Corpus Christi Cathedral will reopen Thursday after nearly a year of renovations, bringing parishioners and the public back into a sanctuary that has been transformed from floor to ceiling. The reopening comes on the Feast of Corpus Christi, with the celebration set for 5 p.m.

The project brought new flooring, fresh paint, improved lighting and acoustics, along with a new Chapel of Our Lady of Guadalupe. Marc Cervantes said the cathedral is “the centerpiece of the entirety of the diocese,” and said seeing it “beautified and dignified” inside and out will matter to people who come through its doors.

For nearly a year, access to the cathedral was limited while the work moved forward. What is now waiting inside is not just a refreshed interior but a sweeping transformation meant to deepen the spiritual experience of parishioners. Cervantes pointed to the sanctuary’s apse area, with its gold, crucifix and altar, as the part he hopes will draw attention first to what matters most in the sacred space.

The renovation was finished in about one year through what Cervantes described as a broad community effort, with help from deacons, individuals, companies and fundraising efforts across the diocese. He called it a rapid and transformative undertaking, and the result will be on public view Thursday evening when the cathedral opens its doors for the feast celebration.

For the diocese, the reopening restores access to one of its most visible landmarks at the moment the Catholic calendar marks Corpus Christi. The next step is simple: the public can see the changes for itself at 5 p.m. Thursday, when the cathedral returns to service as both a place of worship and a centerpiece of diocesan life.