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2007 SESSION

076440348
HOUSE JOINT RESOLUTION NO. 791
Offered January 19, 2007
Commemorating the centennial of the Cathedral of the Sacred Heart.
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Patrons-- Janis, McClellan, Abbitt, BaCote, Callahan, Cline, Frederick, Gear, Hamilton, Hogan, Hugo, Lingamfelter, Marshall, R.G., Miller, P.J., Moran, O'Bannon, Saxman, Shannon, Tata, Toscano, Ware, R.L., Welch and Wittman
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WHEREAS, on November 26, 2006, the Cathedral of the Sacred Heart in Richmond, Virginia, celebrated its centennial as the episcopal seat of the Roman Catholic Bishop of the Diocese of Richmond; and

WHEREAS, the "only cathedral ever constructed by the sole munificence of one family," the Cathedral of the Sacred Heart was a gift to the Catholic community by the spectacular generosity of New York financier Thomas Fortune Ryan, a native son of Lovingston in Nelson County, and his wife, Ida Barry Ryan; and

WHEREAS, on June 4, 1903, the Most Reverend Diomede Falconio, Archbishop and Apostolic Delegate of the Holy See to the United States of America, officiated at the laying of the Cathedral cornerstone, which was brought from the Garden of Gethsemane, near Jerusalem; and

WHEREAS, designed by New York architect Joseph H. McGuire and constructed of Virginia granite and Indiana limestone with a copper dome and tile roof, the Cathedral is considered to be Virginia's finest ecclesiastical example of Italian Renaissance Revival architecture; and

WHEREAS, on November 29, 1906, thousands of residents of the City of Richmond and visitors from across the Commonwealth and the nation filled the Cathedral to celebrate its consecration at a solemn Mass; and

WHEREAS, for over one hundred years, the Cathedral has served as the cathedra, or “seat” of the Bishop of Richmond, and as such, the Mother Church for the over 220,000 Catholic Virginians in the 153 parishes which serve all of the southern part of Virginia, including the Eastern Shore of Virginia, a territory that encompasses three-fifths of Virginia, and some 33,000 square miles; and

WHEREAS, the Cathedral of the Sacred Heart is a Virginia Historic Landmark, listed on the National Register of Historic Places, and received the Historic Richmond Foundation's 1992 Award of Achievement for its restoration; and

WHEREAS, throughout its long history, the Cathedral of the Sacred Heart has been a sanctuary within the heart of the city, providing devoted parishioners, neighbors, and the community with a refuge of quiet contemplation and a glorious place of worship, ad majorem Dei gloriam; now, therefore, be it

RESOLVED by the House of Delegates, the Senate concurring, That the General Assembly hereby commemorate the centennial of the Cathedral of the Sacred Heart; and, be it

RESOLVED FURTHER, That the Clerk of the House of Delegates prepare a copy of this resolution for presentation to His Excellency the Most Reverend Francis Xavier DiLorenzo and the faithful parishioners of the Cathedral of the Sacred Heart as an expression of the General Assembly's high esteem and best wishes for future success in its mission and ministry.