Apro-cathedral (orprocathedral) is aparish church that temporarily serves as thecathedral orco-cathedral of adiocese, or achurch that has the same function in aCatholic missionary jurisdiction (such as anapostolic prefecture orapostolic administration) that is not yet entitled to a proper cathedral. The 'pro' is abbreviated frompro tempore ('for the time being' in Latin).[1] A pro-cathedral is distinct from aproto-cathedral, the term in theCatholic Church for a former cathedral, which typically results from moving anepiscopal see to another (usually new) cathedral, in the same or another city. In a broader context, the term "proto-cathedral" may refer to a church used by a bishop before the designation of a settled cathedral (or pro-cathedral).
InIreland, the term is used to refer specifically toSt Mary's Pro-Cathedral inDublin, the seat of theCatholic Archbishop of Dublin since theAnglicanReformation in Ireland, whenChrist Church Cathedral andSt Patrick's Cathedral became the property of the AnglicanChurch of Ireland.
InScotland, the term is used to refer toSt Mary's Pro-Cathedral inEdinburgh, the seat of theArchbishop of Saint Andrews and Edinburgh, as the originalSt Andrews Cathedral was abandoned after theScottish Reformation in 1560 and is currently in a ruinous state.St Andrew's Pro-Cathedral inGlasgow has been the seat of theArchbishop of Glasgow since 1889. The originalGlasgow Cathedral however had been re-established as theChurch of Scotland’sHigh Kirk of Glasgow after the Scottish Reformation.
The AnglicanParish Church of St Helier inJersey serves as the island's pro-cathedral.
InSpain, theColegiata de San Isidro, Madrid, served as the provisional cathedral for theArchdiocese of Madrid from its creation in 1885 until 1993, whenPope John Paul II consecrated the newly completedAlmudena Cathedral.
InValletta,Malta, there is an AnglicanSt Paul's Pro-Cathedral.
InPoland, theCarmelite Church, Warsaw, served as a pro-cathedral until the reconstruction of St John's Cathedral.
InAlbania, theAlbanese Apostolic Administration of Southern Albania had the Kisha e Shën Maria dhe Shën Luigji, inVlore, as only episcopal see of its Eastern Catholic particularsui jurusAlbanian Catholic Byzantine Church.
InBaku,Azerbaijan, the Church of the Immaculate Conception is the pro-cathedral episcopal see of theApostolic Prefecture of Baku.
TheChurch of San Antonio de Motael was the pro-cathedral ofDili,East Timor, before theImmaculate Conception Cathedral was constructed in 1989.[2]
In thePhilippines, theEpiscopal Diocese of the Central Philippines had the St. Stephen's Parish in Tondo,Manila, as its pro-cathedral before the see was transferred to the Cathedral of Saint Mary and Saint John inQuezon City.[citation needed] Also, in February 2012, thePro-Cathedral Church of San Fernando de Dilao became the pro-cathedral of theArchdiocese of Manila, until the structural renovations ofCathedral-Basilica of the Immaculate Conception on March 25, 2014. The cathedral was reopened to the general public on April 9, 2014. Meanwhile,San Diego Pro-Cathedral, Silay, serves permanently as a pro-cathedral of theDiocese of Bacolod, a ready provisional co-cathedral in instances of regular repairs and maintenance being made to the main cathedral.
TheCathedral of the Holy Name, Mumbai, was previously the pro-cathedral of the Holy Name.
InSan Luis Obispo, California, the parish church of Old Mission San Luis Obispo de Tolosa and in Salinas, California, the parish of Madonna Del Sasso, were both elevated to pro-cathedral status by the late Bishop Richard Garcia.
InQu'Appelle, Saskatchewan, the parish church of Saint Peter's was the pro-cathedral for theAnglican southern Saskatchewan diocese until 1944. From 1944 to 1979,St. Paul's Cathedral served as the pro-cathedral before it was elevated to cathedral status.
In the United States, the EpiscopalAll Saints Cathedral in Milwaukee was designated a pro-cathedral in 1867, when it was a small downtown mission of the Diocese of Wisconsin; in 1871, it acquired a suitable building on the city's east side and formally began operating as a cathedral on June 1, 1873, attaining canonical status as a cathedral in the 1880s. TheCathedral of the Incarnation (Baltimore) was a pro-cathedral for 35 years before theEpiscopal Diocese of Maryland passed a resolution in 1955 for it to become the diocesan cathedral. The Church of St. Paul the Apostle inSavannah, Georgia, is the pro-cathedral for theEpiscopal Diocese of Georgia,so designated in 1993. St. Stephen's Episcopal Church in Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania, was designated the pro-cathedral in the Episcopal Diocese of Bethlehem in 1999 and as the pro-cathedral by the presiding bishop and the president of the House of Deputies of the Episcopal Church in 2001.St. Bartholomew's Anglican Church inTonawanda, New York, became a pro-cathedral on August 12, 2011, as part of theNorth American Anglican Conference, and is the seat for Bishop[3] Bill Atwood.[4][5]Christ Church in Plano, Texas, was designated as Provincial Pro-Cathedral for the Anglican Church in North America by Archbishop Beach in November 2021.
Some churches in the United States have served as pro-cathedrals during times of expansion but were never exulted to full cathedral status, such as theChurch of the Good Shepherd inRaleigh, North Carolina, which served as the pro-cathedral of theEpiscopal Diocese of North Carolina, until it was decided they would have no cathedral.
Saint Patrick's Pro-Cathedral in located in the Archdiocese of New Orleans.
Furthermore,St. John Chrysostom Malankara Syrian Catholic Pro-Cathedral inHempstead, New York, for theSyro-Malankara Catholic Exarchate in the United States
St. Joseph Pro-Cathedral is in theDiocese of Camden.
Holy Name of Mary Pro-Cathedral inSault Ste. Marie, Michigan, is in theDiocese of Marquette.
InChristchurch,New Zealand,St Mary's has become the pro-cathedral of theCatholic Diocese of Christchurch, in place of theCathedral of the Blessed Sacrament which was demolished because of severe damage caused by the2011 Christchurch earthquake.
Also in Christchurch, theCardboard Cathedral has served as the pro-cathedral of itsAnglican diocese after the 2011 earthquakes, while options to demolish or rehabilitateChristChurch Cathedral have been extensively debated.
St John's Pro-Cathedral served as the pro-cathedral inPerth, Western Australia.
Holy Cross Pro-Cathedral in Vanimo, West Sepik, Papua New Guinea, is the see of theDiocese of Vanimo.
