Co-Cathedral of the Sacred Heart in Houston

Co-Cathedral of the Sacred Heart
Basic information
Location	1111 St. Joseph Parkway Houston, Texas,
Affiliation	Roman Catholic Church
Rite	Roman Rite
Province	Archdiocese of Galveston-Houston
Year consecrated	2008
Leadership	Archdiocese of Galveston-Houston Cardinal: Daniel Nicholas DiNardo
Website	Sacred Heart Co-Cathedral
Architectural description
Architect(s)	Ziegler Cooper Architects
Direction of façade	South
Completed	2008
Specifications
Capacity	1,820
Width (nave)	72 ft
Height (max)	117 ft
Materials	limestone and marble-clad walls, Metal Roof

The Co-Cathedral of the Sacred Heart is a place of worship located at 1111 St. Joseph Parkway in downtown Houston, Texas. The co-cathedral seats 1,820 people in its 32,000-square-foot (3,000 m²) sanctuary. Together with the venerable St. Mary's Cathedral Basilica in Galveston, Sacred Heart serves more than 1.2 million Roman Catholics in the Archdiocese of Galveston-Houston.^[1][2]

Establishment as a Co-Cathedral

In 1847, Pope Pius IX established the Diocese of Galveston for the 20,000 Catholics who lived in the new state of Texas. This new diocese covered an area as large as France and was served by one bishop and fewer than twenty missionary priests. A church was built in Galveston and in 1848 it was dedicated as St. Mary's Cathedral. St. Mary's was the first catholic Cathedral in the state of Texas and for over 100 years it as the only cathedral in the Diocese of Galveston.^[3][4][5]

Due to the tremendous growth in the city of Houston, in 1959 the Most Reverend Wendelin J. Nold, fifth bishop of the Galveston Diocese, was permitted by Rome to erect a cathedral of convenience in Houston.^[6] Because of its central location, Sacred Heart Church, which was built in 1911, was chosen to serve as co-cathedral. With this designation, an episcopal chair was also installed in Sacred Heart Co-Cathedral. This did not change the status of the City of Galveston as an Episcopal see city, however it did permit full pontifical ceremonies to be held in Houston, as well as Galveston. Both cathedrals are coequal in rank; however, since St. Mary's is the original Cathedral for the State of Texas, it has the distinction of being the Mother Cathedral for all the Catholic dioceses in Texas.^[7][8]

In 1979, in recognition of the Galveston Cathedral's importance to the community and state, as well as its historical role as the motherchurch for Catholicism in the state of Texas, Pope John Paul II elevated St. Mary's to the status of Cathedral Basilica.^[7][9]

History of Sacred Heart Parish

The old Co-Cathedral of the Sacred Heart

The third Bishop of Galveston, Nicholas A. Gallagher, established Sacred Heart parish in downtown Houston as the fourth parish in Houston, Texas on November 22, 1896 to serve the growing Catholic population of Houston. The Reverend Thomas Keaney, became the first pastor of Sacred Heart Church.

On March 11, 1897, property facing Pierce and Fannin St. was purchased. Plans for a Gothic church were drawn by Mr. O. Lorehn. However, the present church design by Mr. O. Lorehn would not be built until 1911. In the mean time a small church was built on the corner of Pierce and San Jacinto St. The cornerstone was laid on May 16, 1897 by Bishop Gallagher. On November 6, 1897, the first Sacred Heart was dedicated to God’s service by Bishop Gallagher.

On June 11, 1911, Bishop Gallagher laid the cornerstone of the present Sacred Heart Church design by Mr. O. Lorehn. The church was dedicated to God’s service on April 14, 1912. The cost of the new church was $96,669. The new Sacred Heart Church sat 800 people, and is three stories. After the completion of the new Sacred Heart, the original church became the school building.

Father Morgan J. Crow, the fourth pastor of Sacred Heart, constructed a two-story, brick rectory that was completed and occupied in 1920 to replace the wooden rectory. The original church building was to be demolished to make way for the new school building. Under Father Morgan, the present school building was built in 1922 for $52,800 to replace the old school building, which had been the original church.

Monsignor Jerome A. Rapp served as the fifth pastor of Sacred Heart. The interior decoration of the present church was in large measure accomplished by Monsignor Rapp. He acquired most of the statues, and saw to the redecoration of the entire church. Monsignor John J. Roach, the sixth pastor of Sacred Heart, had an air-conditioned and a central heating unit installed in 1953. On April 29, 1954, property on the corner of Fannin and Calhoun Streets was acquired; giving the parish ownership of the entire city block.

Monsignor Roach had the exteriors of the church and school refurbished, the sacristy enlarged, and a side door in the nave was added. The interior of Sacred Heart was remodeled in 1964 with wood wall panels.

In 1990, the latest major interior renovation of the Co-Cathedral was completed. The rededication of Sacred Heart Co-Cathedral occurred on March 25, 1990 with Bishop Joseph A. Fiorenza. The Sacred Heart was once again renovated, and a new episcopal chair was added to the Co-Cathedral.

A total of three new mosaics were designed and made in Italy. The first mosaic is of Christ the pantocrator above the episcopal chair represents Jesus as the shepherd and teacher of the church. The second mosaic is a Eucharistic symbol taken from the miracle of the multiplication of the five loaves and two fish. Above this mosaic is the Coat of Arms for the late Pope John Paul II. The third mosaic depicts a baptismal theme and the death and resurrection of Christ. The three mosaics were installed by Italo Botti of Chicago.^[10]

Under Father Troy Gately, in December 2006, the Co-Cathedral parish purchased the former Federal Reserve Bank Building, adjacent to the new Co-Cathedral that is to be completed 2008. The new building was purchased for $5,000,000, and has been named Cathedral Centre; it will replace the original 1922 Sacred Heart School building. Cathedral Centre will provide the Co-Cathedral parish community with classrooms, offices, parish hall, youth rooms, child care center, music rooms, library, and a cafeteria. The parish is expected to pour another $2,000,000 into renovation for the new Cathedral Centre.

On April 2, 2008, the New Co-Cathedral of the Sacred Heart open its doors for the first time. The Archdiocese held a dedication Mass, where Bishops and Cardinals from across the United States and around the world attended the mass. The new Co-Cathedral was dedicated to the Sacred Heart of Jesus by Cardinal Daniel DiNardo Archbishop of Galveston-Houston along side by Archbishop Joseph A. Fiorenza. Under Archbishop Joseph A. Fiorenza the new Co-Cathedral of the Sacred Heart was built for $49,000,000.^[11]

Construction of the new Sacred Heart Co-Cathedral

In the early 2000s the Archdiocese had long outgrown the original Co-Cathedral of the Sacred Heart, which was constructed in 1911. Since it had originally been constructed as a parish church, its size had been increased over the years through various renovations and additions. Rather than make more expensive additions, it was decided by the Archdiocese to construct a new Co-Cathedral of the Sacred Heart.

Ziegler Cooper Architects of Houston was selected to design and Linbeck Group was selected to build. In the spring of 2002, design began for the new co-cathedral.^[12] Working with Joseph Fiorenza, then Bishop of Galveston-Houston, a model was constructed of the final design concept. Bishop Fiorenza took a picture of the co-cathedral model to the Vatican where he reportedly obtained approval of the design by then-Pope John Paul II.^[13]

In January 2005, a groundbreaking for the new co-cathedral was held and construction began shortly afterwards. The new Sacred Heart serves the archdiocese as both an ecclesiastical and civic center.^[14]

The Resurrection window

The building footprint is 27,800 square feet (2,580 m²) sitting on a building area of 37,000 square feet (3,400 m²). The co-cathedral will seat 1,820, with room for an additional 200 temporary chairs.^[15] The co-cathedral's spaces consist of a main worship space, choir loft, and campanile. The dome height extends to 117 feet (36 m), with the interior nave height is 72 feet (22 m). The campanile is 140 feet (43 m) high. Building materials include limestone and marble-clad walls and a metal dome roof. One hundred and eight stained glass panels and windows, including those in the Clerestory, were designed and constructed in Florence, Italy by Mellini Art Glass and Mosaics.^[16]

Most Reverend Joseph A. Fiorenza, now Archbishop Emeritus of the Galveston-Houston Archdiocese was in charge of construction of the new co-cathedral. In one of his articles in the Texas Catholic Herald, Fiorenza was quoted as saying:

"A Great Cathedral For A Great City"..."We stand today on the threshold of a tremendous era of growth and opportunity for our diocese...we will build the Co-Cathedral of the Sacred Heart in the center of Houston, a great modern city. This glorious cathedral will stand as a powerful symbol of the transcendence of God, and as an affirmation of the existence and importance of faith in a secular and disbelieving world. The Cathedral will serve as a soul and conscience of the city, reminding us of the importance of the spiritual amid the bustle of the commercial and corporate worlds - of the fact that God exists and faith matters."

The existence of the Sacred Heart Co-Cathedral does not affect the status of St. Mary's Cathedral Basilica in Galveston. Both the cathedral and co-cathedral will continue to serve the needs of the citizens of the archdiocese.

The first service was held on April 2, 2008. All of the Bishops in the United States were invited, as well as many Cardinals.

Award Winning Project for Linbeck Group

Since construction of the Co-Cathedral was completed in April 2008, Linbeck Group (the General Contractor) has been awarded numerous accolades for their work on the project. The list of awards includes, but is not limited to the 2008 ASA Excellence in Construction Award, 2008 AGC Standard of Excellence Award, 2008 CSI Houston Craftsmanship Award, 2008 AGC Houston Apex Award, 2008 TBB AGC Outstanding Construction Award, 2008 Texas Construction Judges Award, 2008 McGraw-Hill Best of the Best Award and 2009 AGC Build America Award.

Future use of the old Sacred Heart Co-Cathedral

The original 1912 church building that served as the Co-Cathedral for the Archdiocese since 1959 was planned to be demolished after the new Sacred Heart was completed in mid 2008. The lot on which the old Sacred Heart sits on was to become a parking lot for the new church. However, in the past few months, the Archdiocese of Galveston-Houston have been looking at ways they can use the old church building.

In 2004, Preservation Texas added Sacred Heart to the 2004 list of Texas' Most Endangered Historic Places.^[17] In addition, The Greater Houston Preservation Alliance (GHPA) a local organization in Houston did the same.^[18]

The Archdiocese announced plans in late 2007 to demolish the 1922 Sacred Heart School building to provide parking for the new Co-Cathedral across the street. A master plan includes the eventual demolition of the former school building for a parking lot and the removal of the parking lot behind the old church to replace the asphalt parking lot with a landscaped park to be known as Cathedral Green. There are no current plans for the removal of the rectory or the old church building. However, it is possible that 1957 rectory and the 1912 Sacred Heart Church building may be saved. The Archdiocese at this point has not made a final decision on the future of the old Sacred Heart, but the final decision is in the hands of Cardinal DiNardo.

The original Co-Cathedral, at this time is not used for any services. For a short time weddings were allow at the old Co-Cathedral. However, the Archdiocese recently wish that all weddings to occur only in the new Co-Cathedral Church.^[19]

• 

  Old Sacred Heart Co-Cathedral close up

See also

Houston portal

• St. Mary's Cathedral Basilica - Mother Cathedral of Texas and the Archdiocese of Galveston-Houston.
• Archdiocese of Galveston-Houston
• Galveston, Texas
• Houston, Texas

Footnotes

1. ^ "Ziegler Cooper Architects, Projects, Co-Cathedral of The Sacred Heart". http://www.zieglercooper.com/projects.asp?indid=44&projid=45. Retrieved 2008-04-02. 
2. ^ "Co-Cathedral of the Sacred Heart - 2/4/2008 - Texas Contractor". http://www.acppubs.com/article/CA6525303.html?industryid=48576. Retrieved 2008-04-02. ^{[dead link]}
3. ^ History of Diocese of Galveston
4. ^ Houston Chronicle: A look back / The Archdiocese of Galveston-Houston began in a wood-frame church during the Republic of Texas
5. ^ Houston Chronicle: At 155, Galveston's St. Mary's still battles the storms
6. ^ AMERICAN CATHOLICS/Bishops celebrate 200th birthday
7. ^ ^{a b} Archdiocese Cathedral History
8. ^ Houston Chronicle: The cradle of Texas' Catholicism / The state's first cathedral in need of major repair
9. ^ St. Mary's Cathedral Basilica Website
10. ^ http://www.sacredhearthouston.org/history.htm
11. ^ http://abclocal.go.com/ktrk/story?section=news/local&id=6053988
12. ^ "Ziegler Cooper Architects, Projects, Co-Cathedral of The Sacred Heart". http://www.zieglercooper.com/projects.asp?indid=44&projid=45. Retrieved 2008-04-02. 
13. ^ "Lights are on at last at Houston's new co-cathedral". Houston Chronicle. http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/life/religion/5656621.html. Retrieved 2008-04-02. 
14. ^ "Archdiocese of Galveston-Houston, Co-cathedral Ground Breaking". Archived from the original on 2007-12-29. http://web.archive.org/web/20071229080914/http://www.diogh.org/cocathedral/article-groundbreaking.htm. Retrieved 2008-04-02. 
15. ^ "Archdiocese of Galveston-Houston, Co-Cathedral of the Sacred Heart, Building materials". Archived from the original on 2007-12-28. http://web.archive.org/web/20071228122253/http://www.diogh.org/cocathedral/index.htm. Retrieved 2008-04-02. 
16. ^ "Archdiocese of Galveston-Houston, Stained glass being installed in new co-cathedral". http://www.diogh.org/cocathedral/article-stainedglass.htm. Retrieved 2008-04-02. ^{[dead link]}
17. ^ http://preservationtexas.org/
18. ^ http://ghpa.org/endangered/
19. ^ http://www.sacredhearthouston.org/Sursum_Corda/current.pdf

External links

• Sacred Heart Co-Cathedral
• St. Mary's Cathedral Basilica
• Archdiocese of Galveston-Houston
• Co-Cathedral of The Sacred Heart