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Quick facts for kids Saint Eugene's Cathedral
Saint Eugene's Cathedral, Derry
Rear chancel of the Cathedral
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Location	Derry, County Londonderry
Country	Northern Ireland
Denomination	Roman Catholic
Website	steugenescathedral.com
History
Consecrated	21 April 1936
Architecture
Architect(s)	James Joseph McCarthy
Style	Gothic Revival
Years built	1849–1903
Groundbreaking	1849
Completed	19 June 1903
Specifications
Nave length	160ft (49m)
Nave width	35ft (10.5m)
Administration
Diocese	Derry (since 1873)
Province	Armagh

St Eugene's Cathedral is a large Roman Catholic church in Derry, Northern Ireland. It is the main church for the Roman Catholic Diocese of Derry and also serves as the local parish church.

Building History
Changes Over Time
Cathedral Today
Organs
The Cathedral Today
Cathedral Clergy
Cathedral Timetable
See also

Building History

Building a Catholic cathedral in Derry became possible after a new law was passed in 1829. People started raising money for the cathedral in 1840. Construction began in 1849. The cathedral is located near Francis Street and Creggan Street in Derry. It cost over £40,000 to build.

Money was collected not just in Derry and Ireland, but also in America. About £4,000 came from there. The architect chosen to design the cathedral was James Joseph McCarthy. He had already designed many cathedrals across Ireland. The cathedral was planned in a simple neo-Gothic style.

The cathedral officially opened on May 4, 1873. At first, the windows were made of plain glass because there wasn't enough money. Beautiful stained glass windows were added later, in the late 1890s. Work on the bell tower and spire began on August 13, 1900. The building was finished on June 19, 1903.

Changes Over Time

In the 1960s, the way Catholic church services were held changed. This meant the main area of the cathedral, called the sanctuary, needed to be updated. In May 1964, a temporary wooden altar was put in place. This allowed Mass to be said in English, with the priest facing the people.

More temporary changes happened in late 1975. A larger wooden altar was added. The altar rails were removed, and a smaller pulpit (where sermons are given) was taken out. The main pulpit stayed, and its wooden statues were moved to other spots. This was all done just before the Christmas Midnight Mass, which was shown live on TV across Europe.

In 1984, people started raising money again for major repairs. The cathedral's main structure was over a hundred years old and needed a lot of work. From 1984 to 1988, the outside of the cathedral was repaired. A new room for priests (sacristy) was made bigger, and a new meeting room was built.

In June 1989, the cathedral closed for six months for a big update inside. The old temporary parts were removed. A new floor was installed in the sanctuary, made from Sardinian granite. A new square altar, made of Carrara marble, was placed under the main arch.

The old pulpit was replaced with a new marble lectern. The priest's chair and the tabernacle stand were also made from marble. A new tabernacle, made of silver-plated bronze, was created by a silversmith from Kilkenny.

During the 1989 renovations, new entrance areas were created. The old main altar table was removed, but the original decorative screen behind it, called a reredos, was kept. New lighting was installed to make the cathedral brighter and warmer. A new sound system was also added. The entire inside of the cathedral was redecorated.

The newly updated interior of the cathedral was opened on December 17, 1989. Bishop Edward Daly led the special ceremony.

More big repair and renovation work started on May 25, 2015. This work was needed because moisture was damaging the building. It was affecting the inside walls, stained glass windows, and outside stone. For example, damp was causing plaster to peel, and a staircase to the bell tower was cracked and unsafe. The work cost £353,480 and was expected to take 20 weeks. The restoration work finished in November 2015.

Cathedral Today

St Eugene's Cathedral, August 2011

In 2013, special church services during Holy Week were shown live on TV from the cathedral. This was part of the celebrations for Derry being the UK City of Culture that year.

On December 13, 2015, the bishop of Derry, Donal McKeown, opened a "Holy Door" in the cathedral. This marked the start of a special "Jubilee Year of Mercy" for Catholics, which lasted until November 2016. The "Holy Door" is the main entrance to the cathedral. The entrance area was completely redone. Now, when you enter, you see eight new oak statues of saints. These statues used to be part of the old pulpit.

A stone statue of Saint Eugene is on the outside of the entrance, in the main bell tower. It has been there since the cathedral was built in 1873. On the newly updated entrance, words from the Bible are carved into the wall. Bishop Donal McKeown officially closed the "Holy Door" on November 13, 2016, marking the end of the Jubilee Year of Mercy.

On August 8, 2016, retired Bishop Edward Daly passed away. His body was brought to the cathedral, and about 25,000 people came to pay their respects over two and a half days. His funeral Mass was held in the cathedral on August 11, 2016. Many important people attended, including the Irish President Michael D Higgins.

The current Bishop of Derry, Donal McKeown, led the funeral Mass. Other bishops and clergy from across Ireland also took part. Leaders from other Christian churches in Derry were there too, including a former Church of Ireland Bishop who was a close friend of Bishop Daly.

After the funeral, Bishop Daly was buried in the cathedral grounds. He was buried next to Bishop Neil Farren, who was Bishop of Derry from 1939 to 1973.

In November 2016, new rooms for confession were opened at the back of the cathedral. This was done to make it easier for people to go to confession. The old confessional rooms were then turned into a new small chapel. This chapel is dedicated to Saint Mother Teresa of Calcutta. It was blessed by Bishop Donal McKeown in May 2017. Today, the chapel is used by prayer groups and for children's liturgy during Sunday Mass.

In 2023, the cathedral celebrated its 150th anniversary. To mark this special event, a new statue of Blessed Carlo Acutis was placed in the cathedral. Special Masses were held to celebrate the anniversary in April and May 2023.

Organs

The cathedral has an organ located in a gallery at the back. The first organ was installed in 1873. In the 1950s, a new organ was put in. However, because of how the cathedral sounds, this organ isn't considered very good musically. You can't see any of the organ pipes, which makes the area look less grand. By the late 1990s, this organ was rarely used. Most Sunday services were accompanied by an electronic organ.

The Cathedral Today

Saint Eugene's Cathedral is part of the Templemore Parish in Derry. This parish also includes Saint Columba's Church.

The Bishop of Derry, Most Reverend Donal McKeown, is also the Parish Priest of Templemore Parish. Bishop McKeown became Bishop of Derry in the cathedral on April 6, 2014.

The cathedral's bells ring out over Derry every day at 8:00 am, 12:00 pm, 6:00 pm, and 9:00 pm. They play seasonal tunes and call people to Mass.

As of October 2023, the cathedral parish serves about 12,140 Catholic people.

Cathedral Clergy

As of October 2023, the priests serving Saint Eugene's Cathedral are:

Parish priest – Bishop of Derry, Most Reverend Donal McKeown
Administrator – Father Paul Farren
Curate – Father Shaun Doherty
Assisting priests – Retired priests Father Colum Clerkin and Father Frank McLaughlin also help.

Cathedral Timetable

As of October 2023, here is the timetable for Saint Eugene's Cathedral:

Mass times

Sundays:
- Vigil Masses on Saturday evenings at 6:15 pm and 7:30 pm.
- Sunday Masses at 7:00 am, 9:30 am, 11:00 am, 12:30 pm, and 7:00 pm.
Holydays of Obligation:
- Vigil Masses the day before at 6:15 pm and 7:30 pm.
- Holyday Masses at 7:00 am, 9:30 am, 11:00 am, 12:30 pm, and 7:30 pm.
Mass times on Holydays can change, so check the parish website.
Mondays to Fridays: Masses at 8:00 am, 10:00 am, and 7:30 pm.
Saturday mornings: Mass at 10:00 am.
During Lent: An extra Mass is held at 1:00 pm on Mondays to Fridays.

Confessions

Saturdays: 11:30 am – 1:00 pm, 5:30 pm – 6:00 pm, and 7:00 pm – 7:20 pm.
Day before Holydays: 5:30 pm – 6:00 pm and 7:00 pm – 7:20 pm.
Day before First Fridays of the month: 11:30 am – 1:00 pm and 7:00 pm – 7:20 pm.
Mondays to Fridays: 7:00 pm – 7:20 pm.

Eucharistic Adoration

Tuesdays: After the 10:00 am Mass until 7:25 pm.
Sundays: 3:00 pm – 6:00 pm, ending with devotions at 6:00 pm.
Mondays to Fridays: Eucharistic Adoration, Rosary, and Night Prayer from 8:00 pm to 8:30 pm.

You can find full details of all Mass times, confessions, and special services on the cathedral parish website: www.steugenescathedral.com.