The Cathedral of Saint Joseph is a

Catholic The Catholic Church (), also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the List of Christian denominations by number of members, largest Christian church, with 1.27 to 1.41 billion baptized Catholics Catholic Church by country, worldwid ...

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 ...

and

parish church A parish church (or parochial church) in Christianity is the Church (building), church which acts as the religious centre of a parish. In many parts of the world, especially in rural areas, the parish church may play a significant role in com ...

located in

Sioux Falls, South Dakota Sioux Falls ( ) is the List of cities in South Dakota, most populous city in the U.S. state of South Dakota and the List of United States cities by population, 117th-most populous city in the United States. It is the county seat of Minnehaha Coun ...

United States The United States of America (USA), also known as the United States (U.S.) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It is a federal republic of 50 U.S. state, states and a federal capital district, Washington, D.C. The 48 ...

. It is the seat of the Diocese of Sioux Falls. Since 1974 the cathedral has been a

contributing property In the law regulating historic districts in the United States, a contributing property or contributing resource is any building, object, or structure which adds to the historical integrity or architectural qualities that make the historic dist ...

in the Cathedral Historic District 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 ...

.The Cathedral Historic District was originally called the Sioux Falls Historic District.

History

The Cathedral of St. Joseph traces its history to the establishment of St. Michael's Church, Sioux Falls' first Catholic parish. It was founded in 1881 and a wooden building was constructed for a church. Two years later a larger brick church was built. It became 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 ...

when Bishop

Martin Marty Martin Emil Marty (February 5, 1928 – February 25, 2025) was an American Lutheran religious scholar who wrote extensively on religion in the United States. Biography Early life Marty was born on February 5, 1928, in West Point, Nebraska, ...

, who was Vicar Apostolic of the Dakota Territory, arrived in Sioux Falls in 1889. On November 12, of the same year

Pope Leo XIII Pope Leo XIII (; born Gioacchino Vincenzo Raffaele Luigi Pecci; 2March 181020July 1903) was head of the Catholic Church from 20 February 1878 until his death in July 1903. He had the fourth-longest reign of any pope, behind those of Peter the Ap ...

established the Diocese of Sioux Falls, and St. Michael's become the cathedral for the new diocese. Bishop

Thomas O'Gorman Thomas O'Gorman (May 1, 1843 – September 18, 1921) was an American prelate of the Roman Catholic Church. He served as Bishop of Sioux Falls from 1896 until his death in 1921. Biography Thomas O'Gorman was born in Boston, Massachusetts, to Joh ...

succeeded Bishop Marty in 1896 and in time desired a new and larger cathedral. He was a friend of Archbishop

John Ireland John Benjamin Ireland (January 30, 1914 – March 21, 1992) was a Canadian-American actor and film director. Born in Vancouver, British Columbia and raised in New York City, he came to prominence with film audiences for his supporting roles i ...

St. Paul Paul, also named Saul of Tarsus, commonly known as Paul the Apostle and Saint Paul, was a Christian apostle ( AD) who spread the teachings of Jesus in the first-century world. For his contributions towards the New Testament, he is generally ...

and he attended the dedication of the Cathedral of St. Paul in 1915. He conferred with the architect of the new St. Paul cathedral

Emmanuel Masqueray Emmanuel Louis Masqueray (1861–1917) was a Franco-American preeminent figure in the history of American architecture, both as a gifted designer of landmark buildings and as an influential teacher of the profession of architecture dedicated t ...

, who was hired to design the present cathedral in Sioux Falls. St. Michael's was moved and the

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 ...

was torn down. Construction of the new cathedral was begun in 1915. Masqueray died in 1917 and shortages during

World War I World War I or the First World War (28 July 1914 – 11 November 1918), also known as the Great War, was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War I, Allies (or Entente) and the Central Powers. Fighting to ...

slowed construction. Edwin Lundie, Masqueray's chief assistant, took over the project. The first Mass in the unfinished cathedral took place on December 8, 1918, and it was dedicated after its completion on May 7, 1919. The structure has been altered over the years. A

Kilgen Kilgen was a prominent American builder of organs which was in business from the mid-19th to the mid-20th century. History The Kilgen family The Kilgen family's history of organ making supposedly dates to the 17th century, when Sebastian Kilgen ...

pipe organ The pipe organ is a musical instrument that produces sound by driving pressurised air (called ''wind'') through the organ pipes selected from a Musical keyboard, keyboard. Because each pipe produces a single tone and pitch, the pipes are provide ...

was installed in 1935. A fire in the lower church did significant damage to the cathedral in 1942.

Conrad Schmitt Studios Conrad Schmitt Studios is an architectural arts studio located in New Berlin, Wisconsin. It provides ecclesiastical art, stained glass artistry, art glass, decorative painting, mosaics, murals and sculptural arts. The studio specializes in ...

decorated the interior the following year, and the marble

high altar An altar is a table or platform for the presentation of religion, religious offerings, for sacrifices, or for other ritualistic purposes. Altars are found at shrines, temples, Church (building), churches, and other places of worship. They are use ...

and tester were installed in 1946. The frosted glass windows were replaced by French stenciled

stained glass Stained glass refers to coloured glass as a material or art and architectural works created from it. Although it is traditionally made in flat panels and used as windows, the creations of modern stained glass artists also include three-dimensio ...

windows in 1947. A major interior restoration took place between 1970 and 1974. A new free-standing altar was installed at that time. In 2004 the Sacred Heart Chapel was created in the sacristy and the basement was renovated to become a parish hall. Another major renovation of the cathedral interior was completed in 2011.

References

External links

Official Cathedral SiteDiocese of Sioux Falls Official Site
{{DEFAULTSORT:Saint Joseph Cathedral, Sioux Falls, South Dakota Churches in the Roman Catholic Diocese of Sioux Falls Christian organizations established in 1915 Roman Catholic churches completed in 1919

Sioux Falls Sioux Falls ( ) is the most populous city in the U.S. state of South Dakota and the 117th-most populous city in the United States. It is the county seat of Minnehaha County and also extends into northern Lincoln County. The population was 192 ...

Renaissance Revival architecture in South Dakota Tourist attractions in Sioux Falls, South Dakota Churches in Minnehaha County, South Dakota National Register of Historic Places in Sioux Falls, South Dakota Historic district contributing properties in South Dakota Churches on the National Register of Historic Places in South Dakota 20th-century Roman Catholic church buildings in the United States 1919 establishments in South Dakota

History

See also

References

External links