Cathedral Church of Saint Matthew (Dallas) facts for kids
Quick facts for kids St. Matthew's Cathedral |
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| The Cathedral Church of Saint Matthew | |
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 Location in Texas
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| 32°48′30.3″N 96°46′21.4″W / 32.808417°N 96.772611°W | |
| Location | 5100 Ross Ave. Dallas, Texas |
| Country | United States |
| Denomination | Episcopal Church |
| History | |
| Founded | May 25, 1856 |
| Dedication | Saint Matthew |
| Architecture | |
| Style | Gothic Revival |
| Completed | 1907, 1929 |
| Administration | |
| Diocese | Dallas |
The Cathedral Church of Saint Matthew, often called St. Matthew's Cathedral, is an Episcopal church in Dallas, Texas. You can find it at 5100 Ross Avenue.
This church is the main church for the Episcopal Diocese of Dallas. It is where the bishop of the diocese has his official seat. People sometimes call it the "mother church" of the diocese. The Texas Historical Commission has listed it as a historic landmark.
Contents
A Look Back: The History of St. Matthew's
St. Matthew's Church was one of the first churches started in Dallas. The very first Episcopal church service in Dallas happened on May 25, 1856. It was led by Reverend George Rottenstein in a general store. At that time, Dallas was a small town with only about 400 people.
The church group grew steadily. In 1857, they officially formed the Episcopal Church of Saint Matthew.
Challenges and Changes
In 1860, a big fire destroyed many businesses in Dallas. It also burned down the rented space and all the records of Saint Matthew's. When Bishop Alexander Gregg visited Dallas later that year, he found no church building and only a few members. Bishop Gregg helped the small group continue their church.
The church recovered and grew again. By 1870, the members had enough money to build their own church. A church bell was added to the building later that same year.
As Dallas got bigger, the church needed to move. In 1877, they tried to move the building using rollers and oxen. But the building fell apart! The church members, with help from others, carried the wood pieces by hand to a new spot. There, they built a new church.
Becoming a Cathedral
In 1875, Dallas became the main city for the Episcopal Missionary District of Northern Texas. Bishop Alexander Garrett chose Saint Matthew's to be his cathedral church. A cathedral is the main church of a diocese, where the bishop's chair is located. In 1895, this missionary district officially became the Diocese of Dallas.
In 1893, the church built a beautiful new stone cathedral. It was located at Elm and Lamar streets. But soon, the city grew noisy around it. Train tracks were laid nearby, and loud steam engines would arrive every Sunday at noon. Smoke from the trains would even fill the church!
Around the same time, a women's college called Saint Mary's Episcopal College was having money problems. The church decided to move the cathedral to the college's campus. This new location was at Ross and Henderson. The cathedral moved to its current spot in July 1929. The country faced tough financial times that year, and the cathedral, like many people in Dallas, had a difficult period.
St. Matthew's Today
Today, the Cathedral Church of Saint Matthew is still at the former Saint Mary's campus. The college's old chapel was made bigger and now serves as the cathedral for the Diocese of Dallas. The campus, with its many trees, is now called the cathedral close.
Inside the cathedral, you can see many beautiful things. There is a collection of stained-glass windows. Some of these windows are very old, from the late 1800s.
The cathedral also has a collection of paintings from the Victorian era. Many of these were given to Saint Mary's Episcopal College for Women. They often show Saint Mary.
In 2013, the Justus Sundermann Art Gallery opened here. It shows art from local artists.
Community and Learning
The church community is very active in helping people. The cathedral runs a Food Pantry to help those who are homeless or in need.
The Bishop Stanton Center for Ministry Formation is also located here. It helps train people who want to become deacons or priests. It also offers classes for anyone who wants to learn more about the Bible and church history. The cathedral has also sent mission trips to Peru to help churches there. They also have a program called Angel Tree. It provides Christmas gifts for children and older people who might not get any presents.
Leadership at the Cathedral
The cathedral is the main church for the Bishop of Dallas. Bishop George Sumner was chosen as the seventh bishop for the Diocese of Dallas in 2015. He helps manage the diocese and is the main pastor for over 31,000 Episcopalians.
In 2018, Robert P. Price became the new dean of the cathedral. The dean is the main priest in charge of the cathedral. Dean Price studied history at Stanford and Yale universities. He then went to Yale Divinity School to become a minister.
The cathedral also has several assisting priests and deacons. Many of them are called canons of the cathedral.
Many groups and guilds are led by lay people, who are church members not ordained as clergy.
One important group is the cathedral vergers. Their main job is to help with worship services. Vergers work with others to get the church ready for services. They also help put things away afterward. Vergers also help with tours and special events at the cathedral.
Worship and Music
The church is part of the Episcopal Church. Their worship services follow the 1979 Book of Common Prayer. They have important services like the Solemn Mass of Easter and Midnight Mass at Christmas. The services are mostly traditional, but some are more modern in style. The church is in East Dallas, and its members come from many different backgrounds.
Music is a very important part of the cathedral. It has a large pipe organ with about 2,800 pipes! The organ has been made bigger several times over the years. It now has three keyboards and many different sounds. The cathedral has hosted many music festivals with famous musicians. The current Director of Music and Organist is Keith Franks.
On Sundays, the cathedral holds two worship services.
Weekday services are held in the Oratory Chapel. Morning Prayer is at 8:45 am each morning. Evening Prayer is at 6:00 pm each evening. Noonday Prayer is offered on the last Saturday of each month.
The cathedral also hosts many events for the diocese. These include ordinations (when people become priests or deacons) and confirmations. It also hosts meetings and retreats for religious and community groups.
The cathedral also hosts many events for the community. These include plays, dances, festivals, and summer camps for youth. In 2012, St. Matthew's Cathedral Arts was formed. Its goal is to share God's presence through art and creativity. It aims to make the cathedral a center for arts, culture, and community in Dallas.
A Diverse Community
The cathedral is located in East Dallas. This area is always changing. A large Hispanic community has grown in the area over the past few decades. In 1982, the cathedral started a worship service in Spanish. This group has grown to have many attendees each Sunday.
New apartments and condos are also being built nearby. The cathedral is close to downtown Dallas. It is in a neighborhood that includes both long-time residents and new families. It also helps people who are new to the area or who are experiencing homelessness. Because of this, the church has members from many different backgrounds. The cathedral is known for welcoming all kinds of people.
The Cathedral's Design
The church is built in the Gothic Revival style. This style looks like the grand cathedrals of the Middle Ages. The college chapel, built in 1907, was shaped like a Latin cross. In 1929, the chapel was made larger to fit the growing church. This changed the original cross shape.
Before the expansion, the bell tower was at the northwest corner. Today, the tower is on the north side of the building. The inside of the three-story bell tower is very small. Only a small person can enter it using a ladder. You can find old cornerstones, plaques, and stained-glass windows from the cathedral's earlier locations around the church grounds.
Stained-Glass Windows and Art
The main stained-glass window from Saint Mary's Episcopal College for Women showed the birth of Jesus. On each side were windows about women saints. Instead of replacing these, a new stained-glass window of Saint Matthew was put in the south transept (a part of the church that sticks out). Many of the windows came from older church buildings and were installed in the 1970s.
Other windows show the Resurrection (Jesus rising from the dead) and the Stations of the Cross. Some windows even show the sacraments (holy rituals) and the church's founders. Because the church is in Texas, some windows have unique images. You might see cowboys, Native Americans, and even a stagecoach!
The oratory (a small chapel) and the Great Hall are built in a more modern style. The oratory contains a columbarium, which is a place for urns holding ashes of the dead.
The Great Hall and Bell
The Great Hall, built in 1955, is a large parish hall. It has a stage and two big kitchens. When the cathedral moved to its current location, it brought the Great Matthew Bell. This bell dates back to 1870. It was reshaped in 1888 and now weighs about 1,500 pounds (680 kg). The bell tower could not hold such a huge bell. So, it was placed on a special stand called a bell-cot. This stand has a plaque from 1899, marking the cathedral's 25th anniversary. The bell-cot is next to the Great Hall.
The entrance area of the Great Hall has several stained-glass pieces. This includes a beautiful Tiffany window from the previous cathedral.
See also
