The Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception in

Fort Wayne, Indiana Fort Wayne is a city in Allen County, Indiana, United States, and its county seat. Located in northeastern Indiana, the city is west of the Ohio border and south of the Michigan border. The city's population was 263,886 at the 2020 census ...

, is the primary cathedral of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Fort Wayne-South Bend, headed by Most Rev. Kevin C. Rhoades. The parish was established in 1836, making it the oldest in Fort Wayne. The church was erected in 1860.

History

In 1836, Father Louis Mueller was appointed the first resident pastor of the Fort Wayne Territory in the Vincennes Diocese. Mueller began construction on a small log church.LaBarbera, Vince. "Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception marks 150th anniversary of dedication", ''Today's Catholic'', Roman Catholic Diocese of Fort Wayne-South Bend, December 1, 2010
/ref> Father Julian Benoit became pastor in 1840. He paid off the debt and purchased the remaining portion of the square, initially for use as a cemetery. In 1849, the German portion of St. Augustine's parish built St. Mary Church (not the present-day St. Mary Church in Fort Wayne), the first German-speaking congregation in Fort Wayne.Alerding, Herman Joseph. ''The Diocese of Fort Wayne, 1857-September 1907'', Fort Wayne, Indiana., Archer Print Company, 1907, p. 202
/ref> The parish rectory was built in 1854. In 1857, the Diocese of Fort Wayne was erected. Bishop John Luers designated St. Augustine's as his cathedral, while at the same time making plans for a larger, more permanent church. St. Augustine's was destroyed by fire in 1859. The cornerstone for the new cathedral was laid on Trinity Sunday 1859. Rev. Benoit who designed it, named it the Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception, in honor of the

Blessed Virgin Mary was a first-century Jewish woman of Nazareth, the wife of Saint Joseph, Joseph and the mother of Jesus. She is an important figure of Christianity, venerated under titles of Mary, mother of Jesus, various titles such as Perpetual virginity ...

. ''Note:'' This includes and Accompanying photographs Benoit was the primary fundraiser, making trips to New Orleans and France. Much of the costs he covered himself. The cathedral was dedicated on the feast of the Immaculate Conception, December 8, 1860. In 1901, the Bishop's house and chancery was erected; paid for by the sale of a farm in Jasper County.

Architecture

The large sanctuary window of Mary was made in Benoit's home country of France and installed in the summer of 1861. The brass candlesticks with the figures of the Apostles were also from France. The crucifix and altar stone were salvaged from St. Augustine Church. In 1896, the Cathedral underwent a thorough renovation, supervised by Msgr. Joseph H. Brammer. Twelve stained-glass windows from the Royal Bavarian Art Institute, in Munich depict scenes from the Life of Mary. The wood-carved Stations of the Cross are also from Germany. File:Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception interior - Fort Wayne 01.jpg, View up the nave toward the chancel. File:Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception interior - Fort Wayne 04.jpg, View down the nave toward gallery. File:The MacDougal Memorial Chapel in Fort Wayne, Indiana.jpg, MacDougal Memorial Chapel File:Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception (Fort Wayne, Indiana) - MacDougal Memorial Chapel, interior, nave.jpg, Chapel interior

Burials

* Msgr. Julian Benoit (†January 26, 1885) * Bishop John Henry Luers (†June 29, 1871) * Bishop Joseph Dwenger (†January 22, 1893) * Bishop Herman Joseph Alerding (†December 6, 1924)

Present day

The Cathedral building still stands today, maintained through various renovations over the decades, the most recent by Schenkel and Sons, Inc. The Cathedral grounds, called the Cathedral Square, includes the

Chancery Chancery may refer to: Offices and administration * Court of Chancery, the chief court of equity in England and Wales until 1873 ** Equity (law), also called chancery, the body of jurisprudence originating in the Court of Chancery ** Courts of e ...

of the Diocese of Fort Wayne-South Bend, MacDougal Chapel, Cathedral Center for C.C.D. classes (formerly the Cathedral Boys School), and the Rectory (the priests' residence), and the grave of the last

Miami Indians The Miami ( Miami–Illinois: ''Myaamiaki'') are a Native American nation originally speaking the Miami–Illinois language, one of the Algonquian languages. Among the peoples known as the Great Lakes tribes, they occupied territory that is no ...

chief, Joseph Richardville. Recently, the Cathedral Museum housed in the basement of MacDougal Chapel and diocesan offices located in the Cathedral Center were moved to a new location a few blocks north of Cathedral Square. It was listed on the

National Register of Historic Places The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the Federal government of the United States, United States federal government's official United States National Register of Historic Places listings, list of sites, buildings, structures, Hist ...

in 1980.

Current pastoral staff

*Rector - Fr. Jacob D. Runyon *Associate pastors - Fr. Peter Dee De and Fr. Wimal Jayasuria

References

External links

* *
Roman Catholic Diocese of Fort Wayne-South Bend Official Site

LaBarbera, ''Today's Catholic'', December 1, 2010 -extensive list of renovations

video re stained glass windows

numerous photographs of buildings around Cathedral Square, p. 21 et seq
{{Authority control Immaculate Conception, Fort Wayne Religious organizations established in 1836 National Register of Historic Places in Fort Wayne, Indiana Churches on the National Register of Historic Places in Indiana Culture of Fort Wayne, Indiana Roman Catholic churches in Fort Wayne, Indiana Roman Catholic churches completed in 1859 19th-century Roman Catholic church buildings in the United States Gothic Revival church buildings in Indiana 1836 establishments in Indiana