Cathedral of Saint Joseph (Burlington, Vermont) Facts for Kids

Quick facts for kids Cathedral of Saint Joseph

44°29′00″N 73°12′53″W / 44.483200°N 73.214595°W / 44.483200; -73.214595
Location	20 Allen St. Burlington, Vermont
Country	United States
Denomination	Catholic Church
History
Status	Cathedral/Parish church
Founded	1850
Dedication	Saint Joseph
Dedicated	June 24, 1887
Architecture
Functional status	Active
Architect(s)	Rev. Joseph Michaud
Style	Baroque Revival
Groundbreaking	July 4, 1884
Completed	1887
Specifications
Capacity	1,200
Length	176 feet (54 m)
Width	81 feet (25 m)
Height	55 feet (17 m)
Materials	Red sandstone
Administration
Diocese	Burlington

The Cathedral of Saint Joseph is a very important church in Burlington, Vermont, United States. It is the main church for the Catholic Diocese of Burlington.

From 1999 to 2018, it was a "co-cathedral," meaning it shared the role with another church. But in 2018, it became the only main church, or cathedral church, after the Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception closed.

History of Saint Joseph Cathedral
- The Steeple's Story
Images for kids
See also

History of Saint Joseph Cathedral

Centennial plaque of Saint Joseph Parish

The first Catholic church in Burlington was built on land given by Col. Archibald Hyde. This church served both Irish and French Canadian immigrants. However, the French-speaking people felt they were not treated equally in the church.

So, in 1850, they raised money and received more land to start their own church. This became St. Joseph's parish, the first French Canadian parish in the United States. A new church was built to serve the many French-speaking Canadians moving to Burlington.

The church building you see today was designed in 1883 by Rev. Joseph Michaud. He was an architect from Montreal who taught himself. He found inspiration for his design from the Chapel of the Palace of Versailles in France.

The first stone for the church was laid on July 4, 1884. It took four years to finish building the church. The people of the parish worked hard and gave money to help. The church was officially opened and blessed on June 24, 1887.

This church was built to hold over 1,200 people. It is still the largest church in Vermont. St. Joseph's has been updated several times, including in 1920, 1968, and 2000–2001. In 1999, it was named a co-cathedral for the Burlington diocese.

Later, in 2017, a plan began to combine the two Catholic cathedrals in Burlington. This was done to better serve the community. By April 2018, Bishop Christopher Coyne decided that St. Joseph's would be the only main cathedral for the diocese. The other church building was later sold. The last Mass at the Immaculate Conception Church was on December 8, 2018.

The Steeple's Story

In November 2010, a strong storm damaged the steeple of St. Joseph's. The top part of the steeple had to be removed in April of the next year. Workers found that the steeple was very old and weak. They also saw that the 800 lb (360 kg) iron cross on top was at risk of falling.

The cross was put away safely. The lower parts of the steeple, like the bell tower, needed repairs that cost about $200,000. It was very expensive to fix the steeple and make it as tall as it used to be, costing about $1 million. The church could not afford this at first.

But thanks to donations and the sale of the parish's school building in April 2018, the money became available. The project to fix the steeple was finished in May 2019.