Cathedral of Saint Patrick (Norwich, Connecticut)
{{short description|Historic church in Connecticut, United States}}
{{other uses|St. Patrick's Cathedral (disambiguation)}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=August 2023}}
{{Infobox church
| name = Cathedral of St. Patrick
| fullname =
| image = Cathedral of Saint Patrick - Norwich, Connecticut 01.jpg
| imagesize = 250px
| imagelink =
| imagealt =
| landscape =
| caption =
| pushpin map = USA Connecticut
| pushpin label position = none known
| pushpin map alt =
| pushpin mapsize =
| map caption =
| coordinates = {{coord|41|31|51.86|N|72|04|40.24|W|display=inline,title}}
| location = 211 Broadway
Norwich, Connecticut
| country = United States
| denomination = Roman Catholic
| membership =
| attendance =
| website = {{URL|https://www.cathedralofsaintpatrick.org}}
| founded date =
| founder =
| dedication = Saint Patrick
| status = Cathedral/Parish church
| functional status =
| heritage designation =
| designated date =
| architect = James Murphy
| architectural type =
| style = Gothic Revival
| groundbreaking = 1873
| completed date = 1879
| construction cost =
| closed date =
| demolished date =
| consecration year =
| facade direction =
| capacity =
| length =
| width =
| width nave =
| height max =
| dome quantity =
| dome height outer =
| dome height inner =
| dome dia outer =
| dome dia inner =
| minaret quantity =
| minaret height =
| spire quantity =
| spire height =
| materials = Limestone
| diocese = Norwich
| bishop = Most Rev. Richard Francis Reidy
| rector = Msgr. Anthony Rosaforte
{{Infobox NRHP
| name = St. Patrick’s Church, Rectory,
and School
| nrhp_type =cp
| nocat = yes
| partof = Chelsea Parade Historic District
| embed = yes
| image =
| caption =
| added = May 12, 1989
| mpsub =
| partof_refnum = 88003215{{NRISref|2009a}}
}}}}
The Cathedral of Saint Patrick in Norwich is a cathedral of the Roman Catholic Church located in Norwich, Connecticut. It is the mother church of the Diocese of Norwich and is the seat of its prelate bishop.
Parish history
In 1833, Father James Fitton celebrated the first Catholic mass in Norwich in a third floor loft with 12 people in attendance. By 1842, the first building in town to serve as a church was a shed in Twomeytown. A year later, Norwich became the jurisdiction of the newly erected Diocese of Hartford. St. Mary, the first Roman-Catholic church in Greeneville, was dedicated in March 1845. It was enlarged in 1858.[http://www.stpatsnorwich.org/history/index.html Prologue] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100520034556/http://www.stpatsnorwich.org/history/index.html |date=2010-05-20 }}
St. Mary's parish continued to grow into the late 1860s, when Father James Mullen recognized that a new church was needed to address the overcrowding. A site was chosen not far from the wealthy homes where so many of the Irish worked as servants. Architect James Murphy of Providence, Rhode Island, was selected to design the building.[http://www.stpatsnorwich.org/history/index.html The Founding of Our Church] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100520034556/http://www.stpatsnorwich.org/history/index.html |date=2010-05-20 }} "On the morning of Good Friday in 1873, the Irish marched from Greeneville with picks and shovels and dug the foundation of the church by hand."[https://www.walknorwich.org/millionaires-triangle-trail/stop-14/ "Cathedral of Saint Patrick", 'Walk Norwich Trails', Norwich Historical Society]
The cornerstone of the church was laid on July 13, 1873; parishioners paid ten cents a week to finance the construction. St. Patrick's parish was incorporated in 1878. The formal opening and dedication for the new church was held on September 28, 1879. St. Mary's church was closed later that year.[http://www.stpatsnorwich.org/history/index.html Dedication Day] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100520034556/http://www.stpatsnorwich.org/history/index.html |date=2010-05-20 }} St. Patrick's sustained some damage during the 1938 New England hurricane.
In 1953, the Diocese of Norwich was created as a suffragan to the Archdiocese of Hartford, and St. Patrick's Church became the cathedral for the new diocese.{{Cite web |date=2004-03-07 |title=Cathedral of St. Patrick, Norwich, Conn. |url=https://www.ncregister.com/features/cathedral-of-st-patrick-norwich-conn |access-date=2024-10-01 |website=NCR |language=en}} The Most Reverend Bernard J. Flanagan, then Chancellor of the Diocese of Burlington, Vermont, was appointed the first Bishop of Norwich by Pope Pius XII. He was installed on December 9, 1953.[http://www.stpatsnorwich.org/history/index.html The New Diocese of Norwich] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100520034556/http://www.stpatsnorwich.org/history/index.html |date=2010-05-20 }}
File:Cathedral of Saint Patrick interior - Norwich, Connecticut 01.jpg|View up nave toward altar
File:Cathedral of Saint Patrick interior - Norwich, Connecticut 04.jpg|Cathedra
File:Cathedral of Saint Patrick interior - Norwich, Connecticut 12.jpg|Stained glass windows
File:Saint Patrick Rectory - Norwich, Connecticut 01.jpg|Rectory
File:Saint Patrick School - Norwich, Connecticut.jpg|School
See also
References
{{Reflist}}
External links
- {{commons category-inline|Cathedral of Saint Patrick (Norwich, Connecticut)}}
- [http://www.stpatsnorwich.org Official Cathedral Site] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090208002046/http://www.stpatsnorwich.org/ |date=2009-02-08 }}
- [http://www.norwichdiocese.org/ Diocese of Norwich Official Site]
{{Roman Catholic Diocese of Norwich|state=collapsed}}
{{Roman Catholic Ecclesiastical Province of Hartford|state=collapsed}}
Category:Buildings and structures in Norwich, Connecticut
Category:Roman Catholic Diocese of Norwich
Category:Churches in New London County, Connecticut
Category:James Murphy (architect) buildings
Category:Roman Catholic churches completed in 1879
Category:19th-century Roman Catholic church buildings in the United States
Category:Churches on the National Register of Historic Places in Connecticut
Category:Historic district contributing properties in Connecticut
Category:National Register of Historic Places in New London County, Connecticut