St. Peter's Cathedral, Scranton

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

St. Peter's Cathedral is the Roman Catholic cathedral in Scranton, Pennsylvania, and is the mother church of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Scranton. It is located at 315 Wyoming Avenue.

The church was built in 1867, as the parish church of St. Vincent de Paul. In 1883-4, a project was undertaken to remodel and embellish the church, which by now was the central church of the diocese, and on September 28, 1884 the new mother church of the diocese was consecrated by Archbishop P.J. Ryan of Philadelphia, and its name changed to the Cathedral of St. Peter, marking its new role in the still-young diocese.

The original windows of the church contained simple red and white diamond shaped panes. The beautiful stained glass windows now found in the cathedral date from the alterations begun in 1883. Much of this work can be attributed to the French architect Durang and later to the German designer Frank Mayer. In addition to the use of stained glass in the clerestory and over the entrances, there are 15 grandiose windows focusing on the Life of Christ and highlighting the Blessed Virgin Mary and other saints. Of special note are the windows depicting the Annunciation, the Visitation, the Nativity and the Last Supper.

The present organ was built in 1979 by Casavant Frères of Quebec, Canada.

The current rector is Rev. Charles P. Connor, Ph.D. Rev. Thomas Muldowney serves as Assistant Pastor. The Cathedral is the seat of the Bishop of Scranton, Most Rev. Joseph Martino, D.D., Hist.E.D, who resides there along with Most Rev. John M. Dougherty, V.G., Auxiliary Bishop, Msgr. Vincent J. Grimalia, and Rev. Christopher S. Sahd, Secretary to the Bishop.