Church in U.S., United States of America
Cathedral of the Holy Cross | |
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Cathedral of the Holy Cross as seen from Washington Street (2024) | |
42°20′26″N 71°04′10″W / 42.340693°N 71.069344°W / 42.340693; -71.069344 | |
Location | 1400 Washington Street Boston, Massachusetts, U.S. |
Country | United States of America |
Denomination | Roman Catholic Church |
Website | holycrossboston |
History | |
Status | Cathedral (also parish church) |
Dedicated | December 8, 1875 |
Architecture | |
Functional status | Active |
Architect(s) | Patrick Keely |
Style | Gothic Revival |
Groundbreaking | April 29, 1866 |
Specifications | |
Capacity | 1,700 people |
Length | 364 feet |
Width | 90 feet |
Height | 120 feet |
Materials | Roxbury puddingstone and gray limestone |
Administration | |
Archdiocese | Boston |
Clergy | |
Archbishop | Most Rev. Richard Henning |
Rector | The Very Reverend Monsignor Kevin J. O’Leary |
Vicar(s) | Reverend Pablo Gomis |
Deacon(s) | Ricardo M. Mesa |
Laity | |
Organist/Director of music | Richard J. Clark |
U.S. National Register of Historic Places | |
U.S. Historic district Contributing property | |
Part of | South End District |
NRHP reference No. | 73000324 |
Added to NRHP | May 8, 1973 |
The Cathedral of the Holy Cross is the cathedral of the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Boston in Massachusetts. It is one of the largest Catholic churches in New England.
The cathedral is located in the city's South End on Washington Street. Construction of the cathedral started in 1866 and it was dedicated in 1875. As of 2025, the rector of the cathedral is Monsignor Kevin J. O'Leary.
History
Main article: Roman Catholic Archdiocese of BostonIn 1860, Bishop John Fitzpatrick, bishop of the Diocese of Boston, recognized that the diocese had outgrown Holy Cross Cathedral. However, with the outbreak of the American Civil War in 1861, he was unable to start its construction.
When the war ended in 1865, Bishop John Williams took over planning for the cathedral project. He decided to locate the building in the South End neighborhood of Boston. The South End was initially developed for Boston's emerging Protestant middle class. However, by the time the cathedral was being built, it was transitioning to new immigrants, mostly Irish, as the original residents moved out.
To finance the new cathedral, the diocese sought donations from wealthy Catholics. It also established a Church Debt Society among working class Catholics; members would donate 50 cents a month for the cathedral construction. The diocese also sponsored dramatic readings, concerts, fairs and raffles to raise money.
The diocese broke ground on the new cathedral on April 29, 1866. Williams named it Holy Cross after the relic of holy cross owned by the diocese. This relic was a wooden splinter said to have come from the cross used in the crucifixion of Christ. Williams, now archbishop of Boston, dedicated Holy Cross Cathedral on December 8, 1875.
Cardinal Richard Cushing on January 19, 1964, celebrated a requiem mass for US President John F. Kennedy, who had been assassinated in November 1963. The mass was taped and broadcast nationally on radio and television. During the mass, the Boston Symphony Orchestra accompanied the Mozart Requiem.
On October 1, 1979, Pope John Paul II held a 38-minute prayer service for 2,000 priests in the cathedral during his first papal visit to the United States.
A janitor in July 2010 discovered that someone had stolen the relic of the holy cross. The thief had pried open its compartment at the base of a hanging cross. A Vermont man in August 2010 surrendered the relic to the Vermont State Police, saying that he received it from another man. The police returned the relic to the archdiocese, which now displayed only on special occasions.
On April 18, 2013, an interfaith prayer vigil was held at the cathedral in honor of the victims of the 2013 Boston Marathon bombing. US President Barack Obama delivered the eulogy.
In 2018, the archdiocese undertook the first major renovation of the cathedral since its construction. The contractors removed 8,000 square feet of oak flooring, replacing it with stone. The pews were restored, the electrical system was updated, a fire protection system was provided and air conditioning was installed. The $26 million renovation was completed in April 2019.
An Attleboro, Massachusetts, man in October 2023 vandalized the large crucifix mounted on the cathedral lawn, causing $20,000 in damage.
Cathedral
Architecture
The Cathedral of the Holy Cross was designed in the Gothic Revival style by the architect Patrick Keely, who built many churches around the country. Supervision of the construction fell largely to Keely and his assistant, architect John A. Dempwolf.
The cathedral is 120 ft (37 m) tall, 364 ft (111 m) in length and 90 ft (27 m) wide at the transepts. The original plan called for the building of two towers on the building, but they were never realized. The building covers 50,000 square feet and has a seating capacity of 2000 in the main level. The cathedral contains an oratory for smaller services in the lower level. Until the completion of the Cathedral of St. Joseph in Hartford, Connecticut in 1957, Holy Cross was the largest cathedral in New England.
The cathedral is constructed of Roxbury puddingstone and gray limestone. The builders incorporated some brick in the arch over the front door from the Ursuline convent that was burned during the anti-Catholic 1834 riots in Charlestown.
A planned western spire was never completed.
Pipe organ
The Cathedral of the Holy Cross owns an opus 801 pipe organ from the E. and G. G. Hook & Hastings Company of Boston that was installed in 1875. When the organ was updated in 1929, the archdiocese replaced the organ console with one taken from a theater.
In 2003, the Andover Organ Company of Lawrence, Massachusetts, built a new opus R-394 console for the organ. It is a replica of the original three-manual console. The company also updated the organ wiring
Parish
The Cathedral parish consists of large English- and Spanish-speaking congregations. The parish also includes three archdiocese-wide congregations:
- Ge'ez Rite, practiced by Ethiopian, Eritrean, and Egyptian Catholics. These congregations moved to the cathedral in 1994 from Holy Trinity Parish
- German Apostolate, moved to the cathedral in 2008
- Tridentine Mass Catholic community, moved to the cathedral in 2008
Cathedral High School
Main article: Cathedral High School (Boston)In 1927, Cardinal William O'Connell founded Cathedral High School adjacent to the church. The Sisters of St. Joseph operated the institution. The school remains at this site today.
Gallery
- View from the loft to the sanctuary
- View from the sanctuary to the loft
- Altar and reredos
- Cathedra
- Hook & Hastings pipe organ
- Window depicting John the Baptist
- Blessed Sacrament Chapel
See also
- List of churches in the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Boston
- List of Catholic cathedrals in the United States
- List of cathedrals in the United States
References
- "National Register Information System". National Register of Historic Places. National Park Service. July 9, 2010.
- ^ "Our History". Cathedral of the Holy Cross. Retrieved January 6, 2025.
- ^ O'Connor, Thomas H.; O'Toole, James M.; Quigley, David, eds. (2004). "Race, Ethnicity, and Class in Boston's Holy Cross Cathedral". Boston's Histories: Essays in Honor of Thomas H. O'Connor. UPNE. p. 104. ISBN 978-1-5555-3582-7.
- McCabe, Neil (January 23, 2009). "Cardinal Cushing, BSO honored JFK with Mozart's 'Requiem' 45 years ago". The Boston Pilot. Retrieved August 17, 2018.
- "Kennedy Memorial Service 1964". British Pathé. Reuters. Retrieved August 17, 2018.
- Mooney, Brian C. (April 3, 2005). "In Boston, America first greeted John Paul". The Boston Globe. Retrieved July 19, 2011.
- Wangsness, Lisa (July 13, 2010). "Relic of cross stolen from cathedral". The Boston Globe. Retrieved September 10, 2018.
- "Relic of True Cross stolen from cathedral recovered". www.thebostonpilot.com. Retrieved January 6, 2025.
- Nelson, Angela (April 16, 2013). "Upcoming reflection services for victims of the Boston Marathon bombing". The Boston Globe. Retrieved April 16, 2013.
- Thistlethwaite, Susan Brooks (April 18, 2013). "Obama preaches 'a state of grace' in Boston". The Washington Post. Retrieved August 17, 2018.
- ^ "Cathedral Of The Holy Cross Undergoes First Renovation In 150 Years". WBZ News. June 20, 2018. Retrieved August 21, 2018.
- "Cathedral of the Holy Cross". Longleaf Lumber, Inc. June 21, 2018. Retrieved August 21, 2018.
- Hughes, Lisa (April 5, 2019). "Cathedral Of The Holy Cross Ready For Palm Sunday After $26 Million Renovation". WBZ News. Retrieved November 22, 2019.
- Vega, Anthony (October 25, 2023). "Arrest made in vandalism of Jesus statue outside Boston church". NBC Boston. Retrieved January 6, 2025.
- "An Architectural Experience: The Dempwolf Contribution to York's Streetscape". Virtual York. Archived from the original on June 20, 2003. Retrieved September 5, 2024.
- "About". Cathedral of the Holy Cross. Archived from the original on April 25, 2013. Retrieved July 19, 2011.
- ^ "Holy Cross Cathedral, Boston, Massachusetts". Andover Organ Company. Archived from the original on May 13, 2008. Retrieved July 19, 2011.
- ^ "E. & G. G. Hook & Hastings Organ, opus 801, 1875" (PDF). American Guild of Organists. Archived from the original (PDF) on March 26, 2010. Retrieved July 19, 2011.
- "About CHS". Cathedral High School. Retrieved July 19, 2011.
External links
- Official Cathedral Site
- Archdiocese of Boston Official Site
- Keely Society
- Boston Globe Highlight
- Archdiocesan Information Page
- Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Boston
- Roman Catholic churches in Boston
- Roman Catholic cathedrals in Massachusetts
- Roman Catholic churches completed in 1875
- 19th-century Roman Catholic church buildings in the United States
- Gothic Revival church buildings in Massachusetts
- Patrick Keely buildings
- Historic district contributing properties in Massachusetts
- Churches on the National Register of Historic Places in Massachusetts