St. Joseph Cathedral (San Diego, California) facts for kids
Quick facts for kids St. Joseph Cathedral |
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 Location in southern California
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| 32°43′16″N 117°09′42″W / 32.72114°N 117.16158°W | |
| Location | 1535 Third Avenue San Diego, California |
| Country | United States |
| Denomination | Roman Catholic |
| History | |
| Founded | 1874 |
| Architecture | |
| Architectural type | Mission Revival |
| Completed | 1941 |
| Administration | |
| Diocese | San Diego |
St. Joseph Cathedral is a beautiful Catholic cathedral located in the Cortez Hill neighborhood of downtown San Diego, California. It is the main church for the Diocese of San Diego. This means it's where the Bishop of San Diego has his special chair, called a cathedra.
Contents
History of St. Joseph Cathedral
The church community, or parish, started in 1874. The very first church building was made of wood. It was built in 1875 on land given by Alonzo Horton. This first church was led by Father Antonio Ubach. Bishop Francis Mora officially opened the church that same year. Father Ubach lived in a small adobe house right next to the church.
In 1894, the community built a much larger church made of brick. This new church was also dedicated to St. Joseph.
Becoming a Cathedral
St. Joseph became a cathedral in 1936. This happened when the Pope created the Diocese of San Diego. The new diocese was formed from a part of the Archdiocese of Los Angeles. The current cathedral building was built on the same spot as the earlier churches. It was officially opened in 1941.
Recent Renovations
The cathedral has been cared for over the years. In 2011, it had important restoration work done. This included repainting and fixing the wood and concrete on the outside. Before that, the restrooms were updated to make them easier to use for everyone. More work is planned for the future when money is available.
Life at St. Joseph Cathedral Today
St. Joseph Cathedral holds church services every day of the week. This includes a special Sunday Mass in Spanish. The cathedral also has groups for young adults. People can go there for confessions and other prayer activities.
The cathedral has also been a place for music. It has often hosted concerts by groups like Orchestra Nova San Diego. Other classical music groups have performed there too.
Past Leaders of the Cathedral
The cathedral has had many leaders, called pastors, over the years. Here are some of them:
- Antonio Ubach, 1874–1907
- Bernard Smyth, 1907–1912
- Joseph Nunan, 1912–1914
- Eugene A. Heffernan, 1914–1919
- John J. Brady, 1919–1929
- John M. Hegarty, 1929–1940
- Franklin Hurd, 1940–1947
- Francis Dillon, 1947–1954
- William A. Bergin, 1954–1955
- George M. Rice, 1955–1969
- Anthony Giesing, 1969–1976
- Rudolph Galindo, 1976–1983
- Gilbert E. Chavez, 1983–2007
- Peter Escalante, 2007–2015
- Patrick Mulcahy, 2015–2019
- Peter Navarra, 2019–Present
Images for kids
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Side view of the cathedral
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Inside the beautiful cathedral
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A plaque with the cathedral's coat of arms
See also
In Spanish: Catedral de San José (San Diego) para niños
