Cathedral of St. Joseph (St. Joseph, Missouri) facts for kids

The Cathedral of St. Joseph is a big Catholic church in St. Joseph, Missouri, United States. It's one of two main churches for the Diocese of Kansas City-St. Joseph. The other main church is the Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception in Kansas City, Missouri. This cathedral, along with its rectory (where the priests live) and convent (where nuns used to live), is part of a special historical area called the Cathedral Hill Historic District. This means they are important historical buildings.

History of St. Joseph Cathedral

Early Days of St. Joseph Parish

The city of St. Joseph was settled by Joseph Robidoux in 1826. The first Catholic priest to visit the area was Father Pierre-Jean De Smet, a Jesuit, in 1838. He wanted to build a chapel there. The very first Mass (Catholic church service) in the settlement was held in Robidoux's log house that same year. Jesuit priests continued to visit the area regularly.

In 1845, Father Thomas Scanlan arrived in St. Joseph. He started planning to build a church. A brick church, about 40 by 20 feet (12 by 6 meters), was built. It was located on the corner of Fifth and Felix Streets. The church was named St. Joseph's Church and was officially opened on June 17, 1847. At that time, only about 20 families belonged to the parish.

Becoming the Cathedral of St. Joseph

On March 3, 1868, Pope Pius IX created the Diocese of St. Joseph. This meant that St. Joseph's Church became the main church, or cathedral, for this new diocese. Bishop John J. Hogan bought land to build a new, larger cathedral. The first stone for the new building was placed on September 12, 1869.

Building the new cathedral took a long time because they often ran out of money. To help raise funds, some important church members held a raffle. They offered 60 pieces of land as prizes. Even with these efforts, the cathedral wasn't finished as planned right away. The first Mass in the new building was held on March 17, 1871. However, the inside wasn't plastered, and the stained glass windows weren't installed yet. Construction continued until 1883. The old church was later taken down, and the land was sold to help pay for the new cathedral.

In 1900, Bishop Maurice F. Burke oversaw a big renovation. During this time, the two towers and a front entrance (called a portico) were finally built, following the original plans.

In 1956, Pope Pius XII combined the Diocese of St. Joseph with the Diocese of Kansas City. This created the new Diocese of Kansas City-St. Joseph. Because of this, the Cathedral of St. Joseph became a "Co-Cathedral." This means it shares the role of the main church with the Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception in Kansas City.

The cathedral was updated again between 1969 and 1970. This was done to follow new church rules from the Second Vatican Council. More updates happened in 1981 and 1995. In the 1980s, the church also started a food pantry to help people in need.

Catholic Schools Connected to the Cathedral

In the 1850s, different religious groups came to St. Joseph to open schools. The Religious of the Sacred Heart and the Christian Brothers both started schools. Later, the Daughters of Charity of St. Vincent de Paul also opened a school and a hospital in 1869.

The Religious of the Sacred Heart opened St. Joseph's first local Catholic school in 1901. In 1920, the Benedictine Sisters took over running the school. A high school for boys, Christian Brothers High School, was also built. This building is now Bode Middle School. The school building was updated in 1954, and a gym and auditorium were added in 1958. Today, the old convent building is used as the Cathedral Early Childhood Center, a day care.

Architecture of the Cathedral

The Cathedral of St. Joseph is made of brick and was designed by Patrick F. Meagher. It is built in the Romanesque Revival style. This style often uses round arches and strong, simple shapes. The cathedral has a transept (a part of the church that crosses the main section, making a T-shape). It also has two towers on the front, each with a pyramid-shaped roof.

A front entrance area, called a narthex, was added in 1956. It has three entrance doors. The rectory, where the priests live, is a three-story brick building. It has unique projecting bay windows. The convent building has a hip roof (a roof that slopes on all four sides) and a front porch with Doric columns. The school building looks similar to the convent.

Pastors and Rectors of the Cathedral

Many priests have served as leaders of St. Joseph's parish and later as the cathedral's rector (the priest in charge of a cathedral). Here is a list of some of them:

• Rev. Thomas Scanlan (1845–1860)
• Rev. John Hennessy (1860–1866)
• Rev. James Doherty (1866–1868)
• Bishop John J. Hogan (1868–1876)
• Rev. Ignatius Conrad, O.S.B. (1876–1892)
• Rev. Andrew Newman (1892–1893)
• Bishop M. F. Burke (1893–1913)
• Rev. John J. O’Neill (1913–1923)
• Rev. Maurice F. Connor (1923–1926)
• Rev. Charles F. Buddy (1926–1937)
• Msgr. Leo J. Ruggle (1937–1964)
• Msgr. Charles S. Nowland (1964–1973)
• Msgr. Robert J. Hogan (1973–1979)
• Rev. Gerald R. Waris (1979–1986)
• Rev. Patrick Tobin (1986–1988)
• Rev. Thomas J. D. Hawkins (1988–1995)
• Rev. Wayne L. Walter (1995–1996)
• Msgr. Richard M. Dierkes (1996–2008)
• Rev. Joseph B. Powers (2008–2012)
• Rev. Matthew Rotert (2012–2018)
• Rev. Stephen Hansen (2018–Present)

See also

• List of Catholic cathedrals in the United States
• List of cathedrals in the United States