| Cathedral Basilica of Saint Joseph | |
|---|---|
Spanish:Catedral Basílica de San José | |
 Cathedral Basilica of St. Joseph | |
  Cathedral Basilica of Saint Joseph | |
| 37°20′03″N121°53′27″W / 37.334036°N 121.890816°W /37.334036; -121.890816 | |
| Location | 80 South Market Street San Jose, California |
| Country |  USA |
| Denomination | Roman Catholic |
| Website | www.stjosephcathedral.org |
| History | |
| Status | Minor Basilica,Cathedral |
| Founded | April 22, 1877 (1877-04-22) |
| Dedication | Saint Joseph |
| Dedicated | 1990 |
| Consecrated | 1803, 1877 |
| Past bishop(s) | The Most Rev. R. Pierre DuMaine The Most Rev. Patrick Joseph McGrath |
| Architecture | |
| Functional status | Active |
| Heritage designation | California Historical Landmark #910 National Register of Historic Places #77000345 |
| Groundbreaking | 1876 |
| Completed | 1885 |
| Specifications | |
| Capacity | 950 |
| Administration | |
| Province | Ecclesiastical province of San Francisco |
| Archdiocese | Archidioecesis Sancti Francisci |
| Diocese | Dioecesis Sancti Josephi in California |
| Episcopal area | San José in California |
| Deanery | Deanery 3 |
| Clergy | |
| Bishop | Oscar Cantú |
| Vicars |
|
| Dean | Rev. Fr. Ritche Bueza (St. John the Baptist Parish) |
| Pastor | Rev. Fr. Joseph M. Benedict |
| Laity | |
| Director of music | Julie Wind |
| Organist | Aileen Chanco |
| Business manager | Susan Olsen |
| Liturgy coordinator | Melissa Broome Ursin |
| Religious education coordinator | Susan Olsen |
| Parish administrator | Tanis Zuccaro |
TheCathedral Basilica of St. Joseph (Spanish:Catedral Basílica de San José)[1] is a historicCatholic church inDowntown San Jose that serves as thecathedral for theDiocese of San José in California, with the distinction ofminor basilica.
The basilica is named forSaint Joseph,patron saint of the Catholic Church and the namesake ofSan Jose, California.
The original St. Joseph'sChurch was called San Jose de Guadalupe[2] built on the site of the current basilica in 1803, and was the first non-missionparish built in California for the benefit of Spanish settlers instead of the Mission Indians (Ohlone). The Pueblo de San Jose de Guadalupe was connected with Mission Santa Clara byThe Alameda which was part of the historicEl Camino Real. The originaladobe structure was damaged byearthquakes in 1818 and 1822.
In 1835, prominentCalifornio businessmanAntonio Suñol donated the land at the northeast corner of the Plaza del Pueblo (modernPlaza de César Chávez) for the construction of a new, larger adobe church.[3] Suñol, alongside his brother-in-lawAntonio María Pico (who served asAlcalde of San José at the time), oversaw the construction of the church for the next eight years until its completion and consecration in 1846.[4] In 1842, Suñol petitionedFrancisco García Diego y Moreno, theBishop of the Californias, for proper religious vestments and relics for the church. The second church was severely damaged by the1868 Hayward earthquake.
Work on the third church began in 1869. The third church was destroyed by fire in 1875, and a temporary fourth church was built a few blocks away while the fifth and current church was being constructed. The fifth church was dedicated byJoseph Alemany,Archbishop of San Francisco, in 1877 while construction continued. The currentportico was completed in 1884, and the largedome was finished in 1885.
In 1981, a major renovation project was begun at the church, which was to become thecathedral for the newRoman Catholic Bishop of San Jose. In 1985, the church was elevated to a cathedral, pending completion of the restoration in 1990. It replacedSaint Patrick Proto-Cathedral Parish, located a few blocks away, as the cathedral of the diocese. The cathedral was made a minor basilica byPope John Paul II in 1997.
The Cathedral Basilica of St. Joseph is listed as aCalifornia Historical Landmark and is listed on theNational Register of Historic Places.[5]
Just inside the entrance to the cathedral are two plaques that read:
The Most Rev.Joseph S. Alemany,O.P.
First Archbishop of San Francisco
dedicated Saint Joseph Church,
fourth on this site, on land
donated by Antonio Sunol for the
first permanent Catholic Parish
in California, founded in 1803.
The Most Rev.R. Pierre DuMaine
First Bishop of San Jose
dedicated this Church
restored and renovated
as the new Cathedral
of the Diocese of San Jose.
The top of the walls of the inside of the cathedral include quotes from theVulgate about Joseph:
The stained glass windows going counter clockwise from the east transept depict:
The Odell pipe organ was built in 1886 by the J. H. and C. S. Odell Company in Yonkers, New York. It is the only such Odell instrument surviving in its original condition in the United States. It has 40,000 parts. It has 27 ranks of 60 pipes each. It was restored in 1987–90.
Roman Catholic churches in California | |
|---|---|
| Cathedrals |
|
| Lists by diocese | |
Parishes, regions, and notable persons | |||||||
| Ordinaries |
| ||||||
| Cities | |||||||
| Parishes |
| ||||||
| Oratories, chapels, and missions | |||||||
| Education |
| ||||||
| Media | |||||||
