Cardinal DiNardo, Houston Mayor praise Archbishop Fiorenza at groundbreaking of plaza

Daniel Cardinal DiNardo, fourth from left, lifts a shovel alongside Houston Mayor Sylvester Turner, fifth from left, during a ceremonial groundbreaking for the new Archbishop Joseph A. Fiorenza Plaza on Dec. 18 in Houston. The new construction will complete the vision the late Archbishop had for the Co-Cathedral of the Sacred Heart. Joining Cardinal DiNardo and Mayor Turner are (left to right) Houston City Councilman Robert Gallegos; Nicholas Sawicki of the Office of Development; Father Jeff Bame, rector and pastor of the Co-Cathedral; Auxiliary Bishop Italo Dell’Oro, CRS; and Lisa and Mark Fiorenza. (Photos by James Ramos/Herald)

HOUSTON — As Daniel Cardinal DiNardo began to bless the downtown Houston site on Dec. 18 with holy water, a white-tailed hawk with brown-tipped wings soared over the Co-Cathedral of the Sacred Heart. Landing on the very top of the gold cross above the bell tower, the observant bird appeared to watch the crowd below.

The groundbreaking of the Archbishop Joseph A. Fiorenza Plaza honored the Archdiocese’s shepherd for decades of service, physically culminating in the construction of the new Co-Cathedral before he passed away last year at 91.

A group of dignitaries, including Archbishop Fiorenza’s nephew Mark Fiorenza, put on their ceremonial hardhats and held gleaming shovels for an official photo. A drone buzzed overhead to capture the moment, and the hawk disappeared into the clear blue sky.

“It was meant to be a place that beautified our downtown community, that welcomed our Archdiocesan family and provided a gathering space for prayer, events and service,” Cardinal DiNardo said. “It is, therefore, only fitting that this plaza be established in his honor and in his memory.”

In one of his last official acts before leaving City Hall in his final term this month, Houston Mayor Sylvester Turner praised Fiorenza and his legacy of social justice.

“Whether it was helping out with policing reform, addressing housing issues, speaking out on behalf of immigrants and the homeless, helping to desegregate our schools and businesses, or highlighting and marshaling resources for the underserved, Archbishop Fiorenza was a living example of the Gospel message to love your neighbor as yourself,” Turner said.

The 60,000-square-foot memorial plaza includes a gathering space and pavilion along with 140 new parking spaces. Expected to be completed next spring, the plaza sits across the street from the Co-Cathedral on St. Joseph Parkway and San Jacinto Street on the former location of the old Co-Cathedral, which was recently demolished.

After leading the Archdiocese as bishop and archbishop from 1985 to 2006, Archbishop Fiorenza was granted retirement by Pope Benedict XVI on Feb. 28, 2006. He continued as a community leader, especially on social justice issues against poverty and the death penalty.

A native of Beaumont, Archbishop Fiorenza died Sept. 19, 2022, and was laid to rest at the Forest Park Cemetery in Houston.

The upcoming plaza joins several Houston monuments that honor Archbishop Fiorenza, including a nearly 400-acre city park in west Houston along Brays Bayou and the Three Pillars of Light at a plaza at Interfaith Ministries in Midtown. Details on the Completing the Walk campaign can be found at www.completingthewalk.org.