Cathedral of St. Joseph (St. Joseph, Missouri)

St. Joseph's Church The early predecessor to the two Cathedrals of Saint Joseph was a small chapel at a trading post on the Missouri River. The Canadian fur trader Joseph Robidoux has constructed the trading post in 1826, which then evolved into a small settlement. The missionary priest Pierre-Jean De Smet, a Jesuit from the Diocese of St. Louis, visited Robidoux in 1838 and convinced him to build the chapel for the few Catholics in the area. Later that year, a second priest celebrated the first mass in the area in Robidoux's log house. Jesuit missionaries visiting Native American converts in Iowa periodically stopped at the chapel for the next seven years. Robidoux established the town of St. Joseph in 1843. St. Joseph's Church became the first Cathedral of Saint Joseph. However, the diocese immediately began planning for a new, larger cathedral.In 1933, the parish installed painted copper plates depicting the stations of the cross. They were fabricated by the Daprato studio in Paris, France. The cathedral was rededicated in May 2023. The cathedra, rectory and Early Childhood Center are all contributing properties to the Cathedral Hill Historic District on the National Register of Historic Places. ==Cathedral exterior==

The cathedral is a brick masonry building designed in the Romanesque Revival style by Patrick F. Meagher. "The facade features three-story, projecting box bay and side, two-story, projecting polygonal bays." The L-shaped porch is supported by Romanesque-style columns. The auditorium features Art Deco elements on its design from the 1950s. The former convent building is influenced by the Colonial Revival style. It features a hipped roof and an entrance portico with Doric columns and capitals. The rectory is a three–story brick structure. == Cathedral interior ==

The Marian Shrine in the cathedral features a mural of a Missouri landscape, with a white dove hovering over a field of sunflowers. The St. Joseph Shrine has an altar from the former cathedral convent. The reliquary inside the altar contains relics of ten saints: • Aurelius of Carthage – Roman bishop of Carthage in the 4th century CE • Benedict of Nursia – Roman founder of the Order of Saint Benedict in the 6th century • Clement of Rome – Roman bishop of Rome in the 2nd century CE • Francis de Sales – French bishop of Geneva in the 17th century • Iranaeus – Greek bishop and doctor of the church from the 2nd century CE • Isidore the Farmer – Spanish lay person who helped the poor and farm workers in the 12th century • John Vianney – French priest of the 19th century • Martin de Porres – Peruvian lay brother of the 17th century, reported to have performed miracles • Rose Philippine Duchesne – French religious sister who educated Native Americans in the 19th century • Vincent de Paul – French priest who founded the Congregation of the Mission and the Daughters of Charity in the 17th century == Cathedral of St. Joseph Catholic School ==

In 1900, Bishop Burke asked the sisters of the Religious of the Sacred Heart to operated a school on the cathedral grounds. The new school building opened in 1901. By the end of the first year, the enrollment at the Cathedral of St. Joseph Catholic School was 190 boys and girls. The sisters added a high school in 1904 and had 404 students by 1912. The high school students in 1919 were moved to another school campus and the sisters of the Religious withdrew from St. Joseph Cathedral School. They were replaced by the Benedictine Sisters of Mt. St. Scholastica in 1920. During the 1940s, the diocese removed the third floor of the school as it had deteriorated considerably. The cathedral school building was renovated in 1954, adding more classrooms. A combination gymnasium and auditorium was built in 1958. By 1964, enrollment had reached 640 student. Pre-school was added in 1981. By the late 1980s, the faculty were all lay people. The convent was converted into a day care center and now houses the Cathedral Early Childhood Center. ==Pastors/ Rectors==

Pastors of St. Joseph Parish • Reverend Thomas Scanlan (1845–1860) • Reverend John Hennessy (1860–1866) • Reverend James Doherty (1866–1868) Rectors of the Cathedral of Saint Joseph Parish • Bishop John J. Hogan (1868–1876) • Reverend Ignatius Conrad, O.S.B. (1876–1892) • Reverend Andrew Newman (1892–1893) • Bishop M. F. Burke (1893–1913) • Reverend John J. O’Neill (1913–1923) • Reverend Maurice F. Connor (1923–1926) • Reverend Charles F. Buddy (1926–1937) • Monsignor Leo J. Ruggle (1937–1964) • Monsignor Charles S. Nowland (1964–1973) • Monsignor Robert J. Hogan (1973–1979) • Reverend Gerald R. Waris (1979–1986) • Reverend Patrick Tobin (1986–1988) • Reverend Thomas J. D. Hawkins (1988–1995) • Reverend Wayne L. Walter (1995–1996) • Monsignor Richard M. Dierkes (1996–2008) • Reverend Joseph B. Powers (2008–2012) • Reverend Matthew Rotert (2012–2018) • Reverend Stephen Hansen (2018–Present) File:St. Joseph Cathedral Complex Cathedral Hill Historic District Buchanan Co MO Cathedral doors.jpg|Front doors, cathedral 2024 File:St. Joseph Cathedral Complex Cathedral Hill Historic District Buchanan Co MO Cathedral door detail.jpg|View of front entrance, cathedral (2024) File:St. Joseph Cathedral Complex Cathedral Hill Historic District Buchanan Co MO statue of Saint Joseph.jpg|Statue of St. Joseph (2024) File:St. Joseph Cathedral Complex Cathedral Hill Historic District Buchanan Co MO Convent of the Sisters of the Sacred Heart east facade.jpg|Cathedral Early Childhood Center (2024) ==See also==