![]() ![]() It's ugly and a terrible use of prime real estate. The Capitol Square South Ramp, which sits across Main Street from the vacant cathedral site, is going to need to be replaced soon. Perhaps the only institution on earth that has a more patient time frame for action than the city of Madison is the Catholic Church. And this particular parcel, only a block away from the Square, is particularly important. There is nothing more deadly to a downtown than dead space, whether in the form of a parking lot or a vacant one. Meanwhile, the church is not doing well by its community. Paul's on campus couldn't simply be designated the new cathedral. The diocese already has three churches downtown within blocks of each other, and I don't understand why St. It also doesn't seem to make much business sense. Even if it weren't for the tragic mismatch between the bishop's politics and those of his flock, it seems likely to me that most progressive Catholics would rather see their resources invested in improving the lives of the poor than building an elegant new cathedral. ![]() This would be fine if the church had the resources in hand to build a new cathedral on the site, but they don't, and frankly, as long as Bishop Morlino remains here, they are unlikely to be able to raise the money to make it happen. Last week, the diocese asked the city for permission to take down the abandoned rectory and parish school. ![]() So, I reluctantly supported the move to take down the remainder of the church and start over.īut t has been almost seven years since the fire now, and the lot still stands vacant. It was a sad day in Madison, and over the ensuing months it became clear that rebuilding the church around the existing walls was not going to be feasible. Raphael Cathedral watching our Madison firefighters fight to save what was left of the historic church. On a cold late winter day in 2005, I stood across the street from St. What if the city, county and diocese got together and grouped all three parcels? ![]()
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
Details
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |