Cathedral of Saint Catharine of Siena
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Roman Catholic Diocese of Allentown
The Roman Catholic Diocese of Allentown is a Roman Catholic diocese comprising the Pennsylvania counties of Berks, Carbon, Lehigh, Northampton and Schuylkill, in the United States. Its cathedral is the Cathedral Church of Saint Catharine of Siena, located in Allentown, Pennsylvania...
. It is located at 1825 Turner Street, Allentown, Pennsylvania
Allentown, Pennsylvania
Allentown is a city located in Lehigh County, Pennsylvania, in the United States. It is Pennsylvania's third most populous city, after Philadelphia and Pittsburgh, and the 215th largest city in the United States. As of the 2010 census, the city had a total population of 118,032 and is currently...
.
History of the Parish
Saint Catharine of Siena Parish was founded on October 8, 1919 when ArchbishopArchbishop
An archbishop is a bishop of higher rank, but not of higher sacramental order above that of the three orders of deacon, priest , and bishop...
Dennis Cardinal Dougherty
Dennis Joseph Dougherty
Dennis Joseph Dougherty was an American prelate of the Roman Catholic Church. He served as Archbishop of Philadelphia from 1918 until his death in 1951, and was created a cardinal in 1921.-Early life and education:...
, Archdiocese of Philadelphia appointed the Reverend John C. Phelan as pastor of a new church in the west end of Allentown.
By 1952, the parish campus had grown greatly, with additions of a school and convent. There was a need for a new church. On June 9, 1952, Msgr. Leo Fink broke ground on the new church. On April 26, 1953, the laying of the cornerstone of the new Church was presided over by the Most Reverend Joseph M. McShea, Auxiliary Bishop
Auxiliary bishop
An auxiliary bishop, in the Roman Catholic Church, is an additional bishop assigned to a diocese because the diocesan bishop is unable to perform his functions, the diocese is so extensive that it requires more than one bishop to administer, or the diocese is attached to a royal or imperial office...
of the Archdiocese of Philadelphia. The building was designed in a colonial style. The exterior is faced with a variegated salmon brick trimmed with Salem limestone. At the crossing formed by the transept
Transept
For the periodical go to The Transept.A transept is a transverse section, of any building, which lies across the main body of the building. In Christian churches, a transept is an area set crosswise to the nave in a cruciform building in Romanesque and Gothic Christian church architecture...
, there is a tall spire topped with a cross. The windows are colonial glazed antique glass.
The Cathedral
In 1961, the Diocese of AllentownRoman Catholic Diocese of Allentown
The Roman Catholic Diocese of Allentown is a Roman Catholic diocese comprising the Pennsylvania counties of Berks, Carbon, Lehigh, Northampton and Schuylkill, in the United States. Its cathedral is the Cathedral Church of Saint Catharine of Siena, located in Allentown, Pennsylvania...
was carved out from the Archdiocese of Philadelphia. The St. Catharine of Siena parish was honored to learn that their church was to be the seat of the new bishop
Bishop
A bishop is an ordained or consecrated member of the Christian clergy who is generally entrusted with a position of authority and oversight. Within the Catholic Church, Eastern Orthodox, Oriental Orthodox Churches, in the Assyrian Church of the East, in the Independent Catholic Churches, and in the...
. The church would become the Cathedral Church of St. Catharine of Siena.
The Most Reverend Joseph McShea, D.D. was installed as the first Bishop of Allentown on April 11, 1961, thus officially raising St. Catharine of Siena Church to a Cathedral
Cathedral
A cathedral is a Christian church that contains the seat of a bishop...
.