This cache will bring you to the Cathedral Basilica of the Sacred Heart. This is the seat for the Archdiocese of Newark. The French Gothic style cathedral is the fifth largest in North America. You can also explore the Cathedral Basilica of the Sacred Heart Adventure Lab and the associated AL bonus cache. Although not necessary for this virtual cache, it is highly recommended that you tour the interior Mon - Sat from 9 - 5. No tours are allowed on Sunday due to the Mass schedule. You can take a Virtual Tour anytime.
The idea for the cathedral was first proposed by Bishop James Bayley in 1859. However, the current site on Clifton St. was not procured until 1871. The site was chosen because it "commands a view of the Orange Mountains on the west and Newark Valley, the hills of Staten Island, and New York on the east.” Bishop Bayley sent Jeremiah O'Rourke, architect and trustee of Saint Patrick's Cathedral on Washington Street, to Europe to study the great cathedrals there and come up with a plan for the new cathedral. Although the site was excavated in the 1870's, it was only after the arrival of Bishop Winand Wigger in 1881 that the project moved forward in earnest. The City wanted the land for a new high school but the bishop rebuffed the offer. The original Sacred Heart parish and school was established on the site in 1889 to create a congregation for the cathedral to come.
After considering proposals from four architects, O'Rourke's proposal of an English-Irish Gothic style was selected in 1897. His building was 365 ft long by 50 ft wide at the nave. In accepting the commission, O'Rourke pledged to Bishop Wigger that the work would be "a labor of love and not of fees and profits.” After raising enough funds to start, foundation work was started in 1898 and the cornerstone set on June 11, 1899 in a grand ceremony reportedly attended by 100,000 people. Forty years after Bishop Bayley's vision, construction was finally on the way. However, it would still be 55 years before the cathedral was completed.
Within the first few years, the Vermont granite rose to the sky and the walls stood fifty feet at the nave and ambulatory locations, with the first four tiers of the front towers under construction. Next the columns that would support the vaulting were installed. However, the general contractor noticed the weight shifting on the columns and was worried about the stability of the columns and their ability to support the roof. The architect disagreed and a prolonged fight over the stability of the building ensued with the ultimate dismissal of O'Rourke as the architect in 1910. Isaac E. Ditmars became the architect, one of the finalists for the original proposal.
DItmars made many changes after taking over, first by taking down the columns and fixing their foundations. At this time, many more design changes took place to convert the cathedral to the French Gothic style that was ultimately built, shortening the ultimate tower height to 232 ft and modifying the three spectacular rose windows to a more traditional style. After the revised plans were accepted in 1913, it took another 11 years before the building was fully enclosed in 1924.
Work continued on the interior and the death of Archbishop O'Connor was a turning point. When the new Bishop, Thomas Walsh, was named, he decided that the cathedral was good enough for his installation on May 1, 1928. This was the first of ten large events that took place in the unfinished cathedral in the next 25 years as work stopped and started in fits. Archbishop Walsh instituted a $5M fund drive to complete the cathedral in time for the 100th anniversary of the archdiocese in 1953. Unfortunately, Walsh passed away before it was completed in 1952 leaving the new Bishop Thomas Boland to complete the task.
95 years after the initial concept for the cathedral and six archbishops later, the cathedral was dedicated on October 19, 1954. Soon, the magnificence of the cathedral because known far and wide. The cathedral was designated as a NJ historic landmark in 1974 and a national historic site in 1976,
One more honor remained for the cathedral. On Pope John Paul II's visit to Newark in 1995, he attended a prayer service at the cathedral and declared the building a minor basilica. This honor speaks to the beauty of the building and the importance to the church in New Jersey. In addition to regular Masses, the cathedral is used for choral and organ concerts.
In Order to Claim this Virtual, Please EMAIL or Message me the answers to the following question. IF YOU DO NOT SEND ME THE ANSWERS WITHIN TWO DAYS OF LOGGING, I WILL DELETE YOUR LOG.
DO NOT PUT YOUR ANSWERS IN YOUR LOG, IT WILL BE DELETED:
To claim this virtual cache, please inspect the magnificent front doors of the basilica. On the bottom right corner of the right door is an inscription in Latin at the bottom of the panel. Send that inscription to me to claim the find.
Virtual Rewards 3.0 - 2022-2023
This Virtual Cache is part of a limited release of Virtuals created between March 1, 2022 and March 1, 2023. Only 4,000 cache owners were given the opportunity to hide a Virtual Cache. Learn more about Virtual Rewards 3.0 on the Geocaching Blog.