The Cathedral of Saint Patrick is a cathedral of the Roman Catholic Church located in Norwich, Connecticut., in the United States. It is the mother church of the Diocese of Norwich and is the seat of its prelate bishop.
Parish history
St. Mary's Church
The first Catholic Church in the Norwich area of coastal Connecticut was St. Mary's Church in Norwich. At that time, all of the Catholics in New England were under the jurisdiction of the Diocese of Boston. The diocese in 1833 sent the priest James Fitton to Norwich to establish a parish for the Irish immigrants work in the local textile mills.
Fitton celebrated the first mass in Norwich in a third floor loft with 12 people in attendance. By 1842, Fitton was using a shed in Twomeytown for services. In November 1843, the Vatican erected the Diocese of Hartford, with jurisdiction for all of Connecticut and Rhode Island. Fitton in September 1844 purchased a lot in the center of Norwich to build a church. St. Mary's was dedicated in March 1845.The cornerstone of the church was laid in July 1873; parishioners paid ten cents a week to finance the church construction.
A major renovation of the Cathedral of St. Patrick commenced in 2010. The diocese added new murals and decorations to the interior of the cathedral. The lighting system was also modernized. The project was finished in 2013.The diocese in March 2026 began a project to disassemble the two bell towers, then rebuild them using the same stone.
<gallery mode="packed" caption="Cathedral campus images">
File:Cathedral of Saint Patrick interior - Norwich, Connecticut 01.jpg|View from nave to altar 2021)
File:Cathedral of Saint Patrick interior - Norwich, Connecticut 04.jpg|Cathedra in cathedral (2021)
File:Cathedral of Saint Patrick interior - Norwich, Connecticut 12.jpg|St. Patrick stained glass window (2019)
File:Cathedral of Saint Patrick interior - Norwich, Connecticut 03.jpg|Ambo in cathedral (2019)
File:Cathedral of Saint Patrick interior - Norwich, Connecticut 23.jpg|Baptismal font in cathedral (2021)
File:Saint Patrick Rectory - Norwich, Connecticut 01.jpg|Rectory (2019)
File:Saint Patrick School - Norwich, Connecticut.jpg|School (2019)
File:Cathedral of Saint Patrick interior - Norwich, Connecticut 07.jpg|Station XII, Stations of the Cross in cathedral (2019)
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See also
- List of Catholic cathedrals in the United States
References
External links
- Official Cathedral Site
- Diocese of Norwich Official Site