Cathedral of the Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary (Grand Island, Nebraska) Facts for Kids

Quick facts for kids
Cathedral of the Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary
U.S. National Register of Historic Places

The cathedral in January, 2010
Location in Nebraska Show map of Nebraska Location in the United States Show map of the United States
Location	204 South Cedar Street Grand Island, Nebraska
Built	1926-1928
Architect	Brinkman & Hagan
Architectural style	Late Gothic Revival
NRHP reference No.	82003189
Added to NRHP	July 15, 1982

The Cathedral of the Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary, often called St. Mary's Cathedral, is a very important church in Grand Island, Nebraska, United States. It serves as the main church for the Roman Catholic Diocese of Grand Island. This beautiful building was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1982, meaning it's a special historical site. It's big enough to seat 900 people!

The Story of St. Mary's Cathedral
- How the Church Began
- Becoming a Cathedral
Gallery
See also

The Story of St. Mary's Cathedral

How the Church Began

The first Catholic families came to Hall County, Nebraska, in 1859. Two brothers, Patrick and Richard Moore, moved there from Iowa City, Iowa. Two years later, a priest named Rev. Almire Fairmont visited them. He held the first Mass in the Moores' log cabin, which was near what is now Wood River, Nebraska. For many years after that, a priest from Omaha or Columbus would visit once a year. They would hold Mass and give out Sacraments.

After the railroad came to Hall County in 1868, people decided it was time to build a church. The Union Pacific Railroad gave land in Grand Island in 1869. A church, named St. Mary's, was built by Rev. M.J. Ryan. Sadly, a big windstorm destroyed the building before it was even finished.

In 1873, they tried to build a church again, but an economic problem stopped them. Finally, on February 17, 1877, they started a third time. The first stone, called the cornerstone, was placed on May 7. The church was finished in July and opened in September 1877. It was a wooden building on a brick base. Rev. P.J. Erlach became the first full-time pastor that year.

The church community kept growing. By the late 1880s, they needed an even bigger church. Rev. Wunibald Wolf was sent to Grand Island to build it. Bishop James O’Connor of Omaha laid the cornerstone for this new church on August 15, 1888. The building was officially opened on July 7, 1889. This new church was made of brick and stone. It was about 44 feet wide and 119 feet long. It also had two bell towers that were 104 feet tall. The church cost $20,000 to build, which was a lot of money back then!

Becoming a Cathedral

On March 8, 1912, Pope Pius X made a big change. He split the Diocese of Omaha into two parts. He created the Diocese of Kearney in western Nebraska. Four years later, Pope Benedict XV added four more counties to this new diocese. In 1917, the main city for the diocese, called the see city, moved from Kearney to Grand Island. Because of this, the diocese was renamed the Diocese of Grand Island.

However, the St. Mary's Church they had was not big enough or grand enough to be a cathedral. A cathedral is the main church for a diocese. Bishop James Duffy traveled and looked at different building styles. He chose the Gothic Revival style, which looks like old European cathedrals. Construction on the new cathedral began in 1926 and finished in 1928.

The new cathedral was designed by Brinkman & Hagan. It was inspired by Sainte-Chapelle, a famous chapel in Paris, France. Cardinal Patrick Hayes from New York officially dedicated the new cathedral on July 5, 1928. The church community continued to grow. In 1949, a new church, Blessed Sacrament parish, was started on the north side of the city. The building where the priests live, called the rectory, was finished in 1951. The old rectory and two other houses were used as a convent for nuns until a new convent was built in 1967.

The cathedral was updated and redecorated in the 1950s and again in the 1980s. The old St. Mary's church, which had been used as a gym, was taken down in 1965. Two more new churches were started in Grand Island in 1973. These were St. Leo's in the southwest and Resurrection in the northwest. A new social hall, a place for church events, was built in 2001. It stands where the old St. Mary's School used to be.