Cathedral of Our Lady of Perpetual Help (Oklahoma City)
Encyclopedia
The Cathedral of Our Lady of Perpetual Help is a Catholic cathedral
in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma
, United States
. It is the seat of the Archdiocese of Oklahoma City
.
, the first Bishop of Oklahoma City, assigned Monsignor Monnot its first pastor on January 19. Mass for the parish was initially celebrated in an automobile showroom on Classen Boulevard. The first church building was a wood structure built in May 1919 on NW 31st Street between Western and Lake. The following month a ground breaking was held for a combination church and school building.
Construction of the present church building was begun on July 3, 1923 and it was completed in February 1924. A frame rectory was completed in July of the same year. Pope Pius XI
elevated Our Lady of Perpetual Help to a cathedral in 1931. It replaced St. Joseph Cathedral
downtown.
Thirty Vietnamese families, refugees from the Vietnam War
, joined the parish in 1975. Their numbers have continued to grow in the succeeding years.
In 1993 a renovation project was begun. It included a new pipe organ by W. Zimmer and Sons of Charlotte, North Carolina
, a new baptistery, electrical work and other additions to the parish plant.
served as the faculty. They resided in a frame house across the street from the school. The name of the school was changed in 1932 to Bishop John Carroll
after the first Catholic Bishop in the United States. A new wing was added to the school in 1939 and a new convent was constructed in 1941. The former convent is now called Mercy Center and is used for a variety of parish functions. A gymnasium and classroom building was built as a part of the 1993 parish renovation project.
Cathedral
A cathedral is a Christian church that contains the seat of a bishop...
in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma
Oklahoma City, Oklahoma
Oklahoma City is the capital and the largest city in the state of Oklahoma. The county seat of Oklahoma County, the city ranks 31st among United States cities in population. The city's population, from the 2010 census, was 579,999, with a metro-area population of 1,252,987 . In 2010, the Oklahoma...
, United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
. It is the seat of the Archdiocese of Oklahoma City
Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Oklahoma City
The Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Oklahoma City is a particular church of the Latin Rite of the Roman Catholic Church in the midwestern region of the United States. Its ecclesiastical territory includes 46 counties in western Oklahoma. The Most Reverend Paul Stagg Coakley is the current archbishop...
.
History
Our Lady of Perpetual Help Parish was established in 1919 when Bishop Theophile MeerschaertTheophile Meerschaert
Theophile Meerschaert was a Belgian-born prelate of the Roman Catholic Church. He served as Bishop of Oklahoma in the United States from 1891 until his death in 1924.-Biography:...
, the first Bishop of Oklahoma City, assigned Monsignor Monnot its first pastor on January 19. Mass for the parish was initially celebrated in an automobile showroom on Classen Boulevard. The first church building was a wood structure built in May 1919 on NW 31st Street between Western and Lake. The following month a ground breaking was held for a combination church and school building.
Construction of the present church building was begun on July 3, 1923 and it was completed in February 1924. A frame rectory was completed in July of the same year. Pope Pius XI
Pope Pius XI
Pope Pius XI , born Ambrogio Damiano Achille Ratti, was Pope from 6 February 1922, and sovereign of Vatican City from its creation as an independent state on 11 February 1929 until his death on 10 February 1939...
elevated Our Lady of Perpetual Help to a cathedral in 1931. It replaced St. Joseph Cathedral
St. Joseph Old Cathedral (Oklahoma City)
St. Joseph Old Cathedral is a parish church of the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Oklahoma City located in downtown Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, United States. It was the seat of the Diocese of Oklahoma City from 1905-1931, and it was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1978...
downtown.
Thirty Vietnamese families, refugees from the Vietnam War
Vietnam War
The Vietnam War was a Cold War-era military conflict that occurred in Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia from 1 November 1955 to the fall of Saigon on 30 April 1975. This war followed the First Indochina War and was fought between North Vietnam, supported by its communist allies, and the government of...
, joined the parish in 1975. Their numbers have continued to grow in the succeeding years.
In 1993 a renovation project was begun. It included a new pipe organ by W. Zimmer and Sons of Charlotte, North Carolina
Charlotte, North Carolina
Charlotte is the largest city in the U.S. state of North Carolina and the seat of Mecklenburg County. In 2010, Charlotte's population according to the US Census Bureau was 731,424, making it the 17th largest city in the United States based on population. The Charlotte metropolitan area had a 2009...
, a new baptistery, electrical work and other additions to the parish plant.
Parochial School
Our Lady of Perpetual Help School opened in September of 1919 with 90 students in twelve grades. Three Sisters of MercySisters of Mercy
The Religious Order of the Sisters of Mercy is an order of Catholic women founded by Catherine McAuley in Dublin, Ireland, in 1831. , the order has about 10,000 members worldwide, organized into a number of independent congregations....
served as the faculty. They resided in a frame house across the street from the school. The name of the school was changed in 1932 to Bishop John Carroll
John Carroll (bishop)
John Carroll, was the first Roman Catholic bishop and archbishop in the United States — serving as the ordinary of the Archdiocese of Baltimore. He is also known as the founder of Georgetown University, the oldest Catholic university in the United States, and St...
after the first Catholic Bishop in the United States. A new wing was added to the school in 1939 and a new convent was constructed in 1941. The former convent is now called Mercy Center and is used for a variety of parish functions. A gymnasium and classroom building was built as a part of the 1993 parish renovation project.