Corpus Christi Cathedral is a

cathedral church 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 ...

located in Corpus Christi, Texas,

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. It is the seat of the Catholic Diocese of Corpus Christi.

History

St. Patrick's Cathedral

In the early years of Corpus Christi, priests would come from as far away as Laredo and

Victoria Victoria most commonly refers to: * Victoria (Australia), a state of the Commonwealth of Australia * Victoria, British Columbia, provincial capital of British Columbia, Canada * Victoria (mythology), Roman goddess of Victory * Victoria, Seychelle ...

to minister to the pastoral needs of the Catholics in the area. Because there was no church building Mass was celebrated in private homes. The Rev. Bernard O'Reilly was assigned by Bishop

Jean-Marie Odin Jean-Marie Odin, C.M., (February 25, 1800 – May 25, 1870) was a French-born prelate of the Roman Catholic Church. He served as the second archbishop of the Archdiocese of New Orleans from 1861 to 1870. Odin previously served as the first ...

Galveston Galveston ( ) is a coastal resort city and port off the Southeast Texas coast on Galveston Island and Pelican Island in the U.S. state of Texas. The community of , with a population of 47,743 in 2010, is the county seat of surrounding Ga ...

to be the first pastor in Corpus Christi. Mass was being celebrated in a small adobe church by 1855, two years before the structure itself was completed. The property on which the church was built was bounded by Leopard, Tancahua, Antelope and Caranchua Streets. It had been donated by H. L. Kinney. Because of the large number of Irish immigrants in the parish it was named St. Patrick. On August 28, 1874, the Vicariate Apostolic of Brownsville was established by Pope Pius IX. The Rev.

Dominic Manucy Dominic Manucy (December 20, 1823 – December 7, 1885) was an American prelate of the Catholic Church. He served as the first Vicar Apostolic of Brownsville (later the Diocese of Corpus Christi) from 1874 until his death in 1885, and also se ...

was named the Vicar Apostolic, however, because of conflicts in Brownsville he resided in Corpus Christi. Finding St. Patrick's Church in need of repair he had a second and larger church built on the same property. The new church was ready for use in November 1882. On March 23, 1912, St. Pius X established the Diocese of Corpus Christi and St. Patrick's became the cathedral for the new diocese. Major hurricanes hit Corpus Christi in 1916 and 1919 and St. Patrick's provided refuge for those displaced by the storms. In November 1938, St. Patrick's Cathedral was damaged in a fire.

Corpus Christi Cathedral

St. Patrick's Parish and the diocese had started to outgrow the old cathedral church before the fire. It was decided that a new church should be built. John Kenedy donated the land for the new church. Charles Monot designed the new cathedral in the

Spanish Colonial Revival The Spanish Colonial Revival Style ( es, Arquitectura neocolonial española) is an architectural stylistic movement arising in the early 20th century based on the Spanish Colonial architecture of the Spanish colonization of the Americas. In the ...

style. The

cornerstone The cornerstone (or foundation stone or setting stone) is the first stone set in the construction of a masonry foundation. All other stones will be set in reference to this stone, thus determining the position of the entire structure. Over tim ...

was laid on March 1, 1940 and it was dedicated by Bishop Emmanuel Ledvina in July of the same year. Pope Pius XII made it known that he desired the cathedral's name be changed to Corpus Christi and so the name was changed at the time of the dedication. The St. Patrick's buildings were rebuilt and became Our Lady, Star of the Sea Church. Corpus Christi Cathedral measures in length and in width. The south tower is to the top of the dome and to the top of the cross. The north tower is the shorter of the two towers and it rises to to the top of the dome and to the top of the cross. Bishop Thomas Drury had the cathedral renovated in the 1960s to reflect the liturgical changes from the

Second Vatican Council The Second Ecumenical Council of the Vatican, commonly known as the , or , was the 21st ecumenical council of the Roman Catholic Church. The council met in St. Peter's Basilica in Rome for four periods (or sessions), each lasting between 8 and ...

. During the pastorate of Msgr. Richard Shirley the Cathedral Concert Series was initiated and the parish began participation in ecumenical outreach programs in the community. A chapel was created in the crypt of the cathedral for daily Mass and a new rectory was built in 1979. The cathedral was renovated again in 1980. In the 1980s a weekly televised Mass was originated from the cathedral.

References

External links

Official Cathedral SiteDiocese of Corpus Christi Official Site
{{Roman Catholic Diocese of Corpus Christi, state=collapsed Religious organizations established in 1853 Roman Catholic churches completed in 1940 Corpus Christi Mission Revival architecture in Texas Spanish Colonial Revival architecture in Texas Buildings and structures in Corpus Christi, Texas 1853 establishments in Texas Tourist attractions in Corpus Christi, Texas Roman Catholic Diocese of Corpus Christi 20th-century Roman Catholic church buildings in the United States

History

St. Patrick's Cathedral

Corpus Christi Cathedral

See also

References

External links