1830 to 2000 During the 1830s, the Catholic Church in present-day
Wisconsin was under the jurisdiction of the
Diocese of Detroit. By 1843, the region had grown so much in population that
Pope Gregory XVI erected the Diocese of Milwaukee, naming Reverend
John Henni as its first bishop. He purchased land for a cathedral in Milwaukee in 1844 and laid the cornerstone for it on December 5, 1847. To pay for its construction, Henni solicited donations from Catholic communities in the
Kingdom of Bavaria, Belgium, Mexico and the Spanish
Province of Cuba. The rebuilding of Saint John the Evangelist was completed by December 1942. The cathedral celebrated its 150th anniversary in 1997.
2000 to present At the turn of the 21st century, Archbishop
Rembert Weakland began planning for a major renovation of the Cathedral of Saint John the Evangelist. Archbishop
Rembert Weakland wanted the cathedral to feature a more modern "post-
conciliar" style. Weakland hired liturgical consultant
Richard S. Vosko to plan the renovation. In 2001 a gated garden and atrium were added at the north end of the building. One of the most controversial elements of the renovation was the dismantling of the
high altar and
baldacchino in the
apse, replacing them with organ pipes. The
sanctuary and
altar were to be moved forward into the nave. These and other changes generated widespread opposition. A group of parishioners unsuccessfully petitioned the Vatican to stop the renovations. The renovations were completed in 2002. The archdiocese in 2010 installed a bronze relief pedestal of Weakland in the cathedral. The sculpture portrayed Weakland standing with children, the Virgin Mary and other biblical figures. It immediately caused controversy as Weakland had paid a seminarian
hush money about a sexual relationship and had also failed to remove priests with accusations of sexual abuse of children. The archdiocese replied that they had commissioned the pedestal before the revelations about Weakland and that it was still appropriate. == Design ==