Rainbow Fills the Sky as Foundation Work Began

When the sun came up in Knoxville this morning, parishioners of Sacred Heart Cathedral were celebrating as the first pier was drilled to build the foundation of the new Cathedral church. As the massive, spinning drillbit on the SOILMEC SR-65 crane churned through the orange soil diving deep into the earth, a rainbow sprung from the sky at just the moment the drill hit rock. It was an impressive instant for those who witnessed the rainbow and glorious sunrise.

The Cathedral will indeed be built on rock!

Drilled pier foundation installation involves stabilizing the outside circumference of a cylinder, while excavating the material inside the cylinder to the designed depth. Rebar or supportive material is placed into the excavation area and concrete is installed with pier foundation drilling. An expected 119 piers will be installed by Hayes Drilling, Inc. in coordination with Merit Construction and Whaley and Sons.

Following morning Mass, Cardinal Justin Rigali stepped out onto the porch of the existing church and observed the construction site. He told parishioners that the piers are being drilled on the “Feast Day of Saints Simon and Jude.” His Eminence said, “the apostles are the foundation of the Church… not the physical foundation… but the foundation that Jesus chose to build the Church, especially on Peter, but on all the apostles. So, the fact that this wonderful news corresponds with a feast day of the apostles is extraordinary.”

Also see:

3D Navisworks model 

SHCathedral.org 

Flickr Image Gallery