Cathedral of St. Peter, Scranton, PA

As the Cathedral of St. Peter approached its 150th anniversary, it was clear that its lighting system needed an upgrade for present and future uses. Rambusch was invited to listen to the community, study the existing lighting system and then help develop a new flexible system that would support Cathedral liturgies and other events. As well, it would support St. Peter’s  very highly regarded broadcast and television ministry.

Working in a design assist fashion, Rambusch developed a layered lighting solution and then confirmed it through illumination mock-ups and scale studies. It comprises four key elements designed and fabricated in Rambusch workshops: downlighting for reading; architectural uplighting to enhance the decorative painting; accent lighting for liturgical elements and areas of importance; and finally custom decorative lanterns contributing s second layer of downlights in addition to the lanterns’ ambient glow. All of these fixtures were carefully grouped in more than 40 combinations for dimming control and to provide preprogrammed scenes of lighting that would support the various liturgies, such as Daily Mass, Sunday Mass, concerts,, etc.

Careful attention was given to making the downlighting, uplighting and accent lighting as unobtrusive as possible so that the cathedral seems to be illuminated solely by the glowing lanterns.