The Chapels of St. Peter Cathedral
Photo courtesy: St. Peter Cathedral Marquette MI, Greg Carrier DJI Air 2s Taken 6/17/23. From St Peter Cathedral of Marquette Facebook Page.
When one thinks of Michigan’s Upper Peninsula, (if one thinks of it all), the images that come to mind are likely those of moose, pine trees, and lakeshores. What one will not think of is soaring ceilings, underground crypts, and fine ecclesiastical mosaics. At yet all of those things, and much more, can be found in St. Peter Cathedral, the mother church of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Marquette. The current building was completed in 1890, and remodeled significantly starting in 1936 after a fire.
We would be remiss to not preface our tour of this church without mentioning Bishop Frederic Baraga (1797-1868). +Baraga was a Slovenian missionary to the upper midwest, known for his protection of and ministry to the native peoples of the region. He was the first bishop of Marquette, and was declared Venerable by Pope Benedict XVI in 2012. He is still quite close to the hearts of the people of his diocese, and his veneration looms over and is tied into the history and design of St Peter Cathedral.
THE SANCTUARY - ABBREVIATED
Image courtesy St Peter Cathedral of Marquette Facebook Page.
In the interior of the church, one will note the impressive reredos and wonderful mosaic work behind the altar. At the time of our visit, preparations were taking place to celebrate Mass and thus we were unable to obtain our own images of the nave and sanctuary. However, the cathedra (bishop’s throne) has been moved to the side of the sanctuary, rather than its central placement in this photo.
ADORATION CHAPEL
On the left hand side of the church, a set of unassuming doors lead to the adoration chapel. This small chapel has a narthex (entryway) containing a guest book and shrine to St. Thérèse of Lisieux, and is separated from the chapel by a metal grill. (We will see this as a common theme in the cathedral). Along the back wall of the chapel are devotional materials and hanging portraits of past bishops of Marquette.
Each wall is dignified by three stained glass windows, each depicting a saint with crozier and miter: St Martin, St. Francis, St. Chrysostom, St Augustine, St Alphonsus, and St. Stanislaus.
The Altar itself is inlaid with the IHS Christogram, and is topped by a tabernacle, which in turn sis under the adoration tabernacle. For readers who may be unfamiliar with this device, it is essentially a box similar in outward appearance to a tabernacle, containing a single consecrated host displayed for adoration. However, this host can be closed off behind little doors, when no-one is in adoration.
Behind the altar is a mosaic of Christ with two children, which to each side has a number of statues in niches, and above it a mural depicting angels, cherubim, and the Agnus Dei.
To one side, an iconographic shrine to Our Lady has been built.
CRYPT CHAPEL
Through an unobtrusive door at the back of the adoration chapel and down a flight stairs, one finds the crypt chapel. A small room is once again protected by an iron grill, thankfully open at the time of our visit. Inside is a small altar or possibly credence table, with a crucifix and two candlesticks. Moving beyond this, another grill separates the crypt proper.
Within are buried six of Marquette’s past bishops, three on each side. An kneeler and altar in the center face the center topmost tomb- which is now empty. However, it once held the remains of +Baraga, as evidenced by the portrait above it. One can in fact see the damage where the bishop’s nameplate was removed. The reason for this will soon become clear.
The experience of praying amongst the deceased is always a powerful one, and that it is also here in the depths of this remote cathedral, surrounded by the mortal remains of so many august prelates.
BISHOP BARAGA CHAPEL
Rome requires the bodies of candidates for beatification to be displayed publicly. Thus, when +Baraga was declared Venerable in 2012, a chapel was soon built for ‘the snowshoe bishop’. At the expense of some $500,000, this was completed and the bishop’s body was moved from the cathedral crypt to its new resting place. Two glorious windows by Conrad Schmitt Studios display images of the bishop: behind the sarcophagi, the Bishop baptizes a Native American and journeys to Marquette. The other window is a full portrait of Bishop Baraga, holding one his dictionary of the Ojibway language.
Also displayed are images of a vestment set belonging to the bishop- note the strange green orphreys on the purple background. They strangely do not appear centered on center of the chasuble, and the gold borders appear only on one side of the pillars- and both to the same side. This creates a jarring asymmetrical effect. Perhaps this is a style or tradition of vestment making we are not familar with, but whether this is the original design or some modern restoration, we cannot say. (Apparently, the nearby Baraga House has in it’s collection a set of deerskin vestments that belonged to the bishop. Hopefully one day we will be able to see these).
CONCLUSION
St Peter Cathedral is a surprising oasis of art, tradition, and holiness in a remote lakeside town. It is well worth the visit. We will leave you with the website for the canonization cause of Bishop Baraga, for those of you who are so inclined: The Bishop Baraga Association.
