Holy Family Old Cathedral (Anchorage, Alaska) facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Holy Family Old Cathedral |
|
|---|---|
Holy Family Old Cathedral, Anchorage
|
|
 Location in Downtown Anchorage
Location in Alaska
|
|
| 61°13′2.53″N 149°53′52.69″W / 61.2173694°N 149.8979694°W | |
| Location | 811 W. Sixth Ave. Anchorage, Alaska |
| Country | United States |
| Denomination | Roman Catholic Church |
| Website | www.holyfamilycathedral.org |
| History | |
| Founded | 1915 |
| Architecture | |
| Architect(s) | Augustine A. Porreca McEntire and Pendergast |
| Style | Art Deco |
| Groundbreaking | 1946 |
| Completed | 1948 |
| Administration | |
| Archdiocese | Anchorage–Juneau |
Holy Family Old Cathedral is a historic church located in downtown Anchorage, Alaska. It used to be the main church, called a cathedral, for the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Anchorage from 1966 to 2020. A cathedral is like the "mother church" for a large area, led by an archbishop.
As Anchorage grew, the church became too small for big events. So, in 2014, another church, Our Lady of Guadalupe Church, also became a co-cathedral. This meant it shared the duties of a main church.
In 2020, Pope Francis created a new, larger archdiocese called Anchorage-Juneau. This new area combined the old Archdiocese of Anchorage and the Diocese of Juneau. Our Lady of Guadalupe became the main cathedral for this new area. The Cathedral of the Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary in Juneau became the co-cathedral. Holy Family Church stopped being a cathedral then. Today, it still serves as an important parish church for the Anchorage–Juneau area.
Contents
History of Holy Family Church
Building the First Church (1915)
Holy Family Parish started in 1915, the same year the city of Anchorage was founded. A priest named John Vander Pol came to Alaska to see if a church was needed. Land for the new church was bought for $175.
Father Pol designed a simple wooden building. It was 24 feet wide and 48 feet long. The church cost $1,400 to build. Construction began in September 1915 and finished by December 15 of the same year. This was the very first church building ever built in Anchorage.
A New, Bigger Church (1940s)
The church quickly became too small for its growing community. Plans for a new building started early on. But it was hard to find enough money. It took many years before they could afford a larger church.
The current church building was constructed when Robert O'Flanagan was the pastor. Augustine A. Porreca, an architect from Seattle, Washington, designed the new church. Work on this Romanesque Revival style building began in 1946. The first church service in the unfinished basement was held on December 14, 1947. The main part of the church was ready for use by the end of 1948. Robert O'Flanagan later became the Bishop of Juneau in 1951. The inside of the church was fully finished the next year.
Becoming a Cathedral (1966)
In 1964, a very strong earthquake hit South Central Alaska. It caused a lot of damage. A special representative from the Pope came to see the damage. He realized that Anchorage would become a very important city.
Because of this, in 1966, the Pope created the Archdiocese of Anchorage. This made Alaska a separate church region. Archbishop Joseph T. Ryan became the first Archbishop of Anchorage on April 14, 1966. With this change, Holy Family Church became a cathedral.
Changes and a Papal Visit
The main entrance to the cathedral used to be through a side tower. Later, architects designed a new front entrance. This new entrance has two large doors with big windows above them. The outside of the church was originally gray. In 1970, it was painted off-white. In 1974, Archbishop Ryan invited the Order of Preachers (also known as Dominicans) to help run the cathedral.
In 1981, Pope John Paul II visited Anchorage. Holy Family Cathedral was the main church for his visit. About 80,000 people came to see him. The Pope held a special meeting in the cathedral. He also met with people with disabilities in the church's basement.
Becoming an "Old Cathedral" (2014-2020)
As the archdiocese grew, Holy Family's downtown location became difficult for many large church events. In 2013, Archbishop Roger Schwietz asked the Pope to make Our Lady of Guadalupe Church a co-cathedral. He wanted Holy Family to remain a historic cathedral.
In October 2014, the Pope approved this request. Our Lady of Guadalupe became a co-cathedral on December 14, 2014.
Then, in 2020, Pope Francis made another big change. He combined the Archdiocese of Anchorage and the Diocese of Juneau into one new archdiocese: Anchorage-Juneau. The official document creating this new archdiocese named Our Lady of Guadalupe as its main cathedral. The Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary in Juneau, Alaska became the co-cathedral. At this point, Holy Family stopped being a cathedral. It was then given the special title "Old Cathedral."
See also
In Spanish: Excatedral de la Sagrada Familia (Anchorage) para niños
