Cathedral of St. John Berchmans

Cathedral of Saint John Berchmans

The interior of the cathedral, showing its high altar
Basic information
Location Shreveport, Louisiana, United States
Affiliation Roman Catholic
Rite Roman Rite
Province Archdiocese of New Orleans
Year consecrated 16 January 1929
Leadership Bishop Michael Duca [1]
Website www.sjbcathedral.org
Architectural description
Architectural type Church
Architectural style Tudor revival, Gothic revival
Groundbreaking 31 July 1927 (1927-07-31)
Completed 1928

The Cathedral of Saint John Berchmans is the cathedral church of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Shreveport, in Shreveport, Louisiana, United States. It is one of only eight parish churches in the world dedicated to the Jesuit Saint John Berchmans.[2][3]

Contents

History

The old parish church traces its origin to the year 1902, when a group of Jesuit priests arrived in Shreveport to establish and staff a new parish and high school for boys.[4] The parish's first rector was Fr. John F. O'Connor, S.J. By 1924, building a larger church was deemed necessary for the growing congregation.[5] The cornerstone of the structure was laid on 31 July 1927.[2] Construction was finished by June 1928, and the church was consecrated on 16 January 1929.[5]

The church was designated a co-cathedral for the Diocese of Alexandria–Shreveport in 1977.[6] That diocese was split, however, on 23 June 1986, creating the Diocese of Shreveport. St. John Berchmans became the cathedral church of the new diocese.[6]

The Jesuits relinquished administration of the parish to the diocese in October 1988. Soon after, from 1992 to 1994, a major renovation was completed, which added both a vestibule and free-standing chapel with a seating capacity of 100 persons.[7][8]

Architectural details

The cathedral was completed in a mixed Tudor-Gothic style: the exposed wooden beams inside the church are typical of the Tudor style, while the pointed arches of the windows and doorways evince a Gothic influence.[2] Three of the large windows inside the church were executed by the stained-glass artist Emil Frei, Jr.[2]

References

  1. ^ The rector of the church is Very Rev. Peter B. Mangum
  2. ^ a b c d "A Walking Tour of Our Cathedral (page 1)". Cathedral of St. John Berchmans. http://www.sjbcathedral.org/index.asp?include=tour1.htm. Retrieved 15 July 2010. 
  3. ^ See St. John Berchmans Church (disambiguation) for the list of the nine churches dedicated exclusively to St. John Berchmans. The St. John Berchmans Church in Brussels is not de jure a parish church.
  4. ^ Morse, Kathryn (23 July 2001). "Shreveport: The Cathedral of St. John Berchmans (page 1)". 
  5. ^ a b Morse, Kathryn (23 July 2001). "Shreveport: The Cathedral of St. John Berchmans (page 2)". 
  6. ^ a b Morse, Kathryn (23 July 2001). "Shreveport: The Cathedral of St. John Berchmans (page 3)". 
  7. ^ Morse, Kathryn (23 July 2001). "Shreveport: The Cathedral of St. John Berchmans (page 4)". 
  8. ^ "A Walking Tour of Our Cathedral (page 5)". Cathedral of St. John Berchmans. http://www.sjbcathedral.org/index.asp?include=tour5.htm. Retrieved 15 July 2010. 

External links