Cathedral of St. John Berchmans
Encyclopedia
The Cathedral of Saint John Berchmans is the cathedral
church of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Shreveport
, in Shreveport, Louisiana
, United States
. It is one of only eight parish churches in the world dedicated to the Jesuit Saint John Berchmans
.
was Fr. John F. O'Connor, S.J. By 1924, building a larger church was deemed necessary for the growing congregation. The cornerstone
of the structure was laid on . Construction was finished by June 1928, and the church was consecrated on .
The church was designated a co-cathedral
for the Diocese of Alexandria–Shreveport in 1977. That diocese was split, however, on 23 June 1986, creating the Diocese of Shreveport. St. John Berchmans became the cathedral church of the new diocese.
The Jesuits relinquished administration of the parish to the diocese in October 1988. Soon after, from 1992 to 1994, a major renovation was completed, which added both a vestibule
and free-standing chapel with a seating capacity of 100 persons.
style: the exposed wooden beams inside the church are typical of the Tudor style, while the pointed arches of the windows and doorways evince a Gothic influence. Three of the large windows inside the church were executed by the stained-glass artist Emil Frei, Jr.
Cathedral
A cathedral is a Christian church that contains the seat of a bishop...
church of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Shreveport
Roman Catholic Diocese of Shreveport
The Roman Catholic Diocese of Shreveport is a Roman Catholic diocese located in northwestern Louisiana, and a suffragan diocese of the Archdiocese of New Orleans. It is under the governance of the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops and belongs to Conference Region V...
, in Shreveport, Louisiana
Shreveport, Louisiana
Shreveport is the third largest city in Louisiana. It is the principal city of the fourth largest metropolitan area in the state of Louisiana and is the 109th-largest city in the United States....
, United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
. It is one of only eight parish churches in the world dedicated to the Jesuit Saint John Berchmans
John Berchmans
Saint John Berchmans was a Jesuit seminarian and is a saint in the Roman Catholic Church. He is the patron saint of altar servers.-Early life:...
.
History
The old parish church traces its origin to the year 1902, when a group of Jesuit priests arrived in Shreveport to establish and staff a new parish and high school for boys. The parish's first rectorRector
The word rector has a number of different meanings; it is widely used to refer to an academic, religious or political administrator...
was Fr. John F. O'Connor, S.J. By 1924, building a larger church was deemed necessary for the growing congregation. 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...
of the structure was laid on . Construction was finished by June 1928, and the church was consecrated on .
The church was designated a co-cathedral
Co-cathedral
A co-cathedral is a cathedral church which shares the function of being a bishop's seat, or cathedra, with another cathedral. Instances of this occurred in England before the Protestant Reformation in the dioceses of Bath and Wells, and of Coventry and Lichfield, hence the names of these dioceses...
for the Diocese of Alexandria–Shreveport in 1977. That diocese was split, however, on 23 June 1986, creating the Diocese of Shreveport. St. John Berchmans became the cathedral church of the new diocese.
The Jesuits relinquished administration of the parish to the diocese in October 1988. Soon after, from 1992 to 1994, a major renovation was completed, which added both a vestibule
Vestibule (architecture)
A vestibule is a lobby, entrance hall, or passage between the entrance and the interior of a building.The same term can apply to structures in modern or ancient roman architecture. In modern architecture vestibule typically refers to a small room or hall between an entrance and the interior of...
and free-standing chapel with a seating capacity of 100 persons.
Architectural details
The cathedral was completed in a mixed Tudor-GothicGothic Revival architecture
The Gothic Revival is an architectural movement that began in the 1740s in England...
style: the exposed wooden beams inside the church are typical of the Tudor style, while the pointed arches of the windows and doorways evince a Gothic influence. Three of the large windows inside the church were executed by the stained-glass artist Emil Frei, Jr.