page_title: Cathedral of Saint Joseph (Jefferson City, Missouri)
section_title: History
hierarchical_section_title: Cathedral of Saint Joseph (Jefferson City, Missouri) / History
caption_attribution_description: English: The cathedra in the Cathedral of Saint Joseph in Jefferson City, Missouri.
context_page_description: The Cathedral of Saint Joseph is the Mother Church for the Roman Catholic Diocese of Jefferson City in Missouri. The cathedral serves as the parish church for the Bishop, who is currently the Most Reverend Shawn McKnight, the fourth Bishop of Jefferson City. The Cathedral sits on a 25-acre site that also includes a Carmelite monastery, the Alphonse J. Schwartze Memorial Catholic Center, St. Joseph Cathedral School, and the Cathedral of Saint Joseph parish offices, which were formerly a convent that housed the Sisters of Mercy. The current pastor is the Reverend Monsignor Robert A. Kurwicki.
context_section_description: The Diocese of Jefferson City was a new diocese in the state of Missouri that was created in 1956 from territory taken from the Archdiocese of St. Louis, the Diocese of Kansas City, and the Diocese of Saint Joseph.  From the time of the creation of the diocese, St. Peter's Church in downtown Jefferson City, served as the Mother Church for the diocese until the new cathedral could be designed and completed.  The site, across from Jefferson City's Memorial Park, was chosen by Monsignor Joseph A. Vogelweid, who was the first Vicar General of the diocese.  The Cathedral of Saint Joseph was the embodiment of the vision of the first Bishop of Jefferson City, the Most Reverend Joseph M. Marling, and Monsignor Gerard L. Poelker, pastor at the time of groundbreaking.  The design of the cathedral was completed following the Second Vatican Council.  In 1966, that design included plans to build a modern, circular Cathedral.  Architects for the project were Maguolo and Quick from St. Louis, Missouri.  The design of the stained glass and marble in the cathedral was performed by Robert Brunelli of Kansas City, Missouri.  The contractor for the cathedral was Prost Builders of Jefferson City.  Groundbreaking occurred on August 20, 1967.  The first Mass took place at midnight on December 25, 1968.  On December 27, 1968, Bishop Marling contacted Pope Paul VI to declare that the new church was to be the new Cathedral for the Diocese.  At that point, it replaced St. Peter's Cathedral, which returned to parish church status.  Despite being completed in 1968, formal dedication of the Cathedral did not take place until May 5, 1974, due to a change in Bishops. Cardinal John Joseph Carberry presided over the consecration and was assisted by the both Bishop Marling and the second Bishop, the Most Reverend Michael F. McAuliffe.
  The first diocesan priest was ordained in 1969.  The first bishop ordained and installed in the cathedral was Bishop McAuliffe, also in 1969.
caption: Cathedra
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