Upon entering the cathedral, there are two memorial plaques
prominently displayed in the narthex. On the right side of the main
door (pictured above) is a plaque memorializing the rebuilding of
the Cathedral after the devastating fire of 1935. It reads:
“This Cathedral Church, erected in 1853 AD by John M. Henni,
first bishop and archbishop, was almost completely destroyed by fire
in 1935. In 1936, Samuel A. Stritch, fifth archbishop, began to
rebuild it more spaciously and more ornately, thus saving it from
complete demolition. His transfer to the Archdiocese of Chicago
prevented him from completing the work. In 1943, on the occasion of
the centenary of the erection of the diocese, Moses, E. Kiley, sixth
Archbishop, completed the work of restoration.”
