Basilica of St. Josaphat dome illuminated for first time to fanfare as lighting project completed

A crowd of families, friars, benefactors and schoolchildren cheered Saturday evening as a flipped switch illuminated the dome of the Basilica of St. Josaphat.

Aside from a test run a few weeks prior, Saturday night marked the first time the dome was lit by 26 points of light, the culmination of a major restoration project for the century-old church on Milwaukee’s south side.

“The basilica has always been a jewel for our province, but tonight it becomes a 26-point diamond,” said the Rev. Paul Schneider of the Conventual Franciscan Friars. St. Josaphat’s friars are part of the Chicago-based St. Bonaventure province.

The dome lighting ceremony was a joyous occasion despite the evening’s drizzle. It drew guests such as Milwaukee mayor Tom Barrett and Archbishop Jerome Listecki — as well as kids from St. Josaphat School clad in face paint and glow stick bracelets, religious sisters holding balloon animals and parishioners armed with umbrellas.

Some speakers in the evening’s program called the dome a beacon of light and hope for Milwaukee. Completed in 1901 by Polish immigrants, the basilica’s dome — a 220-foot-tall copper cupola — had never been illuminated.

Spanning 80 feet in diameter and filled with murals and stained glass windows, it was one of the largest domes in the world at the time of its construction. The basilica itself is a designated Milwaukee landmark and is considered one of the most architecturally significant churches in Wisconsin.

Luis Rubio lives near the basilica and sometimes volunteers at the food pantry on site. He brought his family along Saturday night to see the newly lit dome that’ll loom over his neighborhood nightly. 

“We are excited,” Rubio said, showing off the commemorative coins he bought for the lighting. “I love the church and its people.”

The Rev. Robert Melnick, a Franciscan friar based in Chicago, came up to Milwaukee for the ceremony. He said the illumination of the dome serves as a good reminder of the community’s ingenuity a century ago in building a lasting symbol of beauty.

“The Polish immigrants who came had very little,” Melnick said. “And they were willing to give the little that they had to create something that would last for their children and their children’s children and for us today.”

The basilica’s beauty keeps on giving, nearly 120 years later. As St. Josaphat students sang “This Little Light of Mine” to close out the program, the archbishop, the mayor and the project’s major donors all joined in. Babies bopped along in their mothers’ arms. Smiling visitors snapped photos on the way to the parking lot. They’d see the dome again from the freeway, but this was a special moment.

“It’s bigger than all of us,” Melnick said. “We all contribute to something much greater than ourselves. And it’s a great symbol of that.”

Contact Sophie Carson at (414) 223-5512 or scarson@gannett.com. Follow her on Twitter at @SCarson_News.