The diocese released an online video tour of the newly renovated Cathedral of St. Thomas More in Arlington Sept. 5, in conjunction with the Mass and altar dedication and the Diocesan Golden Jubilee.
Father James C. Hudgins, pastor of St. Theresa Church in Ashburn, led the tour. He explained the significance of the cathedral renovations and Bishop Michael F. Burbidge’s intentions behind them.
The video debuted during the Sept. 5 livestream and was later published separately on the diocesan YouTube page.
The tour starts with the large, exterior statue of diocesan patron St. Thomas More outside the cathedral. Father Hudgins also highlighted the Tudor Gothic architectural style on the exterior of the building, including high arches curving over the main entrance taking one’s eyes upward to heaven.
A large, marble baptismal font was installed in the center aisle near the entrance, he said, to reflect how one’s baptism marks entry into the Catholic Church. Blue marble accents evoke Catholics’ devotion to the Blessed Virgin.
Sixteen oriel, or bay, stained-glass windows — 14 in the body of the church and two in the sacristy — frame statues honoring saints and their stories including Josephine Bakhita, Teresa of Kolkata, John Paul II, Oscar Romero and many others. The diverse array of saints underscores the many cultural groups that comprise the Arlington diocese, said Father Hudgins.
He explained the reasoning and liturgical history behind some of the cathedral’s other finer points: The altar’s location in the sanctuary; the new tabernacle centered behind it; the bishop’s chair, or “cathedra,” and the lectern, or “ambo,” from the Greek word for hill, recalling Jesus’ Sermon on the Mount to the people.
He concluded the tour with a walk through the choir loft and a closer look at the rose window depicting Christ’s Resurrection, inviting viewers to visit the cathedral.
Watch the video
