Scottish Catholic Observer

Archbishop Mario Conti will welcome the Apostolic nuncio, Cardinal Keith O’Brien, the bishops of Scotland and civic leaders to the renovated St Andrew’s Cathedral in Glasgow for a reception on Saturday and the celebration of Mass on Sunday before the cathedral officially re-opens for public worship on Monday.

First Minister Alex Salmond will be among honoured guests at an ecumenical service, incorporating evening prayer at the cathedral on Saturday. The Clyde-side Glasgow landmark has been closed for refurbishment and restoration work since August 2009.

Final preparations

As the SCO went to press, the final stage of restoration work was being completed at St Andrew’s, ensuring that the cathedral is ready for the weekend events and fully functional in time for the Holy Week Liturgies.

The weekend events will also mark the first trip to Scotland for Apostolic nuncio, Archbishop Antonio Mennini—recently appointed as Papal nuncio to the UK—and his letter of appointment will be read out during the Mass.

Archbishop Mario Conti told the SCO of his hopes for the new cathedral ahead of the re-opening celebrations.

“It has been a long journey from the beginning of my time as archbishop, and I felt it would be necessary to do some work on the cathedral,” Archbishop Conti said. “Many years planning took place before contractors moved in and I think we have produced a final result which will please all those who make use of the cathedral on a weekly basis and those who see it for what it is, namely the mother church of all parishes in west and central Scotland.”

Stunning restorations

On Tuesday artist Peter Howson’s St John Ogilvie painting arrived at the cathedral and panels with the images of St Patrick and St Brigid were installed in the porch area—a new feature paying homage to the Irish community’s contribution to the local Church. The altar and ambo that have been installed were both designed by Archbishop Mario Conti.

Specially commissioned Scandinavian oak seating, crafted by a company in Ireland, has been installed at the cathedral, and the glass screens, separating the foyer area from the cathedral worship space, contain the coats of arms of Archbishop Conti, Cardinal Thomas Winning and Archbishop James Scanlan, together with those of Pope John Paul II and Pope Benedict XVI.

Visitors and parishioners to the cathedral will be welcomed with a mosaic, displaying the Coat of Arms of Glasgow Archdiocese, which was created in the Holy Land and has been laid on the floor of the cathedral entrance.

Honoured guests

Joining the First Minister at Saturday evening’s celebration to mark the official re-opening, will be members of the local authority, Glasgow City Council, church leaders from other denominations and some of the contractors that worked on the cathedral with their families.

The service will include a presentation of the cathedral’s history, featuring music from the St Mungo’s Singers, before an evening Vespers service.

At Sunday’s Mass, which will celebrate six years since the election of Pope Benedict XVI as Holy Father, there will be the consecration and dedication of the new altar and a procession of the Blessed Sacrament to its new home at the Blessed Sacrament Chapel.

— Following the official re-opening of the cathedral and the Easter celebrations, the St Andrew’s cloister garden, which will feature a monument in tribute to the victims of the Arandora Star tragedy in the Second World War, will be opened on May 16

— A further series of events, celebrating St Andrew’s Cathedral’s restoration, will take place in April and early May as part of the archdiocesan Lentfest programme.

Mass will be celebrated at the restored cathedral for the public for the first time on Monday April 11 at 8.15am and 1pm.

— Further details can be found at the Glasgow Archdiocesan website: www.rcag.org.uk

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