About Saint Patrick · Harrisburg, Pennsylvania
The Cathedral Parish of Saint Patrick is the mother church of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Harrisburg, located at 212 State Street in downtown Harrisburg, Pennsylvania. Founded as an Irish-immigrant mission in 1826 and elevated to pro-cathedral when the diocese was created in 1868, the current granite Baroque Revival cathedral was constructed between 1904 and 1907 to a design by Philadelphia architect George I. Lovatt, Sr., at a cost of $250,000 raised across the diocese. In 1995 the parishes of Sacred Heart of Jesus and Saint Lawrence merged into the Cathedral Parish, with the Saint Lawrence Church (110 State Street) continuing as the Cathedral Chapel and home to the Mater Dei Latin Mass Community. The Cathedral celebrated its bicentennial beginning July 1, 2026, marking 200 years of Catholic faith and ministry in the Harrisburg community.
- Established
- 1826
- Patron
- Saint Patrick
- Rector
- Very Rev. Joshua R. Brommer
- Diocese
- Roman Catholic Diocese of Harrisburg
Why belong here
Saint Patrick is the spiritual heart of Catholic life in the Harrisburg area — the mother church of the Diocese of Harrisburg, where the Bishop's cathedra resides and where dozens of liturgies, devotions, and civic prayer events take place each year. The parish combines the stability of nearly two centuries of tradition with a vibrant slate of more than 50 ministries, including a Community Meal Program, Shining Light Thrift Store, Prison Ministry, Marriage Mentors, the Mercy Matters social-justice committee, the Knights of Columbus, the Music Under the Dome concert series, the Mater Dei Latin Mass Community at Saint Lawrence Chapel, and the parish-connected Harrisburg Catholic Elementary School. For anyone seeking a deeply rooted, socially engaged Catholic home in downtown Harrisburg — with daily Mass, multiple Sunday options, regular Eucharistic Adoration, and weekly confession — the Cathedral Parish is an unusually welcoming place to belong.
Mass times at Saint Patrick
Weekly Mass schedule
Confession times
- Monday 12:30 PM (after Noon Mass)
- Thursday 12:30 PM (after Noon Mass)
- Friday 12:30 PM (after Noon Mass)
- Saturday 4:15–5:00 PM
- St. Lawrence Chapel: 30 minutes before every Latin Mass
- Anytime by appointment
Adoration times
- Scheduled Holy Hours for special diocesan and parish intentions (e.g., Holy Hour for Peace, Eucharistic Adoration for Life on the anniversary of Roe v. Wade)
- Diocesan-wide days of Eucharistic Adoration announced via the Catholic Witness and parish website
History & Heritage
The Cathedral Parish of Saint Patrick traces its origin to a small Catholic mission in Harrisburg documented in 1806 by the Sulpician historian Father Jean Dilhet, growing out of German Jesuit ministry from Conewago and Lancaster. Irish immigrants imported for the Pennsylvania Canal project prompted the relocation of the parish toward the Susquehanna; Father Patrick Leary purchased the State Street site in 1824 and laid the cornerstone on April 22, 1826. The first Saint Patrick Church — built for $6,500 — was blessed on October 21, 1827, in honor of Saint Patrick. Visited by Saint John Neumann in 1855 and 1857, the parish was designated pro-cathedral when Pope Pius IX created the Diocese of Harrisburg on March 3, 1868. The present granite Baroque Revival cathedral, designed by George I. Lovatt, Sr., was constructed 1904–1907 by the McShane Company at a cost of $250,000 raised across the diocese. Major diocesan-wide renovations came under Bishop George L. Leech in 1948–1949, a $250,000-plus exterior project in 2003, and the comprehensive interior renewal of 2006 in time for the Cathedral's centennial.
- Cornerstone laid 1826; church dedicated October 21, 1827
- Pro-cathedral from 1868; present cathedral completed March 1, 1907 and dedicated May 14, 1907
- NRHP-listed January 19, 1976 (Harrisburg Historic District)
- 1995 merger with parishes of Sacred Heart of Jesus and Saint Lawrence
- Bicentennial celebration runs July 1, 2026 – July 1, 2027
Architecture & Sacred Art
Designed by Philadelphia architect George I. Lovatt, Sr., the Cathedral is cruciform, executed in the Baroque Revival style with Renaissance Revival influences and capped by a classically inspired dome. The exterior is sheathed in sturdy North Carolina granite. Inside, the nave is separated from the aisles by two rows of granite columns supporting a gracefully vaulted ceiling; walls are wainscoted in oriental marble crowned by Connemara marble rising nine feet. Forty-four stained-glass windows in the nave were imported from Munich, Germany, and the original marble altar was patterned after Bernini's altar in the Chapel of the Blessed Sacrament at St. Peter's Basilica, Rome. The carved figures of the original pulpit were styled after a fresco in the Roman Catacombs, depicting the four evangelists and the Divine Lamb on the Mystic Mount. The 2006 renovation made the altar free-standing, relocated the tabernacle to the center of the sanctuary, replaced the ambo, and repositioned the Bishop's cathedra. The chancel and shrines — including those of the Blessed Virgin Mary and Saint Joseph finished in simulated bronze with gold highlights — were redone.
- Architect: George I. Lovatt, Sr. (Philadelphia)
- Builder: McShane Company (Philadelphia)
- Style: Baroque Revival / Renaissance Revival with classically influenced dome
- Materials: North Carolina granite exterior; oriental + Connemara marble interior; Munich stained glass
- High altar inspired by Bernini's altar at St. Peter's Basilica
Worship, Liturgy & Music
Cathedral liturgies are celebrated in English in the Ordinary Form, with the Traditional Latin Mass and other Latin rites offered at the Cathedral Chapel of St. Lawrence (110 State Street) by the Mater Dei Latin Mass Community. The 9:30 AM Sunday Mass in the Cathedral is livestreamed for those at home. Pastoral music is led by Dr. Richard Skirpan, Director of Liturgical Music and Choirmaster, with active choirs and a parish Music Ministry that supports the broader liturgical life. Beyond regular Masses, the Cathedral hosts special diocesan Holy Hours, the annual Day of Prayer for the Legal Protection of Unborn Children (January 22 — noon Mass followed by afternoon Eucharistic Adoration for Life), and the acclaimed 'Music Under the Dome' concert series curated by Matthew Robinson.
- Director of Liturgical Music & Choirmaster: Dr. Richard Skirpan
- Music Under the Dome series: 13 evenings of sacred, classical, Celtic, jazz, opera, and Broadway repertoire
- Mater Dei Latin Mass Community at St. Lawrence Chapel
- 9:30 AM Sunday Mass livestreamed
Sacraments
Reconciliation is offered four times a week in the Cathedral and before every Latin Mass at St. Lawrence Chapel, with appointments available on request. Daily Mass Monday through Friday at 12:00 PM, the Saturday Vigil at 5:30 PM, and three Sunday Masses (7:30, 9:30 livestreamed, 12:15) form the backbone of parish sacramental life. Couples preparing for marriage are welcomed and supported through the Marriage Mentors ministry, a peer-based enrichment program for engaged Catholics.
- Confession: Mon/Thu/Fri 12:30 PM; Sat 4:15–5:00 PM; 30 minutes before every Latin Mass; by appointment
- Marriage preparation: Marriage Mentors ministry
- Anointing and Communion for the homebound and hospitalized: contact the parish office
Devotions & Special Observances
Adoration of the Blessed Sacrament is offered at special holy hours during the year, including the diocesan Holy Hour for Peace and the annual afternoon of Eucharistic Adoration for Life on January 22. The Cathedral also coordinates with the Diocese of Harrisburg on votive Masses and other prayer gatherings that draw the wider faith community.
- Holy Hours for Peace (diocesan, hosted at the Cathedral)
- Eucharistic Adoration for Life (January 22, Day of Prayer for the Legal Protection of Unborn Children)
- Shrines of the Blessed Virgin Mary and Saint Joseph
- Stations of the Cross (renewed in 2006)
Service, Outreach & Social Justice
The Cathedral Parish runs more than 50 ministries rooted in the corporal and spiritual Works of Mercy. The Community Meal Program offers a Saturday breakfast and Sunday dinner to neighbors in need; the Shining Light Thrift Store distributes free clothing and goods; the Prison Ministry accompanies those incarcerated; Marriage Mentors accompany engaged couples; the Mercy Matters committee organizes parish-wide social-justice education and service. The Cathedral is a partner agency of the Central Pennsylvania Food Bank, where parishioners logged 42 service hours in a single Hunger Action Month event. Knights of Columbus members support and assist many of these parish efforts.
- Community Meal Program (Saturday breakfast, Sunday dinner)
- Shining Light Thrift Store
- Prison Ministry
- Mercy Matters (corporal & spiritual Works of Mercy, social justice)
- Marriage Mentors
- Knights of Columbus
- Central Pennsylvania Food Bank service days
Education & Faith Formation
The Cathedral Parish is associated with the Harrisburg Catholic Elementary School, which brings a faith-filled Catholic education to the surrounding community and shares campus-adjacent facilities with the parish (the banquet hall of Der Harrisburg Maennerchor sits next to the school). Family faith formation accompanies the school and broader parish life, including special family Adoration evenings. Catholic-school families report being regularly invited into the broader parish community for the sacraments, devotions, and service opportunities.
- Harrisburg Catholic Elementary School (grades served on the parish-connected campus)
- Family faith formation gatherings (Adoration, Scripture, Reconciliation)
- School-community service ties through Mercy Matters
Cathedral Chapel of Saint Lawrence (Mater Dei Latin Mass Community)
Following the 1995 merger of Saint Lawrence Parish into the Cathedral Parish, the Saint Lawrence Church building at 110 State Street continues in active use as the Cathedral Chapel and is home to the Mater Dei Latin Mass Community. A full schedule of Traditional Latin Masses — including a Sunday High Mass at 11:00 AM — is offered alongside weekday Latin Masses and confession 30 minutes before every Mass. The original Saint Lawrence Parish was founded in 1859 to serve German-speaking Catholics in the Harrisburg area, and the current Saint Lawrence Church building was completed in 1918.
- Location: 110 State Street, Harrisburg, PA 17101
- Sunday Latin Masses: 7:30 AM, 9:00 AM, 11:00 AM (High Mass), 6:00 PM
- Weekday Latin Masses Monday through Saturday at the times listed on the diocesan schedule
- Sacrament of Penance 30 minutes before every Mass
Cathedral Staff & Lay Leadership
The Cathedral Parish is served by Very Rev. Joshua R. Brommer as Rector and Pastor, with Deacon Thomas A. Lang assisting as Pastoral Associate. Dr. Richard Skirpan directs liturgical music as Director of Liturgical Music and Choirmaster. Lay staff include Mary Jo Telep and Mim Eichelberger (Parish Secretaries), Fran Thompson (Parish Office Assistant), Tanya Dick (Finance Secretary), Lisa Reisteter (Events Coordinator), and Christine Olarte (Communications Coordinator).
- Rector and Pastor: Very Rev. Joshua R. Brommer
- Deacon Thomas A. Lang — Pastoral Associate
- Dr. Richard Skirpan — Director of Liturgical Music and Choirmaster
- Parish Office staff: Mary Jo Telep, Mim Eichelberger, Fran Thompson, Tanya Dick, Lisa Reisteter, Christine Olarte
Pastors & rectors through the years
- Rev. Patrick Leary1824–
Purchased the present State Street site in 1824 and laid the cornerstone of the original church in 1826.
- Rev. Jeremiah (first Bishop of the newly established diocese period)
Identified in historical parish materials as 'The Rev. Jeremiah' connected with the early diocesan era.
- Most Rev. John W. Shanahan1868–
First bishop; proposed construction of the present Cathedral at the 1902 diocesan synod (served as ordinary, not parish rector).
- Most Rev. George L. Leech1945–
Bishop whose 1948–1949 diocesan-wide renovation redecorated the Cathedral (served as ordinary of the diocese).