St. Mary, Our Lady of Mount Carmel Cathedral (Gaylord, Michigan) Facts for Kids

Quick facts for kids St. Mary, Our Lady of Mount Carmel Cathedral
St. Mary's Cathedral in 2018
Location in Michigan
45°02′01″N 84°40′59″W / 45.0335°N 84.6831°W / 45.0335; -84.6831
Location	606 N. Ohio Ave. Gaylord, Michigan
Country	United States
Denomination	Roman Catholic Church
History
Founded	1884
Dedication	Our Lady of Mount Carmel
Consecrated	June 25, 1976
Architecture
Heritage designation	Michigan State Historic Site (1901 church)
Designated	2005
Style	Modern
Completed	1976
Specifications
Capacity	1,000
Materials	Brick
Administration
Diocese	Gaylord

St. Mary, Our Lady of Mount Carmel Cathedral, often called St. Mary Cathedral, is a special Catholic building in Gaylord, Michigan, United States. It's a cathedral, which means it's the main church for the Diocese of Gaylord. It's also a parish church where local people go to worship.

History of St. Mary's Cathedral
Architecture and Features
See also

History of St. Mary's Cathedral

The original cathedral building

Early Beginnings of the Parish

The church started as a small mission in the Diocese of Grand Rapids. The very first church building was finished in 1884. Many of the people who attended were from Poland, and the church community grew steadily.

Building a New Church and School

During the time of Father Casmir Skory, St. Mary's School was started in 1893. Dominican Sisters were the first teachers there. Also, a new, larger church was built between 1900 and 1901. It cost about $15,000, which was a lot of money back then! For many years, this church was the biggest building in the whole area.

Becoming a Cathedral

A big change happened on December 19, 1970. That's when Pope Paul VI created the Diocese of Gaylord. Because of this, St. Mary's Church became the main church, or cathedral, for the new diocese.

The Current Cathedral Building

The first bishop of Gaylord, Edmund Szoka, decided to build the cathedral we see today. The first stone, called a cornerstone, was placed on July 25, 1975. The new cathedral was officially opened and dedicated to Our Lady of Mount Carmel on June 25, 1976. The bell tower and its bells were blessed in July 1977. Later, in 1985, a local group bought the old church building. They turned it into a place for shows and performances, calling it the Mount Carmel Centre.

Architecture and Features

St. Mary's Cathedral has a unique shape; it's built like an octagon. It follows a Modern style of building design.

Outside the Cathedral

Outside the south entrance, there is a beautiful statue of the Blessed Virgin Mary. It was made by Jim Hopfensperger from Midland, Michigan. This bronze statue was added to the church grounds in 1991.

Inside the Cathedral

You enter the building through a welcoming area called a gathering space. Near the entrance, there's an octagon-shaped pool used for baptism. The main altar is made from strong Vermont granite. Inside the altar are special items called relics. These include pieces related to the evangelists Saint Matthew, Saint Mark, and Saint Luke, a piece from Saint John's house, and small bone pieces from other saints.

The church has a large pipe organ built by the Gabriel Kney Company in London, Ontario, Canada. This organ has more than 2,000 pipes, which were made in Göttingen, Germany.

Special Chapels and Art

The Blessed Sacrament Chapel holds a sculpture called "The Burning Bush." It was created by Vera Bartnik from Traverse City, Michigan. The tabernacle, where the Eucharist is kept, looks like a monstrance with a sunburst design.

There are four special shrine areas inside the cathedral. These are dedicated to the Sacred Heart, Saint Joseph, Our Lady of Czestochowa, and Bishop Frederic Baraga. The beautiful stained glass windows show scenes from the Litany of the Blessed Virgin Mary. The Stations of the Cross are made of bronze bas reliefs, which are sculptures that stick out slightly from a flat surface. Four crosses with candles mark the main directions where the cathedral walls were blessed with Sacred Chrism, a special holy oil.

View from the southwest
View from the southeast

St. Mary, Our Lady of Mount Carmel Cathedral (Gaylord, Michigan) facts for kids

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