Cathedral rector says restoration restored more than the building; it restored the heart of the faithful

Bella Bailey

Multimedia Correspondent

The Cathedral Basilica of the Assumption’s, Covington, restoration began in early 2024 and has grown larger in scale and reputation in each passing year. Hundreds of faithful throughout the Diocese have contributed to the Restored in Christ campaign, to ensure the restoration of their Mother Church.

Covington residents and visiting onlookers could often be found with their cameras out, photographing the hoisting of the gargoyles, chimera, columns and tracery as piece by piece the Cathedral was disassembled and put back together. Local and national media like the Associated Press have reported on the restoration, with the Cathedral parish’s own rector, Father Ryan Maher giving comments to journalists and news agencies.

For Father Maher however, the heart of the project lies deeper than the dollars raised and recognition received, it is about how the Cathedral has stood as a beacon for the faithful of the Diocese, and how it is an honor to take part in Bishop Maes’ historic vision. Noting, even, that the restoration was not a routine maintenance issue but rather a preservation one.

The project, he said, “was taking of a treasure that we’ve been given so that many, many, many more people can come to know the Lord through their experience of the Lord inside and outside of this holy place.”

As Father Maher watched the construction from his office window, as craftsman moved on lifts and operated cranes, what really struck him was “the sense that every inch matters, every millimeter matters,” he said. “That was inspiring to me.” It reminded him that “that’s how the Lord’s love is for us. Every detail matters of my life, of your life. There’s nothing in my heart or in my life that doesn’t matter to him, and there’s no detail that’s not attended to by the Lord and his desire for us. To see that expressed in all of the work, I think, that was one of the main things that stood out,” he said.

The Cathedral was erected by Bishop Camillus Maes, who laid the cornerstone for the church in 1895. Craftsman then worked by horse and buggy, using pully systems to bring the original chimera to the top of the Cathedral. However, the attention to detail remained the same.

“It’s remarkable,” said Father Maher, “because Bishop Maes was very detailed, and details mattered to Bishop Maes and they mattered to us in our life of faith.”

“As time went on, I really just became more and more grateful, and really honored that we can do this together for not just ourselves, but for the future generations. Just being able to, in a practical way, to share Bishop Maes’ work … that we took part in his vision,” said Father Maher.

“It’s a hundred-year project,” he said, recognizing that the building has stood the test of time for over one hundred years, “and we’re the people of that hundred year time. It fell to use to be a part of that, and that was really an ongoing source of, for me, gratitude to the Lord for providing this opportunity.”

With the restoration project officially concluded with the August 15 celebration held on the Feast of Our Lady of the Assumption, the patronal feast day of the Cathedral, Father Maher has taken a moment to reflect and recognized that “there was something more going on than just the restoration of Christ in the Cathedral, but for us — for the local Church, the Diocese, for all those who donated, for all those who come — that there is a restoration of the heart that the Lord is always wanting to make new.”