Province
of san Francisco
Pope Pius IX created the Province of San Francisco in 1853—the seventh U.S. province. The Province consists of the Archdiocese of San Francisco and nine dioceses, including five in California (Sacramento, Oakland, Stockton, Santa Rosa, and San Jose), one in Hawaii (Honolulu), two in Nevada (Reno and Las Vegas), and one in Utah (Salt Lake City). The Province has 4.1 million Catholics, 21 percent of the total population, as of 2015. It has the third largest population of Catholics of the 32 U.S. provinces. By contrast, in 2000, there were 2.9 million Catholics, or 18 percent of the total population.
I was last in Northern California about 30 years ago. I have visited the Cathedral and Mission
Dolores in San Francisco, but have not seen the other Northern California
cathedrals. I visited the Cathedral in
Las Vegas in 2012. One interesting thing
about the cathedrals in this province is that of the 11 cathedrals, 7 have
unique names among U.S. cathedrals: Oakland’s
Christ the Light, Santa Rosa’s St. Eugene, Honolulu’s Our Lady of Peace,
Honolulu’s St. Theresa of the Child Jesus, Reno’s St. Thomas Aquinas, Las Vegas’
Guardian Angel, and Salt Lake City’s The Madeleine.
Map of the Province
Northern California
Catholic History of Northern California
Several Spanish explorers were aware of California by the
middle decades of the 16th Century and Jesuits were active in Lower
California (Mexico’s Baja peninsula) from 1697 to 1767, but no serious attempt
at colonization of Upper California (now the State of California) was made
until the 18th Century. Spain , fearful that the English or Russians
might attempt to colonize Upper California ,
sent the Spanish military and Franciscan priests to establish a Spanish
presence there. The military built forts
and the Franciscans, led by Father Junipero Serra, established missions to
bring the Faith to Native Americans. The
first mission was at San Diego in 1769 and twenty others would follow over a 40
year period, including San Francisco de Asis in 1776 (in modern day San
Francisco).
California Catholics were helped by foreign priests and nuns
who came to California and established colleges (such as Santa Clara University
in 1851), parishes, and other institutions.
There was only modest anti-Catholicism in California in its early days,
but churches were taxed between 1878 and 1901, private colleges until 1914, and
private elementary and high schools until 1952.
Most early Californians were Catholic and California became
part of the Diocese of Sonora (Mexico) in 1779.
Pope Gregory XVI established the Mexican Diocese of Two Californias
(Upper and Lower) in 1840. With
Statehood in 1850, Pope Pius IX created the Diocese of Monterey, and Northern
California became the Archdiocese of San Francisco in 1853. Pius IX established the Vicariate Apostolic
of Marysville in 1861, which became the Diocese of Grass Valley in 1868 and the
Diocese of Sacramento in 1886. With
increased population growth in the region, Pope John XXIII created three new
Northern California dioceses in 1962—Oakland , Stockton , and Santa
Rosa
Archdiocese of San Francisco
The Archdiocese of San Francisco consists of San Francisco,
Marin, and San Mateo Counties in northwestern California. The archdiocese has 551,000
Catholics (31 percent of the total population) in 90 parishes, as of 2015. The Archdiocese is one of four in the United
States created as an archdiocese without first being created as a diocese.
Archbishops of San Francisco
Joseph S. Alemany, O.P. (1814-1888)
·
Born in Spain and ordained a Dominican priest in
1837.
·
Also served as Bishop of Monterey (1850-1853).
·
First
Archbishop of San Francisco (1853-1884)
Archbishop Alemany was initially responsible for an
Archdiocese that included all of Northern California, Nevada, Utah, and part of
Colorado. As Archbishop, he attended the
First Vatican Council in Rome in 1869-70 and the historic Third Plenary Council
of Baltimore in 1884. He built the first St.
Patrick W. Riordan (1841-1914)
- Born in Canada, was in the first class at the North American College in Rome, and ordained a priest in 1865 for the Diocese of Chicago.
- Also served as coadjutor bishop of San Francisco (1883-1884).
- Archbishop of San Francisco (1884-1914).
As coadjutor, Riordan became Archbishop upon the retirement
of Alemany. Archbishop Riordan
successfully concluded the Archdiocese’s case against the Mexican government
concerning the Pious Fund, although it would take decades for settlement to be
completely repaid. He built the second
St. Mary’s Cathedral in 1891, St. Patrick’s Seminary in Menlo Park California
George Montgomery was appointed coadjutor archbishop in 1903
and was expected to succeed Archbishop Riordan, but Montgomery died in
1907. Montgomery
Edward J. Hanna (1860-1944)
·
Born in New York and ordained a priest for the
Diocese of Rochester in 1885.
·
Also served as auxiliary bishop of San Francisco
(1912-1915).
·
Archbishop
of San Francisco (1915-1935).
Archbishop Hanna established almost 50 parishes and built
many schools to educate the increasing number of Catholic school children (from
27,000 to 101,000). He appointed the
Archdiocese’s first school superintendent and created an advisory committee of
teachers. Influential and respected both
within and outside the Church, Hanna was often asked by government leaders,
including President Franklin Roosevelt, to arbitrate disputes between labor and
management. He served one term as
chairman of San Francisco’s wage arbitration board. In 1919, Hanna was elected the first
president of the National Catholic Welfare Council, which has evolved into the
United States Conference of Catholic Bishops.
Archbishop Hanna retired in 1935.
John J. Mitty (1884-1961)
·
Born in New York and ordained a priest for the
Archdiocese of New York in 1906.
·
Also served as Bishop of Salt Lake (1926-1932)
and as coadjutor archbishop of San Francisco (1932-1935).
·
Archbishop
of San Francisco (1935-1961).
As coadjutor, Mitty immediately became Archbishop upon
Hanna’s retirement. Mitty led the
Archdiocese through the Great Depression, World War II, and the post-war
economic boom. The Archdiocese’s then-13
counties saw their Catholic population grow from 405,000 to 1.1 million. Mitty built 85 new parishes and more than 500
other buildings to meet this growth. He
was a strong leader who organized the Archdiocese’s administrative offices and
centralized financial systems. He
developed a model archdiocesan clergy (by establishing summer classes for
priests and insisting that priests heading Archdiocesan departments be trained
for the position) and established a ministry for California’s migrant workers. He integrated Archdiocesan schools, pioneered
counseling in social services, and had a weekly television program. Half a million people attended a Family
Rosary Crusade in Golden Gate Park in 1961.
Archbishop Mitty died in 1961.
Joseph T. McGucken (1902-1984)
- Born in Los Angeles and ordained a priest for the Diocese of Los Angeles-San Diego in 1928.
- Also served as auxiliary bishop of Los Angeles (1941-1955), coadjutor bishop of Sacramento (1955-1957), and Bishop of Sacramento (1957-1962).
- Archbishop of San Francisco (1962-1977).
Archbishop McGucken was immediately faced with the task of
replacing his Cathedral, as the second St. Mary’s had recently burned. The current St. Mary’s Cathedral is the
result of his efforts. The Archdiocese
had been reduced in size in 1962 due to the creation of the Dioceses of
Oakland, Santa Rosa, and Stockton.
McGucken built many new parishes and schools to serve new immigrants
from Asia, Latin America, and Africa. He
also supported the farm workers led by Cesar Chavez. He participated in the Second Vatican Council
and implemented its changes, including by establishing social action committees
in each parish. Archbishop McGucken
retired in 1977.
John R. Quinn (1929-2017)
- Born in Riverside, California, and ordained a priest in 1953 for the Diocese of San Diego.
- Also served as auxiliary bishop of San Diego (1967-71), Bishop of Oklahoma City and Tulsa (1971-1972), and first Archbishop of Oklahoma City (1972-1977).
- Archbishop of San Francisco (1977-1995).
Archbishop Quinn was outspoken on many issues of the day,
including abortion, nuclear weapons, immigration, and the role of religious
sisters in the Church. He also advocated
for the poor and disadvantaged and responded quickly to the AIDS epidemic of
the 1980s. The 1989 earthquake that
struck the area caused damage to many churches and schools and Quinn closed
several of them permanently, not without controversy. Efforts to deal with declining revenues also
forced controversial changes. Archbishop
Quinn hosted Pope John Paul II when he visited in 1987 and he served a term as
president of what is now the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops. Archbishop Quinn resigned in 1995 due to
stress.
William J. Levada (born 1936)
- 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), Archbishop of Portland (1986-1995), and coadjutor archbishop of San Francisco (1995).
- Archbishop of San Francisco (1995-2005).
- Later served as Prefect for the Vatican’s Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith (2005-2012).
Archbishop Levada
developed the program to train lay ministers in catechesis, education and
administration and he reestablished the Archdiocesan Catholic newspaper and
sent it to every Catholic home. He also started a $30 million scholarship campaign
for children in low-income families attending Catholic schools. Levada was able to double the endowment of St.
Patrick’s Seminary and University and upgrade its facilities. He also ordained Ignatius Wang as auxiliary
bishop, the first Asian-American ordained bishop for an American diocese. Levada was able to keep some city churches
open by giving them special status. For
example, St. Francis, San Francisco’s oldest parish, became the National Shrine
of St. Francis of Assisi, patron saint of the archdiocese and the City of San
Francisco. Archbishop Leveda was
appointed Prefect for the Vatican’s Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith in
2005 and Pope Benedict XVI named him a Cardinal in 2006.
George H. Niederauer (1936-2017)
- Born in Los Angeles and ordained a priest for the Archdiocese of Los Angeles in 1962.
- Also served as Bishop of Salt Lake City (1994-2005).
- Archbishop of San Francisco (2005-2012).
Archbishop Niederauer had good rapport with clergy and a
great concern for the laity. He worked
to obtain just treatment for undocumented immigrants and spoke out for
religious freedom. Niederauer also
publically supported a California law that would define marriage to be a union of
a man and a woman and closed Catholic adoption agencies rather than allow
adoption to same-sex couples. He also
publically disagreed with then-Speaker of the House of Representatives, Nancy
Pelosi, who argued that Catholics could support abortion. Archbishop Niederauer retired in 2012.
Current Archbishop
Salvatore J. Cordileone was appointed Archbishop of San
Francisco by Pope Benedict XVI in 2012.
He was born in San Diego
The Cathedral
Cathedral of Saint
Mary of the Assumption (St. Mary’s Cathedral)
1111 Gough Street
1111 Gough Street
The Cathedral is named for Mary, the mother of Jesus, and
therefore, the Mother of God. From the
earliest days of the Church, Christians believed that Mary, upon her death, was
assumed body and soul into Heaven by her Son.
This belief was formalized in 1950 by Pope Pius XII, who declared that
the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary was a dogma of the Catholic
Faith. The Feast of the Assumption is
celebrated on August 15.
Almighty God, You gave
a humble Virgin the privilege of being mother of your Son, and crowned her with
the glory of heaven. May the prayers of the Virgin Mary bring us to the
salvation of Christ and raise us up to eternal life. We ask this through our
Lord Jesus Christ your Son who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit,
one God, forever and ever. Amen.
When Archbishop Joseph Alemany became the first Archbishop
of San Francisco in 1853, he temporarily used the small wooden St. Francis of
Assisi Church as his Cathedral (it was one of three Catholic churches in San
Francisco at that time), but immediately began to build the first St. Mary’s
Cathedral (dedicated to Our Lady’s Immaculate Conception). Now known as Old St. Mary’s, this church is
located at California Street and Grant Avenue and was completed in 1854. (Old St. Mary’s was destroyed during the 1906
earthquake but was rebuilt in 1909.)
Archbishop Patrick Riordan built the second St. Mary’s Cathedral in 1891
on Van Ness Street (at O’Farrell Street—the site is now occupied by a
television station). This red-brick
Romanesque Cathedral was slightly damaged by the 1906 earthquake and fire, but
was destroyed by arson in 1962.
Archbishop Joseph McGucken began construction of the present Cathedral
in 1965—it was completed in 1970. It is
dedicated to Our Lady’s Assumption.
First St. Mary's from pinterest.
Second St. Mary's from Wikipedia.
The present St. Mary’s Cathedral was designed by the Italian
architect Pier Luigi Nervi and Boston architect Pietro Belluschi, who worked with local architects Angus McSweeney, Paul A.
Ryan and John Michael Lee. The Cathedral
was built in accordance with principles of the Second Vatican Council and is of
modern design. It is irreverently known
as Our Lady of Maytag. The next two
paragraphs are from the Cathedral website.
The top picture is from pinterest and the bottom from Wikipedia.
The cathedral's striking design flows from the geometric
principle of the hyperbolic paraboloid, in which the structure curves upward in
graceful lines from the four corners meeting in a cross. Measuring 255 feet
square, the cathedral soars to 190 feet high and is crowned with a 55 foot
golden cross. Four corner pylons, each
one designed to withstand ten million pounds of pressure, support the cupola,
which rises 19 stories above the floor. The pylons measure just 24 feet in
circumference at their narrowest point and extend 90 feet down into bedrock.
The inner surface of the cupola is made up of 1,680 pre-cast triangular coffers
of 128 different sizes, designed to distribute the weight of the cupola. At
each corner of the cathedral, vast windows look out upon spectacular views of
San Francisco, the City of Saint Francis of Assisi. The cathedral's red brick
floor recalls early Mission architecture, and
the rich heritage of the local church.
The interior features a kinetic sculpture by Richard Lippold
that serves as a baldachin. The sculpture has 14 tiers of triangular aluminum
rods symbolizing the channel of love and grace from God to His people, and
their prayers and praise rising to him. The sculpture is suspended above the
main altar by gold wires, weighs one ton and is 15 stories high. The interior also has sculptures of our Blessed
Mother by Enrico Manfrini of Italy. The
pipe organ was built in 1971 by Fratelli Ruffatti in Padua, Italy and has 4,842
pipes on 89 ranks and 69 stops. The
Cathedral seats 2,400.
The Cathedral’s website is stmarycathedralsf.org and the
Archdiocesan website is sfarchdiocese.org.
St. Mary’s Cathedral is near downtown San Francisco and has five weekend masses including one in Spanish.
Pictures are from the Cathedral website.
Also located in the Archdiocese
The Misión San Francisco de Asís Basílica (Mission Dolores) is in San
Francisco. Mission Dolores was
founded in 1776 by the Franciscan priest, Father Francisco Paulou, under the
direction of Father Junipero Serra. It
is the sixth of the 21 Spanish missions and is the oldest building in San Francisco
and the oldest intact of the California missions. The church was built by Native American
artisans and features redwood ceiling beams and wooden columns resembling
Italian marble. The Mission survived the
1906 earthquake and fire. The larger Gothic
Revival basilica next door, built in 1913, today serves a large parish. Although officially named for St. Francis of
Assisi, Mission Dolores gets its name from a small body of water that was
nearby the mission, Arroyo de los Dolores, or Creek of Sorrows. Pope Pius XII
designated the church as a minor basilica in 1952, the seventh U.S. church to
be so honored. Basilica is an
honorary title bestowed on a church by the Pope because of the church’s
antiquity, dignity, historical importance, or significance as a center of
worship. Mission Dolores is also listed
on the National Register of Historic Places. Additional information can be found on its
website at missiondolores.org.
The top two pictures are from the Basilica website and the bottom two are from Wikipedia.
Diocese of Sacramento
The diocese consists of 20 counties in northeastern California. The diocese has 995,000 Catholics (28 percent
of the total population) in 102 parishes, as of 2015. Pius IX established the Vicariate Apostolic
of Marysville in 1861, which became the Diocese of Grass Valley in 1868 and the
Diocese of Sacramento in 1886.
Vicar Apostolic of Marysville and Bishop of Grass Valley
Eugene O’Connell (1815-1891)
·
Born in Ireland and ordained a priest in Ireland
in 1842.
·
Vicar
Apostolic of Marysville (1861-1868) and first Bishop of Grass Valley
(1868-1884).
Bishop O’Connell reluctantly accepted the assignment of Vicar
Apostolic of Marysville, telling Pope Pius IX that he was being “condemned to
the mines.” He had six priests serving
six parishes in Northern California, Nevada, and Utah. He recruited priests from Ireland (some of
whom he found were drunks or otherwise unsatisfactory). Seven years later, there were enough
Catholics to justify the creation of the Diocese of Grassville and O’Connell
became its first Bishop, even though he continued to live in Marysville. The new Diocese had 15 parishes (11 in
California and 4 in Nevada) served by 19 priests. O’Connell attended to First Vatican Council
in 1870. Bishop O’Connell retired in
1884.
Bishops of Sacramento
Patrick Manogue (1831-1895)
- Born in Ireland and ordained a priest in France in 1861.
- Also served as coadjutor bishop of Grass Valley (1881-1884).
- Bishop of Grass Valley (1884-1886) and first Bishop of Sacramento (1886-1895).
As coadjutor bishop, Manogue immediately succeeded Bishop
O’Connell. Manogue was allowed to move
the diocesan see (headquarters) to Sacramento in 1886. Bishop Manogue made a good first impression—he
was six feet four inches tall and handsome.
He left Ireland at
the age of 18 and eventually went to California
to mine gold and to Nevada Europe . After his
ordination, he was assigned to St. Mary’s Church in Virginia City , Nevada
Thomas Grace (1841-1921)
- Born in Ireland and ordained a priest in Ireland in 1876.
- Bishop of Sacramento (1896-1921).
Bishop Grace governed the Diocese during a time of
growth. The number of Catholics rose
from 25,000 to 55,000 as immigrants from Ireland ,
Germany , Italy , and other European countries came to Northern California .
Bishop Grace traveled throughout his vast diocese to strengthen the Faith
of these diverse Catholics. He tried to
provide churches for these different ethnic groups despite difficult financial
times. He established lay organizations
and a diocesan newspaper. He also
established the first day-care center in California in 1920. Bishop Grace died in 1921.
Patrick J. Keane (1872-1928)
- Born in Ireland and ordained a priest for the Archdiocese of San Francisco in 1895.
- Also served as auxiliary bishop of Sacramento (1920-1922).
- Bishop of Sacramento (1922-1928).
Bishop Keane served only a short time, but he was able to establish
new churches and a parochial school system beyond Sacramento. He established what is now Mercy Hospital in Sacramento
and renovated the Cathedral of the Blessed Sacrament in Sacramento. Keane also promoted vocations to the
priesthood, especially from within the Diocese.
Bishop Keane died in 1928.
Robert J. Armstrong (1884-1957)
- Born in San Francisco and ordained a priest for the Diocese of Seattle in 1910.
- Bishop of Sacramento (1929-1957).
After leading the Diocese through the Great Depression and
Second World War, Bishop Armstrong saw his Diocese double in population by the
end of the late 1940s. To meet this
growth, he established 27 parishes, and built 21 chapels, 31 missions, and many
new schools. Catholic school enrollment
increased from 3,000 to almost 12,000. He
also worked to improve the quality of Catholic education and he
professionalized the Diocese’s charitable organizations. In 1930, he restarted the Diocesan newspaper
that had ceased publication the previous year.
Given that Sacramento is the capital of California, Bishop Armstrong was
not timid about involving himself in government actions that impacted
Catholics. Bishop Armstrong died from
cancer in 1957.
Joseph T. McGucken (1902-1984)
- Born in Los Angeles and ordained a priest for the Diocese of Los Angeles-San Diego in 1928.
- Also served as auxiliary bishop of Los Angeles (1941-1955), coadjutor bishop of Sacramento (1955-1957)
- Bishop of Sacramento (1957-1962).
- Later served as Archbishop of San Francisco (1962-1977).
As coadjutor bishop, McGucken became Bishop upon the death
of Bishop Armstrong. Shortly after
McGucken became Bishop, the Diocese was reduced in size by the creation of the
Dioceses of Oakland, Santa Rosa, and Stockton.
It was also a time of growth and Bishop McGucken established nine
parishes, three high schools, one seminary, and built 33 new church building. He also expanded Confraternity of Christian
Doctrine programs for those unable to attend Catholic schools. McGucken was named Archbishop of San
Francisco in 1962.
Alden J. Bell (1904-1982)
·
Born in Canada and ordained a priest for the
Diocese of Los Angeles-San Diego in 1932.
·
Also served as auxiliary bishop of Los Angeles
(1956-1962).
·
Bishop of
Sacramento (1962-1979).
Bishop Bell attended the Second Vatican Council and led the
Diocese through the changes brought about by the Council, including the
encouragement of greater lay participation in the Church. To this end, he established pastoral councils
in each parish. He started a liturgical
commission, an office of continuing education for priests, and an ecumenical
affairs office. He also raised funds to
build schools—especially high schools—and a home for aged and to expand
religious education. He also sought to
meet the needs of the growing Hispanic population and he renovated Blessed
Sacrament Cathedral. Bishop Bell retired
in 1979. [Shortly after he retired, he
was stabbed by an insane man, but was not seriously injured.]
Francis A. Quinn (born 1921)
- Born in Los Angeles and ordained a priest for the Archdiocese of San Francisco in 1946.
- Also served as auxiliary bishop of San Francisco (1978-1979).
- Bishop of Sacramento (1979-1993).
Bishop Quinn encouraged lay ministry, especially for women, and
created a Diocesan Pastoral Council, with lay members, to advise him on
Diocesan matters. He appointed a nun as
Diocesan chancellor and started a permanent deaconate. He focused on the Diocese’s growing diversity
as Hispanic, Asian, and Filipino Catholics settled within the Diocese and he
also sought ways to help the poor, the homeless, prisoners, and other
disadvantaged people. He established the
Renew program in the Diocese as a way of encouraging spiritual renewal. He established seven new parishes, two
elementary schools, and one high school—Bishop Quinn in Redding. He also took public stands on the death
penalty, immigration, and nuclear disarmament.
He retired in 1993.
It should be noted that Bishop Quinn was assisted during
most of his time as Bishop by auxiliary bishop Alphonse Gallegos (who served as
Sacramento’s auxiliary bishop from 1981 to the time of his death in an auto
accident in 1991. Although nearly blind,
Gallegos’ work among the Diocese’s Hispanics earned him the nickname “Bishop of
the barrios.” Pope Francis declared
Bishop Gallegos “Venerable” in 2016—the second step to canonization. Bishop Gallegos is buried in the Cathedral of the Blessed Sacrament in
Sacramento.
William K. Weigand (born 1937)
- Born in Oregon and ordained a priest for the Diocese of Boise, Idaho, in 1963.
- Also served as Bishop of Salt Lake City (1980-1994).
- Bishop of Sacramento (1994-2008).
Bishop Weigand promoted ecumenism,
notably by his participation in a Christian prayer rally to mark the beginning of
the new millennium in January 2000. He
emphasized vocations to the priesthood and permanent deaconate and undertook a
restoration of the Cathedral of the Blessed Sacrament. He dealt with the clergy sexual abuse scandal
by offering pastoral care and counseling to victims, establishing an
independent review board, and permanently removing from ministry any creditably
accused priest. Weigand convened a
Diocesan Synod in 2004 that led to long-term planning initiatives and he started
a successful capital campaign. He led
efforts to establish the University of Sacramento and Christo Rey High School,
a school for disadvantaged students. Bishop
Weigand retired in 2008 due to poor health.
Current Bishop
Jaime Soto was appointed coadjutor Bishop of Sacramento by
Pope Benedict XVI in 2007 and became Bishop of Sacramento the following
year. He was born in Inglewood,
California, in 1955, and ordained a priest in for the Diocese of Orange in
1982. He previously served as auxiliary
bishop of Orange
The Cathedral
The Blessed Sacrament refers specifically to the Sacrament
of the Eucharist. Christians believe
that Jesus turned bread and wine into his Body and Blood at the Last
Supper. Each Catholic Mass commemorates
this great gift from God. Sacramento
Heavenly Father,
increase our faith in the Real Presence of Your Son Jesus Christ in the Holy
Eucharist. We are obliged to adore Him, to give Him thanks and to make
reparation for sins. We need your peace in our hearts and among nations. We
need conversion from our sins and the mercy of Your forgiveness. May we obtain
this through prayer and our union with the Eucharistic Lord. Please send down
the Holy Spirit upon all peoples to give them the love, courage, strength and
willingness to respond to the invitation to Eucharistic Adoration. We beseech
You to spread Perpetual Adoration of the Most Blessed Sacrament in parishes
around the world. We ask this in the name of Jesus the Lord. Amen. Our
Lady of the Most Blessed Sacrament, help us to spread the glory of Your Son
through Perpetual Adoration.
Bishop Eugene O’Connell, the Vicar Apostolic of Marysville,
used St. Joseph’s Church as his Cathedral.
(I am not sure if this church building has been replaced.) When the Diocese of Grassville was
established in 1868, St. Patrick’s Church in Grassville officially became the
Cathedral, even though Bishop O’Connell continued to live in Marysville. (This church building has been replaced.) Bishop Patrick Manogue, the first Bishop of
Sacramento, initially used St. Rose of Lima—Sacramento’s first Catholic church
(which no longer exists)—as his Cathedral, but immediately began plans for a
grand new Cathedral. The Cathedral of
the Immaculate Conception was completed in 1889 and was designed by Brian
Clinch.
The Cathedral of The Blessed Sacrament has been described as
having an Italian Renaissance-style exterior with a Victorian interior. At the time of its consecration in 1908, it
was regarded as one of the richest and most imposing churches on the West Coast. It seats 1,600 in a space of 45,000 square
feet. The Cathedral is built in the
shape of a modified basilica and measures 200 feet long and 100 feet.
The central bell tower is 215 feet high.
Both pictures are from Wikipedia.
The interior dome of the cathedral, which stands
110 feet depicts a dove with a wingspan of seven feet as a symbol of the
Holy Spirit. Sixteen large rondels, each five feet in diameter, decorate the new dome,
portraying Eucharistic scenes from Scripture.
The large, weight-bearing, columns of the cathedral were hollowed out,
and workers installed 320 tons of steel to reinforce the masonry of the
cathedral walls. The Cathedral is able
to withstand an earthquake measuring 8.0 on the Richter scale.
Above the altar hangs a 13-foot crucifix with a crown overhead that is 14 feet in diameter. Combined they weigh
almost 2,000 pounds and are held in place with aircraft cables. An octagon-shaped marble baptismal font with a decorative mosaic is at the entrance to the cathedral. Two side chapels
(the Martyrs Chapel and the Chapel of Our Lady and Saints of the Americas)
provide a space for private devotion. Two 20-foot high murals, painted by
artists from EverGreene Painting Studios in New York, adorn the chapels.
The Sistine Madonna is a reproduction of a famous painting
by Raphael and was donated by Jane Stanford, wife of one-time California Governor
Leland Stanford. The angels above the
Last Supper stained glass window were installed in 1889 and are examples of trompe
d' oeil art work. The Cathedral’s pipe
organ was made by the Reuter Company and was installed during a recent
renovation.
The Cathedral’s website at cathedralsacramento.org has audio
and visual tours. The Diocesan website
is diocese-sacramento.org. The Cathedral
is located in downtown Sacramento near the State Capitol and celebrates eight
weekend masses, including two in Spanish, and one in Chinese.
Diocese of Oakland
The diocese consists of Alameda and Contra Costa Counties in
northwestern California. The diocese has
422,000 Catholics (15 percent of the total population) in 82 parishes, as of
2015.
Bishops of Oakland
Floyd L. Begin (1902-1977)
- Born in Ohio and became a priest for the Diocese of Cleveland, Ohio, in 1927.
- Also served as auxiliary bishop of Cleveland (1947-1962).
- First Bishop of Oakland (1962-1977).
Bishop Begin attended all sessions of the Second Vatican
Council and he renovated the Cathedral of St. Francis de Sales in keeping with
liturgical reform—it was the first U.S. cathedral to so renovated. The Cathedral liturgies and music were
considered models. He also expanded the
role of the laity in leadership and advisory positions and supported ecumenical
efforts. Begin spoke out against social
injustice and abortion and he kept in touch with the people of his Diocese by
visiting each parish and each Diocesan institution annually. He created 16 new parishes, built many
churches and schools, and supported an active Catholic Charities operation. Bishop Begin died in 1977.
John S. Cummins (born 1928)
- Born in Berkeley and ordained a priest for the Archdiocese of San Francisco in 1953.
- Also served as auxiliary bishop of Sacramento (1974-1977).
- Bishop of Oakland (1977-2003).
Bishop Cummins created procedures to properly handle
allegations of sexual abuse by Diocesan employees. He also started a support group for victims
and conducted a healing service at which time he apologized to the victims and
the community. During his time as
Bishop, St. Francis de Sales Cathedral was destroyed by an earthquake and plans
were made for a new cathedral. He also
served as chairman of a Catholic legal immigration group. Bishop Cummins retired in 2003.
Allen H. Vigneron (born 1948)
- Born in Michigan and ordained a priest for the Archdiocese of Detroit in 1975.
- Also served as auxiliary bishop of Detroit (1996-2003) and coadjutor bishop of Oakland (2003).
- Bishop of Oakland (2003-2009).
- Serves as Archbishop of Detroit (since 2009).
As coadjutor bishop, Vigneron
became Bishop upon the retirement of Bishop Cummins. Bishop Vigneron completed Bishop Cummins’
plan to construct the Cathedral of Christ the Light. He ordained 17 diocesan priests during his
six years in Oakland and he also visited 14 parishes where priests had sexually
abused children. He led prayer services
and apologized for the harm done by these priests. He expanded the Diocese’s social services and
built a free medical clinic at the Cathedral.
He advocated for immigration reform and against same-sex marriage. Vigneron led the development of a diocesan pastoral plan in 2008 that set
goals, objectives, and action steps in five areas of pastoral life—sacramental
renewal, faith formation and catechesis, pastoral leadership, youth and young
adults, and stewardship. Bishop Vigneron
was named Archbishop of Detroit in 2009.
Salvatore J. Cordileone (born 1956)
- Born in San Diego and ordained a priest for the Diocese of San Diego in 1982.
- Also served with the Supreme Tribunal of the Apostolic Signatura at the Vatican (1995-2002), as auxiliary bishop of San Diego (2002-2009)
- Bishop of Oakland (2009-2012).
- Serves as Archbishop of San Francisco (since 2012).
Bishop Cordileone celebrated a
Tridentine Mass for the first time in the Diocese since 1969. He has been a leader among U.S. bishops in
the Defense of Marriage arguing that same sex marriage is bad for children,
detrimental to society, and endangers religious freedom. Bishop Cordileone was named Archbishop of San
Francisco in 2012.
Current Bishop
Mark Barber was appointed Bishop of Oakland by Pope Francis
in 2013—the first U.S. bishop to be appointed by Pope Francis. He was born in Utah in 1954 and ordained a Jesuit
priest in 1985. He previously served as
a missionary and as a university and seminary professor.
The Cathedral
The Cathedral of Christ
the Light
Catholics believe that Jesus is “light from light, true God
from true God.” Jesus tells us that “I am the light of the world. Whoever
follows me will not walk in darkness but will have the light of life.”
God, our Father, hear
our prayer and let the radiance of your love scatter the gloom of our hearts. The light of heaven's love has restored us to
life, free us from the desires that belong to darkness. We ask this through our Lord Jesus Christ,
your Son, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever
and ever. Amen.
St. Francis de Sales church was selected to be the first
Cathedral for the Diocese of Oakland in 1962.
St. Francis de Sales parish had been established in 1886—Oakland’s
fourth—and the church had been completed in 1893. The 1989 Loma Prieta earthquake severely
damaged the Cathedral, located at 634 21st Street, and it was later razed. [I was unable to determine the church that
served as the interim cathedral from 1989 to 2008, but it may have been St.
Mary’s parish.] Construction began on
the Cathedral of Christ the Light in 2005 and it was completed in 2008. Christ the Light parish combined the former
parishes of St. Francis de Sales, St. Mary, St. Andrew, and St. Joseph.
The architect for the Cathedral was Craig Hartman of Skidmore,
Owings & Merrill.
Hartman's vision for Christ the Light was likened to the
image of a bishop's miter,
shaped by steel and filled with
glass frit. The Cathedral is constructed with ceramic frit, concrete,
768 Douglas fir louvers, glass frit, and steel. Like the Cathedral of Our Lady of the Angels in Los Angeles,
Christ the Light is built with protective measures against earthquake damage. The Cathedral is on a hill overlooking Lake
Merritt.
The worship space in Christ the Light is a vesica piscis shape
(or fish bladder), the shape formed by the
intersection of two circles. The walls are composed of overlapping panels of
wood and glass rising skyward to form the vault, much like the scales of a
fish. The design is inspired by the miracle of the loaves and the fishes in Christian
tradition, among other motifs. The Oakland Tribune wrote of the Hartman's
description of light, "The design allows light to filter in, reminiscent
of how light filters through a canopy of tall redwood trees in a wooded glade,
Hartman said."
The main altar is made from white Carrera marble. The Orgues Letourneau Limitee Organ Opus 118 is a four-manual
pedal organ with 92 ranks and 5298 pipes.
The Omega window behind the sanctuary features a 100-foot image of
Christ. The Cathedral seats 1,350.
Christ the Light, as a larger Cathedral Center, is composed
of the cathedral church, chancery offices of the bishop, diocesan conference center, rectory, health services center
(which provides free diagnostic services to people without health insurance),
and a mausoleum. The mausoleum features twelve crypts reserved for the bishops of Oakland and burial sites
available to the members of the diocese for a comparable price to the other Catholic
cemeteries in the Diocese. The mausoleum has the altar and some stained-glass
windows from St. Francis de Sales. The Cathedral
Center also houses a cafe and bookstore, as well as a public plaza and garden.
A small garden on Christ the Light's grounds is intended to
serve as a place of healing for survivors of clergy sexual abuse. Designed by a
survivors' group in collaboration with the Oakland Diocese, the garden features
a basalt sculpture and a
plaque inscribed "This healing garden, planned by survivors, is dedicated
to those innocents sexually abused by members of the clergy. We remember, and
we affirm: never again."
The
Cathedral’s website is ctlcathedral.org and the Diocese’s website is
oakdiocese.org.
The Cathedral of Christ the Light is located in downtown Oakland and
has five weekend masses, including one in Spanish, one in Vietnamese, and one
with a Filipino choir.
Both pictures are from Wikipedia.
Also located in the
Diocese
St. Joseph’s Basilica is in
Alameda. The first St. Joseph’s
Church—the first Catholic church in Alameda—opened as a mission church in 1873
at the southwest corner of Santa Clara Avenue and Chestnut Street. A larger church was completed in 1881 four
blocks southwest of the first, and four years later, St. Joseph’s became a
parish. A third building was completed
in 1895, but this church burned in 1919.
The current Spanish Colonial Revival church was completed in 1921 and
was modeled after the old mission at Monterey.
St. Joseph Church was designated a minor Basilica by Pope Paul VI in
1972. It was placed on the National
Register of Historic Places in 1978. The
Basilica’s website is sjbalameda.org.
Diocese of Stockton
The diocese consists of six counties in northeastern
California. The diocese has 228,000
Catholics (16 percent of the total population) in 35 parishes, as of 2015.
Bishops of Stockton
Hugh A. Donohoe (1905-1987)
·
Born in San Francisco and ordained a priest for
the Archdiocese of San Francisco in 1930.
·
Also served as auxiliary bishop of San Francisco
(1947-1962) and Bishop of Fresno (1969-1980).
·
First
Bishop of Stockton (1962-1969).
Organizing the new Diocese and implementing the changes of
the Second Vatican Council—which he attended—were Bishop Donohoe’s major
priorities. Regarding the changes of
Vatican II, he established a diocesan pastoral council with membership representing
both clergy and laity, asked for opinions from all Diocesan Catholics, and
sought better relationships with other religious traditions. Donohoe also built Central Catholic High
School in Modesto and emphasized Church teaching on social justice. He was supportive of rural Catholics and the
rights of farm workers to unionize. Bishop
Donohoe was named Bishop of Fresno in 1969.
Merlin J. Guilfoyle (1908-1991)
·
Born in San Francisco and ordained a priest in
1933 for the Archdiocese of San Francisco.
·
Also served as auxiliary bishop of San Francisco
(1950-1969).
·
Bishop of
Stockton (1969-1980).
Bishop Guilfoyle contended with a dispute between vineyard
owners and grape pickers—both groups being largely Catholic. He was proficient in 15 languages. According to Wikipedia “there was both great
growth and great financial struggle within the Catholic schools of the diocese.” Bishop Guilfoyle resigned in 1980 due to poor
health.
Roger M. Mahony (born 1936)
- Born in Los Angeles and ordained a priest for the Diocese of Fresno in 1962.
- Also served as auxiliary bishop of Fresno (1975-1980).
- Bishop of Stockton (1980-1985).
- Later served as Archbishop of Los Angeles (1985-2011).
Within his first year as Bishop, Mahony had convened a
Diocesan meeting to set goals. He also
established a monthly newsletter and appointed a nun to be the Diocese’s
Chancellor—the third female diocesan chancellor in the United States. He worked to integrate Hispanic and Asian
Catholics into the Diocese—sometimes against opposition from within the
Catholic community. He took public
stands in favor of farm workers and against U.S. nuclear weapons policy and
certain practices of the Border Patrol.
He also ordained the first class of permanent deacons in the Diocese in
1981. Pope John Paul II named Mahony Archbishop
of Los Angeles in 1985 and a Cardinal in 1991.
Donald W. Montrose (1923-2008)
·
Born in Colorado and ordained a priest for the
Archdiocese of Los Angeles in 1949.
·
Also served as auxiliary bishop of Los Angeles
(1983-1985).
·
Bishop of
Stockton (1985-1999).
Bishop Montrose successfully recruited Spanish-speaking
priests for the Diocese—which increased the number of parishes offering Mass in
Spanish—and invited an order of contemplative nuns, the Religious of the Cross
of the Sacred Heart of Jesus, to the Diocese.
He established a program to train lay people for parish ministry and
saved the local Catholic Charities office from going bankrupt. He introduced the RENEW program to encourage
spiritual renewal among the laity and supported family-run farms. He also had to deal with two problem priests—one
convicted of child molestation and one convicted of theft and tax evasion. Bishop Montrose retired in 1999.
Stephen E. Blaire (born 1941)
·
Born in Los Angeles and ordained a priest for
the Archdiocese of Los Angeles in 1967.
·
Served as auxiliary bishop of Los Angeles (1990-1999).
·
Bishop of
Stockton (1999-2018).
Bishop Blaire established a central office for social
ministry in 2001 putting several diocesan programs under one centralized
office. He also started a program to
minister to the spiritual and temporal needs of migrant workers in the
Diocese. Blaire also sought common
ground with local Lutherans, resulting in a joint document signed by him and a
Lutheran bishop in 2000. The Diocese
declared bankruptcy in 2014 because of claims against it due to sexual abuse by
clergy and other Diocesan employees.
Bishop Blaire retired in 2018.
Current Bishop
Myron Joseph Cotta was appointed Bishop of Stockton by Pope Francis
in 2018. He was born in Dos Palos,
California, in 1953, and ordained a priest for the Diocese of Fresno in 1987. He previously served as auxiliary bishop of Sacramento
(2014-2018).
The Cathedral
Cathedral of the Annunciation
The Cathedral is named for Mary, the Mother of God. The Annunciation refers to the appearance of
the Archangel Gabriel to Mary informing her that God had chosen her to be the
Mother of Christ, the Redeemer. With her
assent, and with the power of the Holy Spirit, she became pregnant with the Son
of God. (Luke 1:26-38). The Annunciation has been celebrated since
the early days of Christianity. The
Solemnity of the Annunciation is celebrated on March 25.
Let us pray, [That
Christ the Word made flesh, will make us more like Him.] God Our Father, Your
Word became Man and was born of the Virgin Mary. May we become more like Jesus Christ, whom we
acknowledge as our Redeemer, God and man. We ask this through Christ our Lord.
Amen.
The first Catholic church in Stockton was a wooden church
dedicated to St. Mary and built in 1851.
It was replaced with a brick church in 1861 on East Washington Street. A new St. Mary’s opened on West Rose Street in
1942 dedicated to the Annunciation. The
old St. Mary’s became a separate parish in 1944 and dedicated to the
Assumption. Annunciation became the
Cathedral for the new Diocese of Stockton in 1962.
Annunciation Cathedral was designed by Henry Minton of San
Francisco in a Modified Gothic style. It
is made of reinforced concrete with brick facing. The following description comes from a 1975
source, which may or may not be accurate today, but I do not have a recent
description.
Annunciation Cathedral from pinterest.
The tile baptistery has a vaulted ceiling and Caen stone
walls. A simple, massive font of red Numidian marble is the sole furnishing.
Three lancet windows of stained glass adorn the baptistery walls. The south
window, entitled "Abraham and Moses," portrays Old Testament scenes
including Abraham reaching the "Promised Land" and Moses striking the
rock in the desert. All of the scenes are images of Redemption based on Old
Testament history. The east baptistery
window portrays Christ as the Lamb of God, and St. John the Baptist saying
"Behold the Lamb." This window, entitled "The Baptism," is
signed by the Cummings Studios of San Francisco, and dated 1942. The theme of
baptism continues in the north window with scenes of New Testament baptism.
Portrayed are Philip and the Ethiopian, and Peter and Cornelius.
The 92-loot bell tower continues the form of concrete laced
with red brick, decorated with cast stone. There are wooden louvers at the top
to permit the sound of the bell to be released. The 1,500 pound bell housed in
the tower was cast in 1853 and brought to California by a sailing vessel by way
of Cape Horn soon thereafter. It was
hung in the Original St. Mary's Church on Washington Street about two years
later. It was moved to Annunciation after it opened in 1942.
The east window was the work of the Cummings Studios. It is
a bold work of art, with interesting tracery of stone outlining a huge cross.
Four Old Testament prophets, who foretold the coming of the Messiah, are
pictured. They are Isaiah, Ezekiel, Jerimiah, and Daniel. The window on the west
side of the organ loft depicts St. Aloysius and St. Agnes.
The Cathedral has a Wicks pipe organ and is entirely free
from columns. Arch ribs supporting the roof are of concrete and left exposed in the church. The forms used
for the concrete ribs are lined with coarse-grained wood to give the concrete
the texture of wood. The ribs are painted black and decorated with simple
patterns. The walls are finished in plaster above the main belt course and are
of Caen Stone finish below the belt course.
There is seating for 770 worshippers in the nave. The pews were
built by the American Seating Company of Grand Rapids, Michigan and are made of
Appalachian oak. Four confessionals done
in carved wood treatment are set into the side walls of the church. The open
lattice work above the confessionals originally contained an amplifying sound
system. Above the confessionals and underneath each window appear the Stations
of the Cross, by the artist O’Sullivan.
The leaded stained-glass windows of the nave are executed in
early Gothic style. The windows are of colored antique glass. The artistic
design was done by Edward Lapotka of the Church Art Glass Studios, as well as
Carl Huneke of the Century Stained Glass Studio in San Francisco. The windows on the west depict Christ and the
Apostles. The east side windows depict
saints.
The west transept window depicts the Annunciation of
Mary. Smaller windows show angels, the
early life of Christ, and women saints. The east transept window depicts the
Coronation of Mary and Queen of Heaven and Earth. Smaller windows show women from the Old
Testament. Statues on the west wall
represent St. Therese of the Little Flower and St. Anthony of Padua. East wall
statues are of the Sacred Heart of Jesus and of St. Dominic.
At the east side entrance is a white marble replica of
Michelangelo's Pieta in St. Peter's Basilica in Rome. A window portrays the Evangelists surrounding
Christ. The west entrance contains wood carvings of Mary, Joseph, and the
Christ Child and a window showing the Holy Spirit.
The side altars are made of escallette marble with marble
pedestals for the statues of Mary and Joseph. The altar of the Virgin, situated
to the left (east) of the main altar, has a sandblast ornament of fleur-de-lis,
while the altar of St. Joseph, to the right of the main altar, has a sandblast
design of St. Joseph's lily. The statues are of white Italian marble. The two stained-glass window panels within the
side altar dedicated to St. Joseph are signed by the artist Carl Huneke. Depicted
here is the concept of sacrifice from both the Old and New Testaments. There is
the giving of manna from Heaven in the Old Testament and the portrayal from the
New Testament, "I am the Bread of Life." The panels within the side altar dedicated to
the Blessed Virgin reveal the healing miracles of Christ, including the healing
of the sick girl, the blind man, the leper, and Lazarus.
The communion rail of red marble marks the line of the
sanctuary. The main altar is made of red marble with a carved reredos. The
reredos contains a niche which frames a crucifix with a carved wood corpus. The
reredos also has carvings of the symbols of the four Evangelists and a dove in
flight representing the Holy Spirit. The reredos was designed by Vincent
Buckley, from the architectural firm of Henry Minton. The work, of comb-grained
white oak with-a silver grey finish, was done by the E. Hackner Company of
LaCrosse, Wisconsin. The altar and reredos are placed under a Gothic vault,
from which is suspended a tester or baldachin.
The baldachin was designed by George Little of the Union Planing company
and is finished in fourteen-karat gold leaf. The window on the east side of the altar portrays
the Last Supper and the events leading to the Crucifixion. The west chronicles the crucifixion and death
of Christ. The oak pulpit was built by the California Church Furniture Company.
The
Cathedral website is annunciationstockton.org and the Diocesan website is
stocktondiocese.org. The Cathedral is
located in downtown Stockton and has five weekend masses—including one in
Spanish. The parish elementary school
has 300 students.
Diocese of Santa Rosa
The diocese consists of six counties in northwestern
California. The diocese has 178,000
Catholics (19 percent of the total population) in 41 parishes, as of 2015.
Bishops of Santa Rosa
Leo T. Maher (1915-1991)
- Born in Iowa and ordained a priest for the Archdiocese of San Francisco in 1943.
- First Bishop of Santa Rosa (1962-1969).
- Later served as Bishop of San Diego (1969-1990).
Bishop Maher established ten parishes and built several new
churches and schools for the Diocese, which had 58,000 Catholics in 1962. He was also successful at encouraging
vocations to the priesthood and in bringing religious orders to the
Diocese. Bishop Maher attended the
Second Vatican Council and began implementation of its decrees prior to being
named Bishop of San Diego in 1969.
Mark J. Hurley (1919-2001)
- Born in San Francisco and ordained a priest in 1944 for the Archdiocese of San Francisco.
- Also served as auxiliary bishop of San Francisco (1968-1969).
- Bishop of Santa Rosa (1969-1987).
Bishop Hurley continued implementation of the reforms of the
Second Vatican Council. He also worked
to secure the financial situation of the Diocese through an endowment fund and
set up an organizational and administrative structure for the Diocese. He established a low-income home for senior
citizens (Vigil Light), a retirement fund for priests, parish pastoral and
financial councils, and ministries for Hispanic and Native American
Catholics. Hurley supported an active
St. Vincent de Paul Society to help the needy, ordained more than a dozen
priests, and established two parishes.
Bishop Hurley was appointed to a position in the Vatican in 1987.
John T. Steinbock (1937-2010)
·
Born in Los Angeles and ordained a priest for
the Archdiocese of Los Angeles in 1963.
·
Also served as auxiliary bishop of Orange
(1984-1987).
·
Bishop of
Santa Rosa (1987-1991).
·
Later served as Bishop of Fresno (1991-2010).
Bishop Steinbock encouraged lay participation in Church
affairs and instituted the Catholic Professional and Business Breakfast Club to
help lay people lead better Christian lives.
He established programs to train permanent deacons, attend to the needs
of the homeless, and care for retired priests.
He gave special attention to the needs of the Diocese’s growing Hispanic
population and encouraged Diocesan priests to learn to speak Spanish. He also instituted a fundraising program for
the Diocese. Bishop Steinbock was
appointed Bishop of Fresno in 1991.
G. Patrick Ziemann (1941-2009)
·
Born in Pasadena, California, and ordained a
priest for the Archdiocese of Los Angeles in 1967.
·
Also served as auxiliary bishop of Los Angeles
(1987-1992).
·
Bishop of
Santa Rosa (1992-1999).
Bishop Ziemann resigned in 1999 due to allegations that he
had engaged in sexual and financial misconduct.
Daniel F. Walsh (born 1937)
·
Born in San Francisco and ordained a priest for
the Archdiocese of San Francisco in 1963.
·
Also served as auxiliary bishop of San Francisco
(1981-1987), Bishop of Reno-Las Vegas (1987-1995), and first Bishop of Las
Vegas (1995-2000).
·
Bishop of
Santa Rosa (2000-2011).
I have little information of Bishop Walsh, other than that he
retired in 2011.
Current Bishop
Pope Benedict XVI appointed Robert Vasa as coadjutor bishop
of Santa Rosa in 2011 and became Bishop later that year. Bishop Vasa was born in Nebraska in 1951 and
ordained a priest for the Diocese of Lincoln in 1976. He previously served as the Bishop of Baker,
Oregon (1999-2011).
The Cathedral
Cathedral of St. Eugene
2323 Montgomery
Drive
Santa Rosa,
California 95405
St. Eugene, we ask
your for your help in opposing unjust laws.
Amen.
St. Eugene’s parish was founded in 1950 as Santa Rosa Santa Rosa St. Eugene’s
Church was dedicated in 1951 and became the Cathedral for the new Diocese of
Santa Rosa in 1962.
The Cathedral is modern and has one spire. The baptism of Saint Rose in 1829 is depicted
in a stained-glass window located in the Cathedral’s baptistery vestibule. The Cathedral’s website is steugenes.com and
the Diocese’s website is santarosacatholic.org.
St.
Eugene’s is located about a mile east of downtown Santa Rosa and serves a
parish of 1700 families with eight weekend masses, including one in Spanish and
one in Latin. The parish supports an
elementary school with 400 students.
Picture is from the Cathedral website.
Diocese of San Jose
The diocese consists of Santa Clara County in northwestern
California—the Diocese is one of three U.S. dioceses to consist of a single
county. The diocese has 590,000
Catholics (31 percent of the total population) in 50 parishes, as of 2015.
Bishops of San Jose
R. Pierre DuMaine (born 1931)
·
Born in Kentucky and ordained a priest for the
Archdiocese of San Francisco in 1957.
·
Also served as auxiliary bishop of San Francisco
(1978-1981).
·
First
Bishop of San Jose (1981-1999).
I have limited information on Bishop DuMaine other than that
he resigned in 1999.
Current Bishop
Patrick J. McGrath was appointed coadjutor Bishop of San
Jose by Pope John Paul II in 1998 and he became Bishop the following year. He was born in Ireland San
Francisco
The Cathedral
Cathedral Basilica of St. Joseph
O
glorious Saint Joseph, remind all who work that they are not alone in their
labor, their joy or their sufferings, because Jesus is by their side, with
Mary, his mother and ours, supporting them, wiping the sweat from the brows,
and setting a value on their toil. Teach
them to use their labor, as you did, as a supreme means of attaining holiness.
St. Joseph’s was officially established in 1849 as the first
Catholic parish in San Jose first
St. East Santa Clara Street St. Joseph
Both pictures are from Wikipedia.
St. Joseph's was designed by Bryan J. Clinch and “is filled
with beautiful hand painted murals, stained glass windows, impressive artwork
and a custom built organ.” The Cathedral
Basilica has a central dome and two domed towers in front. It is in the shape of a Greek cross and the
dome is over the main altar, which is round.
The murals were done by the Italian priest Luigi Sciocchetti in 1928. Father Sciocchetti also designed and executed
the frieze that goes around the top of the walls. The frieze is oil paint on plaster with 20-inch
letters and details the life of St. Joseph.
There are many other artistic works including the Stations of the Cross,
paintings, and statues.
The Cathedral Basilica has 39 stained glass windows. Of the 18 largest windows in the nave, four
depict major events in the life of Christ, one shows the Holy Family, and 14
depict saints. The windows were
installed between the late 1800s and 1920.
The two oldest windows—showing St. Aloysius and St. Claude de la
Colombiere were made in Italy. The other
16 windows were made in Munich, Germany, of fine mouth-blown Bavarian glass
made by a formula that dates to the 11th century—a method no longer practiced.
The pipe organ was originally built in 1886 by the J.H. and
C.S. Odell Company in Yonkers, New York, and is one of only four instruments of
its kind in the United States. It is a
tracker organ with two manuals, 21 stops, and over 1,500 pipes in 27
ranks. A full restoration was completed
in 1991 by Edward Millington Stout. The
organ has 40,000 wooden parts.
Additional information can be found on the parish website at
stjosephcathedral.org and on the Diocesan website at dsj.org. The Cathedral Basilica is located in downtown
San Jose and seats 950. St. Joseph’s has
six weekend masses, including three in Spanish.
The top picture is from Expedia and the bottom two are from Wikipedia.
Hawaii
Catholic History of Hawaii
The first known European to come
to Hawaii was the English explorer, James Cook, in 1778—he named Hawaii the
Sandwich Islands. Protestant
missionaries from New England came starting in
1820 and were successful in converting many Hawaiians to Christianity. Hawaii Hawaii was
annexed by the United States Hawaii
Pope Leo XII created the
Prefecture Apostolic of the Sandwich Islands
in 1825. [A prefecture apostolic is a
missionary jurisdiction.] Two years
later, Father Alexis Bachelot (1796-1837) arrived as the first
Prefect Apostolic, accompanied by two other members of
the Congregation of the Sacred Hearts of Jesus and Mary. Bachelot was born in
France and ordained in 1820. He died of
an illness while at sea.
The priests made converts among
the Hawaiians, which upset the Protestant missionaries. Catholic converts were persecuted and the
priests eventually had to leave Hawaii Honolulu
While Hawaii was a Prefecture Apostolic, it was under the
jurisdiction of Bishop Stephen Rouchouze (1798-1843), also a member of the
Congregation of the Sacred Hearts of Jesus and Mary. Rouchouze was born in France and ordained
Vicar Apostolic of Eastern Oceania in 1833.
He moved to Honolulu in 1840 and later that year baptized almost 200
native Hawaiians and ordained Bernabe Castan to the priesthood, the first
ordination in Hawaii. He left for Europe
in 1841 to gather supplies and recruit missionaries, but died when his ship
sank on the return trip in 1843.
In 1846, Father Louis Maigret, also
from the Congregation of the Sacred Hearts, became the first Vicar Apostolic of
the Sandwich Islands—the name was later changed to the Hawaiian Islands. [A vicariate apostolic is a missionary
diocese.] Four other members of the
Congregation of the Sacred Hearts succeeded Maigret as vicar apostolic before James
Sweeney became the first Bishop of the new Diocese of Honolulu in 1941. Hawaii
Diocese of Honolulu
The diocese consists of the State of Hawaii. The diocese has 156,000 Catholics (11 percent
of the total population) in 66 parishes, as of 2015.
Louis D.
Maigret, SS.CC. (1804-1882)
·
Born in France and ordained a priest for the Congregation
of the Sacred Hearts of Jesus and Mary in 1828.
·
Also served as Prefect Apostolic of the Sandwich
Islands (1837-1844). (One source says
that Simplicien Duboize served as Prefect Apostolic from 1844-1846 and that
Maigret served again as Prefect before becoming Vicar Apostolic in 1847.)
·
First Vicar Apostolic of the
Hawaiian Islands (1846-1882).
Bishop Maigret built the Cathedral of Our Lady of Peace,
established schools, and invited the Sacred Hearts Sisters to the Islands. Maigret also printed missals and hymnals in
Hawaiian. He ordained Damien De Veuster (now
a canonized saint) and sent him to Molokai to minister to the victims of
Hansen’s disease (leprosy)—a ministry the Father Damien would continue until
his death. Maigret also attended the
First Vatican Council in 1869. Bishop
Maigret died in 1882.
B. Herman Koeckemann, SS.CC. (1828-1892)
·
Born in Germany and ordained a priest for the Congregation
of the Sacred Hearts of Jesus and Mary in 1862.
·
Also served as coadjutor vicar apostolic of the
Sandwich Islands (1881-1882).
·
Vicar
Apostolic of the Hawaiian Islands (1882-1892).
Many Portuguese immigrants, mostly Catholic, came to Hawaii
during Koeckemann’s time as bishop, to work in the sugar plantations. Bishop Koeckemann built many schools to serve
the new immigrants as well as other Catholics, and brought in religious orders
such as the Brothers of the Society of Mary to staff the schools. Koeckemann also invited Mother Marianne Cope (now
a canonized saint) and the Franciscan Sisters of Syracuse to work with Hansen’s
disease patients. Bishop Koeckemann died
in 1892 after suddenly becoming paralyzed.
Gulstan Ropert, SS.CC. (1839-1903)
·
Born in France and ordained a priest for the Congregation
of the Sacred Hearts of Jesus and Mary in 1866.
·
Vicar
Apostolic of the Hawaiian Islands (1892-1903).
Three great events happened during the time that Bishop
Ropert served as Vicar Apostolic: the
Kingdom was overthrown, Hawaii became part of the United States, and the
Spanish American War was waged. His
patient temperament was well suited for the times. These events brought Catholics to Hawaii from
the Philippines, Puerto Rico, and Guam—many to work at the sugar
plantations. Ropert established new schools
to educate the immigrants’ children. Bishop Ropert died from cancer in 1903.
Libert H. Boeynaems, SS.CC. (1857-1926)
·
Born in Belgium and ordained a priest for the Congregation
of the Sacred Hearts of Jesus and Mary in 1881.
·
Vicar
Apostolic of the Hawaiian Islands (1903-1926).
Bishop Boeynaems established orphanages and built several
new churches. He also renovated the
Cathedral of Our Lady of Peace. He also
ministered to the needs of Catholic military personnel as many new military
facilities (for example Pearl Harbor, Fort Shafter, and the Schofield Barracks)
opened in Hawaii. Bishop Boeynaems died
in 1926.
Stephen P. Alencastre, SS.CC. (1876-1940)
·
Born in Portugal and ordained a priest for the Congregation
of the Sacred Hearts of Jesus and Mary in 1902.
·
Also served as coadjutor vicar apostolic of the
Sandwich Islands (1924-1926).
·
Vicar
Apostolic of the Hawaiian Islands (1926-1940).
Bishop Alencastre built many new churches and schools,
including St. Stephen’s Seminary. He
also made renovations to the Cathedral of Our Lady of Peace and built St.
Francis Hospital, Hawaii’s first Catholic hospital. He invited religious orders, including the
Sisters of St. Joseph de Carondolet and the Maryknoll priests and sisters, to
come to Hawaii to staff the schools. He
was the first bishop in Hawaii to have been raised there. He died in 1940 of an illness while on a ship
returning to Hawaii from Los Angeles.
Bishops of Honolulu
James J. Sweeney (1898-1968)
·
Born in California and ordained a priest for the
Archdiocese of San Francisco in 1925.
·
First
Bishop of Honolulu (1941-1968).
At the time Sweeney became Bishop, Hawaii had 120,000
Catholics and 112 churches. Bishop
Sweeney led his Diocese during the attack on Pearl Harbor and ministered to the
many U.S. military personnel stationed in Hawaii during the war—he administerd
the Sacrament of Confirmation to 400 troops.
(He also asked the children in Catholic schools to each pray for an
individual serving in the military in Hawaii.)
Sweeney expanded St. Francis Hospital, more than doubled the number of
parochial schools, and opened a minor seminary.
Sweeney established two dozen new parishes, lay organizations, and the
Confraternity of Christian Doctrine in the Diocese. He attended the Second Vatican Council and
began making reforms. Liturgies in the
vernacular soon began, and in Hawaii that meant English as well as other
languages. Sweeney also expanded the
Diocese’s social services, through the establishment of a Diocesan Catholic
Charities. Bishop Sweeney died in 1968.
John J. Scanlan (1906-1997)
- Born in Ireland and ordained a priest for the Archdiocese of San Francisco in 1930.
- Also served as auxiliary bishop of Honolulu (1954-1968) and apostolic administrator of Honolulu (1967-1968).
- Bishop of Honolulu (1968-1981).
Bishop Scanlon built several new churches and instituted
masses in several parishes in languages such as Korean, Filipino, and
Vietnamese, to serve new immigrant groups.
He was an outspoken opponent of abortion—Hawaii was the first state to
legalize abortion—and established a home for unwed mothers. He invited nine religious orders to work in
the Diocese and ordained the first class of permanent deacons. Several new lay organizations began while he
was Bishop. Scanlan retired in 1981.
Joseph A. Ferrario (1926-2003)
- Born in Pennsylvania and ordained a priest in 1951 for the Diocese of Honolulu.
- Also served as auxiliary bishop of Honolulu (1977-1982).
- Bishop of Honolulu (1982-1993).
Bishop Ferrario strongly supported the changes of the Second
Vatican Council and took steps to implement the Council’s decrees. He established new Diocesan commissions,
including ones for justice and peace and for ecumenism. He organized Catholic Charities to provide
not only shelter, but vocational, medical, and counseling services to the
homeless as well. Ferrario was an
advocate of liturgical reform and started a ministry to gays and lesbians. He also started a foundation for tuition
assistance for children in Catholic schools and he promoted stewardship and
parish renewal. He renovated St.
Theresa’s church and had it elevated to co-Cathedral. Bishop Ferrario resigned due to poor health
in 1993.
Francis X. DiLorenzo (1942-2017)
- Born in Philadelphia and ordained a priest for the Archdiocese of Philadelphia in 1968.
- Also served auxiliary bishop of Scranton, Pennsylvania (1988-1993), apostolic administrator of Honolulu (1993-1994).
- Bishop of Honolulu (1994-2004).
- Later served as Bishop of Richmond, Virginia (2004-2017).
Bishop DiLorenzo instituted a policy of zero tolerance of
clergy sexual abuse that was one of the first in the nation. He also offered assistance to victims and
started training programs for Diocesan employees. He also emphasized Church teachings on
abortion and marriage. He met with
Catholics at the parish level to discuss parish needs and convened the diocesan
synod to deal with religious education and youth ministry. He expanded ministries to Hawaii’s growing
Asian population and he began a parish renewal program. There were 237,000 Catholics in Hawaii in
2000, not counting military personnel.
DiLorenzo was named Bishop of Richmond, Virginia, in 2004.
Current Bishop
C. Larry Silva was appointed Bishop of Honolulu by Pope
Benedict XVI in 2005. He was born in Honolulu
The Cathedrals
Cathedral of Our
Lady of Peace
Our Lady of Peace is one of many titles for Our Blessed Mother. She is called Our Lady of Peace or Our Queen of Peace because she gave birth to Jesus, the Prince of Peace. Mary is represented in art holding a dove and an olive branch, symbols of peace. Her official memorial feast is celebrated on January 24 each year in
Our Lady of Peace, in
whom all storms grow still, pray that the Church will not cease to show forth
the glorious face of your Son, full of grace and truth, so that God will reign
in the hearts of all people and they will find peace in the world's true
Savior. Plead for the Church that she may have strength to follow faithfully
the way of Jesus Christ, to tell courageously the truth of Jesus Christ, to
live joyfully the life of Jesus Christ.
Our Lady of Peace Cathedral was dedicated in 1843 and is
Honolulu’s oldest parish. The first
Catholic missionaries to Hawaii
From the Cathedral website.
At one time, the following descripton was on the Cathedral
website.
The building is made of simple coral stone blocks which were
brought to the site from the Kaka‘ako shores. The inside of the building
was very stark; simple wooden altars and lauhala-matted floors.
The original Cathedral tower (1843) was a simple
domed-shaped structure which was replaced in 1866 with a tall, wooden
spire. The local newspaper acknowledged that it was the loftiest in the
islands. This was replaced by the present concrete tower because of
termite damage in 1917. A bronze weather vane, often unnoticed, is
perched on top of the tower. It has been there since the time of the
second tower. There are two bells housed
in the tower. Both of them were cast in France. The first was
dedicated to Bishop Maigret and installed in 1853. the second was added
in 1866 when the second tower was erected. It bears the name
"Aubert" (named for a local priest).
The tower clock was ordered from France soon after the dedication of the
Cathedral. Bishop Maigret sent the order through the office of the
superior of the Sacred Hearts Fathers and Brothers in Valparaiso, Chile.
It was sent there for inspection before it was forwarded to Hawaii. For
some unknown reason, it was switched with an older clock in Chile which arrived
in Hawaii and was installed about 1852 at the base of the original tower.
When the roof was raised several feet in the 1870's the clock was positioned in
the back wall of the Cathedral. It is the oldest tower clock in Hawaii.
The Aeolian-Skinner organ, Opus 916 is the third pipe organ
to be installed in the Cathedral. The original organ was a French organ
which was installed in 1847 and had the distinction of being the first pipe
organ in Hawaii. This was replaced in 1876 by a pipe organ from England
and the statue of St. Cecilia, the patroness of sacred music, was added to the
statuary of the Cathedral. The present instrument was dedicated on September
9, 1934. It was partially renovated and restored in 1985 and is now one
of the oldest functioning pipe organs in Hawaii.
The statue of Our Lady of Peace in the Cathedral courtyard
was blessed by Bishop Gulstan Ropert in 1893. It marked the spot where it
was thought that the first small wooden missionary church stood. The
plaques on the four sides of the pedestal are engraved in Hawaiian, English,
French, and Portuguese with the words: "In memory of the first Roman
Catholic Church, Our Lady of Peace 1827-1893." It is a copy of an
original statue which was carved of wood in the early 16th century and is located
in Paris.
The first kiawe tree was introduced to the islands by the
first Catholic missionary to Hawaii, Father Alexis Bachelot, with a seed from
the Royal Garden in Paris. This tree was a real blessing in many
ways. These trees have grown all around Hawaii, especially in places
where other trees have not been able to grow. This kiawe tree accounts
for the beautiful trees which grow on the sides of once barren mountains.
The original tree was cut down in 1919 to make way for a new building, but a
section of its trunk is still preserved next to the Chancery building.
The Cathedral of Our Lady of Peace is the site of the
ordination to the priesthood of St. Damien deVeuster on May 21, 1864. St.
Damien is world-famous for his work with lepers on the Kalaupapa peninsula,
Molokai. He himself died of Hansen's disease (leprosy) on April 15,
1889. He was canonized in 2009 by Pope Benedict XVI. His feast day
is celebrated on May 10, the day of his arrival on the Kalaupapa
peninsula.
From 1870-1880 major renovations
were made to the Cathedral under the direction of Bishop Maigret. The
roof was raised several feet and the paneled ceiling and the gallery were
constructed. Stained glass windows from France were installed in the two
levels of the Cathedral. These windows, simple in design and brilliant in
color, still exist in the upper level of the Cathedral. Sacred furnishings
were imported from France; including the gilded statues of Mary, Queen of
Peace, and her parents, St. Joachim and St. Anne which form an impressive
triptych high above the original altar. Thirty-six statuettes of various
saints were placed in the clerestory. At the time there was a bit of
misunderstanding among Catholics and Protestants about the role of saints in
the devotional life of the Church. Today, they are a rich reminder of the
communion of saints: all the holy men and women who have gone before us
"marked with the sign of faith." Bishop Maigret also purchased
the bishop's chair (cathedra) and an ornate canopy crafted in oak by the
Honolulu Steam Planing Mill. The renovations were a casual mixture of
Romanesque and Gothic styles which brought about a radical transformation of
the original simple coral structure. A building typical of 19th century
Hawaii was transformed into a little cathedral with a distinctive European
flavor.
Another period of restoration took place under the guidance
of Bishop Boeynames. He envisioned a gothic style cathedral and in 1910
arranged for the construction of an elaborate gothic porch in front of the
simple facade of the Cathedral. The project was too costly and so it was
abandoned but the gothic front remained.
Bishop Alencastre realized the impossibility of a gothic
cathedral and ordered the removal of the gothic porch and replaced it with the
Doric columns which now grace the front of the Cathedral. These
harmonized with the Romanesque style of the building. This was done as
part of an overall renovation of the Cathedral in 1927 which commenced with the
100th anniversary of the arrival of Catholicism in Hawaii. The roof was
covered with Spanish tiles giving the Cathedral its "Spanish mission"
look. The tile roof unfortunately caused great strain on the
building. Eventually in 1941 concrete buttresses had to be added to the
building to prevent its collapse. These encased steel beams were
connected to steel rods just below the ceiling of the Cathedral providing the
necessary support for the roof. A white marble altar with statues of Mary
and Joseph were crafted by Italian artists and installed as a gift of the
Catholics of Hawaii to commemorate the centennial year. Fourteen stained
glass windows designed by a local priest were made in Germany and installed in
the lower level of the Cathedral and the present organ was installed.
In 1956, Bishop Sweeney made some significant changes to the
interior. In the center niche, the huge wooden cross was removed and
replaced with a marble crucifix. The altar area walls were painted and
wallpapered with an impressive and simple background which allowed the marble
figures around the altar to stand out more boldly. A richly colored
baldachin (canopy) was constructed over the altar with strong gothic lines to
match the canopy over the bishop's chair. A bronze tabernacle was
acquired, a marble communion rail was installed and new light fixtures were
placed throughout the building.
In accord with the renewal of liturgy in the Second Vatican
Council, the communion rail was removed in 1967 and a large marble altar was
constructed. The Cathedral Rector, Msgr.
Charles Kekumano, added koa wood wainscot on the walls and koa wood doors in
1968.
In celebration of its 150th Anniversary of Dedication, the
Cathedral went through further restoration and renovation in 1992. Under
the direction of Bishop Ferrario, a section of the ceiling was restored to its
original brilliance and the furnishings of the Cathedral were brought up to the
liturgical standards of the Second Vatican Council. Restoration of the
stained glass windows and the clerestory statuettes was begun by Cathedral
Rector, Msgr. Terrence Watanabe. The old sanctuary was lowered to expand
the worship space and create a devotional area with the statues of the Sacred
Heart of Jesus, the Immaculate Heart of Mary, St. Joseph, and St. Anthony of
Padua. A Eucharistic devotional area was also created around the bronze
tabernacle and a scrim was placed to separate and conceal it during celebration
of the Mass and yet allow the tabernacle to be seen from the main body at other
times. The floor plan of the Cathedral was arranged antiphonally. A
wooden altar and ambo were placed appropriately in the center aisle.
Plans were made for the complete renovation of the cathedral at an estimated
cost of five million dollars. The plans included the construction of a
baptismal pool as well as a new altar and ambo from the material of the old
marble altar/communion railing.
The restoration of the stained glass windows and the
clerestory statuettes was completed by Father Nathan Mamo, Cathedral Rectory
from 1995-1998. The statuettes were arranged in a more logical order and
await the complete restoration of the ceiling. Father Nathan also acquired
other historical artifacts and furnishings for the Cathedral to help to
recognize its presence in the history of the kingdom and state of Hawaii.
The Cathedral is
about to undergo another restoration.
For more information, see the Cathedral website at honolulucathedralrenewal.org
and the Diocesan website at catholichawaii.org. The Cathedral is located in
downtown Honolulu and has seven weekend masses.
The parish elementary school has 150 students.
The top two pictures are from the Cathedral website and the last is from flickr.
Co-Cathedral of St.
Theresa of the Child Jesus
St. Theresa of the Child Jesus (1873-1897), also known as Saint Therese of Lisieux, grew up in
God our Father, you
have promised your kingdom to those who are willing to become like little
children. Help us to follow the way of
the Little Flower with confidence so that by her prayers we may come to know
your eternal glory.
The parish of St. Theresa of the Child Jesus was established
in 1931 and a wooden church was completed the following year. By the 1950s, the need for a new church
became apparent and the current modern church building was completed in
1963. St. Theresa became the Co-Cathedral
for the Diocese in 1985. The small size
of the Cathedral Basilica of Our Lady of Peace makes it undesirable for large
liturgical celebrations.
The Co-Cathedral is modern and has one spire. See the parish website at cocathedral.org. The Co-Cathedral
is located less than two miles north of downtown Honolulu and has seven weekend
masses, including two in Vietnamese. The
parish elementary school has 500 students.
Nevada
Catholic History of Nevada
A Franciscan priest, Francisco Graces, was the first
European to see Nevada , when he traveled from Mexico to California California Nevada
became part of the United States
in 1848 and most of Nevada became part of the Utah Territory Nevada after the discovery of the Comstock Lode silver mine in 1859. Nevada
For the rest of the 19th Century, Nevada Douglas
County in 1858 and by 1875 there were
more than half a dozen parishes in Nevada Nevada was
for many years divided between the Dioceses of Sacramento and Salt Lake
Pope Pius XI created the Diocese of Reno in 1931, which
included all of the State of Nevada Reno was the
largest city in Nevada Nevada
Diocese of Reno
The diocese consists of 11 counties and Carson City in
northern Nevada. The diocese has 85,000
Catholics (13 percent of the total population) in 28 parishes, as of 2015.
Bishops of Reno
Thomas K. Gorman (1892-1980)
- Born in California and ordained a priest for the Diocese of Monterey-Los Angeles in 1917.
- First Bishop of Reno (1931-1952).
- Later served as coadjutor bishop of Dallas-Fort Worth (1952-1954), and Bishop of Dallas-Fort Worth (1954-1969).
Gorman was named coadjutor bishop of Dallas-Fort Worth in 1952.
Robert J. Dwyer (1908-1976)
·
Born in Utah and ordained a priest in 1932 for
the Diocese of Salt Lake City.
·
Bishop of
Reno (1952-1966).
·
Later served as Archbishop of Portland, Oregon
(1966-1974).
Bishop Dwyer convened the First Diocesan Synod in 1957 and
built new schools and churches. He also
renovated St. Thomas Aquinas Cathedral in Reno.
He traveled throughout the country to raise funds for the Diocese and he
brought in nuns from Ireland, Cuba, and the Philippines to teach in parish
schools. Dwyer was named Archbishop of
Portland, Oregon, in 1966. Bishop Dwyer
was a noted Catholic historian.
Joseph J. Green (1917-1982)
·
Born in Michigan and ordained a priest in 1946
for the Diocese of Lansing.
·
Also served as auxiliary bishop of Lansing,
Michigan (1962-1967).
·
Bishop of
Reno (1967-1974).
Bishop Green attended all sessions of the Second Vatican
Council and started implementation of the decrees. He instituted the Catholic Services Appeal
and by his travels throughout the United States, successfully attracted numerous
men to Nevada to serve as priests. He fostered a spirit of ecumenism toward
other religious groups and was active in civic affairs. He resigned in 1974 due to illness.
Bishops of Reno-Las Vegas
Norman F. McFarland (1922-2010)
- Born in California, and ordained a priest for the Archdiocese of San Francisco in 1946.
- Also served as auxiliary bishop of San Francisco (1970-1974) and apostolic administrator of Reno (1974-1976).
- First Bishop of Reno-Las Vegas (1976-1986).
- Later served as Bishop of Orange, California (1986-1998).
McFarland had served as apostolic administrator of the
Diocese after Bishop Green’s resignation.
McFarland found the Diocese in financial distress and was successful in
getting grants and loans from other U.S bishops to resolve the crisis. McFarland visited every parish and mission on
a regular basis and expanded the funding for Catholic Charities in the Diocese. Bishop McFarland was appointed Bishop of
Orange, California, in 1986.
Daniel F. Walsh (born 1937)
·
Born in California and ordained a priest for the
Archdiocese of San Francisco in 1963.
·
Also served as auxiliary bishop of San Francisco
(1981-1987).
·
Bishop of
Reno-Las Vegas (1987-1995).
·
Later served as first Bishop of Las Vegas
(1995-2000) and as Bishop of Santa Rosa, California (2000-2011).
As Bishop, Walsh focused much of his attention on the
southern part of the Diocese, which was growing rapidly. He established many new parishes and an
Hispanic ministry in the Las Vegas area.
He also established a residence and chancery office in Las Vegas to
better meet the needs of southern Nevada Catholics. Bishop Walsh encouraged RENEW programs
throughout the Diocese. Walsh was named
the first Bishop of Las Vegas in 1995.
Bishops of Reno
Phillip F. Straling (born 1933)
- Born in California and ordained a priest for the Diocese of San Diego in 1959.
- Also served as the first Bishop of San Bernardino, California (1978-1995).
- Bishop of Reno (1995-2005).
The Diocese of Reno now consisted of northern Nevada after
Pope John Paul II created the Diocese of Las Vegas. Bishop Staling retired in 2005.
Current Bishop
Randolph R. Calvo was appointed Bishop of Reno by Pope
Benedict XVI in 2005. He was born in Guam in 1951 and ordained a priest for the Archdiocese of
San Francisco in 1977. He previously
served in several capacities with the Archdiocese.
The Cathedral
St. Thomas Aquinas Cathedral
310 W. Second
Street
St. Thomas Aquinas was born in Italy Paris
and under St. Albert the Great in Cologne
Come, Holy Spirit,
Divine Creator, true source of light and fountain of wisdom! Pour forth your
brilliance upon my dense intellect, dissipate the darkness which covers me,
that of sin and of ignorance. Grant me a penetrating mind to understand, a retentive memory, method and ease in learning, the
lucidity to comprehend, and abundant grace in expressing myself. Guide the beginning of my work, direct its
progress, and bring it to successful completion. This I ask through Jesus Christ, true God and true man, living and reigning with You and the Father, forever and ever.
Amen. [St. Thomas Aquinas]
St. Thomas Aquinas parish was established in 1907 and is Reno’s oldest Catholic parish. The Gothic Revival church was dedicated in 1908, but received major damage during a fire the following year. The twin-towered red brick church reopened in 1910. It was designated as the Cathedral for the new Diocese of Reno in 1931.
The Cathedral’s main altar is made of native Nevada
aragonite, with hand carved angels. The candlesticks were made by Dirk Van Erp. The 3,500 square foot mural painting behind
the altar was done by Hungarian artists, Edith and Isabel Piczek, with a theme
of the Adoration of the Lamb of God. The
mural has the Saints of the Old Law on the left—Abel, Moses, the Manna, Ruth,
Abraham and Isaac, Melchisedech, David, Nathan, Malachias, Anna the Prophetess
and John the Baptist. The Saints of the
New Law are on the right—the Holy Family at Bethlehem, the last Supper with our
Lord, St. Peter and St. John, with St. Paul in background, St. Augustine, St,
Clare of Assisi, St. Charles Borromeo, St. Paschal Baylon, and St. Pius X,
urging a modern working family to frequent Communion.
The Stations of the Cross were made by Bill Lutz in 1993.
The main entrance doors are covered with Nevada copper and were designed and
embossed by Gordon Newby. The major
stained glass windows feature the Holy Family, Our Lady of the Snows, Mother
Elizabeth Seton, Mother Cabrini, two bishops, and two priests. The Cathedral also has a life size replica of
the Pieta by Michelangelo.
Additional detail can be found at the Cathedral website, stacathedral.com
and on the Diocesan website at renodiocese.org.
St. Thomas Aquinas Cathedral is located in downtown Reno and has six
weekend masses, including one in Spanish.
The first picture is from Panaramio and the last two are from Wikipedia.
Diocese of Las Vegas
The diocese consists of five counties in southern Nevada
Bishops of Las Vegas
Daniel F. Walsh (born 1937)
·
Born in California and ordained a priest for the
Archdiocese of San Francisco in 1963.
·
Also served as auxiliary bishop of San Francisco
(1981-1987), Bishop of Reno-Las Vegas (1987-1995).
·
First
Bishop of Las Vegas (1995-2000).
·
Later served as Bishop of Santa Rosa, California
(2000-2011).
There were 250,000 Catholics in the Diocese in 1995 and
Bishop Walsh built several new parishes as the population of Las Vegas
exploded. He established ministries for
Hispanics and those suffering from HIV and AIDS. Walsh also established a full time vocations
office and several other diocesan offices (e.g., a liturgical commission and a
youth council) as he organized the new Diocese—with help from input from the
laity. Bishop Walsh was named Bishop of
Santa Rosa in 2000.
Joseph A. Pepe (born 1942)
·
Born in Pennsylvania and ordained a priest for
the Archdiocese of Philadelphia in 1970.
·
Bishop of
Las Vegas (2001-2018).
Bishop Pepe retired in 2018.
Current Bishop
George L. Thomas was appointed Bishop of Las Vegas by Pope
Francis in 2018. He was born in
Anaconda, Montana
The Cathedral
Guardian Angel Cathedral
Angels are supernatural spirits created by God to serve Him
and assist human beings in remaining faithful to God. They have no gender and are finite in
number. They are organized into nine
“choirs” each with its own function. Angels
are mentioned numerous times in the Bible.
Catholics and others believe that God assigns a guardian angel to each
human being. The feast of the Guardian
Angels is commemorated on October 2.
Angel of God,
my guardian dear, to whom God’s love commits me here, ever this day be at my
side to light and guard, to rule and guide. Amen
Catholics working at Las Vegas’ casinos during the 1950s
needed a place to attend Mass on Sunday (since the Vigil mass was not yet
allowed). Masses were said in various
locations and as early as 4:30 a.m., until the Guardian Angel Shrine was built
in 1963. The Shrine was staffed by
priests from St. Viator parish. Guardian
Angel became the co-Cathedral for the Diocese of Reno-Las Vegas in 1977,
although it did not become a parish until 1980.
It became the Cathedral for the new Diocese of Las Vegas in 1995.
The top picture is from Wikipedia and the bottom was taken by me.
Paul R. Williams designed the Cathedral, which can seat about 1,000 people. A 1,600 square foot mural honoring our guardian angels greets people entering through the Cathedral’s front entrance. This mural was designed by Edith Piczek. Her sister, Isabel, designed much of the Cathedral’s interior. Ten large triangular windows also serve as the Stations of the Cross. There are also two large sanctuary windows. Isabel Piczek also designed a 70-foot tall mural over the sanctuary depicting the Resurrected Christ.
Additional information can be found on the Cathedral website
at gaclv.org and on the Diocesan website at dioceseoflasvegas.org. The Cathedral is located about three miles
south of downtown Las Vegas near the Las Vegas Strip. About 8,000 people attend the Cathedral’s
eight weekend masses. Three of the
weekend masses are Saturday vigil Masses, including one at 2:30 p.m.
Utah
Catholic History of Utah
The first Europeans to come to Utah
were two Franciscan priests, Francisco Dominguez and Silvestre de Escalante,
who crossed Utah in 1776 seeking a route from Santa Fe to California Utah in 1847 and two years
later established the independent state of Deseret . Utah had
become part of the United States
in 1848 and Congress created the Utah Territory in 1850, which included modern-day Utah , as well as portions of Colorado ,
Nevada , and Wyoming Utah
The great pioneer priest, Pierre de Smet, visited Utah Utah Vatican
created the Vicariate Apostolic (a pioneer diocese) of Colorado
and Utah under the leadership of Bishop Joseph
Machebeuf of Denver Utah Ogden ,
Park City ,
and Eureka
Diocese of Salt Lake City
The diocese consists of the State of Utah. The diocese has 291,000 Catholics (10 percent
of the total population) in 48 parishes, as of 2015.
Bishops of Salt Lake
Lawrence Scanlan (1843-1915)
- Born in Ireland and ordained a priest for the Archdiocese of San Francisco in 1868.
- Vicar Apostolic of Utah (1887-1891) and the first Bishop of Salt Lake (1891-1915).
Scanlan came to Utah from San
Francisco in 1873. He traveled on foot
and on horseback visiting Catholics throughout Utah, including those in mining
camps. As bishop, he built hospitals,
schools and churches, including the Cathedral of the Madeleine, and established
the Intermountain Catholic diocesan newspaper.
He also established an orphanage in his former rectory and opened Mount
Calvary Cemetery in Salt Lake City.
Scanlan maintained good relations with the Church of Latter Day Saints
and fought for the spiritual and economic well-being of poor immigrant
Catholics. He died in 1915.
Joseph S. Glass, C.M.
(1874-1926)
·
Born in Illinois and ordained a priest for the
Congregation of the Mission in 1897.
·
Bishop of
Salt Lake (1915-1926).
Bishop Glass encouraged a close
relationship between clergy and laity and established many lay organizations in
the Diocese including, the Knights of Columbus, Catholic Women’s League, Legion
of Mary, Cana and Pre-Cana Conferences, Catholic Youth Organization, and the
Confraternity of Christian Doctrine. He
started several new parishes and opened Judge Memorial Catholic High School and
Judge Mercy Home and Hospital in Salt Lake City. Glass renovated the Cathedral and renamed it
the Cathedral of the Madeleine. The
renovation included several murals designed to teach Catholic beliefs. He died in 1926.
John J. Mitty (1884-1961)
·
Born in New York and ordained a priest for the
Archdiocese of New York in 1906.
·
Bishop of
Salt Lake (1926-1932).
·
Later served as coadjutor archbishop of San
Francisco (1932-1935), and Archbishop of San Francisco (1935-1961).
Bishop Mitty worked to decrease the Diocese’s debt that had
been incurred by his predecessors’ building projects and was able to greatly improve
the Diocese’s financial situation. While
Mitty was Bishop, eastern Nevada, which had been part of the Diocese, became
part of the new Diocese of Reno. Bishop
Mitty also promoted evangelization by improving the diocesan newspaper and
doing radio talks. Mitty was appointed
coadjutor archbishop of San Francisco in 1932 and became Archbishop of San
Francisco in 1935.
James E. Kearney (1884-1997)
·
Born in Iowa and ordained a priest for the
Archdiocese of New York in 1908.
·
Bishop of
Salt Lake (1932-1937).
·
Later served as Bishop of Rochester, New York
(1937-1966).
Bishop Kearney established new parishes in Monticello and
Cedar City and, after having paid off the debt, consecrated the Cathedral of
the Madeleine. Kearney was an outspoken
foe of communism and was named Bishop of Rochester, New York, in 1937.
Bishops of Salt Lake City
Duane G. Hunt (1884-1960)
·
Born in Nebraska, converted to Catholicism in
1913, and ordained a priest for the Diocese of Salt Lake in 1920.
·
Bishop of
Salt Lake (1937-1951) and first Bishop of Salt Lake City (1951-1960).
Hunt
was a convert from Methodism. Bishop
Hunt established 14 parishes, Catholic Community Services, and St. Joseph High
School (in Ogden). He invited several
religious orders to the Diocese including:
Benedictine Sisters from Minnesota who opened a hospital (now Ogden
Regional Medical Center) and a monastery; the Sisters of Charity of the
Incarnate Word who open St. Joseph Villa, a home for the aged and infirmed; Discalced
Carmelite Nuns, who built the Carmel of the Immaculate Heart of Mary Monastery
in Holliday; and the Order of Cistercians of the Strict Observance (Trappists),
who built the Abbey of Our Lady of the Holy Trinity in Huntsville. Hunt also wrote several articles that refuted
Mormon beliefs about Catholics. Bishop
Hunt died in 1960.
Joseph L. Federal (1910-2000)
- Born in North Carolina and ordained a priest for the Diocese of Raleigh in 1934.
- Served as auxiliary bishop of Salt Lake City (1951-1958) and coadjutor bishop of Salt Lake City (1958-1960).
- Bishop of Salt Lake City (1960-1980).
As
coadjutor bishop, Federal became Bishop upon the death of Bishop Hunt. Bishop Federal attended all sessions of the
Second Vatican Council held from 1962 to 1965.
He also established more than a dozen parishes and missions, as well as
a Newman Center at Weber State University.
He started the annual Diocesan Development Drive and made repairs to the
exterior of the Cathedral of the Madeleine.
He also ordained 14 permanent deacons.
Bishop Federal celebrated a Mass in 1976 attended by 14,000 people to
commemorate the bicentennials of the expedition of Franciscan friars Francisco Antanasio Dominguez and
Silvestre Velez de Escalante into Utah and of American independence. He
also help establish Birthright of Utah, an organization helping pregnant women,
and a Diocesan Office of Education. Federal
was known for telling jokes. Bishop
Federal resigned in 1980.
William K. Weigand (born 1937)
- Born in Oregon and ordained a priest for the Diocese of Boise, Idaho, in 1963.
- Bishop of Salt Lake City (1980-1994).
- Later served as Bishop of Sacramento (1994-2008).
Bishop Weigand established more
than a dozen parishes and missions and restored the Cathedral of the Madeleine
to bring it into compliance with the decrees of the Second Vatican Council and
to make needed repairs. Bishop Weigand
led a 1982 Lenten convocation in Salt Lake City attended by 7,000 Catholics and
a 1991 celebration the Diocese’s centennial.
He was also a coauthor of the 1986 pastoral letter of the National
Conference of Catholic Bishops regarding Catholic social teaching and the
United States economy. He was appointed Bishop of Sacramento in 1994.
George H. Niederauer (1936-2017)
- Born in California and ordained a priest for the Archdiocese of Los Angeles in 1962.
- Bishop of Salt Lake City (1994-2005).
- Later served as Archbishop of San Francisco (2005-2012).
Bishop Niederauer, through the
generosity of private donors, opened a Catholic center in Draper, a Catholic
charities facility, and acquired an official residence for himself and his
successors. He also opened Juan Diego
High School in Draper and other schools.
He established a new parish and raised several missions to parish
status. He also ordained over a dozen men to the permanent deaconate. He was noted for giving homilies that made
difficult concepts easy to understand. He
was named Archbishop of San Francisco in 2005.
John C. Wester (born 1950)
- Born in California and ordained a priest for the Archdiocese of San Francisco in 1976.
- Also served as auxiliary bishop of San Francisco (1998-2007), apostolic administrator of San Francisco (2005-2007).
- Bishop of Salt Lake City (2007-2015).
- Serves as Archbishop of Santa Fe (since 2015).
I was not able to obtain much information on Bishop Wester
other than that he started Immaculate Heart radio station and built several
church and school buildings. He was
appointed Archbishop of Santa Fe in 2015.
Current Bishop
Oscar A. Solis was appointed Bishop of Salt Lake City by
Pope Francis in 2017. He was born in the
Philippines in 1953 and ordained a priest in the Philippines in 1979. He previously served as auxiliary bishop of
Los Angeles (2003-2017). He served in
pastoral positions with parishes in New Jersey and Louisiana from 1984 to 2003.
The Cathedral
The Cathedral of the Madeleine
331 ESouth Temple Street
Salt Lake City , Utah
84111
331 E
Father, your Son first
entrusted to Mary Magdalene the joyful news of his resurrection; by her prayers
and example may we proclaim Christ as our living Lord and one day see Him in
glory.
The parish of St. Mary Magdalene was established in 1866 as Utah Salt Lake City South Temple
and B Street
The top picture is from the Cathedral website and the bottom picture is from the Diocesan website.
The Cathedral of the Madeleine is the only U.S. Catholic cathedral
named for Mary Magdalene. The cathedral's name was changed to the French
spelling of her name in 1916 by Bishop Joseph Glass.
The description comes mostly from the Cathedral’s website.
Designed by German born, Salt Lake architect Carl Neuhausen,
the cathedral progressed slowly so the financial burden would be minimal. A
committee oversaw the project, headed by Senator Thomas Kearns. Unfortunately,
the project outlived the designer, so, with Neuhausen's death in 1907,
architect Bernard Mecklenberg took over to finish the towers and roof. This was
the year the parish of St. Mary Magdalene began to use the auditorium in the
basement of the new cathedral and closed the old church building. Bishop
Scanlan admitted to not being an artist and had the interior walls of the cathedral
painted green with white pillars just like St. Mary Magdalene Church. When the
right Carrara marble for the altar could not be found in Italy, they decided to
use a brown mottled marble from here in state and many members of the Catholic
community donated the stained glass windows.
In the 1920's, they enhanced the decorative interior with
changes made by Bishop Glass with architect John T. Comes of Pittsburgh overseeing
the work including frescoes on the ceiling and around the altar. There would be
a renovation and restoration in the 1990's, but that first dedication ceremony
and Pontifical Mass will always be the true hallmark in this great building's
history.
The
Cathedral's Romanesque exterior, composed of Utah sandstone, remains
substantially the same today as it was upon completion in 1909. Exceptions are
the removal of the original stained glass windows in the sanctuary and the
addition of a tympanum over the main doors.
Between 1975 and 1980, under the leadership of Bishop Federal, exterior renovations
took place, including a new copper roof and work to restore and preserve the
porous sandstone exterior from further erosion. The gargoyles were also
replaced at that time.
Eight
gargoyles look down from the 185-feet-high east and west towers. The gargoyles
are primarily decorative, and do not serve as water spouts as do those on many
of the cathedrals of Europe. The original gargoyles placed on the Cathedral in
1917 weathered and eroded to the extent that they were non-existent by 1930. In
the 1975 restoration, eight new steel-reinforced gargoyles, weighing 1,200
pounds each, were placed on the Cathedral. Each gargoyle, made by University of
Utah art student Peter Cole, represents a petrified combination of a bird, a
dog, and a cat.
The result of
seven years of labor, the tympanum above the main doors is the work of Francis
Aretz of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. Shipped in several pieces to Salt Lake City
in 1917, the tympanum features the figure of Christ as High Priest, flanked by
an angel on each side; and the Twelve Apostles, six standing and six kneeling,
each with his appropriate symbol. The four great Doctors of the Church, Saints
Jerome, Ambrose, Gregory and Augustine, appear in the upper half of the work.
The four Evangelists, Saints Matthew, Mark, Luke and John appear surrounding
the arms of the central cross.
Formerly
the baptistery, the chapel is on the east side of the main exit from the
Cathedral. It houses the statue acquired in 1993—Madonna and Child by Utah
artist Avard Fairbanks. It also contains six original stained glass windows
from the early part of this century and two new windows described as the
"Vatican II windows." Installed in 1993, the new windows celebrate
two of the most important achievements of the Second Vatican Council: the
ecumenical movement, symbolized by the standard ecumenical emblem, and the
church's commitment to dialogue with the modern world, symbolized by the United
Nations' symbol and the words "Lumen Gentium" referring to the church
as the light to the nations. The statue of St. Mary Magdalen, carved in the
late 1940's by Canadian artist Gordon Newby, is also housed in this room.
The
interior of the Cathedral has gone through three phases. The first interior
(1909-1918) was quite simple with white walls and green columns. The second
interior was created under Bishop Glass. A man of strong artistic sensibility,
Bishop Glass undertook a thorough reconstruction of the art and furnishings,
inspired by the Spanish gothic art of the late Middle Ages. The colorful murals
in the sanctuary and transepts were added at that time, as was the ornate and
dramatic coloration evident throughout the building. This interior was
completed before Christmas, 1918. Under the leadership of Bishop Weigand, the
restoration of the second interior, which had suffered the effects of dirt and
pollution, was planned and executed. This included the renovation of the
liturgical elements of the Cathedral to bring them into conformity with the
liturgical reforms that followed Vatican Council II. It was completed in 1993. For this project, the services of the
firm of Beyer Blinder Belle of New York were retained. This renovation and
restoration, the most extensive in the cathedral's history, took place between
1991 and 1993 at a cost of $9.7 million and involved every aspect of the
interior.
The
baptismal font, made of Carrara onyx and glass mosaic, combines a
traditional-style upper font with a lower font. The lower baptismal font is
patterned after fonts used in the early centuries of the Catholic Church. The
font, dedicated in 1993, combines the symbolism of the octagon (signifying the
"eighth day" of eternity), the cross (signifying Jesus' death and
resurrection) and, at the center of the lower font, an ornate pattern that can
read as paradise, a crown, the sun, the tree of life, or the axis mundi (center
of the world.) The lower font responds to the efforts of the Second Vatican
council to restore early Christian baptismal practices and accommodates both
the pouring of water and immersion.
Inside the
inner back doors are shrines to two saints well known for their charitable
work. On the east side is the statue of St. Anthony of Padua, carved by Henry
Schmitt of Buffalo in 1918. On the west is a statue of St. Vincent de Paul, the
founder of the Vincentians (the order to which Bishop Glass belonged), carved
in 1993 by Agrell and Thorpe, Ltd., Sausalito, California. These shrines
symbolize the cathedral's commitment to charity and service to the poor.
The two
confessionals at the rear of the cathedral originally carved by William F. Ross
and Company of East Cambridge, Massachusetts, and installed in 1918, were
reconstructed in 1993 to more ample proportions to facilitate both face-to-face
confession and confession behind a screen. Significantly, the confessionals
flank the baptismal font to symbolize the nature of sacramental confession as a
renewal of baptismal commitment.
The altar,
the central element in a Catholic church and the focal point of liturgical
events, is built of Carrara onyx and inlaid with glass mosaic. It stands on a
chancel (marble floor) designed to highlight and heighten its centrality and
significance. The placement of the altar at the crossing marks its identity as
the center and heart of the Cathedral. The centrality of the altar is further
defined by four large chandeliers that hang in its vicinity. These, along with
the other chandeliers and light fixtures, were designed by Roger Morgan of New
York and installed in 1993. The altar contains relics of St. Gratus, Bishop of
Aosta in Piedmont, Northern Italy, who died in 457, and St. Fenusta, an early
Roman martyr buried in the Roman catacombs. The relics signify the call to
sainthood of all who approach Christ's table and the link across space and time
between every Eucharist. The altar is visually related to the baptismal font,
both in materials and style, symbolizing the close relationship between baptism
and the Mass.
Originally
designed by F. X. Zettler of the House of Littler, Royal Bavarian Institute in
Munich, Germany, and installed in 1908, the windows in the body of the
Cathedral were completely rebuilt in 1992 by Rohlf Studios of New York. The
windows on the west side portray the Joyful Mysteries of the Rosary (The
Annunciation, The Visitation, The Nativity, The Presentation of Jesus, and the
Finding of the Child Jesus in the Temple). The last of these is portrayed in
the large west transept window, at the top of which is a scene of the woman,
reputed to be St. Mary Magdalen, washing the feet of Jesus. Represented around
this scene are St. Gregory, St. Matthew, St. Jerome, St. Mark, St. Augustine,
St. Luke, St. Ambrose, and St. John. The
windows on the east side, beginning with the large east transept window, depict
the Glorious Mysteries of the Rosary (The Resurrection, The Ascension, The
Descent of the Holy Spirit, The Assumption of Mary, and The Crowning of Mary as
Queen of Heaven). The Resurrection window also contains a medallion of Christ
appearing to St. Mary Magdalen. Around this scene are St. Francis de Sales, St.
Agnes, St. Stephen, St, Ignatius, St. Francis of Assisi, St. Bernard, St.
Vincent de Paul, and St. Monica. The two windows in the Blessed Sacrament
chapel were designed by George W. Sotter of Pittsburgh in 1918 and display
images of the twelve apostles. These windows exhibit a distinctly different
style of stained glass from that in the body of the church. At the rear of the
Cathedral above the organ is the great Rose Window depicting St. Cecilia,
patroness of music, surrounded by angels with musical instruments.
In 1909, a
27 rank electro-pneumatic organ was built and installed by the Kimball Company
of Chicago. It was rebuilt by Schoenstein of San Francisco in 1953. By the mid
1980's, this organ had come to the end of its natural life and was replaced in
1992 by a new 77/79 rank mechanical action English-style organ built by Kenneth
Jones and Associates of Bray, Ireland. The organ, which has 4,066 pipes, stands
in a Gothic case designed to match the woodwork installed in the Comes interior
of 1918. A notable element of the organ is the Fanfare Trumpet that extends
from the front of the choir gallery. The organ serves both liturgical and
concert purposes.
The murals
at the front of the Cathedral were designed and painted by Felix Lieftuchter in
1918. They represent a combination of Byzantine, Spanish Gothic, and modern
styles. At the center is the figure of Christ on the Cross, with God the Father
and the Holy Spirit above. At the bottom of the Cross are a pelican and her
children, symbolizing Christ's sacrifice since the pelican feeds its young with
its own blood.
The left
mural depicts prominent Christian figures (St. Joan of Arc, St. Venatius, St.
John the Baptist, St. Gregory, St. Vincent de Paul, St. Agnes, St. Pascal
Baylon, St. Jerome. St. Helena, St. Stephen), and the right mural depicts Old
Testament figures (Adam and Eve, Isaiah, Ester, Ruth, Melchizedek, Moses,
David, St. Anne, Judith).
The mural
in the west transept is of the woman (traditionally identified as Mary
Magdalene) washing the feet of Jesus. In the east transept there is portrayed
the appearance of Jesus to Mary Magdalene following the Resurrection.
The
crossing over the altar contains panels of angels, as do the upper regions of
the vaulting throughout the Cathedral. The coats of arms of the eight bishops
of the diocese are also found in the walls of the transepts.
The
Striking blue and starred ceiling over the Blessed Sacrament chapel signifies
the vault of heaven. Also painted by Felix Lieftuchter, it represents the
influence of modern art on the artist's work.
Wood
carvings in the Cathedral were completed by famous sculptors. Those in the
reredos are by Isaac Kirchmayer, considered the best wood carver in the United
States. The linen folds on his carvings are a characteristic trademark of
Kirchmayer. Above the main altar on each side of the picture of Mary Magdalene,
the Kirchmayer statues represent founders of religious orders: on the east,
Benedict, Clare and Dominic; and, on the west, Ignatius of Loyola, Teresa of
Avilla and Francis of Assisi. Several sculptors in the same family worked on
the Cathedral and one father and son pair regretted not having any place to
leave their signature. So the father and son each took a block of wood and
facing one another, carved the likeness of the other. They then affixed these
two carvings to the sedilla (seat or bench for presiders at Mass), which now
serves as the ambry (place of reservation for the holy oils). The carvings
remain a fitting signature to the ingenuity and talent of these sculptors.
On the side
of the main sanctuary are two shrines: the Lady Chapel on the west and the
Chapel of St. Joseph on the east. They represent some of the most valuable and
high quality elements in the Cathedral and have a notably Spanish Gothic character.
The Lady Chapel has three carved scenes representing the flight into Egypt, the
Holy Family, and the finding of the Child Jesus in the Temple. The statues are
of St. Lawrence, St. Bernard, St Bonaventure, St. Bartholomew, the Cure of Ars,
and St. Blaise. The St. Joseph Chapel on the west side has three carved
nativity scenes depicting the annunciation to the Shepherds, the birth of
Christ and the Adoration of the Magi. The carved figures are those of St.
Nicholas Tolentino, St. Anthony the Great, St. James the Great, St. Martin, St.
Dominic, and St. Sylvester. Over the Lady Chapel stands a prominent statue of
St. Peter; and over the St. Joseph Chapel is one of St. Paul, both carved by
Franz Aretz of Pittsburgh.
The chancel
area is divided from the Blessed Sacrament chapel by a chancel screen. Inspired
by the medieval rood screen, it was made of hand-carved North American white
oak by British master carvers, Agrell and Thorpe. It reflects the general
character of the 1918 woodwork in the cathedral, particularly the St. Mary
Magdalen shrine at the north end.
The
tabernacle tower, in which the Blessed Sacrament is reserved for the sick and
for private veneration, stands in the middle of the Blessed Sacrament chapel
behind the chancel screen, and is inspired by late medieval sacrament towers or
sacrament houses. It is the focal point of this chapel. The brass tabernacle
proper is in the shape of a building and is inspired by the design of the north
end of the cathedral exterior. At the north end of the Blessed Sacrament chapel
is the tomb of Lawrence Scanlan, the fist bishop of Salt Lake, under whose
leadership the Cathedral was built. The tomb was adapted from the high altar
used in the Cathedral from 1918-1965. Directly in the center of the chapel is
the reliquary of St. Mary Magdalen, patroness of the Cathedral. The reliquary
rests on the tomb of Bishop Scanlan.
The
fourteen Stations of the Cross were painted by Utah artist Roger (Sam) Wilson
in 1992 and 1993. They replace a set of stations painted in 1918 which had
deteriorated badly. The new stations, starting at the northeast end of the
building, begin with Jesus in the Garden of Olives and end with the burial of
Christ. They generally follow a revised (and more biblical) version of the
stations produced by the Vatican in 1975 and issued in various versions since
then. The stations combine elements of traditional iconography and American
Southwestern coloration within a postmodern style. In developing each scene,
the artist uses flowers, animals and various symbolic elements to draw out its
meaning and significance. The frames of the stations were carved and installed
in 1918 by William F. Ross and Company of East Cambridge, Massachusetts.
The
Cathedral Bells, named after Saints Joseph, Mary, Cecilia, and Michael, are
housed in the west tower. Two original bells were cast at the Maryland Brass
Foundry in 1917. The largest bell (Joseph) weighs 2,650 pounds and is tuned to
the pitch E. The second-largest bell (Mary) weighs 1,300 pounds and is tuned to
the pitch A. Both of the original bells bear Latin inscriptions, the Mary bell
reading in part "I praise the true God...I call the people...I do honor to
feasts." Two new bells, installed by the Verdin Company of Cincinnati in
1993 ring at pitch B (Cecilia) and pitch C# (Michael). The Cecilia bell's
inscription reads "Sing joyfully to the Lord, all the earth: ring out your
joy." The Michael bell reads "The time of earth will pass away, but
not the time of heaven."
The Cathedral website, utcotm.org, has a pictorial tour. The Diocesan website is dioslc.org. The Cathedral is located in downtown Salt
Lake City and has six weekend masses, including two in Spanish. The parish supports an elementary school with
200 students.
Update—Province of St.
Paul and Minneapolis
In March 2018, the name of the Diocese of Winona was changed
to the Diocese of Winona-Rochester. St.
John the Evangelist Church in Rochester was designated as co-cathedral. Rochester is the third largest city in
Minnesota and many of the Diocese’s Catholics live in the Rochester area. St. John the Evangelist Co-Cathedral is across
the street from the Mayo Clinic.
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