Cathedral of St. Joseph (St. Joseph, Missouri)
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Cathedral of St. Joseph | |
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| Location |
519 N. 10th Street, St. Joseph, Missouri |
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| Coordinates | 39°46′15″N 94°50′54″W / 39.77083°N 94.84833°WCoordinates: 39°46′15″N 94°50′54″W / 39.77083°N 94.84833°W |
| Built | 1869-1871 |
| Architect | Patrick F. Meagher |
| Architectural style | Romanesque Revival |
| Governing body | Private |
| Part of | Cathedral Hill Historic District (St. Joseph, Missouri) (#00000691[1]) |
| Added to NRHP | June 15, 2000 |
The Cathedral of St. Joseph is a Catholic cathedral in St. Joseph, Missouri, United States. Along with the Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception in Kansas City, Missouri it is the seat of the Diocese of Kansas City-St. Joseph. The Cathedral Church, rectory and convent are all contributing properties to the Cathedral Hill Historic District on the National Register of Historic Places. The school building and the auditorium do not contribute to the historical nature of the district.
History
St. Joseph Parish
The area that is now the city of St. Joseph was settled by Joseph Robidoux in 1826. The Rev. Pierre-Jean De Smet, SJ was the first priest to visit the area in 1838 and met with Robidoux and expressed his desire to establish a chapel in his settlement.[2] The first Mass in the settlement was said by another Jesuit missionary the same year in Robidoux’s log house. The Jesuits continued to visit the area between 1838 and 1845. Robidoux platted the town of St. Joseph in 1843.
The Rev. Thomas Scanlan arrived in St. Joseph of October 15, 1845 and began plans to build a church. He had a 40 by 20 foot brick church built on the northeast corner of Fifth and Felix Streets. Archbishop Peter Richard Kenrick of St. Louis dedicated the church on June 17, 1847, which was named St. Joseph’s Church. The parish had 20 families at the time.[2] Father Scanlan died in 1860 and he was replaced by the Rev. John Hennessy who served the parish until he was named Bishop of Dubuque. He became Dubuque’s first archbishop in 1893.
Cathedral of St. Joseph
On September 1868 Pope Pius IX established the Diocese of St. Joseph.[3] St. Joseph’s Church became the new diocese’s cathedral. Bishop John J. Hogan bought property at the corner of Tenth and Isadore Streets to build the present cathedral. The cornerstone was laid on September 12, 1869. The construction of the cathedral was slow due to continuing budget shortfalls. Several prominent parishioners who were connected with the St. Joseph Improvement Company sponsored a raffle of real estate in the cathedral neighborhood. It involved 60 lots that were valued at $200 to $500. Tickets were offered at $3 each.[4] Ticket sales were slower than expected and the drawing was delayed from November 22, 1870 to April 10, 1871. The cathedral was not finished according to its original designs. When the first Mass was celebrated on March 17, 1871 the interior had yet to be plastered and the stained glass windows were not installed. The building project continued to 1883. The financial panic of 1872 may have contributed to the slow pace of construction.[4] The old church was eventually torn down and the property was sold and the money put toward building the new cathedral.
The Rev. Ignatius Conrad, O.S.B became the pastor in 1876 and served the parish until he was named the Abbot of Subiaco Abbey in Subiaco, Arkansas. The rectory was built in 1893 when the Rev. Andrew Newman was pastor. The parish’s priest up to this time had lived in an apartment in the church. The rectory was also used as the chancery for the diocese.
Bishop Maurice F. Burke oversaw the renovation of the cathedral in 1900. The two towers were built as was a portico entrance according to the original plans.[2]
In 1924 the Rev. Leo Ruggle came to the cathedral as associate pastor. He was the diocesan chancellor from 1926–1936, served as the pastor from 1937–1964 and then became pastor-emeritus until his death in 1984. He was the Diocesan Administrator from 1961-1962. A year before he died the renovated church basement was named in his honor.
On August 29, 1956 Pope Pius XII merged the Diocese of St. Joseph with the Diocese of Kansas City to form the Diocese of Kansas City-St. Joseph.[3] The eastern half of the St. Joseph Diocese became part of the newly established Diocese of Jefferson City and the southern half of the Diocese of Kansas City became part of the newly established Diocese of Springfield Cape Girardeau. The Diocese of Kansas City-St. Joseph has two Cathedrals, the Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception in Kansas City and the Cathedral of St. Joseph. They are Co-Cathedrals.
The Cathedral of St. Joseph was renovated from 1969-1970 following the liturgical reforms of the Second Vatican Council. Other renovations were completed in 1981 and 1995. A food pantry was opened by the parish in the 1980s.
Catholic Schools
In the 1850s Religious of the Sacred Heart and the Christian Brothers came to St. Joseph and opened schools. The Daughters of Charity of St. Vincent de Paul came to St. Joseph in 1869 and operated a school and a hospital. From 1891 to the 1980s they operated St. Joseph’s Hospital.
St. Joseph’s first parochial school was opened by the Religious of the Sacred Heart in 1901. They were replaced by the Benedictine Sisters of Mt. St. Scholastica in 1920. Christian Brothers High School, now Bode Middle School, was built during the episcopate of Bishop Francis Gilfillan. The school building was renovated in 1954 and a combination gymnasium and auditorium was built in 1958. It was named in honor of Msgr. Charles Nowland. Pre-school was added in 1981. By the late 1980s the faculty was composed of all lay people. The convent was turned into a day care center and now houses the Cathedral Early Childhood Center.
Architecture
The Cathedral is a brick masonry building designed in the Romanesque Revival style by Patrick F. Meagher.[4] He would later design the Buchanan County Courthouse. It features a transept, two corner towers on the main façade with pyramidial roofs. The narthex on the front was added in 1956 and it features three entrance doors. The rectory is a three–story brick structure. “The facade features three-story, projecting box bay and side, two-story, projecting polygonal bays.”[4] The L-shaped porch is supported by Romanesque-style columns. The auditorium features Art Deco elements on its design from the 1950s. The convent is influenced by the Colonial Revival style. It features a hipped roof and an entrance portico with Doric columns and capitals. The school building is similar in style with the convent. It is a two-story brick building that at one time had a third floor that has since been removed.
Pastors/ Rectors
The following priests have served as pastors of St. Joseph’s parish and after 1868 as the cathedral rector:[2]
- Rev. Thomas Scanlan (1845–1860)
- Rev. John Hennessy (1860–1866)
- Rev. James Doherty (1866–1868)
- Bishop John J. Hogan (1868–1876)
- Rev. Ignatius Conrad, O.S.B. (1876–1892)
- Rev. Andrew Newman (1892–1893)
- Bishop M. F. Burke (1893–1913)
- Rev. John J. O’Neill (1913–1923)
- Rev. Maurice F. Connor (1923–1926)
- Rev. Charles F. Buddy (1926–1937)
- Msgr. Leo J. Ruggle (1937–1964)
- Msgr. Charles S. Nowland (1964–1973)
- Msgr. Robert J. Hogan (1973–1979)
- Rev. Gerald R. Waris (1979–1986)
- Rev. Patrick Tobin (1986–1988)
- Rev. Thomas J. D. Hawkins (1988–1995)
- Rev. Wayne L. Walter (1995–1996)
- Msgr. Richard M. Dierkes (1996–2008)
- Rev. Joseph B. Powers (2008–2012)
- Rev. Matthew Rotert (2012–Present)
References
- ↑ "National Register Information System". National Register of Historic Places. National Park Service. 2009-03-13.
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 Smith, Tom. "Our History". Cathedral of St. Joseph. Retrieved 2011-09-11.
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 "Diocese of Kansas City-St. Joseph". Catholic-Hierarchy. Retrieved 2011-09-11.
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 4.2 4.3 "National Register of Historic Places Registration Form (Cathedral Hill Historic District)". State of Missouri. Retrieved 2011-09-09.
External links
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