CORPUS CHRISTI, Tx — The Corpus Christi Cathedral will temporarily close in two weeks for a major restoration and renovation project.
According to the Diocese of Corpus Christi, the closure begins Monday, May 26. The work is described as a comprehensive restoration and renovation project.
The renovations will include a new baptismal font, altar, pews, and flooring throughout the cathedral. The project will also upgrade the building's light and sound systems.
Even the cathedral's organ will receive maintenance and improvements as part of the renovation work.
Beginning May 31, all weekend masses and mass intentions will be relocated to Sacred Heart Church on Comanche Street. For the time being, daily masses and mass intentions will continue in the Emmanuel Chapel.
The Diocese has not announced how long the cathedral will remain closed during renovation.
HISTORY OF CORPUS CHRISTI CATHEDRAL
The Diocese of Galveston was divided into the Diocese of San Antonio and the Vicariate Apostolic of Brownsville. Rt. Rev. Dominic Manucy was appointed the first Vicar Apostolic of Brownsville. During his administration, the old St Patrick's Cathedral was built.
Bishop Paul Nussbaum was consecrated as the first Bishop of the new Diocese, arriving in Corpus Christi on June 8, 1913. In January 1920, Bishop Nussbaum left for Rome and unexpectedly resigned on March 20, shocking the local Catholic community.
Monsignor E.B. Ledvina was appointed by Pope Benedict XV as the new Bishop. He was consecrated on June 14, 1921, and enthroned in St. Patrick's Cathedral on July 12, 1921.
"During the summer of 1936, Monsignor Mariano S. Garriga, pastor of St Cecilia's Church in San Antonio, received word that our Holy Father Pius XII had elevated him to the dignity of Bishop, to act as coadjutor of the Diocese of Corpus Christi, with the right of succession to Bishop Ledvina who was, at that time in ill health," states the Corpus Christi Cathedral's website.
After a 1938 fire damaged Saint Patrick's Church (located at 800 Tancahua), the John G. Kenedy family initiated fundraising for a new cathedral by donating their family residence property.
Oklahoma architect C.L. Monnot designed the cathedral under Bishops E.B. Ledvina and Mariano S. Garriaga. The design included a stylized interpretation of early Spanish mission architecture, asymmetrical bell towers with painted terra cotta domes, art glass windows, and a low-pitched gable tile roof.
The cornerstone was laid on March 1, 1940, and the cathedral dedicated on July 17, 1940. In 1991, it was designated a Recorded Texas Historic Landmark.
