Judith Davidoff
Still faithful after all these years: Jean Lochner returns twice a day to pray at the site of her former church.
Jean Lochner attends Mass at Holy Redeemer Church every evening. Then she heads to her true spiritual home, at the corner of South Henry and West Main streets.
There, the retired law clerk prays on the sidewalk in front of where St. Raphael’s Cathedral once stood. The 150-year-old church was badly damaged by arson in 2005 and later demolished. With head bowed, Lochner occasionally steps out of the way for passing pedestrians, but otherwise stands still. She stays about 15 minutes and returns every morning.
“I believe in the power of the divine,” says Lochner. “And I just feel called to that spot and to be faithful to the old church.”
Lochner joined the parish decades ago, when she moved downtown from the east side as a young woman.
There is nothing remaining of the original structure, once a Madison landmark, though Lochner still feels its protective powers. “St. Raphael is a very powerful guardian angel,” she says. “He watches over us and takes care of us. Of our health, our well-being. I can look up at the sky and sometimes the sky is so beautiful. It means the divine is watching over not only me, but the church grounds, the whole city and the people.”
St. Raphael’s was founded by Irish immigrants in the mid-19th century. German-speaking Catholics, according to a Madison Diocese history of the church, left to begin Holy Redeemer Parish in 1857 because they wanted to hear sermons and give confession in their native language.
Bishop Robert Morlino has said a new cathedral will someday be built on the original site, but for now there is green space and a walking path with the Stations of the Cross. The park has become an increasingly popular destination for nearby condo owners and their dogs, Lochner says with a laugh. Recently, “No Trespassing” signs have gone up to keep homeless residents from spending the night.
Lochner was at work when she learned that her church was going up in flames; reporters were looking for parishioners to comment. “It just went so fast,” she says. “So tragic.”
In the glory days, before the downtown emptied of young families, the church hosted three Masses daily and had three priests, recalls Lochner. “Everybody had a lot of priests back then.”
Lochner traces her religious devotion to her parochial grade school at Holy Redeemer. “We always had Mass before school started.”
She went to high school at East, learning typing and shorthand — everything she needed for her chosen career. “I always wanted to be a secretary, so that wasn’t a difficult decision.”
After graduating she worked at Forest Product Laboratories and then at a law firm for about 25 years. In her 40s, with no pension to look forward to, she sought work with the state, eventually landing a position with the state Department of Justice. She retired from there a few years ago after 20 years.
She has lived in the same high-rise on Lake Monona — and the same efficiency apartment — for more than 30 years. “I seem to keep busy, but don’t ask me what I do.”
Though saddled with chronic neck and spine pain, Lochner still walks everywhere and is a familiar sight downtown, usually wearing a modest knee-length skirt, sensible shoes and dark jacket, with purse tightly clutched in the crook of her arm.
Lochner’s parents have passed away. A sister lives nearby, and a brother lives near Green Bay. She never married. “I keep saying I haven’t found the right one.”
Through the years, the church has been her rock.
“It’s just very peaceful. It gets your mind and spirit back in order. I try to be faithful every day. Every day there is something to deal with.”
“I’ve been through so much,” she adds. “A lot of people have. Disappointments and heartaches and health problems. It’s brought me through. It makes you somehow stronger, and you need to have something to hang on to. You can’t always depend on human beings.”
Date first Mass was celebrated by St. Raphael parish: Aug. 15, 1842
Size of first church built on site in 1850: 20’ by 24’ frame building
Second church building cornerstone laid: 1854
Cost to build second church: $30,000
Religions that refer to Raphael as an angel of healing: Judaism, Christianity and Islam
