Co-Cathedral of Saint Thomas More | |
---|---|
30°26′47.22″N84°17′51.88″W / 30.4464500°N 84.2977444°W | |
Location | 900 W Tennessee St. Tallahassee, Florida |
Country | United States |
Denomination | Roman Catholic |
Website | www.cocathedral.com |
History | |
Status | Co-Cathedral |
Dedication | Thomas More |
Architecture | |
Groundbreaking | December 4, 1965 |
Completed | 1967 |
Specifications | |
Materials | Block & Stucco |
Administration | |
Diocese | Pensacola-Tallahassee |
Clergy | |
Bishop(s) | William Albert Wack |
Rector | Father Timothy Holeda |
The Co-Cathedral of St. Thomas More is a Catholic cathedral located in Tallahassee, Florida, United States. Along with the Cathedral of the Sacred Heart in Pensacola it is the seat of the Diocese of Pensacola-Tallahassee. [1] St. Thomas More also provides the Catholic Campus Ministry at Florida State University.
The Altar Relics of the Co-Cathedral are of Saint Felix and Saint Felicity. [2]
The present-day Co-Cathedral of St. Thomas More has its origins intertwining with Blessed Sacrament parish, and the 1930 establishment of a Florida State College for Women Newman Club chapter, which later became Florida State University (FSU). [3] The Newman Club needed a designated meeting place, even when the Florida State College for Women was converted into the current Florida State University (FSU) in 1947.
It would not be until 1950, that the club acquired. Edward Conradi's residence, located on the intersection of Park Avenue and Macomb Street, just to the east of FSU grounds. This acquisition marked a significant milestone as it provided the Newman Club with its first permanent student center, featuring amenities such as a live-in housemother, a student chapel, and meeting rooms which ensured accessibility and fostered a sense of community among its members. [2] However, the small chapel at the Newman Center soon was outgrown due to the rapidly growing number of catholic students, with lines of students waiting for mass running outside the building a common occurrence on Sundays. [4]
The first plans for the new student center were sent in 1963 to pastor Patrick Madde of the local Blessed Sacrament parish, who suggested enlarging the chapel to accommodate more parishioners. [2] Designs underwent modifications until 1965 when George W. Stickle drafted the final blueprint.
His design features a chapel and an adjacent student center, with a kitchen, rooms, and offices for three priests, a lounge, and a library. Spanning half a city block, the combined complex features a towering bell, 95 feet high, commemorating the 400th anniversary of the arrival of the Spanish at St. Augustine. The architecture is a two-story cruciform layout building with a modified mid-century Spanish design and a distinctive red-tiled gabled roof. The front facade features seven elongated narrow, rounded arches reminiscent of English and Gothic Styles. [5]
Central to the chapel's appearance were its stained-glass windows, done in the dalle de verre style called by the architect the key to its beauty. These windows were designed by the French artist Jean Barillet, renowned for his work on restorations at cathedrals and Chartres. His masterpiece emphasized Christ as the focal point of the Christian faith, with the center windows portraying only the magnificent figure of Christ, illuminated in light, and the remaining windows featuring abstract colors and designs. [6]
Finally, on December 4, 1965, the groundbreaking of the construction occurred, with Demetree Builders of Orlando overseeing construction until completion two years later. The chapel's official dedication was on October 8, 1967, by Bishop Hurley. [2]
The chapel status would be short lived, as in 1968, the new Bishop of St. Augustine, Paul Tanner, would elevate it to the status of a student parish, where it would stay for seven years. On October 7, 1975, six days after the formation of the Diocese of Pensacola-Tallahassee, the parish was made the Co-Cathedral of St. Thomas More.
The Cathedral Church of St Marie is the Roman Catholic cathedral in Sheffield, England. It lies in a slightly hidden location, just off Fargate shopping street, but signals its presence with a 195 feet (59 m) spire, the tallest in Sheffield. It is an especially fine example of an English Roman Catholic Cathedral, with much fine interior decoration. Re-ordering of the Sanctuary following the Second Vatican Council, has been sensitive. There are several particularly notable side altars, as well as historic statues and painted tiles.
The Diocese of St. Augustine is a Latin Church ecclesiastical territory of the Catholic Church, located in the northeastern section of Florida in the United States. It includes the cities of St. Augustine, Jacksonville, and Gainesville.
The Catholic Diocese of Pensacola–Tallahassee is a Latin Church diocese in the Florida Panhandle region of the United States. The patron saint of the diocese is St. Michael the Archangel.
The Diocese of Saint Petersburg is a Latin Church ecclesiastical territory or diocese of the Catholic Church in the Tampa Bay region of Gulf Coast Florida.
St. James Cathedral is a parish church and the seat of the Bishop of the Catholic Diocese of Orlando, John Noonan. The cathedral's patron saint is James, son of Zebedee, one of the Twelve Apostles of Jesus, and traditionally considered the first apostle to be martyred. The scallop shell has long been the symbol associated with St. James, and the cathedral uses it as its primary symbol. The parish operates St. James Cathedral School on nearby Robinson Street which offers classes from pre-school through eighth grade.
John Huston Ricard, S.S.J. is an American prelate of the Catholic Church. He served as bishop of the Diocese of Pensacola-Tallahassee in Florida from 1997 to 2011 and as an auxiliary bishop of the Archdiocese of Baltimore in Maryland from 1984 to 1997.
Martin David Holley is an American prelate of the Catholic Church. He served as bishop of the Diocese of Memphis in Tennessee, from 2016 to 2018, when he was removed by Pope Francis for financial mismanagement of the diocese.
The Cathedral Church of St Mary and St Thomas is a Roman Catholic cathedral in Northampton, England. It is the seat of the Bishop of Northampton and mother church of the Diocese of Northampton which covers the counties of Northamptonshire, Bedfordshire, Buckinghamshire and part of Berkshire north of the River Thames. The cathedral is situated in the north of the town, along the Barrack Road.
The Cathedral of the Sacred Heart, is the seat of the Bishop of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Pensacola-Tallahassee. It shares this distinction with the Co-Cathedral of Saint Thomas More in Tallahassee. The cathedral is named in honor of the Sacred Heart of Jesus, and is located in Pensacola, Florida.
St. John Paul II Catholic High School is a private, coeducational, Catholic high school in Tallahassee, Florida. It is a diocesan school of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Pensacola-Tallahassee and accredited by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools.
The Archdiocese of Canberra and Goulburn is a Latin Church ecclesiastical territory or archdiocese of the Catholic Church located in the Australian Capital Territory, and the South West Slopes, Southern Tablelands, Monaro and the South Coast regions of New South Wales, Australia. Erected in 1948, the archdiocese is directly subject to the Holy See.
The Episcopal Diocese of Florida is a diocese of the Episcopal Church in the United States of America (ECUSA). It originally comprised the whole state of Florida, but is now bounded on the west by the Apalachicola River, on the north by the Georgia state line, on the east by the Atlantic Ocean and on the south by the northern boundaries of Volusia, Marion, and Citrus counties. Its cathedral church is St. John's Cathedral in Jacksonville.
The Cathedral of Saint Mary of the Assumption, colloquially known as Saint Mary's Cathedral, is a historic church located in Fall River, Massachusetts. It is the cathedral and a parish church in the Diocese of Fall River. Built from 1852 to 1856, the cathedral and adjacent rectory were added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1983, as St. Mary's Cathedral and Rectory. It is the oldest extant church building in the city of Fall River, and was one of the city's first Catholic parishes. The cathedral is dedicated to Mary, mother of Jesus under the title of Our Lady of the Assumption.
The Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Kota Kinabalu is a metropolitan archdiocese of the Latin Church of the Roman Catholic Church in Sabah, a state of Malaysia on the island of Borneo. The archdiocese is the oldest ecclesiastical territory in Malaysia, with a long history slowly rising along with the Catholic population from a prefecture to an archdiocese. Its cathedral archepiscopal see is Sacred Heart Cathedral, Kota Kinabalu. The patron saint of the archdiocese is St. Joseph, Spouse of the Blessed Virgin Mary.
Joseph Keith Symons is an American prelate of the Roman Catholic Church. Symons served as bishop of the Diocese of Palm Beach in Florida from 1990 to 1998. Previously, he served as an auxiliary bishop of the Diocese of St. Petersburg in Florida for several months in 1981, then was appointed bishop of the Diocese of Pensacola-Tallahassee in Florida in October 1981.
Gregory Lawrence Parkes is an American prelate of the Roman Catholic Church. Parkes has been serving as the fifth bishop of the Diocese of St. Petersburg in Florida since 2017. He served as bishop of the Diocese of Pensacola-Tallahassee in Florida from 2012 to 2016.
William Albert Wack, C.S.C. is an American prelate of the Roman Catholic Church, serving as the bishop of the Diocese of Pensacola–Tallahassee in Florida since August 22, 2017.
Blessed Sacrament Church is a historic Roman Catholic church in Buffalo, New York, United States. Constructed in the late 19th century, it remains the home of an active congregation and has been recognized as a historically significant building in the Linwood Historic District of Buffalo.