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St. Benedict Cathedral (Evansville, Indiana)

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St. Benedict Cathedral
St. Benedict Cathedral (Evansville, Indiana) is located in Indiana
St. Benedict Cathedral (Evansville, Indiana)
Location1320 Lincoln Ave,
Evansville, Indiana
Built1927-1928
ArchitectPatrick F. Meagher
Architectural styleLombard-Basilica
Part ofLincolnshire Historic District (ID00000691 [1])
Added to NRHPOctober 2, 1989

St. Benedict Cathedral is a Catholic cathedral in Evansville, Indiana, United States. It is the seat of the Diocese of Evansville. The cathedral is a contributing property to the Lincolnshire Historic District on the National Register of Historic Places.

History

St. Benedict Parish

St. Benedict Parish was established in 1912 and the pastoral care for the parish was given to Benedictine Monks from St. Meinrad Abbey.[2] The present church building was completed in 1928 in the Lombard-Basilica style.[3] It was dedicated March 18, 1928, by Abbot Athanasius Schmidt, OSB.[2] The cathedral features ceilings that are 65 feet (19.8 m) high, a baldachin over the altar and a seating capacity of over 1,000 people.[3]

The church was renovated after the liturgical reforms of the Second Vatican Council. The baldachin was moved forward about 25 feet (7.6 m) and the former high altar was dismantled and new altar was created. Two of Evansville’s bishops were ordained and installed in St. Benedict’s before it became a cathedral; Francis R. Shea in 1970 and Gerald A. Gettelfinger on April 11, 1989.[2]

Most of the other parish buildings are older than the cathedral church. The convent was completed in 1913 and the older school building the following year. The rectory was built 1921-1922. The newer school building opened in 1953.

St. Benedict Cathedral

On October 21, 1944, Pope Pius XII established the Diocese of Evansville.[4] Assumption Church, Evansville’s oldest Catholic parish, was chosen as the first cathedral. The property was sold to the city of Evansville who demolished it in 1965 for the new civic center. Holy Trinity, Evansville’s second oldest parish, served as the Proto-cathedral from 1965 to April 11, 1999, when St. Benedict's was consecrated as the third cathedral for the Evansville Diocese.[2]

Pastors/Rectors

The following priests have served as pastor of St. Benedict Parish. Since 1999 they have also served as cathedral rector:[2]

  • Rev. Martin Hoppenjans, OSB (1912-1936)
  • Rev. Lambert Enslinger, OSB (1936-1939)
  • Rev. Thomas Schaefers, OSB (1939-1942)
  • Rev. Gilbert Hess, OSB (1942-1943)
  • Rev. Gabriel Verkamp, OSB (1943-1963)
  • Rev. Father Alban Berling, OSB (1963-1973)
  • Revs. Lambert Reilly, OSB and Lawrence Ward, OSB (co-pastors, 1973-1974)
  • Rev. Cyril Vrablic, OSB (1974-1977)
  • Rev. Camillus Elsperman, OSB (1977-1991)
  • Very Rev. Gregory Chamberlin, OSB (1991–2013)
  • Very Rev. Godfrey Mullen, OSB (2013 - Present)

See also

St. Francis Xavier Cathedral and Library in Vincennes, Indiana. It was the cathedral for the Diocese of Vincennes, which is now a parish in the Diocese of Evansville.

References

  1. ^ "National Register Information System". National Register of Historic Places. National Park Service. March 13, 2009.
  2. ^ a b c d e "Cathedrals of the Diocese of Evansville". Diocese of Evansville. Retrieved 2015-06-30.
  3. ^ a b "Parish History". Historic Evansville. Retrieved 2011-09-26.
  4. ^ "Diocese of Evansville". Catholic-Hierarchy. Retrieved 2011-09-26.
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