Cathedral of Mary Our Queen
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| Cathedral of Mary Our Queen | |
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| U.S. National Register of Historic Places | |
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| Location: | Baltimore, Maryland |
| Coordinates: | Coordinates: |
| Built/Founded: | 1954 |
| Architectural style(s): | Neo-Gothic with late Art Deco influence |
| Visitation: | 2 (in 1995) |
| NRHP Reference#: | 76001250 |
| Governing body: | Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Maryland |
The Cathedral of Mary Our Queen is a cathedral of the Roman Catholic Church located at 5200 North Charles Street, in northern Baltimore, Maryland.
The Cathedral is the seat of the Archbishop of Baltimore, presently Edwin Frederick O'Brien, STD, DD. The Cathedral is located in the Homeland area of northern Baltimore City and near Loyola College in Maryland and St. Mary's Seminary and University, the first Catholic seminary created in the United States. It was built using funds bequeathed by an Irish Baltimore merchant, Thomas O'Neill.
In October 1954, ground was broken for the new Cathedral of Mary Our Queen. On the morning of October 13, 1959, a few days past the fifth anniversary of the groundbreaking ceremony, the Cathedral was consecrated by Bishop Jerome Sebastian. The architecture is late period Art Deco, built of brick faced with limestone, and uses a classical east-facing cruciform floor plan (see cathedral diagram).
Archbishop Edwin Frederick O'Brien, STD, DD serves as pastor of the Cathedral and Reverend Monsignor Robert A. Armstrong is Rector. The Archdiocese of Baltimore is the Premier See and is one of two dioceses to have co-cathedrals. The crypt under the main floor of the cathedral is reserved for the deceased archbishops and auxiliary bishops of Baltimore. There are five bishops buried in the crypt: Lawrence Cardinal Shehan, Archbishop Francis Patrick Keough, Bishop Jerome Sebastian, Bishop T. Austin Murphy and Bishop P. Francis Murphy.[citation needed]
The cathedral also is notable for having two organs. The original organs were installed by M. P. Moller Company of Hagerstown, Maryland (Opus 9200). After 46 years of use and some considerable damage due to water and smoke it was decided that the Cathedral Organs would be restored. Schantz Organ Company of Ohio was chosen to restore and replace many parts of the original instrument. The restoration started with the removal of the Great Gallery Organ and, after it was reinstalled and ready to be played, the chancel organ was then removed and restored. On Sunday, November 12, the Cathedral used the restored organs. In addition to new pipe work, voice work, new wind chests, two new identical consoles were built: one for the Gallery and one for the Chancel. This allows the organist to have command of both organs from either console. The chancel console is also has the ability to be moved around the sanctuary depending on the need. (In the original Moller installation, the Great Gallery organ console was four manuals and had complete control over both the Gallery and Sanctuary organs. The Sanctuary organ console was two manuals, had complete control over the Sanctuary organ and the Gallery organ through "blind" controls. The Sanctuary console was replaced in 1974 due to a fire in the console which caused smoke damage to both organs' pipework.) The first solo concert performance on the new organ was on July 5, 2007 and was played by Cherry Rhodes as part of the closing ceremonies of the American Guild of Organists convention that was held in Baltimore.[citation needed]
The co-cathedral is the Basilica of the National Shrine of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary, located on Cathedral Street at Mulberry Street, in downtown Baltimore. The Basilica reopened in November 2006 after a 32-month restoration. His Eminence J. Francis Cardinal Stafford, the special envoy of Pope Benedict XVI, and former auxiliary bishop of Baltimore, rededicated the Main Altar at the Archdiocesan Mass on Sunday, November 5, 2006. The United States Conference of Catholic Bishops celebrated the 200th anniversary of the Basilica on Sunday, November 12, 2006. Francis Cardinal Stafford was the principal celebrant at this Mass also.
His Holiness Pope John Paul II visited both the Cathedral of Mary Our Queen and the Basilica in 1995, and also in 1976 as Cardinal Karol Wojtyla. A plaque outside the Blessed Sacrament Chapel (the north transept) commemorates the 1995 visit.
The Cathedral of Mary Our Queen also has members of the clergy in residence,among them: The Most Reverened Mitchell T. Rozanski, Reverend Monsignor Robert A. Armstrong, Reverend Louis Bianco, Reverend Gerry Francisk (Archdiocesan Retreatmaster), Reverend Monsignor Robert Jaskot (Chancellor).
The Cathedral also has a team of Masters of Ceremonies, MCs, that ensure the fluidness of the 9:15 and 11 A.M. Sunday masses. The MCs also serve for Archdiocesan functions at the Cathedral, including those with the Archbishop. The Masters of Ceremonies include: Dennis Mahoney, Ben Myers, Patrick Myers, Jared Alexander, Steven Merwin, Ryan Gisriel, Will McClennan, Andrew Stromberg, and Micheal Gallagher.[citation needed]
The Cathedral is run behind the scenes by a team of sacristans: Shriley Davis, Jared Alexander, and Thaddeus J. Warszawski Jr..
