A magnificent new cathedral has just been dedicated in eastern Tennessee, Sacred Heart Cathedral in the Diocese of Knoxville.

I haven’t been inside it yet, but I can’t wait for the opportunity. The photographs I’ve seen are stunning. It looks like it belongs among the massive basilicas of Rome, an architectural anomaly in our contemporary culture—both religious and secular.

Why build a cathedral today? There are lots of big churches that are nowhere near full on Sunday mornings. Why spend the time, effort and money building a brand new church?

I guess the answer depends on your understanding of what a cathedral is and why it is important to the life and ministry of a diocese, a local church.

A cathedral is the bishop’s church, the place where his chair (“cathedra”) is located. It is, in a sense, the mother church for all the other churches in a diocese. Many diocesan functions such as ordinations or the annual Chrism Mass, where sacred oils are blessed during Holy Week, take place in the cathedral. Sometimes civic functions such as community gatherings, concerts or plays take place in cathedrals because they are often focal points for the expression of a community’s life and values.

Knoxville is a young diocese established less than 30 years ago in 1988. The faith is very important to the Catholic people in eastern Tennessee, and the new Sacred Heart Cathedral gives a powerful witness to the dramatic growth of of their faith community during the past three decades.

Where I live, in Louisville, Kentucky, we have an old cathedral established in 1852 when the Church in the United States was still in its infancy. It, too, is a magnificent church but in a much simpler style called “new American gothic.” Lovingly renewed and rededicated in 1994, the Archdiocese of Louisville’s Cathedral of the Assumption is truly a sacred space and a gathering point for archdiocesan, ecumenical and inter-religious and civic events.

There are many beautiful cathedrals in North America, including those in New York, Newark, Montreal, St. Louis, Oakland and Los Angeles to name only a few. All represent the faith and generosity of the Catholic people. All stand as signs (sacramentals) of God’s presence among us.

Congratulations to Bishop Richard Sitka and the clergy, religious and faithful people of the Diocese of Knoxville. May your cathedral stand as a bold witness to our Catholic faith and culture for many years to come. That in all things God may be glorified!