Cathedral of Our Lady of Perpetual Help (Oklahoma City)

Cathedral of
Our Lady of Perpetual Help
Cathedral of; Our Lady of Perpetual Help
	Location in Oklahoma Cathedral of Our Lady of Perpetual Help (Oklahoma City) (the United States)
	35°30′10″N 97°31′51″W / 35.5027°N 97.5308°W
Location	3214 N. Lake Ave.; Oklahoma City, Oklahoma
Country	United States
Denomination	Roman Catholic
Website	cathedralokc.org
History
Status	Cathedral
Founded	1919
Architecture
Style	Italianate
Groundbreaking	July 3, 1923
Completed	February 1924
Specifications
Number of spires	One
Materials	Brick
Administration
Diocese	Archdiocese of Oklahoma City
Clergy
Archbishop	Most Rev. Paul Coakley
Rector	Most Rev. Richard Stansberry

The Cathedral of Our Lady of Perpetual Help is a Catholic cathedral in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, United States. It is the seat of the Archdiocese of Oklahoma City.

History

Our Lady of Perpetual Help Parish was established in 1919 when Bishop Theophile Meerschaert, the first Bishop of Oklahoma City, assigned Monsignor Monnot its first pastor on January 19.^[1] Mass for the parish was initially celebrated in an automobile showroom on Classen Boulevard. The first church building was a wood structure built in May 1919 on NW 31st Street between Western and Lake. The following month the parish held a ground breaking for a combination church and school building.

Construction of the present church building was begun on July 3, 1923, and was completed in February 1924. A frame rectory was completed in July of the same year. Pope Pius XI elevated Our Lady of Perpetual Help to a cathedral in 1931, replacing St. Joseph Cathedral downtown..^[1]

Thirty Vietnamese families, refugees from the Vietnam War, joined the parish in 1975. Their numbers have continued to grow in the succeeding years.

The parish undertook a renovation project in 1993 that included a new pipe organ by W. Zimmer and Sons of Charlotte, North Carolina, a new baptistery, electrical and other additions to the parish plant.

Past rectors

Most Rev. Edward Weisenburger (2002-2012)

Parochial School

Our Lady of Perpetual Help School opened in September 1919 with 90 students in twelve grades.^[1] Three Sisters of Mercy, who resided in a frame house across the street, served as faculty. The parish changed the name of the school in 1932 to honor Bishop John Carroll, the first Catholic Bishop in the United States. The parish added new wing to the school in 1939 and constructed a new convent in 1941. The former convent is now called Mercy Center and houses a variety of parish functions. As part of the 1993 renovation project the parish constructed a gymnasium and classroom building.

References

^ ^a ^b ^c "Our History". Cathedral of Our Lady of Perpetual Help. Archived from the original on 2011-10-09. Retrieved 2011-09-01.

External links

[Cathedral-1] "Our History". Cathedral of Our Lady of Perpetual Help. Archived from the original on 2011-10-09. Retrieved 2011-09-01.

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