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Ramiro Garcia
Mr. Taylor
English Composition II 106
22 February 2013
More Than Just Brick and Mortar
Landmarks are often thought of as multi-million colossal edifices that are associated with
some significant person, event or place. However, when people drive past through a religious
shrine, church, or statue, they often think of it as nothing more than a place where people gather
for worship, not as historical landmarks. Religious landmarks differ from historical landmarks in
that religious landmarks provide a much more profound meaning to a city or community. A
church building is both a house of God and a place where the Church, the people of God, offer
their prayers, supplications, sacrifices, and their very lives to God. These are the reasons the
church building is set apart from other buildings: while other landmarks are simply pleasing to
the eye, the church is a holy place, a place where heaven and earth meet, and people mark their
life journeys—social and spiritual.
A church has a special place in the hearts of its members and this can be attested to by the
many stories and memories that people have of their churches. Sacred landmarks vary by a city’s
or community’s religion, each having their own spiritual, ethnic and societal meaning. They are
worth much more than the brick and mortar that they consist of, as they represent a greater value
to their surrounding area and its citizens—specifically those of the Catholic faith. The
establishment of Catholic based landmarks in America has altered the development of cities and
influenced cultural, religious, and social aspects of a community.
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Catholic landmarks have the ability to bring many cultures from a community together
for the same goal—worship. One such landmark is that of the Cathedral of the Epiphany located
in Sioux City, Iowa. Father Brent Lingle, a priest at the Cathedral and the director of worship for
the diocese in Sioux City, understands the cultural significance of the church in the city, “You
know that is one of the unique things about the Cathedral itself is that were not just a
homogenous group of people. You come to mass and not everybody looks the same and speaks
the same and we draw people in from the Hispanic and Vietnamese communities.” The
Cathedral, established over a hundred years ago, is the most important church of the diocese in
Sioux City. It serves mass in various languages other than English such as Spanish, Vietnamese,
and Latin (Lingle). The Father continues on by saying, “What you see here in the Cathedral is a
bringing together of those different cultures to worship in the same faith that we all share. The
Catholic Church is the same in Mexico as it is in Vietnam and in Sioux City.” The Cathedral
affects the cultural aspect of the community in that all the different cultures of Sioux City can
come together to celebrate and worship in the same Catholic faith that is practiced elsewhere in
the world. One does not necessarily need to be in his or her city or country of origin to show
devotion to God.
In addition to serving the culturally diverse citizens of the Sioux City community, the
Cathedral of the Epiphany also celebrates religious traditions that are unique to certain cultures.
Father Lingle elaborates: “The Vietnamese just celebrated their Lunar New Year, which was a
big cultural celebration for them. In December, when we celebrate the Hispanic tradition, Day of
Our Lady of Guadalupe, we do a bunch of social and communal events here. It's a place where
everyone can express their culture in context of their faith.” The cathedral provides the
Vietnamese and Hispanic communities in the city with a connection to their culture in the
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context of an act of faith that they participate in within in their present home of Sioux City. They
do not have to travel thousands of miles to experience their sacred holidays that were once
limited to their country of origin.
As well as celebrating their certain religious holidays of the Vietnamese and Hispanic
communities, the sacred landmark also provides a cultural acceptance of these two ethnic groups
in the form of art. The Cathedral houses two shrines dedicated to these respective ethnicities. The
Vietnamese shrine showcases the 117 Vietnamese Martyrs who were killed for their faith in
Jesus in the 1980s, while the second shrine consists of Our Lady of Guadalupe which tells the
story of St. Juan Diego and the appearance of the Virgin Mary, a key part of the Hispanic
Catholic faith (Lingle). These two shrines symbolize the acceptance of their respective cultures,
and the presence of these culturally diverse groups in the Catholic, and the Sioux City,
community. The church reaches out to the diverse citizenry that makes up the community as way
of inviting them to rejoice and worship in the same God and faith.
Catholic landmarks also have the power to show how strong faith and tradition are in a
community, and how these pillars of life support the community which stands upon them. In
Sioux City, Iowa, the presence of Catholic landmarks represent how strong the city’s religious
belief is. An example of such a Catholic based landmark is that of Trinity Heights. This religious
landmark is different from a cathedral in that, Trinity Heights is a religious site that contains
various shrines, sculptures, and statues of the Catholic faith. It is more of a place to honor one’s
faith than to worship. The centerpiece statue that stands out the most in the sacred land is the
colossal 30 foot stainless steel statue of the Virgin Mary that watches over the citizens of the
surrounding area and community (Butz). What began as land purchased by the Franciscan Order
and then a Catholic high school and college turned into a prominent religious epicenter for
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devoted Catholics in Sioux City and in the Midwest. Father Harold Cooper, the original founder
of Trinity Heights, passed away in September of 2007. However, his contributions to the
Siouxland Community have left a profound mark in the lives of many (Cooper). And it’s not just
the Siouxland community that has been affected, in fact according to Dolly A. Butz a writer at
the Sioux City Journal, “More than 100,000 people from all over the world flock to the
inspirational destination that blends art, nature and the teachings of Christianity each year out of
sheer curiosity or the need to find a quiet place to pray and reflect” (Butz), With thousands of
people visiting Trinity Heights a year, it has become a sanctum for the devout and a symbol of
the public’s devotion to the Catholic faith: a faith that binds the worshippers in a community
together.
Trinity Heights has also affected the religious development of Sioux City by aiding its
visitors in strengthening the faith of its visitors. Beanie Cooper, the brother of the founder of
Trinity Heights explains the impact that the sacred monument has had on those who come and
visit the religious site: “We get hundreds of letters from people who have been here, saying how
moved they have been, how much it means to them and how much closer to God they have felt
since they have been here (qtd. in Lefebvre).” This sacred ground even has the power to
strengthen the faithful’s bond with God. No one knows this better than Dr. Paul Wolpert, a
graduate from Creighton University and a retired surgeon, who is now the president of the board
of Queen of Peace Inc, which oversees all operations of Trinity Heights and the neighboring
community. He expressed the way that the landmark inspires people, “If you read the mission
statement of Trinity Heights, you’ll see that it says ‘Evangelization by the laity in accordance
with the magisterium [church teachers] … we are committed to assisting people on their journey
of faith.” The mission statement of Trinity Heights is to aid whoever visits to find their spiritual
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calling or secular purpose. Trinity Height’s existence is not only to support the Catholic faith, to
attract thousands of people, or to bring parishioners closer to God, but also to help normal men
and women to find their own religious calling, whether it is in the Catholic faith or another faith.
Trinity Heights serves as a guide to lead and help all grow and develop a closer relationship to
God.
Religious landmarks have often brought a powerful social strength and unity to
symbolize the community in which it is located. Dr. Wolpert believes that religion adds to the
development of a community and city, as he says that, “religion is important in any community
as it reveals that the community is going to thrive, that the city is going to thrive and the nation is
going to thrive.” His statement applies not only to religion itself, but also to religious landmarks.
For example, the Basilica of the National Shrine of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary
in Baltimore, Maryland has exemplified the meaning of Dr. Wolport’s words and has gone even
further in representing the social values of America. This Basilica was the first Catholic
cathedral ever established in America during July of 1806, signifying the newly freedom of
religion to which the basis of this country stands upon (Adams). This cathedral was the first
religious landmark to show the world of religion that Maryland had become the first ever secular
state and all had the freedom to worship there. Protestants and Catholics, who had been fighting
and killing each other for centuries in Europe, could finally worship together freely in this new
nation with its spiritual independence affecting the development of religious cities and
communities of America.
Yet, it is not only in Sioux City where cathedrals contribute to the community. The
Cathedral of Our Lady of the Angels, located in Los Angeles, California, has gone beyond the
boundaries of symbolizing a city based on the Catholic faith. This multi-million dollar project is
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expected to withstand five hundred years of wear and tear. Especially important in an area where
earthquakes are common, it will last through these natural disasters, being able to stand after any
earthquake that is below a magnitude of 8.3 (Jacki). The Cathedral is physically and
metaphorically a symbol of strength and religious freedom. In a visit to the Cathedral, Suzanne
Guthrie, a writer for the religious magazine, The Christian Century, she speaks of the power and
social values that the cathedral has instilled in the Los Angeles Cathedral when she claims that,
“When you pray here you are part of humanity past, future, and in the inglorious, unromanticized
present. Conspicuously hidden, as the architect intended, the niches for private devotion fan out
behind the public worship space.” In other words, this Cathedral displays a strong social value in
terms of tradition and faith to all who visit and show their devotion to their beliefs. It is the
physical manifestation of a city’s robust belief and devotion to the community’s level of spiritual
faith.
Though Cathedrals can affect the community and the people who make it up, the
community also influences the Cathedral. When America became a nation, millions of
immigrants flocked to America from all parts of the world in search for religious freedom that
many have urged for so long. According to writer Robert D. Mcfadden of the New York Times
one city that served as an entry point for immigrants was New York City, the home of the St.
Patrick Cathedral, which was the first Roman Catholic cathedral built in the city in 1808.
However, it served more than just as a church to the swarm of immigrants coming in. They
shaped the community of the Cathedral in that it housed all the Hispanic, Asian, and European
immigrants that had arrived in New York City. (Mcfadden). It was these immigrants that became
the social symbols behind the development of the city and more specifically the cathedral’s
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community. Father Lingle speaks of the influence that immigrants have on the church when he
says that:
I think that the Cathedral serves as a hub for immigrants as there coming in. This
is a place they can call home, they can feel comfortable because this is the church
and they are comfortable of the church from wherever it is they came from,
Vietnam, Mexico, and Guatemala, wherever it might be and they can feel at home
because the church is the same. (Lingle)
In truth it doesn’t matter how far away one is from home, because a church or cathedral can be a
home away from home—a familiar site to tired eyes. This is true in that the immigrants that have
come to America with their strong devotion to their Catholic beliefs are what truly define the
social aspect of the church and the community.
Throughout the world the Catholic faith has influenced the lives of billions of people in
the centripetal forces of tradition and belief. Catholic communities have managed to erect centers
of worship of culturally diverse communities throughout the nation and throughout the world.
From Saint Peter’s Basilica in Rome to Trinity Heights in Sioux City, landmarks have been the
heart of every community. All beginning with a person’s small vision or dream in mind, this
sense of faith and worship has affected more than the mansion-like cathedrals framed with the
finest outlines of gothic architecture. More recently, they have extended their reach to lay the
foundation for the birth of new cities and communities, bonded with the same level of
ecumenical in intent and appeal. The Reverend Thomas F. Pike interprets the true meaning of
religious landmarks best when he states, “Religious institutions are in many ways the heart of our
communities, the heart of our neighborhoods, the heart of our cities. They are in the best sense,
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landmarks” (Armstrong, Klein, and Armstrong vii). And it’s these landmarks that will hopefully
continue to prosper and develop the Catholic faith around the world for many centuries to come.
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Works Cited
Adams, Jennifer. "Historic landmark receives well-deserved attention: as the oldest Catholic
Cathedral in the U.S., it came time for the Baltimore Basilica to be restored, including
updating its interior as well as cleaning and repairing its exterior stonework." Stone
World Apr. 2007: 260+. General OneFile. Web. 5 Feb. 2013.
Armstrong, Foster, Richard Klein, and Cara Armstrong. A Guide to Cleveland's Sacred
Landmarks. Kent: Kent State UP, 1992. Print.
Butz, Dolly A. "Trinity Heights Offers Quiet Place to Pray, Reflect." Sioux City Journal. Sioux
City Journal, 31 Dec. 2011. Web. 8 Jan. 2013. <http://siouxcityjournal.com/specialsection/visitors-guide/trinity-heights-offers-quiet-place-to-pray-reflect/article_9438df5bb995-58cc-a5e7-20feefa4fd13.html>.
Cooper, Beanie. The Miracle of Trinity Heights. N.p.: Queen of Peace, 2011. Print.
Guthrie, Suzanne. "Journey of light." The Christian Century 129.16 (2012): 10+. General
OneFile. Web. 14 Feb. 2013.
Jacki, Lyden. "Interview: Nick Roberts Discusses The New LA Cathedral Of Our Lady Of The
Angels." All Things Considered (NPR) (n.d.): Newspaper Source. Web. 14 Feb. 2013.
Lefebvre, Katie. "Devotion to Mary Inspired Trinity Heights." Catholic Globe. N.p., 6 Sept.
2007. Web. 8 Jan. 2013.
<http://www.catholicglobe.org/archive/2007/2007/0907/06/stories/story6.htm>.
Lingle, Brent. Cathedral of the Epiphany, Diocese of Sioux City a Historical, Architectural and
Functional Analysis. Sioux City: n.p., 2006. Print.
Lingle, Fr. Brent. Personal interview. 4 Feb. 2013.
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Mcfadden, Robert D. "Cathedral with a past; basilica with a future." New York Times 6 Dec.
2010: A21(L). General OneFile. Web. 1 Feb. 2013.
Wolpert, Dr. Paul. Personal interview. 16 Jan. 2013.