Province of portland

Pope Pius IX created the Province of Oregon City—now the Province of Portland—in 1846.  It is the second oldest province in the United States.  The Province now consists of the Archdiocese of Portland and four dioceses in Oregon, Idaho, and Montana.  The Province has 719,000 Catholics, 11 percent of the total population.  The Archdiocese of Portland is one of only four U.S. archdioceses established without first being a diocese.  In 2000, the Province had 571,000 Catholics, or 11 percent of the total.

Map of the Province

 Oregon

Catholic History of Oregon

Spanish and English explorers sailed along the Oregon Coast as early as 1543, but it would take over 200 years for Europeans to become interested in Oregon.  The English Captain James Cook came to Oregon in 1778 and purchased furs from the Native Americans living along the coast.  His return to England opened up Oregon for commercial exploitation.  The American Captain Robert Gray “discovered” the Columbia River in 1792 and the Lewis and Clark expedition came to Oregon during 1805-1806.  The first commercial post was established at Astoria by the American Fur Company in 1811.  Control of the Oregon Country would be disputed by the British and Americans for the next 37 years.

A few Americans settled in Oregon in the mid-1830s and a provisional government was established at Oregon City—Oregon’s first permanent non-Native American settlement—in 1843.  The Americans and the British eventually resolved their dispute over Oregon—in the Americans’ favor—and Oregon was organized as a Territory in 1848 and entered the Union as the 33^rd State in 1859.

Canadian fur traders and other Catholics had settled in the Willamette Valley and in 1834 petitioned a Canadian bishop to send them a priest.  The bishop sent Fathers Francis Blanchet and Modeste Demers who arrived in Oregon in 1838.  The first Mass in Oregon was said at St. Paul, about 20 miles north of Salem, on January 6, 1839.  Other priests followed, including the Jesuit Father Peter De Smet, who brought the Faith to the Flathead and Nez Perce tribes.  Pope Gregory XVI created the Vicariate Apostolic of Oregon City in 1843 with Blanchet as the Vicar Apostolic.  Pope Pius IX created the Province of Oregon City in 1846, making Oregon City an archdiocese—the second in the United States.  The name would be changed to the Archdiocese of Portland in 1928.  Pope Leo XIII created the Diocese of Baker City in 1903 to serve eastern Oregon—its name was changed to Baker in 1952.

Archdiocese of Portland

The Archdiocese of Portland consists of 18 counties in western Oregon. The archdiocese has 425,000 Catholics (12 percent of the total population) in 124 parishes.

Archbishops of Oregon City

Francis N. Blanchet (1795-1883), Vicar Apostolic of the Oregon Territory (1843-1846) and the first Archbishop of Oregon City (1846-1880). 

• Born in Canada and ordained a priest there in 1819. 

Francis Blanchet, known as the Apostle of Oregon, first came to the Northwest in 1838, accompanied by another priest, to serve the few Catholics in the area (which included what is now the Northwestern United States, Alaska, and part of western Canada) and to try to evangelize the Native Americans.  Blanchet was named Vicar Apostolic of the Oregon Territory in 1843.  Oregon was so remote in those days, that it took almost a year for news of this appointment to reach Blanchet.  He left Oregon in November 1844 to travel to Montreal to be consecrated as bishop and then to Europe to recruit priests and other religious and secure funding for the Church in Oregon.  He did not return to Oregon until August 1847, a year after being named the first Archbishop of Oregon City—he brought with him 8 priests and 13 religious brothers and sisters.  As Archbishop, Blanchet devised a system of signs and notations to teach the Faith to the Native Americans.  He protested the U.S. Government’s policy of placing Catholic missions under Protestant control.  He also faced a financial crisis brought about by the end of the California gold rush.  He held the first Provincial Council in 1848 and attended councils in Baltimore and the First Vatican Council.  He established many churches, schools, and other Catholic institutions throughout Oregon, and established a diocesan newspaper in 1870.  He moved his residence to Portland in 1862 and retired in 1880.  His younger brother, Augustine, later became Bishop of Nesqually, now the Archdiocese of Seattle.

Charles J. Seghers (1839-1886), Archbishop of Oregon City (1880-1884). 

·        Born in Belgium and ordained a priest in Europe in 1863.

·        Also served as Bishop of Vancouver Island, British Columbia (1873-1878 and 1884-1886) and as coadjutor Archbishop of Oregon City (1878-1880).

Charles Seghers came to Victoria, British Columbia, in 1863, to serve the Church in the Pacific Northwest.  Within ten years, he was named Bishop of Vancouver Island—the youngest bishop in North America.  Soon after, he went to Alaska, which was then part of his Diocese, where he established and visited missions to the Native people.  He was named coadjutor Archbishop of Oregon City in 1878 and became the second Archbishop in 1880.  Archbishop Seghers traveled to parishes and missions throughout Oregon, Idaho, and Montana, despite suffering from ill health almost his entire life.  He was noted as a skilled preacher and musician.  He established a Catholic school system and brought in members of the Benedictine Order to establish Mount Angel Abbey.  He increased the number of churches and schools and encouraged his priests to make their opinions known.  He resigned as Archbishop in 1884 and returned to Vancouver Island so that he could go back to his beloved Alaska.  Seghers, later to be known as the Apostle of Alaska, made his fifth and last trip there in 1886, during which he was shot and killed by a mentally deranged member of his party.

William H. Gross, C.SS.R., (1837-1898), Archbishop of Oregon City (1885-1898). 

·        Born in Baltimore and ordained a Redemptorist priest in 1863.

·        Also served as Bishop of Savannah, Georgia (1873-1885).

Archbishop Gross was the first American-born bishop in the Far West.  Archbishop Gross originally planned to be a sailor, but became a priest instead.  As Archbishop, he established a religious order that has become the Sisters of St. Mary of Oregon.  He also invited other religious orders to the Archdiocese to establish churches, schools, a maternity home, and a home for the aged.  He dedicated the third Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception at SW Third and Stark Streets and established a seminary.  He traveled throughout the Archdiocese by train, horseback, and on foot.  He died in 1898.

Alexander Christie (1848-1925), Archbishop of Oregon City (1899-1925). 

• Born in Vermont and ordained a priest for the Diocese of St. Paul, Minnesota, in 1877.
• Also served as Bishop of Vancouver Island, British Columbia (1898-1899). 

Archbishop Christie was an advocate of Catholic education.  He helped establish the University of Portland (then called Columbia University) in 1901 and took on the Oregon government.  The Oregon legislature passed a law in 1922 that required all children to attend public school.  The Archbishop and others fought this measure before and after it became law.  The Supreme Court of the United States declared the law unconstitutional in 1925.  Christie also introduced a novel way of bringing the Church to the people by buying two chapel cars—railroad cars converted to rolling chapels.  The size of his archdiocese led him to ask the Vatican to create the Diocese of Baker City, which was done in 1903.  Christie was also known as an eloquent speaker.  He died in 1925.

Archbishops of Portland

Edward D. Howard (1877-1983), Archbishop of Oregon City (1926-1928) and the first Archbishop of Portland (1928-1966). 

• Born in Iowa and ordained a priest for the Archdiocese of St. Paul, Minnesota, in 1906.
• Also served as auxiliary bishop of Davenport, Iowa (1924-1926). 

Howard served as Archbishop for over 40 years, retired at the age of 89, and when he died at the age of 105, was the oldest Catholic prelate in the world.  He was one of 19 U.S. bishops to serve 40 or more years as bishop of a single diocese.  As Archbishop, Howard was a good administrator who, in an effort to help those suffering the effects of the Great Depression, reorganized the St. Vincent de Paul Society and established Catholic Charities in Oregon.  He was also an innovator, who decades before the Second Vatican Council (which he attended), experimented with greater lay participation at Mass, had Masses in which the priest faced the people, and spoke out in favor of the use of English for parts of the Mass.  He established Central Catholic High School in 1939 and brought Portland’s Catholic newspaper under the control of the Archdiocese.  During his time as bishop, the number of Catholics increased from 61,000 to 187,000 and the number of priests from 174 to 430.  He retired in 1966.

Robert J. Dwyer (1908-1976), Archbishop of Portland (1966-1974). 

·        Born in Utah and ordained a priest in 1932 for the Diocese of Salt Lake City.

·        Also served as Bishop of Reno, Nevada (1952-1966).

Archbishop Dwyer wrote a column for the Archdiocesan newspaper that reflected his interest in literature and history—especially Church history.  He implemented the reforms of the Second Vatican Council, which he attended while Bishop of Reno, and he paid off a large debt incurred by the need to build new schools and other buildings.  He established the permanent diaconate program and encouraged social work in inner-city Portland.  He also established a separate ministry for Spanish-speaking Catholics in the Archdiocese.  He resigned in 1974 and died in 1976.

Cornelius M. Power (1913-1997), Archbishop of Portland (1974-1986). 

• Born in Seattle and ordained a priest for the Archdiocese of Seattle in 1939.
• Also served as Bishop of Yakima, Washington (1969-1974). 

Archbishop Power was a strong administrator who set up an endowment fund and reorganized the archdiocesan chancery offices.  He also established ministries to Hispanic Catholics and Catholics from Southeast Asia.  He reorganized Oregon Catholic Charities and the Oregon Catholic Press.  He hosted the first Archdiocesan Pastoral Convention in 1985 and organized the Oregon Catholic Conference.  He retired in 1986.

William J. Levada (1936-    ), Archbishop of Portland (1986-1995). 

• Born in California and ordained a priest for the Archdiocese of Los Angeles in 1961.
• Also served as auxiliary bishop of Los Angeles (1983-1986), coadjutor archbishop of San Francisco (1995), Archbishop of San Francisco (1995-2005) and served as Prefect for the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith (2005-2012).  Pope Benedict XVI named him a Cardinal in 2006. 

Archbishop Levada established a retirement fund for priests of the Archdiocese and raised money for the St. John Vianney retirement residence.  He undertook the restoration of the Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception in time for the Archdiocese’s 150^th anniversary.  He also served as the only American on the Vatican’s committee to write a new catechism for the Catholic Church.  Archbishop Levada supported lay ministry, ecumenism, and social programs.  He fought against Oregon’s assisted suicide law.  He was named coadjutor archbishop of San Francisco in 1985 and was named a Cardinal in 2006.

Francis E. George, O.M.I., (1937-2015), Archbishop of Portland (1996-1997).

• Born in Chicago and ordained a priest for the Missionary Oblates of Mary Immaculate in 1963.
• Also served as vicar general of the Missionary Oblates of Mary Immaculate (1974-1986), Bishop of Yakima, Washington (1990-1996) and Archbishop of Chicago (1997-2014).  He was named a Cardinal in 1998. 

Archbishop George served the Archdiocese for less than a year and spent much of that time visiting parishes.  George also took on the Oregon government.  Lane County jailers secretly tape recorded an inmate’s confession to a priest.  The Archbishop took the matter to court and the U.S. Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals ruled the taping illegal.  He was appointed Archbishop of Chicago in 1997 and was named a Cardinal in 1998.

John G. Vlazny (1937-    ), Archbishop of Portland (1997-2013). 

• Born in Chicago and ordained a priest for the Archdiocese of Chicago in 1961.
• Also served as auxiliary bishop of Chicago (1983-1987) and Bishop of Winona, Minnesota (1987-1997). 

In 2004, under Archbishop Vlazny, the Archdiocese was the first U.S. diocese to declare bankruptcy related to clergy sexual abuse.  Vlazny opposed Oregon’s Death with Dignity Act.  [And that’s all I have on Archbishop Vlazny.]  Archbishop Vlazny retired in 2013.

Current Archbishop

Alexander K. Sample was appointed Archbishop of Portland by Pope Benedict XVI in 2013.  He was born in Montana in 1960 and ordained a priest for the Diocese of Marquette, Michigan, in 1990.  He previously served as Bishop of Marquette (2005-2013).

The Cathedral

Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception
NW 18th and Couch Streets
Portland, Oregon 97209

Many Christians believe that humans are born into sin—known as original sin.  This sin is erased through baptism and the saving grace of Jesus Christ.  Catholics believe that Mary, through the grace of God, was conceived without the stain of original sin—the Immaculate Conception.  She was given the honor because of her role as the Mother of God.  The Feast of the Immaculate Conception is celebrated on December 8.

O Mary, ever blessed Virgin, Mother of God, Queen of angels and of saints, we salute you with the most profound veneration and filial devotion as we contemplate your holy Immaculate Conception, we thank you for your maternal protection and for the many blessings that we have received through your wondrous mercy and most powerful intercession. In all our necessities we have recourse to you with unbounded confidence. O Mother of Mercy, we beseech you now to hear our prayer and to obtain for us of your Divine Son the favor that we so earnestly request in this novena...(State your intention here...) O Mary of the Immaculate Conception, Mother of Christ, you had influence with your Divine Son while upon this earth; you have the same influence now in heaven. Pray for us and obtain for us from him the granting of my petition if it be the Divine Will. Amen.

Francis Blanchet became the first Archbishop of Oregon City in 1846 and selected St. John the Apostle church in Oregon City to be his cathedral.  St. John’s had been established just four years prior.  Blanchet moved his residence to Portland in 1862 and St. Mary (Immaculate Conception) became the cathedral for the Archdiocese.  The original St. Mary’s had been established in 1851 at what is now NW Fifth and NW Couch Streets—then at the edge of town.  (This church building was raised in 1878.)  The parish moved to a larger church at SW Third and SW Stark Streets in 1854 and this building became the Cathedral when Archbishop Blanchet moved to Portland in 1862.  A new cathedral was built at this site in 1885, but was flooded in 1894.  A third Portland cathedral was built shortly thereafter at NW 15^th and NW Davis Streets.  The current cathedral was completed in 1926—two years before it would become the cathedral for the renamed Archdiocese of Portland.  The Cathedral had a major restoration in 1996.

The 12,000 square-foot Cathedral was designed by the architectural firm of Jacobberger & Smith in a Romanesque style with Byzantine highlights.  The Cathedral is made of red brick and has a red-tiled gable roof with stone Corinthian columns.  The square bell tower has three bells originally in the cathedral located at 3^rd and Stark Streets.

From Wikipedia

The Cathedral’s front doors are made from white oak and the floor is Italian marble.  The narthex doors are made of etched glass depicting the Seven Sacraments.  They were the work of Debora Coombs and were installed in the 1996 restoration.  The glass Baptistery screen depicts the Sacraments.  Lower panels represent water and show that Christians pass through the water of Baptism into the light of God.

The Cathedral has several stained glass windows.  The transept windows were originally installed in the 1885 Cathedral (and may date to the 1870s) and were removed after the 1894 flood and installed in the current Cathedral in 1926.  The left window depicts the four evangelists, the Blessed Mother, and St. Jerome.  The right window depicts the Blessed Mother, St. Patrick, St. Brigid, and St. Dominic.  The eight nave stained glass windows were designed by Debora Coombs and fabricated by Cummings Studios of Massachusetts for the 1996 restoration.  The lower windows depict the lives of several saints and the clerestory windows above depict symbols of the Church and the Seven Sacraments.

Other notable artwork in the Cathedral include marble statues of the Sacred Heart of Jesus and the Blessed Mother on the north walls of the transepts.  These were carved in Switzerland and brought to the earlier 3rd and Stark Street cathedral by Benedictine monks, who later founded Mount Angel Abbey.  The Stations of the Cross were installed in 1926.  Emil Jacques of the University of Notre Dame created nine mural panels (painted on canvas) between 1930 and 1936.  Located on the apse walls, they show major events in the life of Our Blessed Mother.  The crucifix below the central mural contains a bronze corpus made by Polish sculptor, Jean Lambert-Rucki, and a wooden cross made by Norbert Sorger from Vancouver, Washington.  Brother Claude Lane of Mount Angel Abbey made three icons in the early years of this century.  The icons show the Nativity, Our Lady of Perpetual Help, and St. Joseph.

The Archbishop’s cathedra came from an earlier cathedral.  Above it is an art glass dome made by the Povey Brothers and installed in 1926.  The Eucharistic Chapel has a large window made by the Cummings Stained Glass Studio of Massachusetts. The design incorporates Eucharistic symbols.

Additional information, including pictures, can be found on the Cathedral’s website, maryscathedral.com.  Also see the Archdiocesan website at archdpdx.org.  The Cathedral is located less than a mile west of downtown Portland and has five weekend masses.  The parish elementary school has an enrollment of 200.

All pictures are from the Cathedral website.

Diocese of Baker

The diocese consists of 18 counties in eastern Oregon.  The diocese has 34,000 Catholics (7 percent of the total population) in 36 parishes.

Bishops of Baker City

Charles J. O’Reilly (1860-1923), first Bishop of Baker City (1903-1918). 

• Born in Canada and ordained a priest for the Archdiocese of Oregon City in 1890.
• Also served as Bishop of Lincoln, Nebraska (1918-1923). 

There were about 4,000 Catholics in the Diocese at the time Bishop O’Reilly was appointed—about 500 of whom were members of the Umatilla tribe—and Bishop O’Reilly invited members of religious orders to come to the Diocese.  Jesuit, Franciscan, and Capuchin priests and religious sisters from the Orders of St. Francis, St. Dominic, and the Most Holy Name of Jesus and Mary, opened schools, missions, and hospitals.  Bishop O’Reilly also built the Cathedral of St. Francis de Sales.  He was named Bishop of Bishop of Lincoln, Nebraska, in 1918.

Joseph F. McGrath (1871-1950), Bishop of Baker City (1918-1950). 

• Born in Ireland and ordained a priest for the Diocese of Springfield, Massachusetts, in 1895. 

Bishop McGrath led the Diocese through the Great Depression and the Second World War.  He also established the Confraternity of Christian Doctrine in the Diocese in 1937 and mandated it for every parish.  It became a model for other U.S. Dioceses.  He served as Bishop of Baker longer than any other. He died in 1950.

Bishops of Baker

Francis P. Leipzig (1895-1981), Bishop of Baker City (1950-1952) and first Bishop of Baker (1952-1971).

·        Born in Wisconsin and ordained a priest in 1920 for the Archdiocese of Oregon City.

Bishop Leipzig built 30 new churches, renovated the Cathedral, and built dozens of schools, hospitals, and other institutions.  He also attended all sessions of the Second Vatican Council and as a result established a priests’ senate (one of the first in the United States).  He established a Catholic newspaper for the Diocese and sought to meet the liturgical needs of the increasing Hispanic population in the Diocese.  He ordained many new priests, but also saw many leave the priesthood during the turbulent 1960s.  As a result and because of the Second Vatican Council, Bishop Leipzig expanded the role of the laity in ministry and administration.  He retired in 1971.

Thomas J. Connolly (1922-2015), Bishop of Baker (1971-1999). 

·        Born in Nevada and ordained a priest for the Diocese of Reno-Las Vegas in 1947.

Bishop Connolly continued to make changes based on the Second Vatican Council, including renovation of churches to be compliant with new liturgical practices.  He also established a lay Diocesan pastoral council and a council for religious sisters and he encouraged pastors to establish parish councils.  He ordained the first permanent deacons in the Diocese and moved the Chancery offices to Bend in 1987.  He also directed the establishment of the popular DeSales Catholic Adult Education Video Program (used by 7,000 U.S. parishes).  He mandated a 3-month marriage preparation program and an educational program for parents seeking Baptism for their children.  He promoted youth and Hispanic ministries and started a program to assist illegal immigrants to become citizens.  He retired in 1999.

Robert F. Vasa (1951-    ), Bishop of Baker (1999-2011). 

·        Born in Nebraska and ordained a priest for the Diocese of Lincoln in 1976.

·        Serves as Bishop of Santa Rosa, California (since 2011).

[From Wikipedia]  Bishop Vasa spoke out on pro-life issues.  Concerned about practices at St. Charles Medical Center in Bend, he said that it could no longer consider itself to be a Catholic hospital.  Bishop Vasa was named coadjutor bishop of Santa Rosa, California, in 2011, and became Bishop of Santa Rosa the same year.

Current Bishop

Liam Stephen Cary was appointed Bishop of Baker by Pope Benedict XVI in 2012.  He was born in Prineville, Oregon, in 1947 and ordained a priest for the Archdiocese of Portland in 1992.  He previously served as pastor and vocations director for the Archdiocese.

The Cathedral

St. Francis de Sales Cathedral

First and Church Streets

Baker, Oregon 97814

Francis (1567-1622) was born in what is now France.  Francis studied law, but was ordained a priest in 1593.  He went to Geneva, Switzerland, and successfully reconverted many who had left the Church to become Calvinists.  He became Bishop of Geneva in 1602 and visited all 450 of his Diocese’s parishes.  In 1608, he wrote “Introduction to the Devout Life” to help lay Christians lead a holy life.  He also founded several religious orders.  He was named a Doctor of the Church in 1877 and is the patron saint of writers, the Catholic press, and the hearing impaired.  His feast day is January 24.

O Glorious St. Francis, model of the interior life, and full of zeal for the salvation of souls! Obtain for me the grace to employ all my faculties, not for my own sanctification alone, but for that of my neighbor also; that continually spreading abroad the sweet odor of Jesus Christ by my words and works, I may attain with you the blessedness promised to the merciful: "Blessed are the merciful, for they shall obtain mercy;" and that I may one day have a share in the glory which you enjoy in paradise with the angels and saints, where those who edify and instruct to justice shall shine as stars for all eternity (Dan. xii. 3).

St. Francis de Sales parish was established in 1871 when Catholics in Baker built a wooden church.  This church became the first Cathedral for the new Diocese of Baker City in 1903.  Bishop Charles O’Reilly soon made plans to build a larger Cathedral and ground was broken in 1906 for the current Cathedral located on the same block as the first.  The stone (volcanic tuff), twin-steepled, Gothic Revival Cathedral was designed by M.P. White and was completed in 1908 with much of the work done by parishioners.  A major renovation of the Cathedral was completed in the early 1980s. 

The top picture is from the Cathedral website and the bottom from pinterest.

Above the Cathedral’s main altar is a baldachin and at crucifix made in Italy. The stained glass windows date to 1923 and feature biblical themes.  The statues of the Blessed Mother and St Joseph were brought from Italy in 1908 and other statues date to the 1940s.  The baptismal font is over 100 years old.

Some additional information can be found at the Cathedral website, saintfranciscathedral.com, and on the Diocesan website, dioceseofbaker.org.

The Cathedral is located in downtown Baker City and has two weekend masses, with a Spanish mass twice a month, to serve 450 parish families.  The parish also supports a mission in Halfway (St. Therese) and in North Powder (St. Anthony).  Baker City is one of a dozen diocesan sees that has a population of fewer than 20,000 and is one of only 7 diocesan sees in which the Cathedral parish is the only parish.

Pictures are from the Cathedral website.

Idaho

Catholic History of Idaho

The first non-Native Americans to come to Idaho were French Canadian fur traders, who came throughout the last half of the 18^th Century and first half of the 19^th Century, establishing outposts at Kalispell, Fort Hall, and Boise.  The Lewis and Clark expedition came to Idaho during 1805-1806 giving the United States a claim to the region.  But control of the Pacific Northwest would be disputed by the British and Americans until 1848.  In that year, a treaty gave the region to the United States and Idaho became part of the newly formed Oregon Territory.  Gold was discovered near Pierce in 1860 and thousands of miners came from California and the East seeking their fortune.  Mining of other minerals soon became a major industry.  The Idaho Territory was formed in 1863, and by 1870, Idaho had about 11,000 people.  It had 82,000 people when it became the 43^rd State in 1890.

Native Americans in Idaho first became aware of the Catholic Faith from the French Canadians who came there over 200 years ago.  Sometime prior to 1820, a group of Catholic Iroquois, led by Ignace La Mousse, settled among the Flathead tribe, and introduced the Faith to them.  Members of the Flathead and Nez Perce tribes journeyed to St. Louis four times in the 1830s seeking the services of a priest.  The Jesuit Father Peter De Smet arrived in Idaho in 1840 and celebrated the first Mass near Henry Lake.  Father De Smet and other Jesuits ministered to the Flatheads, Nez Perce, and Pend d”Oreille tribes and established what is now known as the Cataldo Mission (dedicated to the Sacred Heart of Jesus) in 1842—the current chapel was built in 1853 and is the oldest building in Idaho.

Prior to 1860, most Catholics in Idaho were Native American.  This changed with the discovery of gold in 1860—many of the miners were Irish Catholic.  Pope Pius IX created the Vicariate Apostolic of Idaho in 1868 at which time there were about 1,500 Catholics there.  (The Vicariate was originally of Idaho and Montana.  Montana was made a separate vicariate in 1883.)  Many of the Irish Catholics left Idaho after the gold rush ended in the early 1870s and many of the Native Americans were lost to the Faith because the U.S. Government placed them on reservations under the spiritual guidance of Protestant missionaries.  Pope Leo XIII established the Diocese of Boise in 1893—at which time there were about 7,000 Catholics out of a total population of over 100,000.  Today, it is estimated that half of Idaho’s Catholics are of Hispanic origin.

Diocese of Boise

The diocese consists of the State of Idaho.  The diocese has 177,000 Catholics (11 percent of the total population) in 52 parishes.

Vicar Apostolic of Idaho

Louis A. Lootens (1827-1898), Vicar Apostolic of Idaho (1868-1876). 

• Born in Belgium and ordained a priest for the Diocese of Vancouver Island, British Columbia in 1851.

Lootens was given charge of a territory that included all of today’s State of Idaho as well as portions of Montana and Wyoming.  This vast territory had about 1,500 Catholics served by seven priests.  He used St. Joseph’s Church in Idaho City—the first non-mission church of any denomination in Idaho—as his cathedral, and lived in two attached rooms.  He built the first church in Boise in 1870 but it burned down shortly after completion.  Bishop Lootens attended the First Vatican Council in 1870.  He had a difficult time in Idaho—many people left the area after the end of the gold rush in 1870 and he faced health problems caused by primitive living conditions and the need to travel by foot or horseback over the vast distances of his vicariate apostolic.  He resigned as vicar apostolic in 1876 and spent his remaining years in Canada, ministering to the native peoples and writing books.

Bishops of Boise

Alphonsus J. Glorieux (1844-1917), Vicar Apostolic of Idaho (1885-1893) and first Bishop of Boise (1893-1917). 

·        Born in Belgium and ordained a priest in Europe in 1867.

Nine years after Bishop Lootens retired, Bishop Glorieux was named the second Vicar Apostolic of Idaho in 1885 and became the first Bishop of Boise in 1893.  By this time, the diocese consisted of what is now the State of Idaho and had 7,000 Catholics, 10 priests, and 27 churches.  He selected St. John the Evangelist church in Boise to be his cathedral.  During his 32 years as vicar apostolic and bishop, Bishop Glorieux built 93 new churches and missions, several schools, five hospitals, an orphanage, and a home for the aged.  He ordained almost 50 priests.  Bishop Glorieux died in 1917.

Daniel M. Gorman (1861-1927), Bishop of Boise (1918-1927). 

• Born in Iowa and ordained a priest for the Archdiocese of Dubuque, Iowa, in 1893.

Bishop Gorman stressed the importance of Catholic education by building many new schools and attending to the spiritual needs of college students.  He also built new hospitals and established several organizations to increase the involvement of lay people in the Church. He ordained 32 diocesan priests.  Bishop Gorman completed the construction of St. John the Evangelist Cathedral in 1921.  He died in 1927.

Edward J. Kelly (1890-1956), Bishop of Boise (1927-1956). 

·        Born in Oregon and ordained a priest for the Diocese of Baker City, Oregon, in 1917.

Bishop Kelly was the first native of the Pacific Northwest to be appointed a bishop.  He tried to ensure that all Idaho Catholics understood the Faith, through Catholic schools, the Confraternity of Christian Doctrine, and programs for rural Catholics, high school, and college students.  He also wrote a history of the Diocese of Boise.  Growth continued in the Diocese and Kelly built 41 churches and 10 schools.  Bishop Kelly died in 1956.

James J. Byrne (1908-1996), Bishop of Boise (1956-1962).

·        Born in Minnesota and ordained a priest for the Archdiocese of St. Paul in 1933.

·        Also served as auxiliary bishop of St. Paul, Minnesota (1947-1956) and Archbishop of Dubuque, Iowa (1962-1983).

Bishop Byrne a diocesan newspaper in 1958.  He was named Archbishop of Dubuque, Iowa, in 1962, at which time there were 44,000 Idaho Catholics.

Sylvester W. Treinen (1917-1996), Bishop of Boise (1962-1988). 

·        Born in Minnesota and ordained a priest for the Diocese of Bismarck, North Dakota, in 1946.

Bishop Treinen attended all sessions of the Second Vatican Council and implemented the changes resulting from the Council.  He also established Catholic student centers at Idaho’s public universities, opened a retreat center, and established the Catholic Communications Center and a liturgical commission.  He retired in 1988.

Tod D. Brown (1936-    ), Bishop of Boise (1988-1998). 

·        Born in San Francisco and ordained a priest for the Diocese of Monterey-Fresno in 1963.

·        Also served as Bishop of Orange, California (1998-2012).

[From Wikipedia]  Bishop Brown made extensive changes to the Diocese’s administrative and financial systems and dealt with several incidents involving clergy misconduct.  He was named Bishop of Orange, California, in 1998.

Michael P. Driscoll (1939-    ), Bishop of Boise (1999-2014).

·        Born in California and ordained a priest for the Archdiocese of Los Angeles in 1965.

·        Also served as auxiliary bishop of Orange, California (1990-1999).

Bishop Driscoll established a Diocesan Catholic Charities in 2000.  He retired in 2014. 

Current Bishop

Peter F. Christensen was appointed Bishop of Boise by Pope Francis in 2014.  He was born in California in 1952 and ordained a priest for the Archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis in 1985.  He previously served as Bishop of Superior, Wisconsin (2007-2014).

The Cathedral

St. John the Evangelist Cathedral

807 N. 8th Street

Boise, Idaho  83702

St. John was one of the twelve Apostles, one of the four Evangelists, and the brother of the Apostle James the Great.  He is thought to be the author of one of the Gospels, three Epistles, and the Book of Revelation.  He took care of the Blessed Virgin Mary from the time of Jesus’ death to the time of her death.  According to tradition, he died of old age around the 100 A.D. in Ephesus in modern day Turkey.  His feast day is December 27.

O Glorious Apostle, who, on account of thy virginal purity, was so beloved by Jesus as to deserve to lay your head upon his divine breast, and to be left, in his place, as son to his most holy Mother; I beg you to inflame me with a most ardent love towards Jesus and Mary. Obtain for me from our Lord that I, too, with a heart purified from earthly affections, may be made worthy to be ever united to Jesus as a faithful disciple, and to Mary as a devoted son, both here on earth and eternally in heaven. Amen.

Bishop Lootens used St. Joseph’s church in Idaho City as his cathedral.  Lootens built the first Catholic church in Boise—St. Patrick’s—but it was destroyed by fire in 1870 less than 3 weeks after it is built.  When Bishop Glorieux came to Idaho, he selected St. John the Evangelist Church—a small frame church located at the northwest corner of 9^th and Bannock Streets (where there is now a parking garage) in Boise to be his first cathedral.  This church, built in 1876, was inadequate for a cathedral and Bishop Glorieux purchased the current site and began construction in 1906.  Glorieux did not want the parish to go into debt so liturgies were held in the basement beginning in 1912, but the Cathedral was not completed until 1921.

St. Joseph's Church from pinterest.

The Cathedral was designed by Tourtellotte & Hummel of Boise in a Romanesque Revival style modeled after the cathedrals in Mainz, Germany, and Toulouse, France.  The Cathedral is constructed from Boise sandstone in the form of a cross 170 feet long and 65 feet wide.  The Cathedral seats 1,000 people.  There are towers on both sides of the entrance and a spire rises from the middle of the Cathedral.  A gable is above the entrance topped with a statue of St. John the Evangelist.  St. John’s Cathedral is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.

The top picture is from the Cathedral website and the bottom picture is from Wikipedia.

The sanctuary contains the main altar, made of three types of marble, the baptismal font made of Italian Botticino marble, and the Bishop’s chair made of limed oak.  On either side of the sanctuary are windows and statues dedicated to the Blessed Virgin Mary and to St. Joseph.  The pipe organ was built by the Tellers-Kent Organ Company in 1921 and has 3,000 pipes in 43 ranks.

The stained-glass windows mostly date to the Cathedral’s construction.  The nave windows depict the life of Christ from the Annunciation to the Resurrection.  The north transept window features the Epiphany, St. Alphonsus Ligouri, and St. Teresa of Avila.  The south transept window shows the Ascension of our Lord, St. Patrick, and St. Rita of Cascia.  Above the main altar are windows showing the Holy Spirit in the form of a dove (added in 1979), the Sacred Heart of Jesus, the Immaculate Heart of Mary, and the four evangelists.  A rose window depicting St. Cecilia is above the pipe organ.

The Cathedral website at boisecathedral.org has an online brochure explaining the architectural details.  The Diocesan website is catholicidaho.org.  The Cathedral is located less than a mile north of the State Capitol and has six weekend masses, including one in Spanish.

Pictures are from the Cathedral website.

Montana

Catholic History of Montana

The first non-Native Americans to come to Montana were French Canadian fur traders, who came there throughout the last half of the 18^th Century and first half of the 19^th Century.  Eastern Montana became part of the United States as a result of the Louisiana Purchase in 1803 and the Lewis and Clark expedition explored Montana during 1805-1806.  U.S. control of western Montana was not firmly established until 1848.  Fur traders established scattered settlements during the first half of the 19^th Century, but large numbers of American settlers would not come until the 1860s as a result of the discovery of gold at Bannack, Alder Gulch (Virginia City), Last Chance Gulch (Helena), and Confederate Gulch (Diamond City).  Parts of Montana belonged to several different territories until the Territory of Montana was established in 1864.  Montana’s population was 21,000 in 1870.  When Montana became the 41^st State in 1889, its population had grown to over 132,000.

In the second decade of the 19^th Century, a group of Catholic Iroquois settled among the Flathead tribe, and introduced the Faith to them.  After several petitions to Church officials in St. Louis for the services of a priest, the Jesuit Father Peter De Smet arrived in Montana in 1840 and celebrated the first Mass near what is now Three Forks.  Other Jesuits, including Father Antonio Ravalli, soon followed and several missions were established among the Native American tribes, including St. Mary in 1841, St. Ignatius in 1854, and St. Peter in 1858.  Churches were soon established in the new towns, including Helena in 1866, Butte and Missoula in 1881, Frenchtown in 1884, Billings in 1887, and Great Falls in 1889.

Montana became part of the Vicariate Apostolic of the Indian Territory East of the Rock Mountains—along with all or parts of seven other future states—in 1850.  Later eastern Montana Catholics were served by the Vicariate Apostolic of Nebraska (1857), and western Montana Catholics by the Vicariate Apostolic of Idaho (1868).  Eastern Montana became the Vicariate Apostolic of Montana in 1868.  In 1883, Pope Leo XIII established Montana as a separate Vicariate Apostolic—a mission diocese.  The following year, Pope Leo established the Diocese of Helena for the whole Territory of Montana—Helena had been the Territorial capital since 1875.  Pope Pius X separated eastern Montana from the Diocese of Helena in 1904 creating the Diocese of Great Falls.  The name of this second diocese was changed to the Diocese of Great Falls-Billings in 1980.

Diocese of Helena

The diocese consists of 23 counties in western Montana.  The diocese has 45,000 Catholics (8 percent of the total population) in 62 parishes. 

Bishops of Helena

John B. Brondel (1842-1903), Vicar Apostolic of Montana (1883-1884) and the first Bishop of Helena (1884-1903). 

·        Born in Belgium and ordained a priest in Europe in 1864 prior to coming to the United States to serve for the Diocese of Nesqually, Washington.

·        Also served as Bishop of Vancouver Island, British Columbia (1879-1883).

Bishop Brondel increased the number of schools and hospitals in the Diocese and increased the number of churches by 50.  He also increased the number of Diocesan priests from 4 to 38.  He paid special attention to the religious and material needs of the Native Americans in the Diocese.  He traveled throughout Montana ministering to Catholics throughout the state.  Bishop Brondel’s concern with the size of his Diocese led him to successfully petition the Pope to create another diocese for Montana.  He died in 1903.

John P. Carroll (1864-1925), Bishop of Helena (1904-1925). 

• Born in Iowa and ordained a priest in Canada in 1889.

Bishop Carroll built many new churches, schools, and other Catholic institutions, including the Cathedral of St. Helena.  He also established a Mount St. Charles Catholic college, now known as Carroll College.  Carroll invited several religious orders to come to Montana to serve the people of the Diocese.  He was known as an outstanding speaker.  Bishop Carroll died in 1925 while on a trip to Rome.

George J. Finnigan, C.S.C. (1885-1932), Bishop of Helena (1927-1932). 

• Born in New York and ordained a priest for the Congregation of the Holy Cross in 1915.

Bishop Finnigan established the Diocese’s first Catholic newspaper in 1932 and tried to meet the needs of people made poor by a severe drought and the Great Depression.  He worked to get accreditation and financial support for Carroll College.  He also established a Confraternity of Christian Doctrine program in the Diocese.  Finnigan’s work among the Blackfeet Indians resulted in his being adopted by the tribe.  He was the first Holy Cross priest to be named as a diocesan bishop in the United States.  Bishop Finnigan died in 1932 from a stroke suffered during a trip to Rome.

Ralph L. Hayes (1884-1970), Bishop of Helena (1933-1935). 

• Born in Pennsylvania and ordained a priest for the Diocese of Pittsburgh in 1909.
• Also served as Rector of the North American College in Rome (1935-1944), and Bishop of Davenport, Iowa (1944-1966).

In his short time as Bishop, Hayes was concerned with recovery from damage done to the Helena area by earthquakes in early 1933.  Some Catholic buildings were destroyed and several others damaged, including the Cathedral of St. Helena.  He attended to the needs of his people and successfully sought relief funds from within and outside the Diocese.  Bishop Hayes was named Rector of the North American College in Rome in 1935.

Joseph M. Gilmore (1893-1962), Bishop of Helena (1936-1962). 

• Born in New York and ordained a priest for the Diocese of Helena in 1915.

Joseph Gilmore was the first priest from the Diocese to be named its Bishop.  Following the Second World War, Bishop Gilmore built 20 new churches and 6 new schools.  He also started the first social services organization in Butte—the Catholic Social Services Bureau.  Gilmore started programs that encouraged vocations and greater lay involvement in Church affairs, resettled refugees, and trained unskilled workers.  Bishop Gilmore died in 1962.

Raymond G. Hunthausen (1921-    ), Bishop of Helena (1962-1975). 

• Born in Anaconda, Montana, and ordained a priest for the Diocese of Helena in 1946.
• Also served as Archbishop of Seattle (1975-1991).

Bishop Hunthausen served as Bishop during and after the Second Vatican Council and led the Diocese through the changes that resulted from the Council.  The changes included the promotion of greater involvement of the laity is Church matters.  He  also was forced to close several diocesan schools due decreasing numbers of nuns and to a lack of funds, but Hunthausen tried to counter this by establishing a religious education program in each parish.  He also established a relationship with two parishes in Guatemala in 1963, providing religious, medical, educational, and other services.  Bishop Hunthausen was named Archbishop of Seattle in 1975.

Elden F. Curtiss (1932-    ), Bishop of Helena (1976-1993). 

• Born in Baker, Oregon, and ordained a priest for the Diocese of Baker in 1958.
• Also served as Archbishop of Omaha (1993-2009).

Bishop Curtiss was a strong advocate of lay participation in the Church.  He established a program to train lay leaders and brought the Renew program to the Diocese to improve lay spiritual development.  He called a diocesan synod in 1988—the first to involve the laity—that resulting in parish pastoral and finance councils.  He also set up programs for high school students to train future leaders in the Church.  Bishop Curtiss was named Archbishop of Omaha in 1993.

Alexander J. Brunett (1934-    ), Bishop of Helena (1994-1997). 

• Born in Detroit and ordained a priest for the Archdiocese of Detroit in 1958.
• Also served as Archbishop of Seattle (1997-2010).

During his short time as bishop, Brunett sought to excite Catholics about their Faith and he often visited parishes and Indian reservations.  He also sought to improve Christian unity by reaching out to non-Catholics—he would later chair the U.S. Bishops' Committee for Ecumenical and Interreligious Affairs.  Brunett also upgraded the curriculum at Carroll College and appointed a diocesan superintendent of Catholic schools.  Bishop Brunett was named Archbishop of Seattle in 2007.

Robert C. Morlino (1946-    ), Bishop of Helena (1999-2003). 

• Born in Pennsylvania and ordained a Jesuit priest in 1974 before becoming a priest for the Diocese of Kalamazoo, Michigan, in 1983.
• Serves as Bishop of Madison, Wisconsin (since 2003).

I have no information on Bishop Morlino’s time in Helena.  He was named Bishop of Madison, Wisconsin, in 2003.

Current Bishop

George L. Thomas was appointed Bishop of Helena by Pope John Paul II in 2004.  He was born in Anaconda, Montana, in 1950 and ordained a priest for the Archdiocese of Seattle in 1976.  He previously served as auxiliary bishop of Seattle (1999-2004).  The Diocese of Helena declared bankruptcy in 2014 because of lawsuits related to sexual abuse.

The Cathedral

Cathedral of St. Helena

530 N. Ewing Street

Helena, Montana  59601

St. Helena or Helen (ca. 250-320) was the mother of Constantine, the first Christian emperor of Rome.  Helen converted to Christianity in about 312 and later helped bring her son to the Faith.  She lived simply and tended to the needs of the poor and oppressed.  She visited the Holy Land late in her life and built churches and shrines at many of the places important in the life of Jesus.  She is the patron saint of converts and the divorced.  Her feast day is August 18.

Holy and blessed Saint Helena, with the anguish and devotion with which you sought the Cross of Christ, I plead that you give me God's grace to suffer in patience the labors of this life, so that through them and through your intercession and protection, I will be able to seek and carry the Cross, which God has placed upon me, so that I can serve Him in this life and enjoy His Glory ever after. Amen.

The Sacred Hearts of Jesus and Mary parish was established in 1866 as the first parish in Helena.  The first church was a frame building that measured 60 feet by 22 feet.  A larger brick church was built about a block away in 1876.  This church became Bishop Brondel’s Cathedral in 1884.  Land for a new Cathedral was purchased in 1905 and construction of the current St. Helena’s Cathedral began in 1908, which would replace Sacred Hearts parish.  The first Mass was held in the new Cathedral in 1914, although the Cathedral would not be fully completed until 1924.  The Cathedral is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.

The Cathedral was designed by A.O. Von Herbulis, a Washington D.C. architect.  Von Herbulis designed a Gothic church modeled after a church in Vienna, Austria.  The Cathedral’s twin spires rise 230 feet above the street and are topped with gold-leafed crosses.  The north tower contains 15 bells.  The Cathedral was severely damaged by earthquakes in 1935, but was reconstructed by 1938.

Picture is from flickr.

The beautiful interior has a high ceiling, white marble altars, hand-carved oak pews, Carrara marble statues, and hand-forged bronze lighting fixtures.  The most outstanding feature of the Cathedral is its 59 stained glass windows.  They were crafted by the F.X. Zettler firm of Munich, Germany, and installed in the 1920s.  Thirty-seven windows trace the story of our relationship with God from the fall of Adam and Eve to early-20^th Century Christianity.  The nave windows measure 9 feet by 15 feet.  There are larger windows of St. Helena and her son, the Emperor Constantine.  A rose window depicts Fra Angelico’s musician angels.

The Cathedral has chapels dedicated to Our Blessed Mother and to St. Joseph and an outdoor sculpture gallery with 27 life-sized statues of many renowned figures from the worlds of science, history, literature, and art, theology.  During a 1950s renovation, the bronze altar canopy and the grillwork behind the altar were installed and the gilding of the interior was added.

The Cathedral’s website, sthelenas.org, has additional information, including pictures and a virtual tour.  Also see the Diocesan website at diocesehelena.org.  The Cathedral is located in downtown Helena and has four weekend masses to serve 1,500 parish families.  The parish supports a mission in Boulder.

All pictures are from the Cathedral website.

Diocese of Great Falls-Billings

The diocese consists of 33 counties in eastern Montana.  The diocese has 38,000 Catholics (9 percent of the total population) in 52 parishes.

Bishops of Great Falls

Mathias C. Lenihan (1854-1943), first Bishop of Great Falls (1904-1930). 

·        Born in Iowa and ordained a priest for the Diocese of Dubuque in 1879.

Bishop Lenihan’s new diocese had about 10,000 Catholics served by 17 priests in 1904.  He established a parochial school system for the Diocese and built St. Ann’s Cathedral in Great Falls.  He established 22 parishes and built several schools and hospitals and encouraged the Sisters of Providence to open St. Thomas Orphan Home in Great Falls.  He also attended to the Native American population of the Diocese by establishing 15 missions.  Lenihan was the first Iowa native to be ordained to the priesthood.  His older brother, Thomas, served as Bishop of Cheyenne, Wyoming.  Lenihan retired in 1930, at which time there were 33,000 Catholics in the Diocese, and was given the personal title of Archbishop.

Edwin V. O’Hara (1881-1956), Bishop of Great Falls (1930-1939). 

• Born in Oregon and ordained a priest for the Archdiocese of Oregon City in 1905.
• Also served as Bishop of Kansas City, Missouri (1939-1956).

As a priest in the Archdiocese of Oregon City, O’Hara fought for justice for many groups.  He led the effort that successfully overturned an Oregon law mandating that all children attend public school, drafted legislation that resulted in a minimum wage for women in Oregon, and established programs to provide religious education to rural Catholic children.  As Bishop of Great Falls, O’Hara promoted the Confraternity of Christian Doctrine, helped form the Catholic Bible Association, and chaired the committee that revised the Baltimore Catechism.  He also established the College of Great Falls in 1932.  He was named Bishop of Kansas City, Missouri, 1939, and was given the personal title of Archbishop in 1954.

William J. Condon (1895-1967), Bishop of Great Falls (1939-1967). 

·        Born in Washington and ordained a priest for the Diocese of Spokane in 1917.

[From Wikipedia]  Bishop Condon dedicated the new campus of the College of Great Falls in 1960.  He also attended all sessions of the Second Vatican Council and governed the Diocese in a time of growth.  Bishop Condon died in 1967.

Eldon B. Schuster (1911-1998), Bishop of Great Falls (1967-1977). 

·        Born in North Dakota and ordained a priest for the Diocese of Great Falls in 1937.

·        Also served as auxiliary bishop of Great Falls (1961-1967).

Schuster was the first priest of the Diocese to be named its Bishop.   [From Wikipedia]  Bishop Schuster co-organized the Montana Catholic Conference on Social Welfare, which led to the statewide formation of the Catholic Charities of Montana.  He also closed some parish schools.  Bishop Schuster resigned in 1977.

Bishops of Great Falls-Billings

Thomas J. Murphy (1932-1997), Bishop of Great Falls (1978-1980) and first Bishop of Great Falls-Billings (1980-1987). 

·        Born in Chicago and ordained a priest for the Archdiocese of Chicago in 1958.

·        Also served as coadjutor Archbishop of Seattle (1987-1991), and Archbishop of Seattle (1991-1997).

Because of changing demographics, Bishop Murphy closed some parishes and schools and named women religious to administer some parishes.  He was named coadjutor Archbishop of Seattle in 1987.   

Anthony M. Milone (1932-    ), Bishop of Great Falls-Billings (1987-2007).

·        Born in Nebraska and ordained a priest for the Archdiocese of Omaha in 1957.

·        Also served as auxiliary bishop of Omaha (1981-1987).

[From Wikipedia]  Bishop Milone administered the Diocese during a time of declining school enrollments and numbers of priests.  He established the Renew program in the Diocese to energize the Faithful.  Bishop Milone retired in 2007.

Current Bishop

Michael W. Warfel was appointed Bishop of Great Falls-Billings by Pope Benedict XVI in 2007.   He was born in Indiana in 1948, became a Catholic at age 12, and ordained a priest for the Archdiocese of Anchorage, Alaska in 1980.  He previously served as Bishop of Juneau, Alaska (1996-2007).

The Cathedrals

St. Ann Cathedral

715 3^rd Ave North

Great Falls, Montana 59403

St. Ann (or Anne) and her husband, St. Joachim, were the parents of the Blessed Virgin Mary.  It is believed that Anne was born in Jerusalem and was childless for many years until an angel appeared to her to tell her that she would be the Mother of Mary.  St. Ann is the patron saint of pregnant and childless women and is also one of the patron saints of Canada.  The feast of Saints Joachim and Ann is celebrated on July 26.

O glorious St. Ann, you are filled with compassion for those who invoke you and with love for those who suffer! Heavily burdened with the weight of my troubles, I cast myself at your feet and humbly beg of you to take the present intention which I recommend to you in your special care.  Please recommend it to your daughter, the Blessed Virgin Mary, and place it before the throne of Jesus, so that He may bring it to a happy issue. Continue to intercede for me until my request is granted. But, above all, obtain for me the grace one day to see my God face to face, and with you and Mary and all the saints to praise and bless Him for all eternity. Amen.

The first St. Ann’s church was a red brick building completed in 1889—the first Catholic church in Great Falls.  It was located on the site of the current day Heisey Center near the present Cathedral.  When Mathias Lenihan became the first Bishop of Great Falls in 1904, he selected St. Ann’s to be his cathedral, but soon made plans to build a new cathedral.  The current Gothic St. Ann Cathedral was completed in 1907 at a cost of $60,000.  It is made from cut sandstone quarried in Montana.  The Cathedral has 21 stained glass windows designed by Mundt Studios of Chicago.

The Cathedral website is stannscathedral.org and the Diocesan website is diocesegfb.org.  The Cathedral is located less than a mile northeast of downtown Great Falls and has three weekend masses.

Pictures are from the Cathedral website, pinterest, and snipview.

St. Patrick Co-Cathedral

215 N. 31^st Street

Billings, Montana 59101

St. Patrick (5^th Century) was from a privileged family in Britain—his grandfather was a priest and his father a deacon.  As a teenager, he was captured by pirates and forced into slavery in Ireland.  He escaped, made his way home, and became a priest.  He was appointed to be the second Bishop of Ireland and went there in about 432.  He had great success in bringing the Irish people to the Catholic faith.  He is one of the patron saints of Ireland.  His feast day is, of course, March 17.

Dear St. Patrick, in your humility you called yourself a sinner, but you became a most successful missionary and prompted countless pagans to follow the Savior.  Many of their descendants in turn spread the Good News in numerous foreign lands. Through your powerful intercession with God, obtain the missionaries we need to continue the work you began. Amen.

St. Patrick’s church—the second Catholic church in Billings—was completed in 1904 at the cost of $64,300.  The red brick, Gothic Revival church became the Co-Cathedral for the Diocese in 1980.  The Co-Cathedral has a single 117-foot steeple.

The Co-Cathedral has retained 12 stained glass windows installed at the time of construction.  These windows were made by the Munich Studio of Chicago and depict events in the life of Christ.  A renovation in 1954 saw several changes including the installation of new Stations of the Cross, three new statues carved of linden wood, wrought iron lanterns in the nave, and a new rose window for the choir loft. Additionally, the interior dome and arches were redone in a Byzantine style.  The baptismal font is made of granite and travertine with a cast bronze bowl.

The Co-Cathedral website is stpatrickcocathedral.org.  St. Patrick’s Co-Cathedral, located in downtown Billings, has three weekend masses to serve the 600 families in the parish.

From the Diocesan website.