Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception in Syracuse
Encyclopedia
The Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception in Syracuse
Syracuse, New York
Syracuse is a city in and the county seat of Onondaga County, New York, United States, the largest U.S. city with the name "Syracuse", and the fifth most populous city in the state. At the 2010 census, the city population was 145,170, and its metropolitan area had a population of 742,603...

, New York
New York
New York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...

 is the seat of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Syracuse
Roman Catholic Diocese of Syracuse
The Diocese of Syracuse is a Catholic diocese headquartered in Syracuse, New York, USA. The current bishop is the Most Rev. Robert J. Cunningham. The Diocese of Syracuse includes 350,000 Catholics residing in seven counties of Central and South Central New York State...

.

History

The church was initially constructed in 1874 by Lawrence J. O’Connor and named Saint Mary's Church and became the first parish in Syracuse. Formerly under the Diocese of Albany, the Diocese of Syracuse was created in 1887. In 1904, Bishop Patrick Ludden selected Saint Mary's Church to become the new Cathedral. Archimedes Russell
Archimedes Russell
Archimedes Russell was an American architect most active in the Syracuse, New York area.Born in Andover, Massachusetts and trained under local architect Horatio Nelson White, Russell served as a professor of architecture at Syracuse University from 1873 through 1881.In the course of his career he...

 was commissioned to expand the new Cathedral designing a new sanctuary and bell tower.

The Parish purchased the La Concha Turkish bath house, demolished it and built the Cathedral’s sanctuary. The Cathedral features the Shrine of the Blessed Mother sculpted by Jacqueline Belfort-Chalat.

The Cathedral was consecrated in 1910 and for the dedication, Pope Leo XIII
Pope Leo XIII
Pope Leo XIII , born Vincenzo Gioacchino Raffaele Luigi Pecci to an Italian comital family, was the 256th Pope of the Roman Catholic Church, reigning from 1878 to 1903...

 gave Bishop Ludden a brick taken from the Holy Door at St. Peter’s Basilica in Rome
Rome
Rome is the capital of Italy and the country's largest and most populated city and comune, with over 2.7 million residents in . The city is located in the central-western portion of the Italian Peninsula, on the Tiber River within the Lazio region of Italy.Rome's history spans two and a half...

. When Bishop Ludden died in 1912, he was buried in the crypt under the Cathedral.

Today

In addition to offering daily masses, the Cathedral operates Emergency Services for the countywide population. It offers a food pantry, free furniture and clothing, and diapers and formula for infants. The Cathedral also operates the Cathedral Oxford Inn Shelter. The Cathedral will serve any homeless person who comes to their door. The Cathedral hosts volunteer lawyers one day a month to assist those people in the shelters.

The Cathedral hosts many local musicals and concerts performed by both area schools and professional groups. A selection of works by Herbert Howells
Herbert Howells
Herbert Norman Howells CH was an English composer, organist, and teacher, most famous for his large output of Anglican church music.-Life:...

 played on the Cathedral’s Roosevelt-Schantz organ
Pipe organ
The pipe organ is a musical instrument that produces sound by driving pressurized air through pipes selected via a keyboard. Because each organ pipe produces a single pitch, the pipes are provided in sets called ranks, each of which has a common timbre and volume throughout the keyboard compass...

has been released on CD.

External links

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