three smaller undamaged semicircular stained glass windows, some ornamental stonework from around the doorways, and some other stone from the building. The demolition plan sparked debate among some in the city who felt portions of the structure should be preserved or declared a landmark. On July 1, 2008, the parish of St. Raphael merged with the nearby parishes of St. Patrick and Holy Redeemer churches to form a new Cathedral Parish of St. Raphael. The parish will be housed in facilities of the two churches until the new cathedral is built. On June 24, 2011, the parish purchased the structure it built in 1962 to house St. Raphael's School from 1963 until it closed in 1970. The parish demolished the building and in late 2012 created a park across the entire property featuring a Way of the Cross. In December 2022, Bishop Donald Hying outlined three proposals to settle the cathedral question as part of the Into the Deep strategic planning process for the diocese: build a new cathedral on the site of the old cathedral, maintain the current status quo of no cathedral while utilizing facilities of the diocese for diocesan events, and elevate an existing parish church for the cathedral. He rejects building a new cathedral as too expensive, and the status quo as undesirable. In January 2023, the bishop proposes that he petition the Holy See to name St. Bernard's Church in Madison as the diocesan cathedral. This would require less of a financial burden and the plan could be accomplished with a small capital campaign to raise the necessary funds. See also List of Catholic cathedrals in the United States List of cathedrals in the United States References External links Cathedral Parish website Diocese of Madison website St. Raphael’s Cathedral: A Proposal by Michael Bursch Churches in the Roman Catholic Diocese of Madison Raphael Religious buildings and structures in the United States destroyed by arson Churches in Madison, Wisconsin Crimes in Wisconsin Buildings and structures demolished in 2008 Demolished buildings and structures in Wisconsin Church fires in the United States