Some weeks back, a fire tore through part of Holy Name Cathedral in Chicago and, ever since, workers have been trying to repair the damage.

The place is closed to only a few visitors. But one who paid a call recently was Manya Brachear, a writer and blogger for the Chicago Tribune:

It’s a shame that a little thing called danger can get in the way of significant spiritual reflection. That’s what I thought as I meditated on the balcony of Holy Name Roman Catholic Cathedral Friday, gazing across a dusty but hallowed construction site, pressing my hard hat to my head. I wished Chicago’s Catholics could be there too.

Through the intricate web of steel pipes and planks filling the worship space, I saw Jesus staring back from the crucifix above the altar as if watching over the restoration in progress.

Catholics believe that is precisely what Jesus is always doing, and during the 40-day season of Lent they reflect on the restoration they must undergo to be whole again by Easter. They attend mass, they fast, they pray. Many often pay a visit to the cathedral to glimpse a reflection of the heaven that awaits them. This year that’s impossible unless you have a blessing from the insurance company, permission from the lawyers and a hard hat.

Ever since a fire tore through the roof of the cathedral’s center on Feb. 4, insurance investigators have locked down the building in hopes of determining a cause and the cost of repairs.

Plywood patches holes in the roof above the place where the blaze started in the cathedral’s attic. The altar, organ and empty pews sit shrouded in plastic to protect from dust, damage and humidity. Roaring fans have replaced the organ notes that normally echo through the chamber.

Meanwhile, structural repairs that closed the Gothic Revival cathedral last year after a chunk of decorative woodwork dropped from the ceiling have continued.

Truth be told, if there was ever an ideal time to visit the cathedral, it would be now. After all, Lent is a season of grief, and the cathedral’s appearance is most certainly heartbreaking…

She has much more to say on the subject of reconstruction and restoration — physically and spiritually. It’s worth a read.