St. Mary's Cathedral is the
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 in the
Diocese of Cheyenne located in
Cheyenne, Wyoming
Cheyenne ( or ) is the List of capitals in the United States, capital and List of municipalities in Wyoming, most populous city of the U.S. state of Wyoming. It is the county seat of Laramie County, Wyoming, Laramie County, with 65,132 reside ...
, United States. 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 1974.
Description
Reverend William Kelly founded the parish as St. John the Baptist in 1867 and erected a frame church. Ten years later, a brick structure replaced it. After
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 Cheyenne in 1887 the church was rededicated to St. Mary.
The congregation outgrew the brick church and Bishop
James J. Keane, third bishop of Cheyenne, started plans to build a new cathedral and bishop's residence.
Construction of the new cathedral began in 1906. The architectural firm of Fisher and Lowery from
Omaha
Omaha ( ) is the List of cities in Nebraska, most populous city in the U.S. state of Nebraska. It is located in the Midwestern United States along the Missouri River, about north of the mouth of the Platte River. The nation's List of United S ...
designed the building.
Bishop Keane and the Reverend James A. Duffy acquired the necessary funds and a site for construction. An estimated 5,000 people attended the laying of the
cornerstone
A cornerstone (or foundation stone or setting stone) is the first stone set in the construction of a masonry Foundation (engineering), foundation. All other stones will be set in reference to this stone, thus determining the position of the entir ...
on Sunday, July 7, 1907.
[ Prominent Wyoming builder Moses Patrick Keefe was responsible for constructing the cathedral. The sandstone for the exterior was quarried at Iron Mountain, north of Cheyenne. On January 31, 1909, Bishop Maurice Burke of ]St. Joseph, Missouri
St. Joseph is a city in and county seat of Buchanan County, Missouri, Buchanan County, Missouri, United States. A small portion of the city extends north into Andrew County, Missouri, Andrew County. Located on the Missouri River, it is the princ ...
, who had been the first bishop of Cheyenne, consecrated the cathedral. Bishop John Carroll of Helena, Montana
Helena (; ) is the List of capitals in the United States, capital city of the U.S. state of Montana and the county seat, seat of Lewis and Clark County, Montana, Lewis and Clark County.
Helena was founded as a gold camp during the Montana gold ...
delivered the sermon.
The cathedral is in the Gothic Revival
Gothic Revival (also referred to as Victorian Gothic or neo-Gothic) is an Architectural style, architectural movement that after a gradual build-up beginning in the second half of the 17th century became a widespread movement in the first half ...
style and features two side galleries and a rear organ loft.[ The ceiling is supported by steel and concrete arches faced with oak.
The total construction costs equaled $125,000, and the building was debt-free when completed.][ The stained glass windows are donated memorials crafted in Europe. The large Madonna window in the organ loft was a gift of the ]Knights of Columbus
The Knights of Columbus (K of C) is a global Catholic Church, Catholic Fraternal and service organizations, fraternal service order founded by Michael J. McGivney, Blessed Michael J. McGivney. Membership is limited to practicing Catholic men. ...
. Parish records do not contain information about the artists or installation dates. In 1962, the parish added a structure east of the cathedral to house meeting and activity rooms at a cost of $200,000.[
The Visser-Rowland Organ Company constructed its Opus 92 for the cathedral in 1991. The instrument features 38 stops and 53 ranks and was dedicated in March, 1992.]
See also
*List of Catholic cathedrals in the United States
The Catholic Church in the United States comprises ecclesiastical territories called dioceses, eparchies, and ordinariates led by prelate Ordinary (church officer), ordinaries known as bishops. Each bishop is assigned to a cathedral from which ...
*List of cathedrals in the United States
This is a list of cathedrals in the United States, including both actual cathedrals (seats of bishops in Episcopal polity, episcopal Christian groups, such as Catholic Church, Catholicism, Anglicanism, Eastern Orthodox Church, Eastern Orthodoxy an ...
References
External links
Official Cathedral Site
Roman Catholic Diocese of Cheyenne Official Site
Religious organizations established in 1867
Roman Catholic churches completed in 1909
Mary Cheyenne
Roman Catholic Diocese of Cheyenne
Roman Catholic churches in Wyoming
Gothic Revival church buildings in Wyoming
Churches in Cheyenne, Wyoming
Tourist attractions in Cheyenne, Wyoming
Churches on the National Register of Historic Places in Wyoming
National Register of Historic Places in Cheyenne, Wyoming
Cathedrals in Wyoming
20th-century Roman Catholic church buildings in the United States
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