Longford’s newly restored cathedral opens to the public

After a five-year wait, the people of Longford have once again celebrated Mass in their beloved St Mel’s Cathedral.

Fire ravaged the 19th Century cathedral in the early hours of Christmas Day in 2009 and left only a burnt out shell remaining. The loss was a huge blow to the whole community but, from the beginning, Bishop Colm O’Reilly, now retired, spoke of restoration.

The cathedral officially opened at the weekend for public viewings and Mass led by Bishop Francis Duffy.

The new St Mel’s is still instantly recognisable as the fabric of the original building has been restored to exactly as it was pre-fire. But the building has also been transformed into a modern place of worship with updated facilities and newly-commissioned artistic works.

Survived

Amazingly, the timber statue of St Therese of Lisieux located in the west transept survived the fire, as did the painting of the Holy Family in the same area. The statues of Our Lady and St Mel also survived and have returned to their positions in the apse overlooking the sanctuary.

While the fire destroyed the majority of the items in the Diocesan Museum, a new museum in the crypt will house the remaining items which were cleaned and restored at the National Museum.

On May 19 next year there will be a formal dedication of St Mel’s with representation from all 41 parishes of the diocese.