Gayle Benson Hosts Launch Party for an Inspirational Campaign to Save the Most Photographed Cathedral in the U.S.
An enthusiastic crowd filled the Old Ursuline Convent Museum in the French Quarter as Saints and Pelicans owner Gayle Benson hosted a reception to launch the "Our City, Our Cathedral" campaign. Civic leaders, New Orleans city council members, historians, and parishioners were personally greeted by Mrs. Benson along with a glass of champagne upon entering through the elegant gardens and welcomed into the adjacent St. Mary's Church.
Under the 1845 church's soaring ceiling, presentations illustrating the ambitious campaign to preserve St. Louis Cathedral—a national historic landmark many consider New Orleans' most iconic structure—well into the future. Beyond Mrs. Benson, other presenters included Archbishop Aymond, as well as New Orleans-natives Harry Connick, Jr. and Hoda Kotb. Each shared personal memories not only of what the Cathedral means to them, but also as to its significance to the city.
"I am humbled to help lead the charge in this campaign " Mrs. Benson said. "I encourage you to reflect on what the Cathedral means to you, our ancestors, and future generations."
With the current building completed in 1850, The Cathedral-Basilica of St. Louis King of Francis is the oldest Catholic cathedral in continual use in the United States. It has been subjected to harsh conditions well-known in the Crescent City over the centuries, such as extreme heat, floods, and hurricanes. Our City, Our Cathedral's goal is to raise $75 million—of which $15 Million has already been secured according to Mrs. Benson—for repairs, renovations and endowments to ensure the structure's physical and financial viability through the foreseeable future.
A reception followed throughout the convent museum and courtyard featuring elegant dishes, passed hors d'oeuvres, an expansive charcuterie table, and a massive cake created to look like St. Louis Cathedral with painstaking detail. The entrance to the courtyard was marked with a 6-foot ice sculpture of the Cathedral which quickly became a popular photo op. A quartet entertained guests well into the evening.
The "Our City, Our Cathedral" launch outlined the needs that motivated this campaign and engaged the stakeholders who equate embrace the idea that "history of New Orleans is the history of St. Louis Cathedral, and the history of St. Louis Cathedral is the history of the city."
The funding breakdown for this initiative is a comprehensive plan for one of the most identifable jewels in the city's skyline includes:
- $45 million is projected to be needed for immediate and long-term repairs to the cathedral structural integrity along with aesthetics and decor integral to the historical significance.
- $10 million is expected to renovate the rectory building across Pere Antoine Alley which would reinventing the space to include a museum, meeting rooms, a modern gift shop, a bridal suite for weddings, and much-needed public bathrooms. T
- The remaining $20 million would be split into two endowments of $10 million each to ensure permanent funding for operating costs and on-going maintenance.
