The Co-Cathedral of the Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary was until 2020 the

mother church Mother church or matrice is a term depicting the Christian Church as a mother in her functions of nourishing and protecting the believer. It may also refer to the primary church of a Christian denomination or diocese, i.e. a cathedral or a metropo ...

of the

Roman Catholic Diocese of Juneau The Roman Catholic Diocese of Juneau (Latin: ''Dioecesis Junellensis'') was an ecclesiastical territory or diocese of the Roman Catholic Church in the northwestern United States, comprising the southeastern part of the state of Alaska. It was led ...

and is currently a cathedral of the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Anchorage-Juneau. The cathedral is located at 416 Fifth Street in Juneau, Alaska. The cathedral may be the smallest in North America.

History

In 1885, John Althoff was sent by

Charles John Seghers Charles John Seghers (also written as ''Charles-Jean Seghers''; 26 December 1839 – 28 November 1886) was a Belgian clergyman and missionary bishop. He is considered to be the founder of the Alaska Mission. Biography Early years and formation S ...

and a parish was created for the growing mining community in Alaska's Silverbow Basin. A church was built in 1886 on the same block on Fifth Street where the cathedral currently sits. This church was replaced in 1910 with the present cathedral building. The church was consecrated and elevated to the status of

cathedral A cathedral is a church that contains the '' cathedra'' () of a bishop, thus serving as the central church of a diocese, conference, or episcopate. Churches with the function of "cathedral" are usually specific to those Christian denominatio ...

in 1951, when the Diocese of Juneau was created. Robert Dermot O'Flanagan was appointed the first Bishop of Juneau, having served as a priest in Alaska since 1933. In 1962, the cathedral parish established a mission church in the

Mendenhall Valley The Mendenhall Valley (historically Mendenhall, colloquially The Valley) is the drainage area of the Mendenhall River in the U.S. state of Alaska. The valley contains a series of neighborhoods, comprising the largest populated place within the ...

to serve the community in the Mendenhall Valley and around the

Auke Bay Auke Bay is a neighborhood located in the city and borough of Juneau, Alaska, that contains Auke Bay Harbor, Auke Lake, the University of Alaska Southeast, an elementary school, a church, a post office, a bar, a coffee shop, a waffle house, a ...

area. A decade later, in 1972, the mission church was separated from the cathedral parish by

Francis Thomas Hurley Francis Thomas Hurley (January 12, 1927 – January 10, 2016) was an American prelate of the Catholic Church who served as archbishop of the Archdiocese of Anchorage in Alaska from 1976 to 2001. He previously served as bishop of the Diocese o ...

and became St Paul the Apostle Parish. In 2019, fundraising began for a major renovation of the cathedral with support from Andrew E. Bellisario. On September 17, 2020, the Diocese of Juneau was merged with the Archdiocese of Anchorage. The church building is now the co-cathedral of the archdiocese, along with Our Lady of Guadalupe Cathedral in Anchorage, Alaska.

References

External links

Official Cathedral Site

Roman Catholic Diocese of Juneau Official Site
{{Catholicism Roman Catholic Diocese of Juneau Buildings and structures in Juneau, Alaska Religious organizations established in 1885 Roman Catholic churches completed in 1910 Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary Juneau Roman Catholic churches in Alaska Tourist attractions in Juneau, Alaska 1885 establishments in Alaska Cathedrals in Alaska 20th-century Roman Catholic church buildings in the United States

History

See also

References

External links