The current majestic brick building replaces a small (30' x 60') wooden frame church first built in 1872 on a lot adjacent to the present site. The land for the current location was purchased in January 1880; by May of the same year, under the first resident pastor, the Rev. John Browne, a rectory was built and the church was moved on site and enlarged. The present building was planned by the Rev. Patrick O'Reilly, the second pastor. The cornerstone was laid on June 11, 1890 and the building was dedicated on November 30, 1893, having cost approximately $90,000 to complete.
The church was extensively renovated in 1955, when, among other things,
air conditioning was installed; in 1972, when structural repairs were effected
and the sanctuary remodeled to conform with the spirit of the Second Vatican
Council; and most recently in 1992, in preparation for the Cathedrals centennial.
Exterior and interior ramps and doors have been added to provide access
for all to the church, the sanctuary, and the reconciliation room.
Exterior
The Cathedral is widely considered to be
a handsome example of the American Neo-gothic variant style. Gothic architecture
is philosophically Christian; in its determined verticality, the Gothic
structure pulls the eye to heaven and inspires the mind to lofty thoughts.
The strong contrast of color in the native red brick and white limestone
of the walls, and the polychromatic banding in the slate roof show the
taste of the international gothic Revival of the 1870s. The exterior now
measures 96 feet wide by 140 feet long, with twin octagonal spires rising
to 183 feet. The main entrance has a central statue of Christ, outwardly
flanked by a statue of St. Paul, considered the greatest missionary of
the Christian faith.
Interior
This church is built in basilica form, having a semicircular domed
apse at one end, with a center aisle and two side aisles. Ten granite columns
support vaults and arches indicative of the Gothic style. The interior
dimensions are 66 feet wide by 130 feet long, and 67 feet to the ceiling.
The baptismal font stands at the door of the church to remind those entering that every time they come to the Eucharist they come through Baptism. They dip their hand in the water and mark themselves anew with the sign in which they were baptized - the sign of the cross.
The central part of the church extending from the entrance hall, or narthex, to the apse is called the nave (from the Latin word for "boat") and provides the assembly space for God's people at prayer. In the back right corner of the nave is the door leading to the reconciliation room, designed for the celebration of the Sacrament of Reconciliation, also called Penance or Confession, which developed from the need to reconcile Christians who had separated themselves from the life of grace and from the community by their sins. At the back center of the nave and on the right hand side near the front are some of the old confessionals, in use until the reconciliation room was built in 1992.
Around the walls of the nave are the 14 images known as the "Way of the Cross", depicting events in the last journey of Jesus from the Praetorium, where he was condemned to death, to his crucifixion and entombment. As a personal devotion, the faithful walk from station to station, meditating on each event of the Passion.
The statues of the Blessed Mother, St. Joseph, and St. Anthony of Padua serve as reminders to Catholics of the communion of saints, calling to mind our union with heroic Christians of other times and places who act as intercessors for blessings. The Cathedral's congregation has historically contained many Italians, with whom St. Anthony is a particular favorite.
