Monday, September 18, 2017

Hail Mary Full Of Grace

Ed and I visited The Cathedral of Saint Augustine this weekend, considering it as a possible spot for our wedding ceremony.  It's the mother church of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Tucson.

The good news is, the place didn't burst into flames when I walked in.

What I think the bad news is, is that there's a big rigmarole involved if you want to get married here, since it's a Catholic church.

Since we're considering doing this fairly soon, we just don't have time for all of that. Hell, I don't even have time to learn how to do a proper Rosary.  

They recommend you get started with marriage preparation six to nine months prior to the wedding, which isn't going to work.  That's find with me because I really don't have any interest in participating in classes and programs anyway.  Oh, and they even have guidelines for cohabiting couples.  That would include us two sinners.

Here's some information on the church from Wikipedia:

"
The cathedral parish's history began with the founding of the chapel of the Royal Presidio of San Agustin in Tucson, which was constructed in 1776.  By the 1850s, both the presidio and its chapel had fallen out of use, so Father Joseph Machebeuf was sent to survey the condition of the area in the 1860s. He advised the Bishop of Santa Fe that a priest should be assigned to the location, which had a population of 600 people.

In 1862 or 1863, Father Donato Rogieri arrived from Santa Fe, New Mexico to the small village of Tucson. At the time, it consisted of little more than sun-baked adobe homes near the Santa Cruz River, with no house of worship. After services were over, Father Donato and his parishioners would go to the Solano Leon place (where the Manning House is now at) and pick up adobe bricks and carry them back to the site of the church and one brick placed on top of another was how the walls were constructed.

Father Jean B. Salpointe was appointed as pastor of the new church in 1866. Work on the structure—commonly referred to as a cathedral, even then—was completed by 1868. The Holy See declared the territory of Arizona an apostolic vicariate later that year, and Salpointe was appointed Vicar Apostolic.

The church was rebuilt by Bishop Peter Bourgade in 1897; the original plans called for a Gothic structure, but the spires were never completed.  It was only in 1928 that the brick structure was transformed into its present Mexican baroque form, including the cast stone façade, which was inspired by the Cathedral of Querétaro, Mexico.

A restoration project, which entirely demolished and rebuilt the cathedral with the exception of its façade and towers, coincided with the centenary anniversary of the completion of the original church. It was initiated in 1966 and completed in 1968.

The cathedral features an elaborate cast stone façade with the coat of arms of Pope Pius XI, who was the pope at the time of the building's construction. Various indigenous desert plants are featured in the stone designs, such as yucca and saguaro blossoms, as well as a representation of the Mission San Xavier del Bac.

A large 12th- or 13th-century crucifix hanging inside the cathedral's vestibule was carved at Pamplona, Spain.  The cathedral's floor is set on a slight grade, so that the main altar is clearly in view of the entire congregation. The seating can accommodate up to 1,250 people. The pipe organ was designed and built by David McDowell in Tucson and has thirty-eight ranks."

The church is quite impressive, beautiful inside and out, but I think it's a bit much for me.  I'm thinking of going with a backyard thing or a nearby botanical garden setting.


That detail is yet to be determined.


~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~
2016: 
Hell On Buns

2015: Signs In Shipshe
2014: Plenty Of Clearance Here
2013: The Force Of Gravity Mixed With A Little Quirkiness
2012: Sí, Soy Un Ciudadano De Los Estados Unidos
2011: The Things You Do For Love
2010: Sweating Profusely From The Head Is Clearly A Sign Of A Highly Intelligent Individual
2009: Eddie Watching Boats And Waiting For Brisket Friday
2008: It’s Probably Best Not To Piss Of The Devil
2007: Reminders For Morons
2006: Feasting With Saints And Sinners
2005: We Live In The Signpost Forest  

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