Cathedral of the Holy Cross, Boston

The Cathedral of the Holy Cross is the mother church of the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Boston and the largest church in New England [ [http://www.kellscraft.com/bostonillustrated/bostonillustrated05.html Boston Illustrated: ] ] .

The cathedral was designed by Patrick Keely, an American nineteenth century ecclesiastical architect. The cathedral is built in the Gothic Revival style of variegated Roxbury puddingstone, with gray limestone trim. The planned western spire was never completed. When construction was finished the cathedral rivaled both Old South Church and Trinity Church in grandeur, signalling the emergence of Roman Catholics in what was, at the time of construction, a largely Protestant city and state.

The cathedral is located in the city's South End neighborhood. Although the South End was initially developed for Boston's emerging Anglo-Saxon Protestant middle class, the neighborhood transitioned to new immigrants, especially Irish, as middle class owners moved to the new Back Bay neighborhood.

History

"In 1860, Bishop Fitzpatrick recognized that the church in Boston had outgrown the old Cathedral on Franklin St. However, the Civil War interrupted the plans for the new Cathedral. Bishop Fitzpatrick died in 1866 and Bishop Williams took over planning for the cathedral project. Ground was broken for the new cathedral on April 29, 1866. The rites of dedication were performed on December 8, 1875 by Archbishop John J. Williams, Boston's first archbishop." [ [http://www.rcab.org/tourofcathedral/history.html Archdiocese of Boston - Cathedral of the Holy Cross ] ]

On October 1, 1979, Pope John Paul II held a 38-minute prayer service for 2,000 priests in the cathedral. [ [http://www.boston.com/news/specials/pope/articles/remembrance/ Boston.com / News / Special reports / Pope John Paul II, 1920-2005 / In Boston, America first greeted John Paul ] ]

The cathedral is outfitted with a 1875 Hook and Hastings organ, historically important because it is the largest organ manufactured by that company. The organ is still in commission, as guest artists regularly perform recitals at the cathedral. Cathedral Music Director Leo Abbott performs on the organ each Sunday at the 11:30 A.M. mass.

Cathedral High School

Cathedral High School is a Roman Catholic high school in Boston, Massachusetts. Many of its alumni go on to attend the College of the Holy Cross in Worcester, Massachusetts. [http://www.cathedralhighschool.net/ (Cathedral High School Official Website)]

External links

* [http://www.keelysociety.com/churches.htm#church1 Keely Society]
* [http://www.angelfire.com/ma4/cathedral/home.html Home Page]
* [http://www.boston.com/news/packages/omalley/cross.htm Boston Globe Highlight]
* [http://www.rcab.org/tourofcathedral/HomePage.html Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Boston official site]

References