| Cathedral of St. Mary of the Assumption | |
|---|---|
| Basic information | |
| Location | Trenton, New Jersey United States |
| Affiliation | Roman Catholic Church |
| Rite | Roman Rite |
| Year consecrated | 1959 |
| Leadership | Diocese of Trenton Bishop: Most Rev. David M. O'Connell Rector: Rev. Joseph Roldan |
| Architectural description | |
| Completed | 1959 |
| Specifications | |
The Cathedral of St. Mary of the Assumption, also known as St. Mary’s Cathedral, is a Catholic cathedral in Trenton, New Jersey, United States. It is the seat of the Diocese of Trenton.
The Rev. Anthony Smith purchased the property on which St. Mary’s Cathedral now sits in 1865. The location had been a part of the battlefield during the Battle of Trenton during the American Revolutionary War.[1] A historical marker on the rectory identifies the location as the place where Hessian Commander Col. Johann Gottlieb Rall died on December 27, 1776. Ground was broken for the parish church on April 23, 1866, and it was dedicated on January 1, 1871.
The Diocese of Trenton was established by Pope Leo XIII on August 2, 1881.[2] St. Mary’s Church was chosen to be the cathedral of the new diocese. The cathedral was destroyed in a fire on March 14, 1956. It claimed the lives of Msgr. Richard T. Crean, the cathedral rector, and housekeepers Mary Brennan and Mary Donnellan.[1] The present cathedral church was dedicated three years later on March 14, 1959 by Bishop George W. Ahr.