About Cathedral of Saint Paul - National Shrine of the Apostle Paul · Saint Paul, Minnesota
The Cathedral of Saint Paul — National Shrine of the Apostle Paul is the co-cathedral of the Archdiocese of Saint Paul and Minneapolis, perched on Cathedral Hill overlooking downtown Saint Paul, Minnesota, and crowned by a distinctive copper-clad dome that became golden-brown after the 2001–2002 restoration. The current Beaux-Arts building, designed by French-trained architect Emmanuel Louis Masqueray and completed in 1915, is the fourth cathedral to bear the name and is among the largest Catholic churches in the United States (capacity about 3,000). It was designated the National Shrine of the Apostle Paul by the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops on March 25, 2009 — the only such national shrine in North America dedicated to Paul — and tens of thousands of pilgrims visit each year to take part in its daily Masses, confessions, and Eucharistic adoration.
- Established
- 1841 (first chapel); fourth and present cathedral cornerstone 1907, opened for worship 1915
- Patron
- Saint Paul the Apostle
- Rector
- Rev. Joseph Johnson (Rector & Pastor; returned to the Cathedral for a second time in 2024)
- Diocese
- Archdiocese of Saint Paul and Minneapolis (co-cathedral, together with the Basilica of Saint Mary in Minneapolis)
Why belong here
Joining or visiting the Cathedral of Saint Paul means plugging into the heart of Catholicism in the Upper Midwest — it is the co-cathedral of the Archdiocese of Saint Paul and Minneapolis, the seat of Archbishop Bernard Hebda, and the only National Shrine of the Apostle Paul in North America, a privilege that gives those making pilgrimages here the same spiritual benefits as praying at Paul's tomb in Rome. The parish offers daily and Sunday Mass in a stunning setting, weekly Confession seven days a week, scheduled Eucharistic Adoration with Benediction, a thriving Sacred Music program (Cathedral Choir and Saint Cecilia Children's Choir) under Director Dr. Christopher Ganza, RCIA and Religious Education, a Young Adults ministry, plus ministries of pastoral care, heritage, and vocations. Beyond its worship and formation life, the cathedral welcomes tens of thousands of visitors and pilgrims each year through its guided and virtual tours, making it both an anchor parish and a national landmark.
Mass times at Cathedral of Saint Paul - National Shrine of the Apostle Paul
Weekly Mass schedule
Confession times
- Monday – Friday: 4:00 PM – 5:00 PM
- Saturday: 3:30 PM – 5:00 PM
- Sunday: 30 minutes before each Mass (by listing); additional times announced in the calendar (e.g., Holy Week evenings 7:00–8:30 PM)
Adoration times
- Monday – Friday: 4:00 PM – 5:00 PM (in the main church)
- Saturday: 3:45 PM – 5:00 PM (in the main church)
- First Saturday Holy Rosary in Main Church at 7:30 AM
- Holy Thursday 9:00 PM – 11:59 PM Eucharistic Adoration at the Altar of Repose in the Sacred Heart Chapel
History of the Cathedral of Saint Paul
The history of the Cathedral of Saint Paul spans four successive buildings — from the 1841 log chapel that gave the frontier settlement of "Pig's Eye" its saintly name to today's 306-foot copper-domed Beaux-Arts landmark. Two larger cathedrals followed in 1851 and 1858 as the Catholic population exploded, but the present fourth cathedral is the work of Archbishop John Ireland and architect Emmanuel Louis Masqueray, whose giant domed edifice — dubbed a "great temple on the prairie" — was built between 1906 and 1915, filled out gradually with stained glass and chapels, and finally consecrated in 1958 after four bishops and decades of finishing work.
- 1841 — Father Lucien Galtier dedicates the log chapel under the patronage of Saint Paul
- 1851 — Joseph Crétin becomes first Bishop; log chapel is proclaimed first Cathedral; second (frame) Cathedral built in five months for $5,900
- 1854–1858 — Third stone Cathedral at St. Peter and Sixth Streets
- 1904 — Archbishop Ireland acquires the Kittson property on St. Anthony Hill
- June 2, 1907 — Cornerstone laid before 60,000 people
- March 15, 1915 (Palm Sunday) — First Mass in the present Cathedral
- October 14, 1958 — Solemn consecration by Archbishop William O. Brady
- 2001–2002 — $32-million exterior and roof restoration
- March 25, 2009 — Designated National Shrine of the Apostle Paul
- 2012 — Vatican establishes "bond of spiritual affinity" with Basilica of St. Paul Outside the Walls
Art and Architecture
The present cathedral is a Beaux-Arts classical composition by Emmanuel Louis Masqueray set on a cruciform plan and patterned in concept after Saint Peter's in Rome. The 96-foot copper-clad dome rises roughly 180 feet above the floor, the overall structure stands about 306.5 feet tall and 216 feet across the transepts, and Twin flanking bell towers frame the main façade. The interior is sheathed in American Travertine with marble from seven European countries and Africa, screened from the ambulatory by seven 1926 bronze grilles by Albert H. Atkins that depict the life of Saint Paul. The Sanctuary's Baroque baldachin was designed by Whitney Warren of Warren and Wetmore, the same firm behind Grand Central Terminal, after Masqueray's death in 1917.
- Architect: Emmanuel Louis Masqueray (École-des-Beaux-Arts-trained)
- Style: Beaux-Arts classical on a cruciform plan
- Dimensions: ~307 ft long × 216 ft wide × 306.5 ft tall (grade to cross)
- Dome: 96-foot self-supporting copper dome, ~180 ft interior height
- Stained glass: 24 windows plus three rose windows by Charles Jay Connick (Boston, 1931–1941)
- Opalescent windows: Bancel La Farge (1927–1928)
- Bronze grilles: Albert H. Atkins (1926), depicting the life of St. Paul
- Sculpture: Leon Hermant (tympanum and ceiling figures)
- Capacity: 3,000–4,000 (depending on temporary seating)
- Materials: Minnesota granite exterior; American Travertine interior; marble from Europe and Africa
- Six apsidal "Shrine of the Nations" chapels honor immigrant patrons
National Shrine of the Apostle Paul
Designated by the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops on March 25, 2009, at the request of Archbishop John C. Nienstedt, the Cathedral of Saint Paul is the only National Shrine of the Apostle Paul in North America. The shrine draws tens of thousands of pilgrims each year and shares, through a 2012 bond of spiritual affinity established by the Vatican, the same spiritual benefits enjoyed by those who pray at the Basilica of Saint Paul Outside the Walls in Rome. As a tangible sign, the cathedral holds a stone relic taken from the ancient wall surrounding the Apostle's tomb in Rome.
- Designated March 25, 2009 (Solemnity of the Annunciation, end of Pope Benedict XVI's Year of Saint Paul)
- Bond of spiritual affinity with the Basilica of St. Paul Outside the Walls (2012)
- Stone relic from St. Paul's tomb wall received in 2012
- Seven bronze grilles depict events of Paul's life from conversion to martyrdom
- Shrine of the Nations honors the patron saints of European ethnic groups who settled Minnesota
Sacred Music
Sacred Music at the Cathedral of Saint Paul is treated as an integral ministry of the liturgy under Director Dr. Christopher Ganza. The 24-voice Cathedral Choir is the principal ensemble for parish and archdiocesan celebrations, singing Sunday Masses, holy days, the Midnight Mass of Christmas, and the Easter Triduum with chant, Renaissance polyphony, and music by living composers. The Saint Cecilia Children's Choir (grades 3–12) ministers at Solemn Masses and archdiocesan liturgies September through May.
- Director: Dr. Christopher Ganza
- Cathedral Choir — 24 volunteers and professionals, Wednesday 7:00–9:00 PM rehearsals
- Saint Cecilia Children's Choir — grades 3–12, Wednesday 4:00–5:00 PM rehearsals
- Featured on the nationally syndicated radio program Pipedreams
- Choir helped premiere North American choral works and performed at the 2023 North Central American Guild of Organists Regional Convention
Parish Ministries and Faith Formation
Beyond its liturgy, the cathedral supports a wide range of parish ministries organized into Liturgy, Pastoral Care, Parish Organizations, Heritage, and Councils, alongside a vibrant Faith Formation program and a Young Adults community for men and women ages 18–39. The Vocations ministry and the Cathedral's Museum and Archives support the New Evangelization and the Shrine's identity as a catechism in stone and glass.
- Liturgy, Pastoral Care, Parish Organizations
- Heritage, Councils
- Young Adults (ages 18–39)
- Faith Formation / Religious Education (Director: listed as M. Jenny)
- Vocations ministry
- Cathedral Museum and Archives
- RCIA — coordinated through the Faith Formation page
Tours and Pilgrimages
The Cathedral welcomes thousands of visitors from across the country and around the world each year. Docent-led Highlights Tours run Monday through Friday at 1:00 PM; private tours and pilgrimages can be arranged through the Tour Department by email or phone. A 360° virtual panoramic tour is available online, and self-guided tour booklets are sold at the Tour Desk.
- Docent Highlights Tours: Mon–Fri at 1:00 PM (holidays excepted)
- Recommended donation: $5–$6 per person
- Self-Guided Tour Booklets available at the Tour Desk ($3–$5)
- Virtual Tour: www.stpaulcathedraltour.com and Google Maps
- Pilgrimages for churches or schools by request through the Tour Department
- Tour Office: 651.357.1327, [email protected]
Clergy, Staff, and Parish Leadership
The Cathedral is led by Rector and Pastor Rev. Joseph Johnson, who is serving his second stint after a 2012–2024 hiatus. Two parochial vicars, Fr. Ryan Glaser and Fr. Kyle Etzel, assist him, supported by three permanent deacons. The Archdiocese of Saint Paul and Minneapolis, headed by Archbishop Bernard Hebda, treats the Cathedral as its co-cathedral; the Archbishop himself often celebrates the Saturday Vigil Mass.
- Rector & Pastor: Rev. Joseph Johnson
- Parochial Vicar: Rev. Ryan Glaser
- Parochial Vicar: Rev. Kyle Etzel
- Deacons: Joseph Michalak, Phil Stewart, Ron Schmitz
- Archbishop: Most Rev. Bernard Hebda
- Business Administrator: Trever Bergman
- Director of Operations: Chris Ransom
- Director of Religious Education: M. Jenny
- Director of Communications and Tour Coordinator & Gift Shop Manager: Patti Cibuzar
- Coordinator of Liturgy: Jennifer Mak
- Parish Administrative Assistant / Mass Intentions / Sacramental Records: Sue Kruchten
- Assistant to the Rector: Pat Sticha
Pastors & rectors through the years
- Father Lucien Galtier1840–1844 (founding pastor of the log chapel, 1841)
Newly ordained French-Canadian priest who built the first chapel and gave the settlement its present name of Saint Paul.
- Father (later Bishop) Augustine/Augustin Ravoux1844–1858 (and again briefly as diocesan administrator)
Enlarged the log chapel; later as administrator completed the third cathedral after Crétin's death and the 1857 panic.
- Bishop Joseph Crétin1851–1857 (first Bishop of Saint Paul)
Proclaimed the log chapel a cathedral at his installation; built the second and began the third cathedrals.
- Bishop Thomas Langdon Grace1859–1884
Served in the third cathedral era; planted seeds for a future fourth cathedral.
- Archbishop John Ireland1884–1918 (Archbishop from 1888)
Driving force behind the present cathedral; selected architect Masqueray and laid the cornerstone in 1907.
- Rev. J. Lawler1915 – May 1916
First rector of the present Cathedral of Saint Paul (coincided with auxiliary bishop John Jeremiah Lawler).
- Rev. T. J. GibbonsMay 1916 – July 1916
Brief early rectorship.
- Rev. L. F. RyanJuly 1916 – 1940
Longest early tenure through the era of interior decoration.
- Rev. J. J. Cullinan1940–1942
- Bishop Francis J. Schenk1942–1945 (rector; later Bishop of Crookston)
Preached the sermon at the 1958 consecration while Bishop of Crookston.
- Rev. George E. Ryan1945 – c. 1960s
- Rev. Gerald Francis O'Keefe1961–1967
Rector during the years surrounding the 1958 consecration and Vatican II.
- Rev. Ambrose Hayden1967–1993
- Rev. John Estrem1993–2004
- Rev. Michael C. Skluzacek2004–2006
- Rev. Joseph Johnson2006–2012 (first stint)
Later returned in 2024 for a second stint as rector.
- Rev. John Ubel2012–2024 (twelve years)
Returned to St. Agnes in Saint Paul on Johnson's return; was the 22nd rector.
- Rev. Joseph Johnson2024–present
Returned for a second rectorship at Archbishop Bernard Hebda's request, succeeding himself in a rare occurrence.
