Cardiff Cathedral

Infobox religious building
building_name=Cardiff Cathedral


caption= Cardiff Cathedral on Charles Street
location=Cardiff, Wales
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religious_affiliation=Roman Catholic Church
province=
district=Cardiff East
status=Cathedral
leadership=
website= [http://www.cardiffmetropolitancathedral.org.uk Official Website]
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facade_direction=East
year_completed=1842
construction_cost= £2,124 GBP
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Cardiff Roman Catholic Cathedral (also known as Cardiff Metropolitan Cathedral of St David and St David's Cathedral Cardiff) is a Roman Catholic cathedral in Cardiff, Wales. It is the centre of the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Cardiff.

Following the arrival of 12,000 Catholics fleeing famine in Ireland in the 1840s and more immigration thereafter, St David's was built as Cardiff's principal Catholic church in 1887, and it became a cathedral and seat of the Roman Catholic Archbishop of Cardiff in 1916. The Cathedral was severely damaged by bombing in 1941, but following extensive restoration, it was re-opened in 1959.

Located in Charles Street, the Cathedral remains the focal point for Catholic life in Cardiff, and the country as a whole. It is one of only three Roman Catholic Cathedrals in the UK which is associated with a choir school.

Adjoining the cathedral is the Cardiff branch of the Catholic Truth Society, where liturgical items including prayer books, candles and statues of catholic saints can be purchased.

Priests

The main priests are Canon Peter Collins and Fr. Raymond O'Shea, however Archbishop Peter Smith says mass at times.

Services

Sunday Masses:
* 17:45 (Sat)
* 11:00
* 17:45

Holy Days:
* 17:15 (Vigil Mass)
* 11:00
* 12:30

Cathedral Music:

The Cardiff Metropolitan Cathedral has three choirs. The Boys' Choir was established in 1959, and in recent years two more choirs have been formed: The Junior Girls' Choir and The Senior Girls' Choir.

The Boy Choristers and Girl Choristers of Wales’ National Roman Catholic Cathedral - the Cardiff Metropolitan Cathedral of St David - are educated at the Choir School St John’s College, located in Old St Mellons, Cardiff. During term, the Boy Choristers sing with adult male voices on Sunday mornings and at 5pm Vespers on Tuesdays, and at a small number of additional services, on special feast days and at Christmas and Easter.

The Cathedral Choirs give two concerts in St David’s Hall each year, and also performs further afield, in some of the most beautiful venues in Western Europe. Recent trips have included performances at Nôtre Dame in Paris, in Bruges, Denmark, and at the splendid Gothic Cathedral in Amiens.

In Autumn 2006, the choir undertook a choral exchange project with the Choir of St Bavo's in Haarlem (The Netherlands). The Junior Girls Cathedral Choir sings Benediction at the Cathedral on Wednesdays, and the Senior Girls Cathedral Choir join the Boys Cathedral Choir on special feast days and in concert. The choirs can be heard in live broadcasts, on BBC Radio 4, and BBC Radio Wales, and extracts from their recordings can be downloaded from their website. [http://www.cardiffcathedralchoir.org]

External links

* [http://www.cardiffcathedralchoir.org Cardiff Cathedral Choirs' Official Website]
* [http://www.cardiffmetropolitancathedral.org.uk Cardiff Metropolitan Cathedral Official Website]