unto Thyself, but little for our sakes; and upon our being displeased with our darkness, we turned unto Thee, 'and there was light.' And, behold, we were sometimes darkness, but now light in the Lord (St. Augustine, Confessions XII.13).

LEAVING THE CATHEDRAL

Those who have come to worship at Blessed Sacrament Cathedral may want to hold onto the experience in much the same way the disciples did after observing the transfigured Christ on Mount Tabor. Speaking for the group, Peter wanted to set up tents so he and the others could spend more time on the holy mountain. With this in mind, the newly crafted porches and walkways are intended to give the worshipper the sheltered space they need to linger and interact with those who have shared the same sacramental experience. Even the newly configured parking plan allows for better human interaction.

Those visiting or passing by the Cathedral at night are struck by the dramatic exterior lighting piercing the darkness.

Let us be made light, as it was said to the disciples by the Great Light, we are the light of the world. Let us be made lights in the world, holding forth the Word of Life; that is, let us be made a quickening power to others. Let us lay hold of the Godhead; let us lay hold of the First and Brightest Light. Let us walk towards Him shining, before our feet stumble upon dark and hostile mountains (Gregory Nazianzen, Oration XI, 37).

The freshly cleaned rock-faced ashlar sandstone from Ohio and the smooth-faced carved details of the Indiana limestone exterior of the Cathedral now glisten in the sunlight and in the artificial light that is poured on it at night. At the apex of all this golden-glowing stone is the soaring copper fleche, which is illuminated after sunset, making it far brighter than the rest of the building. This spire is directly above the Cathedral altar and serves as a beacon to the neighborhood of the promise of the Blessed Sacrament, the presence of Christ who is forever the Light of the World.

THE STAINED GLASS

Fill the church 'with the most radiant windows' in order to 'illumine people's minds so that they may travel through light to an apprehension of God's light! (Abbe Suger, De Consecratione Ecclesiae).

Christ's light and life shines into Blessed Sacrament Cathedral through the craftsmanship of William Willet. This artisan, known for reviving and perfecting rich colors in transparent stained glass, was commissioned to create the 22 large Medieval-styled windows throughout the church building.

A century ago, the prevailing taste in ecclesiastical windows was for opalescent glass. Willet thought this went against the primary reason for a window's existence, the admission of sunlight.

He rediscovered a technique used in the Middle Ages called the "pot metal process," which produced very deep colors without inhibiting transparency. By dissolving certain metal oxides into glass in its liquid state, he learned the molecular structure of the solution absorbs wavelengths of certain colors. Particles of gold, for example, dispersed in the glass, give it a ruby red color.

Iron oxide, on the other hand, makes glass read green. The color process Willet perfected technically and aesthetically was such an improvement over what was being produced at the time, it sparked a new age of stained glass and gave the Willet Studios in Philadelphia an international reputation.

Blessed Sacrament Cathedral contains Willet's earliest and finest work. His Life of Christ and the Early Church series of windows in the clerestory begin with the Nativity in the back of the north wall. The work continues around the back apse and finishes in clockwise pattern down the south wall of the nave, where Pentecost is depicted.

There is an intentional chronological error in the apse windows where the Lord's Carrying of His Cross on Good Friday is inverted with the Institution of the Holy Eucharist on Holy Thursday. This was done in order to honor the event in Christ's life from which the Cathedral takes its name. It also draws attention to the altar wherein the Lord's Supper is extended into our time.

In lancet windows beneath this New Testament history, the Procession of Saints series of windows depict heroes and heroines from every era of Christendom - those to whom we can look up to with pride. These holy women and men join those assembled on earth in one great communion.

The great windows of the north and south apses are arguably Willet's tour de force in this building. The north window, called the Holy Name Window, is an excellent example of how pot metal glass produces rich, jewel-like colors of ruby, amethyst, emerald and sapphire. In order to achieve such depth of color, there may be as many as three layers of pot glass in a single facet. Records indicate this window alone took a year to complete. It depicts the great liturgy at the end of time, wherein Christ will gather around him the souls of the just in an endless symphony of praise.

Filling the whole wall of the south apse in the Eucharistic Reservation Chapel is a window depicting the Genealogical Tree of Christ. Mary, the first "tabernacle" for Jesus, is the predominant figure. Beneath her is Solomon holding a model of the "tabernacle" he built in Jerusalem. Willet's use of subdued colors, with pastel and natural tones, give this window a softness unlike all the other windows in the building. The Assumption scene in the front wall and the St. Cecilia Window in the rear complete the windows in this chapel.

The Rose Window over the Woodward entrance is entitled Cherubs in Glory. More than 100 small tracery openings are woven of stone and filled with thousands of glass fragments in a brilliant variety of colors ranging from light yellows and golds, flaming into rubies and crimson, finally blending into rich blues and purples. This circular window is best appreciated in the late afternoon, when the sun streams through bathing the interior with a warm glow, reminding the viewer of the glory of the life to come.

Willet's inspiration of using sunlight as a "building material" is furthered by the 2003 renovation of the Cathedral and architect Gunnar Birkerts' focus on the use of light both in and outside the church building.

Stained glass is energized through its relationship with light and changes according to the time of day, the seasons of the year and the weather. All affect -- sometimes subtly, sometimes dramatically -- the image that is perceived, for stained glass is the most ancient and cunning form of kinetic art. Light, the intangible phenomenon by which the world is made visible, has, since time immemorial been symbolically equated with goodness, revelation and beauty, and has, therefore, been a focal point of the philosophies and religions of mankind (Lawrence Lee, Stained Glass).

THE CATHEDRAL PIPE ORGANS

In the Latin Church, the pipe organ is to be held in high esteem, for it is the traditional musical instrument that adds a wonderful splendor to the Church's ceremonies and powerfully lifts up the spirit to God and to higher things (Constitution on the Sacred Liturgy, V. 120).

Blessed Sacrament is a great enough church to house two pipe organs. The original organ is a Casavant Frθre. This instrument is the work of the famed French Canadian organ builder, Casavant Frθre in St. Hyacinth, Quebec. Frederic Fisher, of the automotive family which still funds its upkeep, donated it to the church in 1925.

Its 55 stops of more than 3,500 individual pipes are hidden in chambers behind the stone walls of the choir loft. Built and voiced for the liturgical music of a pre-Vatican II Church, this instrument is at its best when accompanying chants or playing compositions of the Romantic era. Its three manual consoles are each composed of 61 keys and a 31 note pedalboard.

The Casavant Organ console is currently being renovated. Old mechanisms are being replaced with solid-state materials. When the renovation is complete, it will be possible to program 99 levels of memory.

The Cathedral's second organ was made in the United States. The Austin Organ was built in Hartford, Connecticut. This instrument is designed to support congregational singing. Its crisper sound and its location in the main body of the church are indicative of the different role it plays in our worship today.

The Austin Organ has 1,745 pipes and is composed of 32 stops capable of producing an almost limitless number of tonal variations. The largest speaking pipe is about 23 feet long and the smallest about the size of an ordinary lead pencil. Once the renovations of the Casavant Organ are complete, it will be possible to play both organs from the Austin Organ console.

Together, these two instruments allow church musicians to convincingly play sacred music from many different musical eras. Rich and sonorous each in their own unique ways, the organs of Blessed Sacrament Cathedral fill its worship space with power and majesty.

During prayer, we make a sort of ascent toward the divine light, and together we experience a descent of God who adapts to our limits to listen to us and talk to us … The highest music is that which rises from our hearts. It is precisely this harmony that God waits to hear in our liturgies (Pope John Paul II).