Catholics throughout the Steubenville area attended a ceremony Friday afternoon to bless the cornerstone of a new cathedral.

In attendance was Cardinal Francis Arinze, an adviser to Pope John Paul II and a candidate in the most recent papal election.

The $9 million Triumph of the Cross Cathedral will be located in front of Catholic Central High School and across from Holy Rosary Church.

Six of eight Steubenville parishes will close when the new cathedral opens, which left some parishioners saying they felt lost. However, the priest who will oversee the new parish said the cathedral is a sign of hope.

"This is a day for something new. The future can be very bright. It will be bright," said the Rev. Tim McGuire.

McGuire said the parishes must close because of a dwindling Catholic population, but said he understands why some people might be upset about their parishes closing.

"(It's) definitely bittersweet. A lot of people will be leaving places where the most important events in their lives took place -- funerals, weddings, baptisms," he said. "Change doesn't necessarily mean things are going to get worse. They get better very often, and that's what we are doing. We are making something better."

The new cathedral, which will seat 800, will be a cruciform-shaped building, meaning it will look like a cross from an aerial view. Some items such as windows, bells and icons will come from the closing parishes.

Some of the cost will be covered by the Steubenville Diocese; another portion will come from the new congregation; and half of it will be raised through a fundraising campaign.

Groundbreaking for the cathedral is set for the beginning of December. The project should be complete by 2009, McGuire said.

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-Renee Cardelli & Chandi Lowry, NEWS9