Mater Dolorosa Tower

The west Mater Dolorosa Tower portal presents first the Mother of Sorrows, then her Immaculate Conception, Assumption into Heaven, and coronation as its queen. The right door features St. Clare, the left St. Francis of Assisi. The inscription reads, "Bishop Bayley initiated the project which began in 1859." At its base is the cornerstone, with stones from Bethlehem and Jerusalem on either side. The cornerstone was laid by Bishop Winand Wigger in 1899. This tower holds fourteen bells, cast in Padua, which can be played from the gallery or the sanctuary. Their music reminds the city of God's presence in the rhythm of time.

The copper fleche (spire) rises to the height of a 26-story building. Its Gothic-style buttresses are ornamented with statues of eight Doctors of the Church, four from the Latin tradition (facing west) and four from the Greek (facing east). Though they may appear tiny from the ground, each is 8' tall.

Finally, from atop the sanctuary roof, a statue of the Sacred Heart gazes out over the northern cityscape, an emblem of God's love for the world.