Cathedral of San Fernando - 2011 Restoration

2011 Restoration

In 2011, Archbishop Gustavo García-Siller, breaking from the design envisioned for the cathedral restoration, reversed some of the prior alterations, unveiling a new altar (permanently affixed to the floor closer to the sanctuary and made from made of stone from Spain, Turkey and Israel); a new traditional bishop's chair or cathedra (crafted of white oak and resting on an extended sanctuary floor made of tile); relocating the baptismal font from the back of the church back to the front next to the lectern (opening up space for processions into the church from Main Plaza); and installing a new railing behind the altar to section off the sanctuary (to prevent people visiting the retablo from straying onto the altar). The 2011 improvement project was paid for with $150,000 in donations from parishioners and outside donors. As part of the dedication, the archbishop placed three relics in the altar. There are two relics of St. Anthony of Padua, a Doctor of the Church and the patron saint of San Antonio; and a third relic is of Venerable Concepcion Cabrera de Armida, also known as Conchita, who inspired the formation of the Missionaries of the Holy Spirit (Archbishop Garcia-Siller was ordained a priest to the Missionaries of the Holy Spirit in 1984) as well as 16 other spirituality inspired Catholic organizations.