St. Laurence Catholic Church (Amarillo, Texas) facts for kids
Quick facts for kids St. Laurence Catholic Church |
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 Location in Texas
Location in the United States
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| 35°14′08″N 101°47′24″W / 35.2355°N 101.79°W | |
| Location | 2300 N. Spring St. Amarillo, Texas |
| Country | United States |
| Denomination | Catholic Church |
| History | |
| Status | Parish church |
| Founded | 1955 |
| Dedication | Saint Lawrence |
| Dedicated | December 2, 1959 |
| Architecture | |
| Architect(s) | Paul Deeley (1975 renovation) |
| Style | Modern |
| Completed | 1959 |
| Specifications | |
| Capacity | 500 |
| Materials | Brick |
| Administration | |
| Diocese | Amarillo |
St. Laurence Catholic Church is a special church in Amarillo, Texas, in the United States. It belongs to the Catholic Church. For many years, from 1975 to 2011, it was known as St. Laurence Cathedral. A cathedral is the main church for a diocese, which is a large area managed by a bishop. Today, St. Laurence is a regular parish church, serving its local community.
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How St. Laurence Church Started
The story of St. Laurence began with church services held at St. Lucien’s Chapel. This was at Price College in Northeast Amarillo. The first service on June 12, 1949, had over 40 people. These services led to the idea of starting a new church.
Building the School First
Interestingly, the school for St. Laurence started before the church itself. On April 18, 1954, construction began on a three-room school building. The school opened in September of that year. It welcomed 71 students in its first two grades.
Founding the Parish and Church
The St. Laurence parish officially began on May 16, 1955. The Reverend Leroy Matthiesen became its first leader. The church community continued to meet at St. Lucien’s Chapel. This was until their own building was ready. People raised over $100,000 to build a new church. Construction started in early 1959. Bishop John Louis Morkovsky officially opened the new church on December 2, 1959.
Growing and Facing Challenges
The church grew a lot during the 1960s. However, it faced a big challenge in 1968. The Amarillo Air Force Base closed down. This meant 600 families left the area. The school also saw fewer students and higher costs. But many families and retired military members stayed. Their support helped the church continue to thrive.
Becoming a Cathedral
In the early 1970s, another church, Sacred Heart Cathedral, had very few families left. It was decided that it would close. St. Laurence Church was the largest church in Amarillo. It could seat 500 people. It was also on land that included other important church buildings.
A New Main Church
On November 10, 1974, Bishop Lawrence Michael De Falco announced a big change. The Holy See (the Pope's main office) had decided that St. Laurence Church would become the new cathedral. Instead of building a brand new cathedral, they chose to update the existing St. Laurence building.
Modernizing the Church
An architect named Paul Deeley from Fort Worth, Texas helped with the redesign. Andrea Bacigalupa, an artist from Santa Fe, New Mexico, created new art for the church. The old church benches were given to other churches. The newly updated church was officially opened as St. Laurence Cathedral on October 5, 1975. Paul Deeley even won an award in 1977 for his amazing work on the church.
Returning to Parish Status
On March 25, 2011, another church in Amarillo, St. Mary’s Church, became the new cathedral. This was decided by Pope Benedict XVI. St. Mary's had just built a new church in 2010. After this, St. Laurence went back to being a parish church. It continues to serve its community today.
See also
