About Cathedral of the Holy Angels · Gary, Indiana
The Cathedral of the Holy Angels is the mother church of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Gary and the home of Holy Angels Parish, located at 640 Tyler Street in Gary, Indiana. The parish itself is the oldest in the city — it was established in September 1906 by Rev. Msgr. F. Thomas Jansen — while the present Gothic Revival limestone church was built in the late 1940s and dedicated on January 29, 1950. When Pope Pius XII erected the Diocese of Gary on December 10, 1956, Holy Angels Church was elevated to cathedral status. Staffed today by Franciscan (OFM) friars, the cathedral serves simultaneously as a working parish church, the seat of the diocesan bishop (currently Most Rev. Robert J. McClory), and a gathering place for major diocesan liturgies and events.
- Established
- 1906
- Patron
- The Holy Angels
- Rector
- Rev. Michael Surufka, OFM (Rector)
- Diocese
- Diocese of Gary
Why belong here
Holy Angels is, in the parish's own words, "everybody's parish" — a historically diverse, multicultural Catholic community in the heart of Gary where the diocese's mother church is also a working neighborhood parish. Visitors can attend Sunday Mass (livestreamed and in person), make a weekday confession, take part in First Friday Eucharistic Adoration with Vespers, walk through a cathedral whose art, baptismal font, altar and cathedra visually narrate the Christian journey from Font to Altar to Ministry, and connect with faith formation, music ministry, and a pastoral council. As the cathedral, it is also a natural place to encounter the broader diocesan Church — installations of bishops, ordinations, Confirmation retreats for young people from across Northwest Indiana, and Eucharistic processions all happen here.
Mass times at Cathedral of the Holy Angels
Weekly Mass schedule
Confession times
- Sundays, 10:00–10:45 AM (per parish bulletin/DiscoverMass)
- First Friday — all day, during the First Friday Eucharistic Adoration
- Always available by appointment
Adoration times
- First Friday — all day Eucharistic Adoration, with Vespers at 6:45 PM
History of the Cathedral of the Holy Angels
Holy Angels Parish was established in September 1906 by Rev. Msgr. F. Thomas Jansen as the first Catholic parish in the city of Gary, with its first Mass celebrated in a tavern at Fifth and Broadway. By 1934 the parish had grown to more than 3,000 members, and in 1947 the cornerstone was laid for the present Gothic Revival limestone church, which was dedicated on January 29, 1950. In 1956 Pope Pius XII created the Diocese of Gary and elevated Holy Angels Church to cathedral status, and on January 26, 1998 Bishop Dale Melczek formally dedicated the renewed cathedral after the 1997 renovation. Both Bishop Andrew Grutka (first bishop of Gary, d. 1993) and Bishop Dale Melczek (third bishop, d. 2022) are entombed in the east transept.
- Parish founded September 1906 by Msgr. F. Thomas Jansen
- First Mass in a tavern at Fifth and Broadway
- Cornerstone of present church laid October 26, 1947
- Dedicated January 29, 1950 by Bishop John F. Noll of Fort Wayne
- Elevated to cathedral December 10, 1956 (Diocese of Gary erected)
- First renovation 1972 under Bishop Grutka
- Major interior renewal 1997–1998 under Bishop Melczek
- Cathedral formally dedicated January 26, 1998 by Bishop Melczek
Architecture, Art and the Cathedral Tour
The cathedral is a Gothic Revival structure built of limestone with a steel skeleton (almost certainly forged at the neighboring U.S. Steel mill), engaged buttresses, and a flèche over the crossing. The parish publishes a formal Cathedral Tour that walks visitors through the worship space: the green terrazzo floor symbolically guides worshippers from the narthex to the baptismal font, encircles the marble altar inlaid with mosaic angels, and branches into the presbytery and assembly — visualizing the Christian journey from Font to Altar to Ministry.
- Style: Gothic Revival (English School)
- Material: Limestone exterior with steel skeleton
- Engaged (not flying) buttresses; flèche over crossing
- Marble square altar surrounded by floor mosaics of angels
- Apse reredos and Calvary grouping from the original high altar
- Black-walnut cathedra (bishop's chair) installed 1996
- Travertine baptismal pool with pillars recycled from the original altar
- Holy Angels Shrine in east transept — entombs Bishops Grutka and Melczek
- Reservation Chapel with tabernacle behind a cross of four carved angels
- Stained glass visible from the vaulted nave
Cathedral Clergy and Parish Staff
The cathedral is staffed by Franciscan friars of the Order of Friars Minor (OFM). Fr. Michael Surufka, OFM serves as Rector/Pastor, supported by Associate Pastors Fr. Edward Shea, OFM and Fr. Aaron Richardson, OFM, with Br. Loren Connell, OFM in residence. Deacons Martin Brown and Jose A. Serrano Galarza assist. Eileen Wayte is the parish Administrative Assistant, Matt Kresich directs Faith Formation, and David Herr (with Anthony Holt also listed in a recent bulletin) directs Music Ministry.
- Fr. Michael Surufka, OFM — Rector/Pastor
- Fr. Edward Shea, OFM — Associate Pastor
- Fr. Aaron Richardson, OFM — Associate Pastor
- Br. Loren Connell, OFM — In-Residence
- Deacon Martin Brown
- Deacon Jose A. Serrano Galarza
- Eileen Wayte — Administrative Assistant
- Matt Kresich — Faith Formation
- David Herr — Music Ministry
- Reynald Grady — Pastoral Council Chair
- Maria Ramos — Finance Council Chair
Sacraments and Parish Life
As both a working parish and the diocesan cathedral, Holy Angels celebrates the full range of Catholic sacraments — Baptism, Confirmation, Eucharist (including First Communion), Reconciliation, Marriage, and Anointing of the Sick. The parish's Parish Life page directs visitors to information on making the sacraments and on weekly bulletins. The cathedral is also the regular site for Confirmation retreats from across the diocese.
- Baptism
- Confirmation (including diocesan Confirmation retreats)
- Eucharist and First Communion
- Reconciliation / Confession
- Marriage
- Anointing of the Sick
Faith Formation and Music Ministry
Faith Formation at Holy Angels is directed by Matt Kresich and works with families and children in religious education. Music Ministry is led by David Herr and supports the cathedral's Sunday and weekday Masses, livestreamed liturgies, and special diocesan celebrations. The cathedral itself, with its art, stained glass, and carefully ordered worship space, is used as a teaching tool during diocesan Confirmation retreats.
- Faith Formation Director: Matt Kresich
- Music Ministry Director: David Herr (also Anthony Holt, recent bulletin)
- Diocesan Confirmation retreats hosted at the cathedral
Diocesan Role and the Bishop
The Cathedral of the Holy Angels is the seat of the Diocese of Gary and the home of its bishop, Most Rev. Robert J. McClory. It is the site of major diocesan celebrations including the installations of Bishop Donald J. Hying (January 6, 2015) and Bishop Robert J. McClory (February 1, 2020), ordinations, the 50th anniversary Mass of Thanksgiving (2007), and Eucharistic processions from downtown Gary to the cathedral.
- Diocese of Gary established December 1956
- Current bishop: Most Rev. Robert J. McClory (installed 2020)
- First bishop: Andrew G. Grutka (installed 1957)
- Third bishop: Dale J. Melczek (cathedral renewed under his leadership)
- Cathedral is the diocesan liturgical center
Visiting the Cathedral
The cathedral publishes an online Cathedral Tour walking visitors through its liturgical art and architecture. The 11:00 AM Sunday Mass is livestreamed and open to the public, and the cathedral welcomes visitors during weekday office hours (via the parish office at 219-882-6079). The Holy Angels Shrine in the east transept — with its entombed bishops and Ethiopian-Coptic Synaxis icon — is a focal point for visitors.
- Online Cathedral Tour: garycathedral.org/cathedral-tour
- Sunday Mass livestream on parish website and Facebook
- Holy Angels Shrine with entombed Bishops Grutka and Melczek
- Parking available on site
- Confirm accessibility with parish office
Pastors & rectors through the years
- Rev. Msgr. F. Thomas Jansen1906–
Founder; celebrated first parish Mass in a tavern at Fifth and Broadway.
- Rev. John A. Sullivan1940s
Pastor during construction of the present Gothic Revival church (cornerstone 1947, dedicated 1950).
.jpg (Wikipedia, cathedral from the southeast, 2012) "Cathedral of the Holy Angels")