January 2009 Volume XI, No

Cathedral of the Assumption www.cathedraloftheassumption.org 433 South Fifth Street 502-582-2971 Voice Louisville, Kentucky 502-582-3919 Fax 40202 January 2009 Volume XI, No. 1 Telling the Stories…. Have you ever wondered about the ther Jim Hendricks, that four paintings in the sanctuary of dream will soon become a the Cathedral? What are they reality. about, and why are they here? In late 2007, the Ca- thedral engaged Museum- Do you know what happened to Works of Dallas, Texas, to pro- the communion rail when it was duce the audio. Museum- removed from the front of the Works has done audio tour church? recordings for the Frazier Mu- seum and for exhibits at the Have you ever wondered how University of Louisville. Scott many stars there are in the vaulted Peck and R.J. Machacek came ceiling? to Louisville in January to be- And what about the Bell Tower - gin interviewing and recording. do you know how many bells there In addition to the 12 people are, who gifted them to the Cathe- Above, Barbara Stein with handheld unit standing next to who are heard on the audio, storage and charging base for the units. dral, and what other large Cathe- MuseumWorks recorded the Below, left—Scott and RJ in MuseumWorks production office church bells tolling, Philip dral artifact lay in storage there in Dallas; right, close up of audio tour handheld unit. for over 80 years before being re- Brisson playing the pipe organ, stored to the interior of the Cathe- and incorporated choral music dral? from the Cathedral’s own choir. Do you know which is older - the In talking with Bar- magnificent pipe organ or the bara Stein, the Cathedral staff bronze candlesticks around the member who is coordinating altar? this project, when asked what has impressed her the most, Have you ever wondered about the she replies that she loves role of the Cathedral during the Civil War? During the “listening to the stories of the people interviewed. I 1937 Flood? In caring for orphans and the homeless? know the facts, but putting a human face to it makes the history and experiences so fascinating!” When Visitors to the Cathedral, as well as many walking through the church with the hand-held au- parishioners, are curious about the history and envi- dio unit, the listener will get many facts, but much ronment of the Cathedral. To address these ques- of that history is imparted through personal stories tions, the curious among us must rely on a knowl- and recollections of the narrators. At the numbered edgeable parishioner, the availability of a trained stop for the Baptistry, Parishioner Ann Jewell shares docent to conduct a tour, or the limited brochure her feelings at the time of her son’s baptism, particu- materials located at the back of church . Mildred larly recalling the scent of the oil used to anoint Dougherty, a long-time parishioner who recently him. At the numbered stop for the Ceiling Fresco passed away, and members of the Cathedral staff of the Assumed Virgin, Mildred Dougherty recalls have long dreamed of developing an audio tour her sadness as the plaster began to fall from the ceil- of the Cathedral. Funded by a bequest from Fa- ing and the fresco was finally painted over, and the amazement at its restoration in 1994. Joe Hagerty recalls the panic of the contractors during the renovation as one of the walls began to crack. Father Ron Knott shares recollections on restoration of the Coronation Window. Parishioner Tim Tomes recalls the fortune (or misfortune) of being in the Bell Tower when the bells I am writing this col- began to toll. umn on the last day of 2008, Equally fascinating in a different way are the and I am reminded of all the comments of Father Clyde Crews and Father Knott as people for whom we are thank- they put a human face on the role of the Cathedral in ful during this past year. I es- the Civil War, the 1937 Flood, and Bloody Monday. pecially hold in prayer two of Interwoven with the stories are explanations of the litur- our Cathedral Star reporters Fr. Bill Fichteman gical significance of the ambo (pulpit), the cathedra who have died during 2008. (chair), and the location of the altar and the baptismal font. The listener will learn that the four paintings were Mary Blanford died on November 15 after an presented to Bishop Flaget by Pope Gregory XVI around illness of several weeks. Mary had been in the communi- 1825, and they reflect the Cathedral’s mission of serving cations field for many years, being the first woman TV the poor and educating children. weathercaster in the area; she also served several years With all this information to soon be readily with the nationally known Foster Brooks, when they available, how will you access it? When the audio tour were both working for WAVE Radio and Television. recording is complete, the Cathedral will have 10 hand- Mary was one of the most consistently upbeat and posi- held units. There will be signage in the Cathedral which tive persons I have ever known. She was always will direct you to the Cathedral office. You will check “together” even when she wasn’t feeling well. She had out the units from the parish office. There will be no served as a writer/reporter for the Cathedral Star since charge for the units, but you will have to leave your 2000. She will be sadly missed by her husband Joe, her driver’s license which will be returned to you upon re- daughter Lynn, and her many friends at the Cathedral. turn of the unit. The audio tour has 20 stops. You may go as fast or as slow as you’d like; you can skip or repeat tracks. Listening to all tracks, the audio tour is expected Rick Eckhart died on August 23, also after an to take about 45 minutes. illness of several weeks. Rick interviewed me several In conjunction with the audio tour, the Cathe- times for various Star articles, and he was always thor- dral is developing new written materials with the help of ough and careful to get “all the facts” straight. Rick was parishioner Marta Garcia, a graphic designer. Those a very thoughtful man, who had a certain passion for materials will map out the various stops and can be used justice and for things being “made right.” He also alone or with the audio. Photographs accompanying the served the Cathedral as an Extraordinary Minister of the materials were taken by local photographer Thomas Eucharist. He will be sadly missed by his wife Marita Nance. and his many friends at the Cathedral. After all of the hard work which went into cap- turing the Cathedral’s stories, the dream is almost a real- Because this is the first issue of the Star to be ity. Mildred Dougherty wrote the original script for the published since the deaths of Mary and Rick, we would material to be covered by the audio - as this was her like to dedicate this issue in their honor. Their memo- long-held dream and she was dedicated to sharing the ries and their good stewardship to the Cathedral will history of the Cathedral, it is only fitting that the audio remain with us. I am reminded of a line from the vigil is dedicated to her! service in the Funeral Rites Book: “We believe that all the ties of friendship and affection which knit us as one The answers to the questions, you ask? The commun- throughout our lives do not unravel with death.” We ion rail now surrounds the pool of the baptismal font. There give thanks today that the consoling doctrine of the are over 8,000 stars in the vaulted ceiling. There is one large Communion of Saints assures us that our relationship bell and two smaller bells, a gift from the Archbishop of Mex- with our brothers and sisters in Christ is maintained in ico. Relatively speaking, the organ is a new acquisition; the some form, even after death. Eternal rest grant unto bronze candlesticks date back to the dedication of the Cathe- them, O Lord, and let perpetual light shine upon them. dral. For any more information, you’ll have to listen to the May all the faithful departed rest in peace. Amen. audio! 2 ~Sharon Mattingly Art, an expression of the soul Many people believe art is an expression of the soul and that by creating art, they becomes more in touch with their souls. Since 2005, Cathedral parishioner Mary Kay Tubello has helped a number of people do just that through her art classes. Tubello got the idea for the class after reading the Stewardship Catalogue. “I was sitting there reading over (the catalogue) and thinking ‘Been there. Done that,’” she said. “I was looking for something new and different. Then, all of a sudden out of the clear blue, came the idea of teaching an art class.” Tubello prepared the 10 lessons she planned to teach in the class before placing an advertisement in the parish bulletin. She said that the initial response was great. “The response was more than I expected and, in fact, I had to have two classes per week to handle the overflow,” Tubello said. That first class had 23 students. It currently has about 16, some of whom have been with the group since the beginning. Tubello teaches drawing and watercol- ors. Students start drawing with pencils, then move to watercolor pencils and, after about 20 sessions, can opt to move to watercolor paints.

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