| Cathedral of Our Lady of Perpetual Help | |
|---|---|
| Basic information | |
| Location | Oklahoma City, Oklahoma United States |
| Affiliation | Roman Catholic Church |
| Rite | Roman Rite |
| Province | Archdiocese of Oklahoma City |
| Leadership | Archbishop: Most Rev. Paul Coakley Rector: Msgr. Edward J. Weisenburger, V.G |
| Website | cathedralokc.org |
| Architectural description | |
| Architectural style | Italianate |
| Completed | 1924 |
| Specifications | |
| Materials | Brick |
The Cathedral of Our Lady of Perpetual Help is a Catholic cathedral in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, United States. It is the seat of the Archdiocese of Oklahoma City.
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Our Lady of Perpetual Help Parish was established in 1919 when Bishop Theophile Meerschaert, the first Bishop of Oklahoma City, assigned Monsignor Monnot its first pastor on January 19.[1] Mass for the parish was initially celebrated in an automobile showroom on Classen Boulevard. The first church building was a wood structure built in May 1919 on NW 31st Street between Western and Lake. The following month a ground breaking was held for a combination church and school building.
Construction of the present church building was begun on July 3, 1923 and it was completed in February 1924. A frame rectory was completed in July of the same year. Pope Pius XI elevated Our Lady of Perpetual Help to a cathedral in 1931.[1] It replaced St. Joseph Cathedral downtown.
Thirty Vietnamese families, refugees from the Vietnam War, joined the parish in 1975. Their numbers have continued to grow in the succeeding years.
In 1993 a renovation project was begun. It included a new pipe organ by W. Zimmer and Sons of Charlotte, North Carolina, a new baptistery, electrical work and other additions to the parish plant.
Our Lady of Perpetual Help School opened in September 1919 with 90 students in twelve grades.[1] Three Sisters of Mercy served as the faculty. They resided in a frame house across the street from the school. The name of the school was changed in 1932 to Bishop John Carroll after the first Catholic Bishop in the United States. A new wing was added to the school in 1939 and a new convent was constructed in 1941. The former convent is now called Mercy Center and is used for a variety of parish functions. A gymnasium and classroom building was built as a part of the 1993 parish renovation project.