Among 193 Catholic cathedrals across the U.S., 15 have been built or expanded within the past 40 years – including six in the South to serve growing Catholic populations of Hispanic families and people moving in from the Northeast and Midwest.
From the Catholic News Herald:
After 50 years of building up its parishes, schools and ministries, the Diocese of Charlotte is preparing to lay the final cornerstone of its foundation: a new cathedral.
Bishop Peter Jugis recently accepted the recommendation of a task force of Church and lay leaders to build a new cathedral to replace St. Patrick Cathedral, which was built as a parish church in 1939 and is no longer large enough to serve the growing diocese’s needs.
Still in its earliest planning stages, cathedral construction would not begin until 2030, though fundraising is expected to follow in the next few years. The cost and location have not yet been determined but a new site is necessary, the task force said. The cathedral should go on a “noble and attractive” site in Charlotte, the largest city and the “seat” of the diocese, which serves 46 counties in the western half of North Carolina.
“This is a defining moment for the Diocese of Charlotte,” said Bishop Peter Jugis, who recently celebrated his 20th anniversary as the diocese’s fourth bishop. “Since the diocese was established 52 years ago, we have invested significant resources in our 92 parishes and missions, 20 schools and more than 50 ministries. Now it’s time to provide a mother church where people from across our diocese can gather to worship Our Lord and celebrate our most important milestones.”
A new cathedral in Charlotte would follow a trend for the growing Catholic Church in the South.
Among 193 Catholic cathedrals across the U.S., 15 have been built or expanded within the past 40 years – including six in the South to serve growing Catholic populations of Hispanic families and people moving in from the Northeast and Midwest. Costs for cathedral construction have ranged widely from $31 million in Knoxville in 2018, to $190 million in Los Angeles in 2002.
