The Cathedral of Christ the King is the mother church of the

Roman Catholic Diocese of Superior The Diocese of Superior () is a Latin Church ecclesiastical territory, or diocese, of the Catholic Church in northwest Wisconsin in the United States. Its episcopal see is Superior, and the Cathedral of Christ the King (Superior, Wisconsin), Cathe ...

Superior, Wisconsin Superior (; ) is a city in Douglas County, Wisconsin, United States, and its county seat. The population was 26,751 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census. Located at the western end of Lake Superior in northwestern Wisconsin, the city l ...

. It was named in honor of

Christ the King Christ the King is a title of Jesus in Christianity referring to the idea of the Kingdom of God where Christ is described as being seated at the right hand of God. Many Christian denominations consider the kingly office of Christ to be one o ...

. The building is located at 1111 Belknap Street in Superior.

History

When the Diocese of Superior was established in 1905 Sacred Heart church, which had been established in the 1880s, was designated the

pro-cathedral A pro-cathedral or procathedral is a parish Church (building), church that temporarily serves as the cathedral or co-cathedral of a diocese, or a church that has the same function in a Catholic missionary jurisdiction (such as an apostolic prefect ...

.Our Journey through Faith; A History of the Diocese of Superior. Ireland: Booklink, 2005, p. 20. Sacred Heart continued in this function until 1926.

1926—1927 construction

The cathedral construction project was announced in February 1926 and the groundbreaking occurred on June 23, 1926. Bishop Joseph Pinten blessed and laid the cornerstone for the Cathedral of Christ the King on October 24, 1926. The next day he left to assume his new appointment at Grand Rapids, Michigan. Construction continued on into 1927. The cathedral dedication ceremony was held on Christmas, 1927.Our Journey through Faith, p. 149. The congregation for the cathedral parish formed by the joining of existing Sacred Heart and St. Joseph parishes.

1937 fund drive

During the Depression funds were scarce to complete the undecorated interior of the cathedral. A fund drive was announced in 1937 by cathedral pastor Fr. Joseph Annabring to undertake this work. Despite modest funds, interior walls and ceiling were decorated and new pews, confessionals, and stained glass windows were added.

1946—1960 parish expansion

With continued growth, the cathedral congregation added a parish hall in 1946 and a

rectory A clergy house is the residence, or former residence, of one or more priests or ministers of a given religion, serving as both a home and a base for the occupant's ministry. Residences of this type can have a variety of names, such as manse, p ...

in 1948. The parish constructed a new school across the street from the cathedral in 1952 and a new convent in 1960.

2003—2004 renovation

The cathedral underwent a major renovation in 2003, with the church building closed for over a year while repairs to the exterior and renovations to the interior took place. Frescoes and an improved heating and air-conditioning system were added. The church re-opened in late 2004. The dedication ceremony for the renovated cathedral was in February 2005.

References

External links

Official Cathedral SiteDiocese of Superior Official Site
{{Roman Catholic Diocese of Superior, state=collapsed Christ the King Superior Christian organizations established in 1926 Churches completed in 1927 Roman Catholic churches completed in 1927 Italianate architecture in Wisconsin Churches in Douglas County, Wisconsin Churches in the Roman Catholic Diocese of Superior Superior, Wisconsin 1927 establishments in Wisconsin 20th-century Roman Catholic church buildings in the United States Italianate church buildings in the United States