Cathedral of St. Catharine of Siena

History & Significance

Cathedral · Est. Parish founded 1919; elevated to cathedral in 1961

The Cathedral of St. Catharine of Siena in Allentown, Pennsylvania, traces its origins to St. Catharine of Siena Parish, founded on October 8, 1919, by Archbishop Dennis Cardinal Dougherty of the Archdiocese of Philadelphia, with Rev. John C. Phelan as first pastor. The present church-school-convent complex at 1825 W. Turner Street was completed in 1953, its cornerstone laid by Auxiliary Bishop Joseph M. McShea. When the Diocese of Allentown was created from the Archdiocese of Philadelphia in 1961, the church became its cathedral, and McShea was installed as Allentown's first bishop on April 11, 1961. It remains the mother church and episcopal seat of the Diocese of Allentown.

Colonial Revival style, brick trimmed with Salem limestone

• •Cathedral and episcopal seat of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Allentown, Pennsylvania
• •Parish founded October 8, 1919 by Archbishop Dennis Cardinal Dougherty of the Archdiocese of Philadelphia
• •Elevated to cathedral in 1961 when the Diocese of Allentown was carved out of the Archdiocese of Philadelphia
• •Joseph M. McShea installed as the first Bishop of Allentown on April 11, 1961
• •Present church completed in 1953; located at 1825 W. Turner Street, Allentown