At noon on any given weekday, dozens of business-suited men and women stream from the Capitol building, destined for grub—especially on flawless fall days, when the sun still shines and a small breeze rustles the fallen leaves.
But some don’t head straight to lunch. Instead, they walk 75 yards out the door and make a sharp right, into another building on State Street, one slightly less noticeable—the Cathedral of St. Patrick, where the Rev. Joshua Brommer holds daily noon Mass.
The cathedral itself has historical ties to the city. The parish began as a congregation of Irish laborers who moved to Harrisburg to work along the increasingly industrialized Susquehanna in the 1800s. What started as a small chapel on Allison Hill in 1813 moved in 1824 to the lot where the cathedral now stands, and the present-day building was erected in 1907. Since then, several renovations have been made, including the most recent in 2006, which brightened and beautified the interior sanctuary.
From the outside of the building, you’d never know the intricacy of what lies within. The façade is made of simple blocks of stone, and its main doors are plain and wooden. No statues adorn it; no complex carvings are etched into the outer walls.
Inside, the cathedral is an expansive space, where colossal marble columns hold up a high, elaborate ceiling. Stained glass windows—designed by an artisan in Munich more than 100 years ago—blaze forth in stunning color and precise detail.Paintings of saints brighten the domed ceiling, and the virtues and fruits of the Holy Spirit are written in an elegant font on maroon, blue and golden walls. The building arguably contains some of the greatest artwork in the city.
While Brommer, the 35-year-old pastor of the parish, is proud of the building’s significance for Harrisburg, he points out that it’s not just its exquisite design that makes the parish special—but its people.
“This is not a gigantic parish,” he explained, “but it is filled with people who have gigantic hearts.”
Brommer would know, having just come to Harrisburg this past June. Though he had never been placed in a city before, the people made him feel welcomed. He has grown to love Harrisburg and what it has to offer—strolling over to City Island, local eats, the unpredictability of city life, the diversity within the parish and within the city at large.
“And,” he added with a laugh, “being awakened in the middle of the night on a weekend when everyone’s leaving the bars on 2nd Street.”
Indeed, in only a few months, Brommer has seen all sides of city living.
We’ll Give It
Upon entering the parish offices, you immediately see that the cathedral serves all. Small signs posted around the office invite anyone who needs food, shelter or spiritual guidance to come inside and get the help they need.
Along with free Saturday morning and Sunday evening meals, the parish also sponsors the Shining Light Thrift Shop in Midtown, a charity that’s been operating for 23 years. It has especially helped people who have lost everything, whether in house fires or because they have recently been released from prison. The thrift shop enhances what Brommer sees as the parish’s mission to help Harrisburg’s “transient, struggling population,” not just spiritually but tangibly as well.
“We’ve been able to completely help people rebuild their lives,” he said. “If we’ve got it, we’ll give it.”
As for spiritual needs, Brommer hopes that the community sees the cathedral as an “oasis of peace,” a place where people can go in the midst of their busy days. This is why the doors to the cathedral are almost always unlocked, so that visitors can enter for brief moments of peace and prayer at any time.
The cathedral also attracts many tourists, as people come to see the art and history contained within its walls.
Riches and Beauty
The cathedral is part of Harrisburg’s current-day culture, as well. On Dec. 8, the cathedral will become a pilgrimage site for all Catholic churches in the area, as that day begins what Pope Francis has deemed a “Year of Mercy.” In Catholicism, pilgrimages involve people moving together to a designated destination, in order to refresh and rededicate the spiritual self.
The first day of the Year of Mercy will kick off with the decoration of one of the large, main doors into the cathedral. A ceremony will be held allowing people to walk through the door, as they pray that God will enable them to be a beacon of mercy to those they meet in the following year.
Brommer smiled as he recounted an earlier meeting. Over the Kipona festival last summer, he and other volunteers handed out free hot dogs and water to those passing by, but some of the pedestrians thought it was a scam.
“It was kind of funny because people said, ‘What’s the gist here? Do we have to sign up or something?’”
He laughed and shook his head.
“We were like, ‘No, we’re just trying to give you a hot dog, man,’” he said.
Outside of the cathedral on that day, two gaunt-looking men sat huddled on the sunlit steps. One had a suitcase, the other an old, floppy hat that shaded his face.
“He looks very gentlemanish doesn’t he? Nice lookin’ collar!” yelled out the man with the hat.
Brommer approached and engaged in conversation with them, as though they had an appointment for his time.
“When you’re outside, it’s an impressive building, but it’s not ornate,” he later said. “Then you walk in here, and it explodes with color and richness. And I think that’s a symbol of what we’re supposed to be—modest and sturdy on the outside, you know? Sort of solid, and then our heart is supposed to be filled with all the riches and the beauty.”
The Cathedral of St. Patrick is located at 212 State St., Harrisburg. For more information, visit www.stpatrickcathedral.com or call 717-232-2169.
