Cathedral Santuario de Guadalupe
Encyclopedia
The Cathedral Santuario de Guadalupe (Cathedral Shrine of Our Lady of Guadalupe) is the cathedral church of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Dallas
Roman Catholic Diocese of Dallas
The Roman Catholic Diocese of Dallas is a Roman Catholic diocese in Texas. It was founded on July 15, 1890 by Pope Leo XIII. The diocese's cathedral is the Cathedral Shrine of the Virgin of Guadalupe....

, Texas. The structure dates from the late 19th century and is located in the Arts District
Arts District, Dallas
The Arts District is a performing and visual arts district in downtown Dallas Texas .It is south of State Thomas, southeast of Uptown, north of the City Center District, west of Bryan Place and east of the West End Historic District. It is bounded by St...

 of downtown Dallas
Downtown Dallas
Downtown Dallas is the Central Business District in Dallas, Texas USA, located in the geographic center of the city. The area termed "Downtown" has traditionally been defined as bounded by the downtown freeway loop: bounded on the east by I-345 Downtown Dallas is the Central Business District...

, Texas
Texas
Texas is the second largest U.S. state by both area and population, and the largest state by area in the contiguous United States.The name, based on the Caddo word "Tejas" meaning "friends" or "allies", was applied by the Spanish to the Caddo themselves and to the region of their settlement in...

. The church oversees the second largest Catholic church membership in the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...

. Its average Sunday attendance is 11,200.

Background

In 1869, Dallas's first Catholic parish, Sacred Heart Church, was established by the Bishop of Galveston
Galveston, Texas
Galveston is a coastal city located on Galveston Island in the U.S. state of Texas. , the city had a total population of 47,743 within an area of...

. The church was built in 1872 and was located at Bryan and Ervay Streets, near present-day St. Paul Station
St. Paul Station
St. Paul is a DART Light Rail station located near the Arts District of downtown Dallas, Texas on Bryan Street, between St. Paul and Harwood Streets. It opened on June 14, 1996 and is a station on the and lines, serving the Trammell Crow Center, the Dallas Museum of Art, the Nasher Sculpture...

.

In 1890, Dallas was established as a diocese, and Sacred Heart became the diocesan cathedral of Dallas with Bishop Thomas Brennan acting as the first bishop. Along with Dallas' tremendous growth at the time
History of Dallas, Texas (1874-1929)
The history of Dallas, Texas, United States from 1874 to 1929 documents the city's rapid growth and emergence as a major center for transportation, trade and finance. Originally a small community built around agriculture, the convergence of several railroads made the city a strategic location for...

, the parish soon outgrew its church building, and the need for a new cathedral arose.

Construction

The property on which the current Cathedral is now located was purchased for US$
United States dollar
The United States dollar , also referred to as the American dollar, is the official currency of the United States of America. It is divided into 100 smaller units called cents or pennies....

30,000, which adjusted for inflation, is equivalent to over $600,000 in 2007. The cornerstone
Cornerstone
The cornerstone concept is derived from the first stone set in the construction of a masonry foundation, important since all other stones will be set in reference to this stone, thus determining the position of the entire structure.Over time a cornerstone became a ceremonial masonry stone, or...

 for the Cathedral was laid 17 June 1898 and the church was formally dedicated on 26 October 1902.

Consolidation

As the Dallas-Fort Worth Metroplex grew through the early 20th century, other diocesan parishes were built in neighboring suburbs, decreasing Sacred Heart's attendance. However by the 1960s the neighboring Our Lady of Guadalupe parish had outgrown its facilities. The parish, located on Harwood Street, was established in 1914 and primarily served Mexican
Mexican people
Mexican people refers to all persons from Mexico, a multiethnic country in North America, and/or who identify with the Mexican cultural and/or national identity....

 immigrants. Bishop Thomas Tschoepe of Sacred Heart invited Our Lady of Guadalupe to merge with Sacred Heart, and by 1975, the Guadalupe church on Harwood closed following the churches' consolidation. On 12 December 1977, Sacred Heart Cathedral was renamed Cathedral Santuario de Guadalupe — "the Cathedral Shrine of Our Lady of Guadalupe."

Expansion

The Cathedral recently underwent a major multi-phase renovation project. As part of the project, a US$
United States dollar
The United States dollar , also referred to as the American dollar, is the official currency of the United States of America. It is divided into 100 smaller units called cents or pennies....

20 million bell tower housing a 49-bell carillon
Carillon
A carillon is a musical instrument that is typically housed in a free-standing bell tower, or the belfry of a church or other municipal building. The instrument consists of at least 23 cast bronze, cup-shaped bells, which are played serially to play a melody, or sounded together to play a chord...

 was constructed. The bell tower was planned by the original architect, Nicholas J. Clayton
Nicholas J. Clayton
Nicholas Joseph Clayton was a prominent Victorian architect in Galveston. Clayton constructed many early public buildings in the city including the First Presbyterian Church .-External links:...

, but was never built.

External links

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