Blessed Sacrament Cathedral is the mother church of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Greensburg in Greensburg, Pennsylvania, in the United States. In 1999, it was included as a contributing property in the Academy Hill Historic District.
| Blessed Sacrament Cathedral | |
|---|---|
 | |
  Location in Pennsylvania  Blessed Sacrament Cathedral (Greensburg, Pennsylvania) (the United States) | |
| 40°18′23″N 79°32′46″W / 40.3065°N 79.5462°W | |
| Location | 300 N. Main St. Greensburg, Pennsylvania |
| Country | United States |
| Denomination | Roman Catholic Church |
| Website | www |
| History | |
| Status | Cathedral/Parish |
| Founded | 1789 |
| Architecture | |
| Architect(s) | Comes, Perry and McMullen |
| Style | Gothic Revival |
| Completed | 1928 |
| Specifications | |
| Materials | Sandstone Indiana Limestone |
| Administration | |
| Diocese | Greensburg |
| Clergy | |
| Bishop | Most Rev. Larry J. Kulick |
| Rector | Msgr. Raymond E. Riffle |
Blessed Sacrament Cathedral | |
| Part of | Academy Hill Historic District (ID99000516[1]) |
| Added to NRHP | April 29, 1999 |
Blessed Sacrament Parish was preceded by Most Holy Sacrament Parish, erected in 1789 in Greensburgs. The first Most Holy Sacrament Church was erected in 1846, followed by a second church in 1887. This church was replaced with the third Most Holy Sacrament Church in 1928
When the Diocese of Greensburg was erected in 1951, Most Holy Sacrament Church was converted into Blessed Sacrament Cathedral.
History
editMost Holy Sacrament Churches
editThe precursor of Blessed Sacrament Cathedral was Most Holy Sacrament Parish It was established in 1789 as the first Catholic parish in Greensburg. Twenty-five families paid about $25 to buy a plot of land and start building a log cabin church. However, due to lack of funding, this church was never completed.[2]
In 1846, the parish succeeded in building its first church, a brick structure. It was constructed in conjunction with the monks and priests of the Order of Saint Benedict from Saint Vincent Archabbey in Latrobe. Pennsylvania. The parish added a rectory to the church campus in 1850. Three years later, the Benedictines took over the operation of Most Holy Sacrament from the diocese.[2]
The Benedictines constructed a new rectory in 1885 and replaced the church with a larger structure in 1887. By the early 1920s, the explosive growth of the diocese necessitated the building of an even larger church. The diocese hired the Pittsburgh architectural firm of Comes, Perry and McMullen to design the new structure. The second Most Holy Sacrament Church was dedicated in May 1928.[2]
Blessed Sacrament Cathedral
editIn 1951, Pope Pius XII erected the Diocese of Greensburg; Most Holy Sacrament Church was designated as Blessed Sacrament Cathedral. As part of the transition, the Benedictines relinquished control of the parish to the new diocese.[2]
In 1971, the diocese undertook the first renovation of Blessed Sacrament Cathedral. It hired the architectural firm Celli-Flynn & Associates of Philadelphia to redesign the interior in 1971 to conform to liturgical changes from the Second Vatican Council of the 1960s. The diocese moved the main altar from the apse to a new position in the sanctuary[2]
By the early 1980s, the diocese had decided to replace the rectory with a parish administration building. The project was completed in 1987. In 2003, the diocese purchased the former Sisters of Charity convent to create a center for the formation of priests.[2]
In 2010 to 2011, the diocese began a major renovation of the cathedral interior. The electrical and lighting systems were upgrade, the pews refinished, and the stained glass windows restored. The diocese replaced the kneelers, ambo, cathedra and baptismal font.[2]
Cathedral exterior
editThe present church was constructed in the English Gothic style. Blessed Sacrament constructed of sandstone and Indiana limestone. The square tower is 125 feet (38 m) high.[3] The massive appearance of the church building is typical of those found in Northern Europe.[4] The stained glass windows were created by Franz Mayer & Co. of Munich, Germany.
- Cathedral images
Cathedral interior (2017)
Presbyterium (2017)
Parish Administration Building (2017)
Aquinas Academy (2008)
See also
editReferences
edit- ↑ "National Register Information System". National Register of Historic Places. National Park Service. July 9, 2010.
- 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 "Our History - Blessed Sacrament Cathedral, Greensburg". www.blessedsacramentcathedral.org. February 16, 2022. Retrieved April 6, 2026.
- ↑ Lu Donnelly; H. David Brumble IV; Franklin Toker (2010). Buildings of Pennsylvania: Pittsburgh and Western Pennsylvania. Charlottesville: University of Virginia Press. pp. 216–217. ISBN 9780813928234.
- ↑ Jan Orris, Ph.D. "Academy Hill Historic District". National Park Service. Retrieved December 5, 2017.
External links
edit
Media related to Blessed Sacrament Cathedral (Greensburg, Pennsylvania) at Wikimedia Commons