January 2025. CHF relaunches Cathedral History Hunt

January 21, 2025

February 24, 2014 Cathedral Altar Boys formed a team to race down the Red Bull Crashed Ice Track. This is not a prerequisite for service!!

Dear Friends of the Cathedral Heritage Foundation,

Happy New Year! Cleaning out storage areas often makes the list for New Year's resolutions. We are digging into our archives to revisit memorable moments and milestones related to our Cathedral of Saint Paul. Does anyone remember this event featured in the image above? For seven years, Red Bull Crashed Ice built a custom made ice track that zig-zagged down Cathedral Hill. Extreme athletes, and apparently some hearty altar boys, took the physical challenge to race down the track on skates.

This gave us an idea to relaunch the Cathedral History Hunt, originally published in 2007 to commemorate the Cathedral Cornerstone Centennial. Each week, we will publish two questions in the areas of art, history and architecture on our CHF social media channels: Facebook, Instagram, and X. Keep a list of your answers, and come spring, we will ask you to send in your answers. We will draw one name from those who answered all the questions correctly for a fabulous prize. If you haven't already started to follow us on social media, go to our website, and scroll down to the bottom to click on the social media channel you want to follow.

You may need to do some research, or take a tour at the Cathedral to find all the answers. We hope it will be a fun activity during these winter months! Also see below for a list of "wins" from our Cathedral Christmas Market & Concerts last month.

Warmly,

The Board of Directors, Cathedral Heritage Foundation

Cathedral Christmas Market & Concerts 2024

by the numbers

We hosted 19 amazing vendors from a chocolatier and Polish-imported Christmas ornaments to hand-knit sweaters and socks. Plus, Advent Blessings from Fr. Ryan Glaser and the Typewriting Poets composing personalized love poems upon request. And we always look forward to the strolling, costumed carolers from River Falls High School.
We had 25 wonderful sponsors step up with financial support. Thank you!!! We could not have done it without you: A Brighter View Holiday Lighting, Heppner's Auto Body, Hubbard Broadcasting, McGough, Premier Banks, Dr. David & Barbara Dries, Apres Party Rental, Kowalski's, Lumitas Wealth Strategies, MPR Classical, St. Patrick's Guild, SARPA, Steven C Music, Thomas Liquors, Twin Cities Pain Clinic, Twin Cities Pioneer Press, Xcel Energy, Scott & Anne Billeadeau, Mary & Brian Harens, Very Rev. Joseph R. Johnson, Jan McCall, Mary E. Schaffner, Shea Global Foundation, Spartan End Zone Club, CW Marketing & Communications.
We partnered with Steven C Anderson for three "Christmas Together" concerts to benefit the Cathedral restoration fund. Audience members heard the premier of "Cathedral Christmas Fanfare" composed by the brilliant Adi Yeshaya. Musical talents accompanying Steven C included: Pat Donohue, Chris Ganza, Jack Cassidy, Jillian Anderson, Kathryn Budzien, Diane Tremaine, and St. Cecilia Choir.
Finally, we had 91 volunteers!!!!! They staffed positions all around the campus from parking lot attendants, to pedestrian crossing guards, concert ushers and ticket-takers, alcohol gate monitors, beer and gluhwein sellers, and one bingo caller!

Thank you all!

You have formed a solid backbone for the important work for the Cathedral Heritage Foundation in preserving the Cathedral has a historic monument and community treasure.