St. Michael's Cathedral (Springfield, Massachusetts)

St. Michael's Cathedral
St. Michael's Cathedral
42°6′15.1″N 72°35′4.1″W / 42.104194°N 72.584472°W
Location 254 State St.
Springfield, Massachusetts
Country United States
Denomination Roman Catholic
History
Founded 1847
Dedication Saint Michael the Archangel
Architecture
Status Cathedral
Architect(s) Patrick Keely
Groundbreaking 1860
Specifications
Materials Brick
Administration
Diocese Diocese of Springfield
Clergy
Bishop(s) Most Rev. Mitchell T. Rozanski

St. Michael's Cathedral is the mother church of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Springfield in Massachusetts, United States.

The parish was established in 1847 as St. Benedict's. This came after years of local Catholics having to fight Protestant opposition to establish a parish.[1] A former Baptist church was bought by the congregation and used as its first church building. For the first five years they had no pastor when the Rev. Michael P. Gallagher was assigned to serve the parish. It was under his direction that the current church building was constructed. Located on State Street in Springfield, Massachusetts, the church was built in the 1860s, based on plans from noted architect Patrick Keely of Brooklyn, New York.[2] The parish name was changed to St. Michael at this time. It became a cathedral in 1870 when the Diocese of Springfield was established.[3]

It was extended in 1996, with the Bishop Marshall Center. The addition includes a chapel that seats 60 people, a TV studio for daily broadcast of the Mass, a parish hall that can seat 120 people and a kitchen. It is now handicap accessible.

See also

References

  1. ↑ "St. Michael's Church in Springfield to celebrate laying of its cornerstone in 1860". Masslive.com. Retrieved 2013-02-28.
  2. ↑ "St. Michael’s Cathedral, Springfield (1860)". Historic Buildings of Massachusetts. Retrieved 2013-02-28.
  3. ↑ "Diocese of Springfield in Massachusetts". Gcatholic.org. Retrieved 2013-02-28.

External links