A much-needed upgrade

The first signs of the upcoming work are visible: the stained-glass windows are covered with paper, and blue masking tape surrounds the Stations of the Cross. Together with Fr. James Stembler, the current rector of Corpus Christi Cathedral, four former rectors sit in the choir of the church for a press conference: Fr. Hanh Van Pham, now the Pastor of St. Andrew by the Sea in Flour Bluff, Msgr. Michael Howell, now retired, Fr. Pete Elizardo, Pastor at St. Joseph in Beeville, and Fr. Joseph Lopez, Pastor at Most Precious Blood. 

Fr. Stembler explained the main features of the Cathedral Renovation: relocating the tabernacle to the center of the church, installing a new altar and an accessible ambo without stairs, and removing the seats in the apse. New pews will also be installed: “They are worn out, and the sanitizing and washing during Covid-19 also took a toll on them,” explained Fr. Stembler. 

The Baptismal Font will be moved to the entrance of the Cathedral, “as baptism marks our entrance into the Church.” New confessionals will be installed, and the chapel currently housing the tabernacle will become a chapel dedicated to Mary, with the Pietà moving from the entrance to the chapel. 

The sound system will be upgraded. “When I started here in 2023, I heard many complaints about the sound,” said Fr. Stembler. After numerous incidents, a new system will finally be installed. The work is expected to be completed by the end of 2025 or the beginning of 2026.

Fr. Hanh, who served as the rector of the Cathedral from 2013 to 2017, noted that it has been 40 years since the Cathedral was last updated. “The paint peels off, the bathrooms need improvement – there are many things we need to do.” Msgr. Howell, who ministered at the Cathedral twice, first as an assistant and then as rector from 1997 to 2005, reminded the media that the Church, like this building, is in a constant state of change. Fr. Lopez, rector from 2007 to 2010, is excited about the “very much needed upgrading – the Cathedral is the Mother Church of the Diocese.” And Fr. Pete, whose first assignment was at the Cathedral and who returned as rector from 2019 to 2023, highlighted the changes that will accommodate the elderly and hearing-impaired: “The ambo will not require to climb steps anymore, and the new sound system can be linked to hearing aids.” He also mentioned the many changes that people won’t see, like the AC units – “right now, there are many leaks.”

During the renovation, only the 7 am Mass will be celebrated in the Emmanuel Chapel at the Cathedral. All other Masses have been moved to Sacred Heart Church on Comanche Street, which is just 0.6 miles away from the Cathedral.