It used to be a simple shrine. Now it's a captivating cathedral.

Either way, this sanctuary has been calling casino-weary hearts to implore the intercession of their respective guardian angels since 1963.

That year, Las Vegas’ Shrine of the Guardian Angel was established to serve the spiritual needs of Catholic tourists and residents, many of whom worked in the city's increasingly frenetic gaming and hospitality industry. The pastor of nearby St. Viator Parish, to which today's Guardian Angel Cathedral is attached, helped build the shrine by securing donations of land and money from local hotel owners.

Originally, there was one diocese for the entire state of Nevada — the Diocese of Reno-Las Vegas. The shrine became its co-cathedral, under Bishop Norman McFarland, in 1977. Eventually, as both the cities and the state itself grew in population, the diocese was split into two dioceses. (The Diocese of Las Vegas was not established until 1995.)

In 1996, Bishop Daniel Walsh undertook a major renovation of the cathedral. The sanctuary area was completely redone, with marble installed both on the floors and walls. New pews were also installed.

The most conspicuous holdovers from the original structure are the stained-glass windows, mural of the risen Christ in the sanctuary and mural of a guardian angel on the front of the cathedral's exterior.

All of the cathedral artwork was completed by two sisters, Isabel and Edith Piczek, who had fled from Hungary during the uprising there in the 1950s. Both sisters spent time studying in Rome. There they won the Galleria de Roma prize for their painting and were also commissioned to paint a fresco mural at the Vatican's Pontifical Biblical Institute.

Isabel and Edith currently maintain a studio in Los Angeles and continue to do repair work on the cathedral's stained-glass windows when the windows become cracked or broken.

The shape of the cathedral is rather unusual. It is supposed to imitate a tent, presumably because early settlers in Nevada first lived in tents. Adjacent to the cathedral and slightly in front of it is a tower with a cross on top. At its base is a statue of the Holy Family — patrons of the Las Vegas Diocese.

Glass Stations

Unique to the cathedral is the location of the Stations of the Cross within the stained-glass windows. The first station is situated over the entrance to the Blessed Sacrament Chapel, which is located to the right of the sanctuary. Most of the windows contain two stations.

The large mural over the main altar depicts the Resurrection and is the 15th Station of the Cross. It reflects the modern yet respectful style of the stained-glass windows. In the mural, five couples surrounding Our Lord represent the five senses — hearing, sight, smell, taste and touch. The senses are elevated as they perceive the power and glory of the risen Christ.

The two stained-glass windows in the sanctuary are a departure from the theme of the Stations of the Cross. One window represents the risen Christ; the other some activities of mankind. There's agriculture, industry, science and also play, which incorporates a depiction of the casinos and hotels of Las Vegas.

The windows were donated by prominent individuals; I noticed one that was a gift from the late entertainer Danny Thomas, well-known for founding St. Jude Children's Research Hospital in Memphis, Tenn.

Our Lady's Chapel is located to the left of the sanctuary. The windows in that chapel show scenes from the life of the Blessed Mother. There is also a mosaic of Our Lady over the altar in the chapel. A mosaic over the Blessed Sacrament Chapel altar shows Christ performing corporal works of mercy.

Las Vegas is the fastest-growing metropolitan area in the country. As a result, it boasts the fastest-growing Catholic population — and fastest-growing diocese — in the country. Many senior citizens have moved to Las Vegas in order to take advantage of both the pleasant weather and the variety of entertainment available.

While the cathedral has a stable community of registered parishioners, between 75% and 85% of the 7,000 to 9,000 people who attend Mass here on the weekends are out-of-towners.

In regard to the casinos, the Nevada Legislature approved gambling in the 1930s, and someone got the idea of building a casino out in the desert. Las Vegas also grew when the Hoover Dam was under construction in the 1930s. Of course, when air conditioning became practical, there was no limit to what could be done.

Well-Worn Wedding Aisle

Perhaps unsurprisingly, a lot of Catholic visitors come to the cathedral to get married. Of the 70 to 80 weddings celebrated here, only a small handful of the couples are locals. That's an interesting aside since it takes some doing for out-of-towners to get married here: They have to complete their marriage preparation in their home town, and all of the documentation must be sent from their home chancery office to the Las Vegas chancery. The couple must also obtain a Clark County marriage license.

Though many of the Las Vegas hotels offer wedding packages, the diocese does not permit a priest to perform weddings in the wedding chapels found in the hotels and also along the Strip. (Las Vegas is also a popular place for non-Catholics to marry.)

Often a couple marries in Las Vegas in order to avoid the obligation of giving an expensive reception — one they can't afford — back home. Not infrequently, the groom and bride come alone, and the cathedral must supply lay staff members as witnesses. The policy of the cathedral is not to have a Mass unless both bride and groom are Catholic because if a nuptial Mass were held, the couple would be united in marriage but separated at the Communion rail. It seems counterproductive to the priests of the cathedral to invite division right after a beautiful marriage ceremony. Instead, the Catholic party and entourage, if one has brought family and friends, will be encouraged to attend a scheduled Mass on the day of the wedding and receive holy Communion at that Mass.

The cathedral thinks of itself as a parish that invites visitors — even though the visitors overwhelmingly outnumber their hosts. The cathedral has 1,100 registered households. Some are widows and widowers. Others are retired couples without children. There are very few families in the parish. And the boundaries of the cathedral comprise mostly hotels.

The cathedral is staffed by the religious community of the Clerics of St. Viator (Viatorians). Four Viatorian priests are stationed here; another three Viatorian retired priests help out on weekends. The cathedral is sufficiently staffed for the priests to hear confessions for a half-hour before every scheduled Mass.

Although Las Vegas has a reputation as “Sin City” — and rightly so — the priests at the cathedral, rather than tell visitors what not to do, emphasize the meaning of being a Catholic Christian. The Viatorians here maintain that visitors can come to Las Vegas to enjoy the recreation, rest and scenery without succumbing to the temptations.

Joseph Albino writes from Camillus, New York.