60th Anniversary of the Blessing of the Cornerstone of the Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception in Philadelphia

Sunday, October 16, 1966, brought together about 15,000 faithful of our Church in Philadelphia for a very special event – ​​the blessing of the cornerstone of the newly built Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception. Also participating in this celebration were 14 bishops, including nine bishops of our rite and five bishops of the Latin rite, about two hundred priests, monks and nuns, as well as representatives of the authorities and various organizations from Philadelphia and neighboring states. 

The day began with three Hierarchical Divine Liturgies, celebrated by our bishops from Canada and the United States from 8:30 a.m. until noon. Two of these liturgies were sung by choirs from the Cathedral Parish in Philadelphia and from the Parish of St. John the Baptist in Newark, NJ. Then, at 3 p.m., a procession began in which numerous church and secular organizations and clergy participated. Afterward, at 4 p.m., the main event of the day took place: the consecration of the cornerstone of the newly built cathedral. 

Metropolitan Ambrose Senyshyn of Philadelphia led this blessing, with the concelebration of Metropolitan Maxim Hermaniuk (Winnipeg), Bishop Izydor Boretsky (Toronto), and Bishop Jaroslav Gabro (Chicago). A special part of the event was the laying of a piece of stone from the tomb of the Apostle Peter, which Pope Paul VI presented to Metropolitan Senyshyn, in the foundation of the newly built cathedral. Next, the letters were read, which were placed in a time capsule, which was laid in the cornerstone. After that, the clergy and the faithful entered the new cathedral and prayed together a moleben to Christ the Lover of Mankind. Then Metropolitan Ambrose Senyshyn delivered a sermon, “Out of Gratitude and Love for God.” 

In this sermon, Bishop Ambrose also mentioned the persecuted Church in Ukraine and thanked everyone for their unity and cooperation in the construction of the cathedral: 

“While rejoicing today in our achievements thanks to God’s help and the cooperation of Priests, Church Communities and individuals, our joy is not complete, because twenty years ago the communist authorities liquidated our Ukrainian Catholic Church on our Ukrainian lands. At this time, we cannot help our brothers and sisters, but we must pray at this time, so that Christ and the Mother of God strengthen them and our Church in the catacombs, which the enemy wants to destroy. We must beg the Lord God for help with the words of the hierarchal prayer: ‘Lord, Lord, look down from heaven and see and visit this vineyard and complete it, which Your right hand, Lord, has planted.’ 

May today’s celebration be deeply engraved in our hearts and constantly proclaim to us the truth that in unity is the strength of the people. This huge monument is clear proof of the success of the work. Thanks to the coordinated work of the Clergy and the Faithful, it was possible to complete the three-million-dollar building.”