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St. Mary’s Pro-Cathedral
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| Location: | 320 E. Portage Ave. Sault Ste. Marie, Michigan |
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| Built: | 1881 |
| Architect: | Joseph Connolly |
| Architectural style: | Gothic Revival |
| Governing body: | Private |
| NRHP Reference#: | 84000540 [1] |
| Added to NRHP: | December 27, 1984 |
Holy Name of Mary Pro-Cathedral, also known as St. Mary’s Pro-Cathedral, is the original cathedral church for the Diocese of Marquette. The historic church is located in Sault Ste. Marie, Michigan, United States. It is one of the oldest Catholic parishes in the United States and was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1984.
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St. Mary’s was begun by Jesuits in 1668. There are only two other parishes, one located on St. Augustine, Florida and the other in Santa Fe, New Mexico, that are older in the United States.[2] On January 9, 1857 Pope Pius IX established the Diocese of Sault Ste. Marie[3] and St. Mary’s was named the cathedral church for the new diocese.
The present church, the fifth for the parish, was built in 1881. It was designed by Canadian architect Joseph Connolly in the Gothic Revival style. The church was extensively remodeled in three phases from the mid-1980s to the mid-1990s. The present rectory was added in 1922.
In 1968 the parish built the Tower of History as a shrine to the Catholic missionaries who served the community.[4] It was designed to be a part of a larger complex that was to include a community center and a new church. Parish priorities changed and the structure was sold to Sault Historic Sites in 1980, who continues to operate it.
St. Mary’s School was opened 1885.[2] The Sisters of Loretto opened Loretto Academy in 1896 and educated girls from grade school through high school. It became a co-educational high school in 1945. The present school building was built in 1937 and held classes through eighth grade. Both St. Mary’s School and Loretto Academy closed in 1971 for financial reasons. The academy building was sold to the local school district. St. Mary’s School re-opened in 1993 and serves students from kindergarten through eighth grade.
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