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St. Michael's Cathedral is the mother church of the Diocese of Springfield in Massachusetts, United States, established in 1847. In 1974, the church and rectory were included as contributing properties in the Quadrangle–Mattoon Street Historic District, listed on the
The parish was established in 1847 as the church of St. Benedict after years of local Catholics fighting Protestant opposition to establish a parish. The congregation purchased a former Baptist church which served as its first home. For the first five years, it had no pastor when the Rev. Michael P. Gallagher was assigned to serve the parish. Gallagher began construction of the current sanctuary on State Street in
File:St. Michael's Cathedral interior - Springfield, Massachusetts 01.jpg, Nave looking toward the sanctuary
File:St. Michael's Cathedral interior - Springfield, Massachusetts 02.jpg, Nave looking toward the gallery
File:St. Michael's Cathedral interior - Springfield, Massachusetts 12.jpg, Stained glass window
File:St. Michael's Cathedral - Springfield, Massachusetts 12.jpg, Bishop Marshall Center
File:St. Michael's Cathedral - Springfield, Massachusetts 09.jpg, Rectory
Official siteDiocese of Springfield official site
{{DEFAULTSORT:Saint Michaels Cathedral, Springfield, Massachusetts Roman Catholic Diocese of Springfield in Massachusetts Michael's in Springfield 1860s architecture in the United States Churches in Springfield, Massachusetts 19th-century Roman Catholic church buildings in the United States Religious organizations established in 1847 Tourist attractions in Springfield, Massachusetts 1847 establishments in Massachusetts Roman Catholic churches completed in 1861 Historic district contributing properties in Massachusetts Churches on the National Register of Historic Places in Massachusetts National Register of Historic Places in Springfield, Massachusetts 19th century in Springfield, Massachusetts
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 ...
.
History
The parish was established in 1847 as the church of St. Benedict after years of local Catholics fighting Protestant opposition to establish a parish. The congregation purchased a former Baptist church which served as its first home. For the first five years, it had no pastor when the Rev. Michael P. Gallagher was assigned to serve the parish. Gallagher began construction of the current sanctuary on State Street in Springfield, Massachusetts
Springfield is the most populous city in Hampden County, Massachusetts, United States, and its county seat. Springfield sits on the eastern bank of the Connecticut River near its confluence with three rivers: the western Westfield River, the ea ...
in 1860, and completed in 1861, based on plans from noted Brooklyn
Brooklyn is a Boroughs of New York City, borough of New York City located at the westernmost end of Long Island in the New York (state), State of New York. Formerly an independent city, the borough is coextensive with Kings County, one of twelv ...
architect Patrick Keely
Patrick Charles Keely (August 9, 1816 — August 11, 1896) was an Irish-American architect based in Brooklyn, New York, and Providence, Rhode Island. He was a prolific designer of nearly 600 churches and hundreds of other institutional buildin ...
. In recognition of Fr. Gallagher's work, the parish changed its name to St. Michael at this time. Fr. Gallagher died in 1869 and is buried at the church entrance. When Pope Pius IX
Pope Pius IX (; born Giovanni Maria Battista Pietro Pellegrino Isidoro Mastai-Ferretti; 13 May 1792 – 7 February 1878) was head of the Catholic Church from 1846 to 1878. His reign of nearly 32 years is the longest verified of any pope in hist ...
established the present Diocese of Springfield in Massachusetts in 1870, St. Michael's church became its cathedral.
The structure was expanded in 1996, with the addition of the Bishop Marshall Center at the rear of the church. The center includes a chapel that seats 60 people, a TV studio for the weekly broadcast of the Mass, a parish hall that can seat 120 people and kitchen, and it is handicap accessible.
From the year 2000, the cathedral has been home to The St. Michael's Cathedral Choir, whose purpose is to serve the bishop, sing at ordinations and other high masses, and perform the annual festival of Lessons and Carols and Tenebrae
Tenebrae (—Latin for 'darkness') is a religious service of Western Christianity held during the three days preceding Easter Day, and characterized by a gradual extinguishing of candles, and the ''strepitus'' or "loud noise" in the total darkn ...
service during Advent
Advent is a season observed in most Christian denominations as a time of waiting and preparation for both the celebration of Jesus's birth at Christmas and the return of Christ at the Second Coming. It begins on the fourth Sunday before Chri ...
and Lent
Lent (, 'Fortieth') is the solemn Christianity, Christian religious moveable feast#Lent, observance in the liturgical year in preparation for Easter. It echoes the 40 days Jesus spent fasting in the desert and enduring Temptation of Christ, t ...
, respectively. Along with their normal duties, the choir offers basic music theory
Music theory is the study of theoretical frameworks for understanding the practices and possibilities of music. ''The Oxford Companion to Music'' describes three interrelated uses of the term "music theory": The first is the "Elements of music, ...
training to the children of the choir.
See also
* List of Catholic cathedrals in the United States * List of cathedrals in the United States * Saint Michael: Roman Catholic traditions and viewsReferences
External links
Official site
{{DEFAULTSORT:Saint Michaels Cathedral, Springfield, Massachusetts Roman Catholic Diocese of Springfield in Massachusetts Michael's in Springfield 1860s architecture in the United States Churches in Springfield, Massachusetts 19th-century Roman Catholic church buildings in the United States Religious organizations established in 1847 Tourist attractions in Springfield, Massachusetts 1847 establishments in Massachusetts Roman Catholic churches completed in 1861 Historic district contributing properties in Massachusetts Churches on the National Register of Historic Places in Massachusetts National Register of Historic Places in Springfield, Massachusetts 19th century in Springfield, Massachusetts