An architectural and engineering study identified multiple projects necessary to secure the long-term functionality, safety, accessibility, and beauty of the Cathedral.
We have already implemented some of the most critical efforts needed to prevent further damage to the interior of the building, and now it is time to enter the next phase of the building restoration, focusing on:
Repairing decorative plaster, rebuilding/refinishing bronze doors, and revitalizing the Sanctuary.
Addressing building security, upgrading the plaza and parking, and replacing the elevators that are beyond repair.
Improving all lighting, replacing the failing pipe organs, and enhancing the musical program with an additional instrument commensurate with episcopal liturgical needs and fitting for a cathedral setting.
As an iconic landmark in Cincinnati, the Cathedral Basilica of St. Peter in Chains is known for its grand columns, sanctuary woodwork, large bronze doors, intricate decorative paintings, and its original high altar. These details make a profound impact on the physical beauty of the Cathedral Basilica and the spiritual and liturgical experience of those who enter. Over the years, periods of neglect, lack of funding, and simply the passage of time have resulted in damage to the building’s decorative plaster, issues with asbestos in the finishings, some destabilization and disintegration of the marble altar, and degradation of the building’s seven pairs of bronze doors. Funding for these projects will allow the Cathedral Basilica to engage qualified experts in woodworking, painting and plaster work, masonry, bronze restoration and mechanics to address these issues. With your support, we can restore the Cathedral Basilica’s original majesty and return the doors to good working order, restore the sanctuary’s woodwork, correct the engineering defect and replace the temporary altar top with the intended and necessary marble of the original design, and update the building’s painting and plasterwork.
Providing a welcoming environment and sanctuary for all who enter is critical to the mission of the Cathedral Basilica. Ensuring that our space is accessible and safe is essential to allowing those who enter to participate fully in worship and engage in personal prayer and reflection. This includes providing ample parking and clear wayfinding signs. With your help investing in safety and accessibility, we will level and resurface the parking lot that has degraded, provide systems for the Cathedral Basilica staff to begin managing the parking concession, and provide security, fencing, and signs to welcome visitors and reach the community with evangelizing and catechetical opportunities. Additionally, we will upgrade our sound system to broadcast both indoors and outdoors for those occasions – such as liturgies for Easter Vigil, Blue Mass, Palm Sunday, and public funerals – when worshippers fill the plaza and portico. We will also replace/renovate our three building elevators to address critical mechanical issues, lower energy waste, and address recurring service issues – ensuring that the elevators run smoothly and safely and continue making our building accessible to the elderly and those with disabilities.
The Cathedral Basilica, as with all sacred spaces, ushers us into the presence of the Divine. The church provides space for contemplation, reflection, reverence, and awe. While lighting enhances the Cathedral Basilica’s architectural beauty and guides our focus toward the altar, the choirs and pipe organs invite us into deep reflection, communal worship, and connection to Heaven and God. Together, these elements transform the Cathedral Basilica into a true place of worship where parishioners and visitors experience the beauty, truth and goodness of our Catholic faith. The Cathedral Basilica’s current lighting system provides insufficient light to support the liturgy and participation of the faithful. This also limits the Cathedral Basilica’s ability to capture high-quality video for streaming. Replacing the Cathedral Basilica’s 70-year-old lighting system will not only increase the Cathedral Basilica’s energy efficiency, but would allow for the creative use of lighting in liturgical celebrations and improve our video ministry to those who cannot attend the Cathedral Basilica in person due to illness or other limiting factors.
A New Musical Legacy for the Cathedral Basilica
For generations, the Cathedral Basilica’s pipe organs have enriched the worship and musical life of our community. Today, however, these treasured instruments are in critical need of replacement. The current system consists of two pipe organs controlled by a matching set of consoles. Rebuilt in 1987 with components that have now reached the end of their serviceable life, the organs have experienced increasing deterioration for more than a decade. Many pipes in the front organ no longer sound, while the east gallery organ has fallen completely silent.
After extensive study and careful consideration by the Cathedral Basilica’s Organ Committee, the decision has been made to embark on an exciting new chapter: commissioning three new organs designed specifically for the Cathedral Basilica’s liturgical, musical, and cultural needs.
The centerpiece will be a magnificent Grand Organ, located in the east gallery. This instrument will serve the Cathedral Basilica’s larger archdiocesan liturgies, concerts, and special events, providing a powerful and versatile voice worthy of this sacred space.
A second replacement organ will be installed in the upper choir lofts of the sanctuary. Designed to complement and support the Cathedral Basilica’s exceptional choral program, this instrument will also enhance liturgies and concerts, providing musicians with the flexibility and expressive capabilities needed to continue the Basilica’s rich musical tradition.
Finally, a third, more modestly scaled organ will be placed in the Blessed Sacrament Chapel. The chapel was not originally designed for daily Mass use, thus the lack of an instrument for this space. A new pipe organ will provide accompaniment and musical leadership for daily Masses in this intimate setting.
Together, these instruments will do more than replace aging equipment. They will create a lasting musical legacy—supporting sacred worship and enriching the life of the Cathedral Basilica for generations. Your support can help ensure that the magnificent tradition of sacred music continues to resound within these walls for decades to come.
No particular church, including our own mother church, can thrive without looking forward to tomorrow. We know that future ministry at the Cathedral Basilica of St. Peter in Chains will require investing in the identified renovation and upgrade projects now, for the benefit of generations to come.
Know this is only the first phase to address the issues that are in critical need of attention at this time.
Please consider joining us, in faith, as we answer this call to restore our beautiful Cathedral Basilica and preserve its place as the Mother Church in the Archdiocese of Cincinnati.
for the mission and ministry of the Cathedral Basilica of St. Peter in Chains.
your support and share your faith.
in stewarding this beautiful Cathedral Basilica and securing its future in the archdiocese.