The Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception is a

Roman Catholic The Catholic Church (), also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the largest Christian church, with 1.27 to 1.41 billion baptized Catholics worldwide as of 2025. It is among the world's oldest and largest international institut ...

cathedral A cathedral is a church (building), church that contains the of a bishop, thus serving as the central church of a diocese, Annual conferences within Methodism, conference, or episcopate. Churches with the function of "cathedral" are usually s ...

located in

Tyler, Texas Tyler, officially the City of Tyler, is a city in and the county seat of Smith County, Texas, United States. As of 2020, the population is 105,995. Tyler was the List of municipalities in Texas, 38th most populous city in Texas (as well as the m ...

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. It is the seat and principal church of the

Roman Catholic Diocese of Tyler The Diocese of Tyler () is a Latin Church ecclesiastical territory, or diocese, of the Catholic Church in eastern Texas in the United States. The episcopal see is Tyler, Texas, Tyler, and the Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception (Tyler, Texas), ...

History

Tyler started to grow as the railroad came to town in the 1870s. Priests from

Nacogdoches Nacogdoches ( ) is a city in East Texas and the county seat of Nacogdoches County, Texas, United States. The 2020 U.S. census recorded the city's population at 32,147. Stephen F. Austin State University is located in Nacogdoches and specia ...

and

Palestine Palestine, officially the State of Palestine, is a country in West Asia. Recognized by International recognition of Palestine, 147 of the UN's 193 member states, it encompasses the Israeli-occupied West Bank, including East Jerusalem, and th ...

came to Tyler to celebrate Mass and attend to the pastoral needs of Catholics. Immaculate Conception Church was established in 1878. A wood-frame church was built at the corner of West Locust Street and North College Avenue two years later. By the 1910s, it was evident that the parish needed a larger church, however, the present church would not be built until after the Rev. Sebastian A. Samperi became pastor in 1927. The congregation purchased property at Front Street and South Broadway and the new church was dedicated until March 17, 1935. The parish renovated and redecorated the church in 1949 and again in 1978. It added parish offices, a library and a large meeting room in 1984 and two years later, named the church basement facility for Father Samperi.

Pope John Paul II Pope John Paul II (born Karol Józef Wojtyła; 18 May 19202 April 2005) was head of the Catholic Church and sovereign of the Vatican City State from 16 October 1978 until Death and funeral of Pope John Paul II, his death in 2005. In his you ...

created the Diocese of Tyler on December 12, 1986, from portions of the Diocese of Dallas, the Diocese of Beaumont and the Diocese of Galveston-Houston. Immaculate Conception became the Cathedral at that time. As the population of Tyler and Smith County grew, the Cathedral parish expand as well. In the early 1990s, the parish added the Cathedral Center, featuring meeting and banquet rooms for parish activities. In 1994, with thousands attending Masses every weekend at the cathedral, there became a need for an additional space. The parish created St. Paul's Chapel in the Chancery Office as a temporary facility while it planned a permanent location. The patience of the parishioners was rewarded on December 8, 2011, when Bishop Alvaro Corrada dedicated the 700-seat Chapel of Sts. Peter & Paul on the campus of Bishop Gorman Regional Catholic High School. The parish includes St. Gregory Cathedral School which was opened in 1946. The school has twice been named a U.S. Department of Education

Blue Ribbon School The National Blue Ribbon Schools Program is a United States Department of Education award program that recognizes exemplary public and non-public schools on a yearly basis. Using standards of excellence evidenced by student achievement measures, ...

References

External links

Cathedral WebsiteDiocese of Tyler Website
{{Roman Catholic Diocese of Tyler, state=collapsed Religious organizations established in 1878 Roman Catholic churches completed in 1935 Immaculate Conception, Tyler Mission Revival architecture in Texas Spanish Colonial Revival architecture in Texas Buildings and structures in Tyler, Texas Churches in Smith County, Texas 20th-century Roman Catholic church buildings in the United States

History

See also

References

External links