Cathedral of St. Raymond Nonnatus – Joliet, IL

Date of Review: I attended the Feast of the Assumption Mass, at 1030am August 15, 2021. Fr. Abulag presided, assisted by Deacon Batis.

Architecture: The Diocese of Joliet was established in December of 1948, and after the original St. Raymond’s was selected as the Cathedral, the existing building was determined to be inadequate for its role as the seat of the diocese. The new Cathedral began construction in 1952 and was finished in 1955, in the classical revival style. Given the period of construction, the building does a good job of blending history with some more modern touches.

Celebrant(s): Fr. Abulag presided, Deacon Batis proclaimed the Gospel and and also the Homily. The Homily focused on how Mary helps us bridge the gap between us and God. Mary’s humanity makes her like us, and her unwavering faith gives us an example to live up to.

Congregation: Mass was rather poorly attended for a suburban Cathedral mid-morning. Seemingly less than 200 people in attendance. The congregants who were there did participate well.

Decor: Given the era of construction, as with the architecture, I think the interior does a good job of blending traditional elements with some touches of modernity. The stained glass windows, though not evident from the outside, looked very nice on the inside.

Location: Suburban, and it very much felt like you were walking through a neighborhood to get to the Cathedral, despite a couple major thoroughfares within a couple blocks.

Musicians: An organist/pianist and a female lead soloist. Both were excellent and their rendition of “Hail Mary Gentle Woman” caused me to listen to a number of renditions of that song over the following week.

Volunteers: A full slate of ushers, eucharistic ministers, and greeters. Given the size of the congregation in attendance, a good slate of volunteers.

Overall: Not one to go out of the way for, but definitely better than I expected from a suburban Cathedral considering the Metropolitan Cathedral is not too far away. If you’re in the neighborhood, stop in to see it!