was being constructed to accommodate the great influx of mourners expected to make the pilgrimage. As Cardinal Mundelein lay in state in the nave of Holy Name Cathedral, over a million people paid their last respects. Second Vatican Council As soon as the Second Vatican Council was concluded in the 1960s, Holy Name Cathedral proceeded with a massive, controversial renovation project to alter the cathedral interior. From Easter 1968 to 1969, the cathedral was closed and Masses were held in various locations including a nearby school gymnasium. At this time all of the stained glass, oil paintings, and marble statuary was removed from the interior of the cathedral. The end result was a relatively plain room, dominated by a six-ton granite altar and Resurrection crucifix. At midnight on Christmas Eve of 1969, Holy Name Cathedral was reopened. Papal visit of 1979 In October 1979, Pope John Paul II became the first Pontiff to visit Holy Name Cathedral, for a prayer service with Chicago's bishops as well as a concert featuring the music of Luciano Pavarotti and the Chicago Symphony Orchestra, in the nave of the cathedral. The congregation also prayed the Our Father in Latin at the request of the Pope. See also List of Catholic cathedrals in the United States List of cathedrals in the United States References External links Archdiocese of Chicago 19th-century Roman Catholic church buildings in the United States Cathedrals in Chicago Churches on the National Register of Historic Places in Illinois Gothic Revival church buildings in Illinois Patrick Keely buildings Properties of religious function on the National Register of Historic Places in Chicago Roman Catholic cathedrals in Illinois Roman Catholic churches completed in 1875 Roman Catholic churches in Chicago