Cathedral of Saint Mary in Miami
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The Cathedral of Saint Mary, is the seat of the Archbishop of the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Miami. The cathedral is named for Mary, mother of Jesus, and is located in Miami, Florida. Miami Archbishop John Clement Favalora serves as the Cathedral's pastor.
[edit] History
Groundbreaking ceremonies for the present church building were held in 1955. The new building was dedicated on January 27, 1957 under the leadership of Monsignor Patrick O'Donohue. The parish had begun as a small wooden structure. It now had a magnificent new church built with solid stone that could seat 1200 people.
In 1958, Pope John XXIII established the Diocese of Miami and St. Mary's was chosen to be the Cathedral. On October 7 of that year, Bishop Coleman F. Carroll was installed and shortly thereafter Bishop Carroll began renovating the existing building This included the building of the Blessed Sacrament Chapel, which features faceted glass executed at Chartres by Gabriel Loire. Panels of metal, mosaic and ivory from Barcelona embellish the chapel altar. The tabernacle is made of hand-crafted gold plate, embellished with semi-precious stones and enamel cartouches, illustrating the life of Christ. Josef Neumayrm, a goldsmith in Munich, made candlesticks and a crucifix.
The Chapel of the Holy Family was erected in the space originally occupied by one of the side altars, and Maestro Biancini crafted a ceramic depiction in Faenza, Italy. New fittings were also designed in Brussels. The renovation of 1964 also included the addition of a bronze bell weighing more than two tons, and the installation of the Cathedral's first pipe organ. Over the choir stalls in the Sanctuary was placed the Cathedral's principle decorative feature – a continuous glass mosaic. It is eleven feet high, framed in travertine and extending for an uninterrupted length of seventy feet, depicting scenes from the life of Mary, Mother of God. The noted artist, Gabriel Loire, also executed it in Chartres.
The St. Mary's Parish School opened on October 2, 1939, with eight grades and two hundred and thirty students. An additional grade was added each year. The school year 1943-44 had five hundred and fourteen students. The first high school graduation was in 1944 and the last high school graduation was in 1953 when the school was reduced to eight grades, which is the current number of grades.
