Cathedral of Saint Paul

History & Significance

Cathedral · Est. Built 1868–1875; elevated to cathedral in 1950

The Cathedral of Saint Paul in Worcester, Massachusetts, began as a parish church founded by Father John Power, who broke ground in 1868 on a design by architects E. Boyden & Son; the church was dedicated in 1875 and its granite tower completed in 1889. When Pope Pius XII established the Diocese of Worcester in 1950, Saint Paul Church was elevated to a cathedral, becoming the mother church and seat of the diocese under its first bishop, John J. Wright, installed March 7, 1950. It remains the cathedral of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Worcester.

Victorian Gothic Revival, built of granite

• •Mother church and cathedral seat of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Worcester, Massachusetts
• •Began as a parish church; ground broken 1868 and dedicated 1875, with granite tower completed 1889
• •Designed by architects E. Boyden & Son (Elbridge Boyden)
• •Elevated to cathedral status in 1950 when Pope Pius XII created the Diocese of Worcester
• •Added to the National Register of Historic Places on March 5, 1980