Cathedral Parish of Saint Patrick (El Paso, Texas)

Last updated
Saint Patrick Cathedral
Cathedral Parish of St Pat, El Paso.jpg
USA Texas location map.svg
Red pog.svg
Location in Texas
31°45′57″N106°29′34″W / 31.7658°N 106.4929°W / 31.7658; -106.4929 Coordinates: 31°45′57″N106°29′34″W / 31.7658°N 106.4929°W / 31.7658; -106.4929
Location1118 N. Mesa St.
El Paso, Texas
Country United States
Denomination Roman Catholic
Website saintpatrickcathedral.org
History
Status Cathedral
Dedication St. Patrick
DedicatedNovember 29, 1917
Architecture
Architect(s) Barnett, Haynes & Barnett
Style Romanesque Revival
Groundbreaking 1914
Completed1917
Specifications
Materials Brick
Administration
Diocese El Paso
Clergy
Bishop(s) Most Rev. Mark J. Seitz
Rector Rev. Trinidad Fuentez

St. Patrick Cathedral is the seat of the Roman Catholic Diocese of El Paso, Texas. [1] The cathedral is located at 1118 N. Mesa Street, north of the downtown area. It is the mother church for 668,000 Catholics in the diocese (80.8% of total population; as of the 2006 survey). [2] The cathedral parish operates one of El Paso's Catholic high schools, Cathedral High School, and St. Patrick Elementary School adjacent to the church.

Contents

History

The church was designed by Barnett, Haynes & Barnett, an architectural firm from St Louis, Missouri. [3] It was built in the form of a Byzantine basilica, in the Italian Renaissance style. In raising funds for the cathedral's construction, the diocese offered to allow the first group to raise $10,000 for the project to name the new cathedral. A group of Irish Catholic women met the challenge and chose St. Patrick as patron. At the time El Paso was a major center of the mining industry in the southwestern United States and northern Mexico, with many of the miners being Irish. [4] The ground was broken on April 8, 1914 and the church and the cornerstone were blessed in a ceremony by Fr Edward Barry on November 12, 1916. The interior of the cathedral is adorned with Roman columns, elaborate frescoes that depict biblical scenes and the Stations of the Cross are carved in bas-relief on the interior walls. The high altar contains a 2.5-meter-tall statue of the Sacred Heart of Jesus with a large canopy over the altar, topped with a golden eagle. The church seats about 800 people for Mass. In alcoves along the walls there are a picture of Our Lady of Guadalupe and a life-size classical sculpture of St. Patrick. The stained-glass windows depict scenes from the life of Jesus and the Church.

Saint Peter of Jesus Maldonado and the Cathedral

St Peter of Jesus Maldonado. St Peter of Jesus Maldonado.gif
St Peter of Jesus Maldonado.

Because of the anticlerical laws due to the Mexican Constitution of 1917 and the Mexican Revolution, the Catholic Church was increasingly suppressed by the governments of Presidents Alvaro Obregon and Plutarco Calles. Involvement in politics, freedom of worship and redress of grievances were severely curtailed and even denied to bishops, priests, deacons and Catholic laity. Even prior to the end of the revolution, from 1914 to 1918, those aspiring to be priests found it impossible to study in Mexico, and studied abroad, usually in the United States, mostly in cities close to the U.S.-Mexican border.

El Paso was especially popular because of its closeness to Mexico. During these years many seminarians from northern Mexico studied in El Paso, and were ordained to the priesthood there. One such was Peter of Jesus Maldonado, who was ordained by Bishop Anthony J Schuler, S.J., in the cathedral on January 25, 1918. Padre Maldonado returned to his native Chihuahua; he was beaten to death in 1937 at the hands of town authorities in Santa Isabel (at that time named General Trias), Chihuahua, for preaching the Gospel and teaching the catechism to the people there.[ citation needed ] He was buried in the Cathedral of Chihuahua, and canonised by Pope John Paul II on May 21, 2000 as one of the companions of St Christopher Magallanes. A memorial in the nave of St. Patrick commemorates the event of his ordination.

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Cathedral Basilica of St. Joseph (San Jose)</span> Historic church in California, United States

The Cathedral Basilica of St. Joseph is a large Roman Catholic church in Downtown San Jose, which serves as the cathedral for the Roman Catholic Diocese of San Jose in California, with the distinction of minor basilica.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Cathedral Basilica of Our Lady of Peace</span> Historic church in Hawaii, United States

The Cathedral Basilica of Our Lady of Peace is the mother church of the Diocese of Honolulu and houses the cathedra of the Bishop of Honolulu in Honolulu, Hawaiʻi. It is located at the north end of Fort Street Mall in downtown Honolulu. Another cathedra was installed in the Co-Cathedral of Saint Theresa of the Child Jesus, also serving the diocese.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sacred Heart Cathedral (Davenport, Iowa)</span> Church in Iowa, United States

Sacred Heart Cathedral, located in Davenport, Iowa, United States, is a Catholic cathedral and a parish church in the Diocese of Davenport. The cathedral is located on a bluff overlooking the Mississippi River to the east of Downtown Davenport. It is listed on the National Register of Historic Places as part of the Sacred Heart Roman Catholic Cathedral Complex. This designation includes the church building, rectory, and the former convent, which was torn down in 2012. The cathedral is adjacent to the Cork Hill Historic District, also on the National Register. Its location on Cork Hill, a section of the city settled by Irish immigrants, gives the cathedral its nickname Cork Hill Cathedral.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Roman Catholic Diocese of Tucson</span> Diocese of the Catholic Church

The Roman Catholic Diocese of Tucson is an ecclesiastical territory or diocese of the Roman Catholic Church in the southwestern region of the United States. It is a suffragan see of the Metropolitan Archdiocese of Santa Fe. The diocese was recently led by its seventh bishop, Most Reverend Gerald Frederick Kicanas, who retired on October 3, 2017. Its current diocesan bishop is Most Rev. Edward Weisenburger.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Cathedral of Chihuahua</span>

The Metropolitan Cathedral Church of the Holy Cross, Our Lady of Regla, and St Francis of Assisi is the main ecclesiastical building of the Catholic Church in Chihuahua City, Chihuahua, Mexico. It is considered perhaps the finest example of colonial architecture in northern Mexico and it was built between 1725-1792. The cathedral is also the seat of the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Chihuahua. As of 2013 the archbishop was Constancio Miranda Weckmann.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Roman Catholic Diocese of El Paso</span> Latin Catholic ecclesiastical jurisdiction in Texas, USA

The Diocese of El Paso is a Latin Church ecclesiastical territory or diocese of the Catholic Church in West Texas. Covering 26,686 square miles (69,120 km2), it encompasses the Texas counties of El Paso, Brewster, Culberson, Hudspeth, Jeff Davis, Loving, Presidio, Reeves, Ward and Winkler with approximately 668,000 professing members, being 80.8% of the total population, served by 107 priests, 54 parishes and 237 male and female religious. The see is a suffragan of the Archdiocese of San Antonio.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Cathedral of Saint John the Baptist (Charleston, South Carolina)</span> Church in South Carolina , United States

The Cathedral of St. John the Baptist is the mother church of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Charleston, located in Charleston, South Carolina. Designed by Brooklyn architect Patrick Keely in the Gothic Revival style, it opened in 1907. The Most Reverend Jacques E. Fabre, the fourteenth Bishop of Charleston, was ordained and installed on May 13, 2022

<span class="mw-page-title-main">St Joseph's Cathedral, Dunedin</span> Church in Dunedin, New Zealand

St Joseph's Cathedral in Dunedin, New Zealand, is the Roman Catholic Cathedral for the Roman Catholic Diocese of Dunedin. It is located in City Rise, some 0.5 kilometres (0.31 mi) to the west of the city centre.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Roman Catholic Diocese of Bathurst in Australia</span> Catholic ecclesiastical territory

The Roman Catholic Diocese of Bathurst is a Latin Church suffragan diocese of the Metropolitan Archdiocese of Sydney, established in 1865, covering the Central West and Orana regions of New South Wales, Australia.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Roman Catholic Diocese of Wagga Wagga</span> Catholic ecclesiastical territory

The Roman Catholic Diocese of Wagga Wagga is a Latin Rite suffragan diocese of the Archdiocese of Sydney, established in 1917, covering the Riverina region of New South Wales in Australia.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Chihuahua</span>

The Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Chihuahua is a diocese of the Latin Rite of the Roman Catholic Church in Mexico.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Cathedral of Saint Thomas More (Arlington, Virginia)</span> Church in Virginia, United States

The Cathedral of Saint Thomas More located at 3901 Cathedral Lane is the cathedral of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Arlington Virginia and the seat of Bishop Michael F. Burbidge. The Rector of the Cathedral is the Very Reverend Patrick L. Posey, V.F. Fr. Posey was appointed in June 2019.The Rev. Robert J. Rippy was the Rector from 2005 -2019. The Cathedral also has a Parochial Vicar, two resident priests, Director of Religious Education, Youth Minister and Music & Liturgy Coordinator.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ayr Cathedral</span> Church in South Ayrshire, Scotland

The Cathedral Church of Saint Margaret, also known as Ayr Cathedral, is a Roman Catholic cathedral located in Ayr, Scotland. It is the seat of the Bishop of Galloway, and the mother church of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Galloway. St Margaret's was designated a cathedral in 2007, and is the most recent church to be given status as a Roman Catholic cathedral in the United Kingdom, due to the closure of Good Shepherd Cathedral, Ayr.

Joseph Patrick Lynch was an American prelate of the Roman Catholic Church. He served as bishop of the Diocese of Dallas from 1911 until his death in 1954.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Cathedral of Saint Augustine (Tucson, Arizona)</span> Church in Arizona, United States

The Cathedral of Saint Augustine is the mother church of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Tucson. It is located in Tucson, Arizona.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Cathedral of Maldonado</span>

The Cathedral of Saint Ferdinand of Maldonado is the main Roman Catholic church building of Maldonado, Uruguay. Since 1966, it took the name of Cathedral for being the seat of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Maldonado-Punta del Este, founded by S.S. Paul VI on January 10, 1966. Its first pastor was Antonio Corso (1966-1985), and its current pastor is Rodolfo Wirz (1985-Present).

Anthony Joseph Schuler was an American prelate of the Catholic Church. A member of the Society of Jesus, he served as the first Bishop of El Paso from 1915 to 1942.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Peter of Jesus Maldonado</span>

Pedro de Jesús Maldonado Lucero was a Mexican diocesan priest who became the first canonized saint and martyr from Chihuahua City, Mexico.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Holy Name of Jesus Cathedral (Raleigh, North Carolina)</span> Church in North Carolina, United States

Holy Name of Jesus Cathedral is a Catholic cathedral that is the seat of the Diocese of Raleigh, replacing Sacred Heart Cathedral.

References

  1. "St. Patrick Cathedral". Gcatholic.org. Retrieved 2014-03-20.
  2. "Diocese of El Paso". Catholic-Hierarchy. Retrieved 2014-03-20.
  3. "History". St. Patrick Cathedral. Retrieved 2014-03-20.
  4. Owens, Mary Lilliana (1953). Most Rev. Anthony J. Schuler, First Bishop of El Paso: And Some Catholic Activities in the Diocese Between 1915–1942. El Paso: Revista Catolica Press. p. 584.

Also included in the Borderlands series is additional information concerning El Paso and the cathedral.