The Cathedral of Saint Paul — informally known as Saint Paul's Cathedral — is the mother church of the Catholic Diocese of Birmingham in Alabama in Birmingham, Alabama, in the United States.

Designed by Chicago architect Adolphus Druiding, the Victorian Gothic-style brick building was completed as a parish church in 1893. Its parish was established in 1872. It was elevated to cathedral status with the creation of the Diocese of Birmingham in Alabama in 1969.

History

St. Paul's Church

During the first seven decades of the 19th century, the Catholics in Birmingham were under the jurisdiction of the Diocese of Mobile. In 1872, these Catholic built a small wood-framed church. The diocese in 1880 sent John Browne to serve as the first resident pastor of St. Paul's Church. The parish enlarged the church and constructed a rectory.

The second pastor, Patrick O’Reilly, laid the cornerstone for a new St. Paul's Church in 1890 next to the existing church.The new St. Paul's Church was dedicated in November 30, 1893, costing approximately $90,000. In 1904, the diocese named James Coyle as pastor of St. Paul. With the growth of the steel mills in Birmingham, many Catholic immigrants began moving into the city. During the 1910s, Coyle dealt with anti-Catholic sentiment raised by the Ku Klux Klan. In 1921, a Klansman shot Coyle to death several hours after Coyle married the man's daughter to a Puerto Rican man. He designated St. Paul's Church as the Co-Cathedral of Saint Paul. The diocese in 1954 completed the first renovation of the co-cathedral, adding air conditioning and making other repairs. In 1982, the Cathedral of St. Paul and its school building were added to the National Register of Historic Places.

The cathedral floors were refinished and the pews replaced in 2019.The diocese in 2021 replaced the cathedral pipe organ. In 2023, a major renovation of the rectory building commenced.

Cathedral exterior

The Cathedral of St. Paul is a Neo-Gothic style building with red brick and white limestone walls. The cathedral courtyard contains an outdoor altar depicting the death of St. Joseph.

Cathedral interior

thumb|Nave (2011)

The nave of the Cathedral of St. Paul contains two confessionals and displays the 14 Stations of the Cross on its walls. Ten solid granite columns support the vaults and arches. The stained-glass windows in the aisles are the work of G. C. Riordan & Company of Cincinnati..

<gallery mode="packed" caption="Cathedral campus images">

File:Saint Paul - Birmingham interior 09.jpg|Pipe organ (2025)

File:Saint Paul - Birmingham windows 02.jpg|St. Paul stained glass window (2025)

File:Saint Paul - Birmingham interior 16.jpg|Station of the Cross in cathedral (2025)

File:Saint Paul - Birmingham interior 04.jpg|Cathedra (2025)

File:Saint Paul - Birmingham interior 06.jpg|statue of John Vianney in cathedral (2025

File:Saint Paul - Birmingham interior 05.jpg|Shrine of the Virgin Mary in Cathedral (2025)

File:Saint Paul - Birmingham interior 14.jpg|Holy water stoup (2025)

File:Saint Paul School - Birmingham.jpg|School building (2025)

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Pastors and rectors

The following priests have served as pastors of St. Paul's Church or as rectors of the Cathedral of St. Paul.

Pastors

  1. John J. Browne, 1880–1886
  2. Patrick A. O‘Reilly, 1888–1904
  3. James E. Coyle, 1904–1921
  4. William A. Kerrigan, 1922–1935
  5. Eugene L. Sands, 1936–1949
  6. Francis J. Foley, 1951–1953

Rectors

  1. Francis J. McCormack, 1953–1967
  2. George W. Keyes, 1967–1971
  3. John M. Horgan, 1971–1979
  4. J. Peter Sheehan, 1979–1991
  5. Patrick P. Cullen, 1991–2001
  6. Richard Donohoe, 2001–2009
  7. Kevin Bazzel, 2009–2016
  8. Bryan W. Jerabek, 2016 – present

See also

  • List of Catholic cathedrals in the United States
  • List of cathedrals in the United States
  • St Paul's Church, Birmingham (UK)

References

  • Official Cathedral Site
  • Roman Catholic Diocese of Birmingham Official Site