About St. Joseph Cathedral · Manchester, New Hampshire
Saint Joseph Cathedral is the cathedral church (mother church) of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Manchester, which covers the entire state of New Hampshire. Located at 145 Lowell Street in downtown Manchester, it was founded in 1869 to serve the Irish immigrant community of the Amoskeag Manufacturing Company's mill city and was selected as the cathedral when Pope Leo XIII erected the Diocese of Manchester in 1884. Designed in 1866 by the prolific Irish-American Gothic Revival architect Patrick C. Keely, the building was expanded in the early 1890s and consecrated as a cathedral on April 15, 1894. It is renowned for its soaring neo-Gothic interior, the Innsbruck-made Tiroler Glasmalerei stained-glass windows, and its role hosting major diocesan liturgies such as ordinations, the Chrism Mass, and the Red Mass.
- Established
- 1869
- Patron
- Saint Joseph
- Rector
- Very Reverend Jason Y. Jalbert (Rector and Pastor)
- Diocese
- Roman Catholic Diocese of Manchester
Why belong here
St. Joseph is more than the geographic 'mother church' of New Hampshire Catholics — it is the seat from which the Bishop of Manchester teaches, sanctifies and governs, and the site where ordinations, the Chrism Mass, the Red Mass and the funerals of priests are celebrated. Daily Mass (Monday–Saturday, including a First Friday noon Mass) and a half-dozen weekend Masses are offered in a setting that has just been painstakingly restored to its Victorian-Gothic Keely design. The parish supports a robust devotional life — Eucharistic Adoration three times a week, Confession six days a week, the Rosary after every morning Mass, the Chaplet of Divine Mercy and First Friday devotions — alongside outreach ministries (food pantry, Praying on Pennacook Street sidewalk counseling, the Pennacook Pregnancy Center partnership), a Director of Religious Education, the Little First Friday Club for young families, Brothers in Christ, Sisters in Christ, a Young Adult group, OCIA (RCIA), Knights of Columbus, and a Cathedral Tour program that lets visitors see the Innsbruck stained-glass windows and the bishop's crypt.
Mass times at St. Joseph Cathedral
Weekly Mass schedule
Confession times
- Monday: 7:30–8:00 AM (Chapel)
- Tuesday: 7:30–8:00 AM (Chapel)
- Wednesday: 7:30–8:00 AM (Chapel)
- Thursday: 7:30–8:00 AM (Chapel)
- Friday: 7:30–8:00 AM (Chapel)
- Saturday: 7:30–8:00 AM and 2:30–3:30 PM (Cathedral)
Adoration times
- Wednesday: 7:30 AM – 6:00 PM (Chapel) — the 3:00–4:00 PM hour includes the Chaplet of Divine Mercy, the Rosary and reparation prayers
- Saturday: 8:30–9:30 AM (Chapel)
- First Friday: 7:30–8:30 AM (Chapel)
About the Cathedral
Saint Joseph Cathedral is the 'mother church' (cathedra) of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Manchester — the seat from which the Tenth Bishop of Manchester, the Most Reverend Peter A. Libasci, teaches, sanctifies and governs the Catholics of New Hampshire. The parish community dates from 1869, when it was founded by Father McDonald of St. Anne's parish to serve Manchester's Irish millworkers; it became a cathedral in 1884 when Pope Leo XIII erected the diocese. Today the parish welcomes residents and visitors to traditional reverent liturgy, daily Mass and Adoration, an outreach food pantry, and an active calendar of faith-formation, men's, women's, young-adult and family ministries.
- Established 1869
- Became cathedral April 15, 1884 with the erection of the Diocese of Manchester
- Consecrated as cathedral April 15, 1894
- Rector and Pastor: Very Reverend Jason Y. Jalbert
History of the Parish and Cathedral Building
The cathedral's story begins in 1862 with Father McDonald's $5,025 land purchase at Lowell and Pine Streets; the church designed by Patrick C. Keely was built 1867–1869 for $56,498.81 (much of it by millworker-parishioners) and dedicated on April 18, 1869. Parish growth under Father Denis M. Bradley led to his appointment as the first Bishop of Manchester in 1884. By 1892 the building had to be enlarged — the present sanctuary, sacristy, Blessed Sacrament Chapel, bishop's burial vault and Innsbruck stained-glass windows were added — and on April 15, 1894 Bishop Bradley consecrated the new cathedral. Stripped of its ornamentation in the 1969 post-Vatican-II reordering, the interior has been gradually restored since 2014 using comparable furnishings from Boston's now-closed Holy Trinity Church.
- 1862 — land purchased at Lowell & Pine Streets for $5,025
- 1866 — Patrick C. Keely of Brooklyn chosen as architect
- 1867–1869 — church built for $56,498.81
- April 18, 1869 — dedicated by Archbishop John J. Williams of Boston; Rev. John O'Brien appointed first pastor
- June 1880 — Rev. Denis M. Bradley appointed pastor
- April 15, 1884 — Diocese of Manchester erected by Pope Leo XIII; St. Joseph named its cathedral; Bradley named first bishop
- June 11, 1884 — Bradley consecrated first bishop (then youngest in the U.S.)
- 1885 — present rectory constructed
- 1892–1894 — major expansion ($100,000); Innsbruck stained-glass windows installed
- April 15, 1894 — cathedral consecrated
- December 13, 1903 — death of Bishop Bradley
- September 8, 1904 — John B. Delaney consecrated second bishop; bishop's monument erected in cemetery
- 1969 — interior adapted to Vatican II changes (high altar, Stations of the Cross removed)
- 2014 — diocese begins multi-phase restoration using furnishings from Boston's Holy Trinity Church
Architecture, Art and the Innsbruck Stained-Glass Windows
The cathedral is a neo-Gothic / Victorian Gothic Revival building designed by one of 19th-century America's most prolific Catholic architects, Patrick C. Keely. The 1892–1894 expansion gave it the present sanctuary, sacristy and Chapel of the Blessed Sacrament, plus the Innsbruck-made Tiroler Glasmalerei windows — among the finest liturgical-art glass made in their era. The National Catholic Register has described the restoration as 'Keely restoring Keely.'
- Architect: Patrick C. Keely (1816–1896) of Brooklyn, NY
- Style: Neo-/Victorian Gothic Revival
- Stained glass: Tiroler Glasmalerei und Mosaik Anstalt, Innsbruck, Austria
- Two original 1869 windows preserved in the Blessed Sacrament Chapel
- Subjects of 1894 windows include Creation, Annunciation, Wedding at Cana, Good Shepherd, Coronation of Mary
- Bishop's burial vault beneath the high altar (built 1892–1894)
- Video tour 'Meditations in Light' available on the parish website and YouTube
Clergy and Parish Staff
The parish is led by its Rector and Pastor, Very Reverend Jason Y. Jalbert — a Berlin, NH native ordained June 7, 2003 who has served as Master of Ceremonies and Priest Secretary to two bishops, as Director of Vocations and of Seminary Formation, and since January 1, 2017 as Rector of the Cathedral. He also serves as Rector of St. Patrick Mission at Hampton Beach and as Director of the Diocesan Office for Worship. The pastoral team includes a Permanent Deacon, a Transitional Deacon, several priests in residence and a full office staff.
- Very Rev. Jason Y. Jalbert — Rector and Pastor (since Jan 1, 2017)
- Rev. Eric T. Delisle — Pastor of Saint Hedwig Parish (in residence)
- Rev. Patrick Bhatti — Chaplain, Catholic Medical Center (in residence)
- Deacon Karl T. Cooper — Permanent Deacon (ordained Sept 9, 2017)
- Deacon Guillaume Temkkit — Transitional Deacon (ordained Jan 10, 2026)
- Most Rev. Francis J. Christian — Auxiliary Bishop Emeritus (in residence)
- Msgr. C. Peter Dumont — Retired (in residence)
- Rev. Jeffrey Statz — Pastor, St. Francis of Assisi Parish (in residence)
- Mr. Horngam 'Patrick' Razhamah — Seminarian
- Mrs. Heather Algozzine — Administrative Assistant
- Mr. Eric J. Bermani, DMin — Director of Music
- Ms. Karol Carroll — Bookkeeper
- Mrs. Anna Daly — Director of Religious Education
- Ms. Judy Labbe-Huard — Communications & Parish Support
Faith Formation and Religious Education
Ongoing faith formation is coordinated by the parish's Director of Religious Education, Anna Daly. Sacramental preparation for adults is offered through OCIA (the restored Order of Christian Initiation of Adults), meeting Tuesday evenings at 7:00 PM in Bishop Bradley Hall. Families with young children are welcomed through the Little First Friday Club, which gathers after the First Friday 12:10 PM Mass for playtime and learning together; children earn a punch card for nine consecutive First Friday Masses in devotion to the Sacred Heart.
- OCIA (RCIA) — Tuesdays 7:00 PM in Bishop Bradley Hall
- Religious Education Director: Anna Daly
- Little First Friday Club — after the 12:10 PM First Friday Mass
- Diocesan Spring Confirmation celebrated annually at the Cathedral
Parish Ministries and Groups
The cathedral supports a broad range of spiritual, formation, fellowship and outreach ministries. Patrons can join the Brothers in Christ men's discussion group (Saturdays at 9:00 AM), the Sisters in Christ women's group (Thursdays at 10:00 AM), the Young Adult group (Thursdays at 6:00 PM), or the parish Council of the Knights of Columbus. Outreach efforts include the Parish Food Pantry (by appointment), sidewalk prayer counseling outside the Pennacook Pregnancy Center ('Praying on Pennacook Street'), and the New Hampshire Catholic Appeal annual parish campaign.
- Brothers in Christ — Saturdays 9:00 AM, Bishop Bradley Hall
- Sisters in Christ — Thursdays 10:00 AM, Bishop Bradley Hall
- Young Adult Group — Thursdays 6:00 PM, Bishop Bradley Hall
- Knights of Columbus
- Parish Outreach Food Pantry (by appointment only)
- Praying on Pennacook Street
- Pennacook Pregnancy Center partnership
- Cathedral Tour volunteers
- Men's Ministry outreach — 'The Barber on Bishop Bradley Lane' visits periodically
- Sanctuary Lamp sponsorship program
- NH Catholic Appeal annual parish campaign (2025 parish goal $63,939)
Sacraments and Devotions
All seven sacraments are accessible through the cathedral, with Baptism and Marriage requests submitted via online forms on the parish website. Reconciliation is heard every day of the week. First Friday devotions — the noon Mass, the Little First Friday Club and 7:30–8:30 AM Adoration — keep alive the traditional Sacred Heart practice. The Children's Consecration and Rosary led by Bishop Libasci and the annual Anniversary Mass for married couples round out the devotional calendar.
- Baptism — request form on the website
- Marriage — inquiry form on the website; couples receive annual invitations to the Bishop's Anniversary Mass
- Reconciliation — daily Mon–Sat (see Mass section)
- Eucharist — daily and Sunday Masses, Adoration three times a week
- Anointing of the Sick — through the parish office or Catholic Medical Center chaplaincy
- Holy Orders / Vocations — hosted at the Cathedral (ordinations each year)
- Confirmation — Diocesan Spring Confirmation celebrated annually
- First Friday devotions and Little First Friday Club
- Children's Consecration and Rosary (led by Bishop Libasci)
- Anniversary Mass for married couples
Visiting, Tours and the Cathedral Gift Shop
Visitors are warmly welcomed at the cathedral throughout the week. The Chapel of the Blessed Sacrament stays open Monday through Saturday for quiet prayer (until 5:00 PM, extended to 6:00 PM on Wednesdays). Free public Cathedral Tours are offered several times a year, showcasing the Innsbruck stained-glass windows, the restored High Altar and the Crypt of the Bishops. The on-site Gift Shop is open six days a week. A video tour, 'Meditations in Light,' is available on the cathedral website and YouTube.
- Chapel open Mon–Sat until 5:00 PM (6:00 PM Wednesdays)
- Cathedral Tours — free, begin in the vestibule; no registration required
- Tour highlights: 150+ year history, Innsbruck stained-glass windows, restored High Altar, Bishop's Crypt
- Cathedral Gift Shop — Mon–Tue 9:00–2:00, Wed 9:00–5:30, Thu 9:00–2:00, Fri 9:00–2:00, Sat 9:00–3:30
- Video tour 'Meditations in Light' on the cathedral website and YouTube
Pastors & rectors through the years
- Reverend John O'Brien1869–1880
First pastor of St. Joseph Parish, appointed upon dedication of the new church on April 18, 1869.
- Reverend Denis M. Bradley1880–1884
Became the first Bishop of Manchester in 1884 (the year the diocese was erected); youngest bishop in the United States at his consecration on June 11, 1884.
- Most Reverend Peter A. Libascipresent (Tenth Bishop of Manchester)
Diocesan bishop; serves as principal celebrant of cathedral liturgies.
