Saint Patrick Cathedral, 1907-2007

Last night the Diocese of Harrisburg celebrated the 100th anniversary of the dedication of St. Patrick Cathedral! Bishop Kevin Rhoades, Cardinal Justin Rigali, and Cardinal William Keeler (former Bishop of Harrisburg) were in attendance, as well as hundreds of the faithful. Over the past few years extensive renovations were done to the interior of the Cathedral, including new paintings of the four evangelists, restoration of pre-existing paintings of the saints and side chapels, the relocation of the tabernacle to the center of the sanctuary, new flooring, and many more architectural and artistic details around the entire church. The cathedral is absolutely beautiful, inside and out.

The Catholic Witness published a reflection from the Bishop regarding the occasion. Below is an excerpt:

We are truly blessed in the Diocese of Harrisburg to have such a beautiful cathedral church. This year, as we celebrate the centennial of the dedication of Saint Patrick Cathedral, I invite all to come on pilgrimage to our beautifully restored Cathedral, not only to visit and see its beauty, but to visit in a spirit of devotion to pray and worship the Lord in His house, a spiritual home for all the people of our diocese.

Enjoy the pictures! I'm still getting used to my new camera, so not all the shots came out as I would have liked. It also did not help that I did not have a tripod.


The Cathedral as seen from State Street. Exterior renovations were begun in 2002 under Bishop Dattilo. Standing outside the doors gives a great view of the Susquehanna River to the left and the State Capital to the right.




This sign says 'founded in 1826' because construction on the original St. Patrick Church started then.




Here's what you see when you walk in the front door.





One of the many ornate stained glass windows that surround the Cathedral. This window of the Last Supper is located directly above the apse. It is flanked by other windows of (if I am correct) the offering of Melchizedek and the breaking of the bread with the disciples from Emmaus.



Paintings of the fruits of the Holy Spirit surround the nave. Closer to the front of the church are paintings of the four cardinal virtues. There may be others as well that I did not see.



The tabernacle has been moved back to its original location, front and center! For our non-Catholic readers, this is where the sacrament of Christ's true body and blood is kept.



Bishop Rhoades blesses the faithful with the sign of the cross during the procession.




I even got shots of a few brother seminarians! Here are Mark Speitel (l) and Brian Wayne (r). Mount St. Mary's can't come fast enough!

For more cathedral info check out the diocesan web page at: www.hbgdiocese.org