The Cathedral Parish

Welcome and Parish Mission

The Cathedral Parish describes itself as 'a welcoming Catholic community called by God to live out the message of Christ in love and service to all people.' Its explicit mission is to proclaim the Gospel of Christ to the local community in word, deed, and truth — and to 'build bridges between the Lord and His Church.' The parish welcomes new arrivals, returning Catholics, and inquirers to a community intentionally diverse in language, age, and national origin. Office hours are Monday–Thursday 9:00 AM – 4:00 PM (closed for lunch 1:00 – 2:00 PM) and Friday 9:00 AM – 1:00 PM, and Sunday Mass is livestreamed through the parish website for the homebound and traveling faithful.

• Phone: (203) 368-6777
• Email: [email protected]
• Office: 170 Thompson Street, Bridgeport, CT 06604

History of St. Augustine's Cathedral

The parish was established in 1842 — the first Catholic congregation in Fairfield County — and its present granite Gothic Revival church was completed and dedicated on St. Patrick's Day, March 17, 1868, by Bishop Francis McFarland. Designed by Patrick C. Keely and built of stone hauled by Irish parishioners from the Pequonnock quarry in Black Rock, the cathedral became the mother church of the region. Its 180-foot tower and spire, completed in 1894, have been a defining Bridgeport landmark for more than a century. Major renovations occurred in 1978 (during which most original artwork was lost) and again in 2003–2004, when Bishop William E. Lori directed a $4 million traditional interior refurbishment and capacity expansion to 750, rededicated by the Apostolic Nuncio on December 2, 2004. The cathedral's pipe organ was rebuilt to 42 ranks in 2014 by A. Thompson-Allen (Opus 124).

History of St. Patrick's Church

St. Patrick's was carved out of St. Augustine's as the third division of the mother parish in 1889 to serve the North End. Masses were originally celebrated in a basement church designed by James Murphy of Providence, RI; the present massive superstructure, designed by Dwyer and McMahon of Hartford, was begun with the 1910 cornerstone and completed for a Dedication Mass in November 1913. St. Patrick's merged with St. Augustine's in 2011 to form the modern Cathedral Parish. Today it remains an impressive landmark visible from I-95 and serves as the venue for the Saturday vigil and several weekday Masses (including Spanish and Igbo-Nigerian).

Sacraments

The parish celebrates all seven sacraments and prepares parishioners thoroughly for each. Parents requesting Baptism must attend three preparation classes (information given at the intake meeting). First Communion and Confirmation are prepared through the parish Religious Education program. The adult-initiation process is the parish RCIA, culminating at the Easter Vigil. Matrimony, Anointing of the Sick, and Quinceañera blessings (for teens turning 15 or 16) are arranged through the parish office via downloadable forms.

RCIA — Becoming Catholic

The Rite of Christian Initiation for Adults is a communal, ancient process of study, exploration, faith-sharing, and formation that the parish uses for seekers and inquirers who wish to be fully initiated into the Roman Catholic Church. The journey unfolds in stages — Pre-Catechumenate (inquiry), Rite of Initiation, Catechumenate (lengthy formation), Rite of Election (with the bishop), the Sacraments of Initiation at the Easter Vigil (Baptism, Eucharist, Confirmation), and Mystagogy. A team of sponsors and parishioners accompanies each catechumen throughout the journey.

• Pre-Catechumenate (Period of Inquiry)
• Rite of Initiation
• Catechumenate
• Rite of Election
• Sacraments of Initiation at the Easter Vigil
• Mystagogy ('leading into the mystery')

Religious Education / Faith Formation

The parish runs a Sunday Religious Education program (K through Confirmation preparation) at 170 Thompson St., with First Communion offered annually (First Communion 2025 was a featured celebration). Registration is required, and the parish publishes its tuition scale and Sacramental prerequisites (e.g., a baptismal certificate if not baptized at the parish). The program operates in coordination with parish sacramental preparation, and Spanish-speaking families are specifically welcomed — registration opens in July and August.

• Sunday classes K–Confirmation
• First Communion and Confirmation prep
• Spanish-language intake supported
• Registration July–August

Youth Ministry — LOYAL (Light Of Youth And Life)

The Cathedral Parish Youth Group, called LOYAL — 'Light Of Youth And Life' — meets at St. Patrick's Parish Center in Bridgeport, Sundays from 2:30 PM to 4:30 PM. Open to ages 16–21, LOYAL gathers young people for fellowship, fun, and spiritual growth in Jesus Christ. The Diocesan Choir, which also rehearses Monday evenings at the cathedral, is open to singers from high school age upward (Virtus certification required for adults).

• LOYAL Youth Group (ages 16–21)
• Diocesan Choir (high school age and older, Monday evenings)
• Spanish Choir (Thursdays 7:00 PM at St. Augustine)

Liturgical and Music Ministries

The parish cultivates a rich liturgical life supported by numerous lay ministries. Beyond the Diocesan and Spanish Choirs, parishioners serve as Lectors, Extraordinary Ministers of the Eucharist (both at Mass and to the homebound), Greeters, Ushers, Sacristans, and Altar Servers (youth and senior). The Liturgical Linen Service prepares and cares for the altar linens, while Offertory Counters process the weekly collection. The Diocesan Choir specifically sings for major liturgical events celebrated by Bishop Frank J. Caggiano.

• Diocesan Choir (Bishop's liturgies)
• Spanish Choir (Thursdays 7:00 PM)
• Lectors and Extraordinary Ministers of Holy Communion
• Greeters, Ushers, Sacristans, Altar Servers (youth & senior)
• Liturgical Linen Service and Offertory Counters

Parish Life, Outreach, and Devotions

Beyond the sanctuary, the parish runs an active social and devotional life. The Men's Group meets Thursdays 7:00 – 9:00 PM for coffee, fellowship, and relaxed conversation about the faith. The Women's Guild (open to women 18 to 108) carries out the corporal and spiritual works of mercy under president Catherine Braisted. The Tuesday Night Prayer Group at St. Patrick's Chapel reads and reflects on the upcoming Sunday Gospel, prays the Liturgy of the Hours, and alternates between the Rosary and Divine Mercy Chaplet. The Pro-Life Rosary gathers the community to pray for the sanctity of life from conception to natural death with meditative hymns. The Fellowship Committee coordinates social gatherings, and the Finance Council advises the Pastor on financial matters and approves annual budgets.

• Men's Group (Thursdays 7–9 PM)
• Women's Guild
• Tuesday Night Prayer Group
• Pro-Life Rosary
• Fellowship Committee
• Finance Council
• Flowers and Grounds volunteers

The Cathedral's Music — The 42-Rank Pipe Organ

The cathedral's pipe organ was extensively rebuilt and enlarged to 42 ranks in 2014 by the A. Thompson-Allen Organ Company of New Haven (Opus 124). Known as the Alma Schenk Hiendlmayr Memorial Organ, the instrument had earlier been enlarged in 2003 by the Peragallo Organ Company of Paterson, New Jersey, reusing much of the original M. P. Möller material. The 2014 rebuilding was guided by then-rector Fr. Peter Lenox (himself an organist) together with tonal director Nicholas Thompson-Allen; pipes were cleaned, repaired, revoiced and regulated, and several new stops added to enhance tonal blend and musical effectiveness.

• A. Thompson-Allen Opus 124 (2014)
• 42 ranks
• Alma Schenk Hiendlmayr Memorial Organ
• Earlier Peragallo enlargement (2003) retaining Möller material

Architecture and Landmark Status

Saint Augustine's is a Gothic Revival granite cathedral designed by Patrick C. Keely (1816–1896), America's most prolific 19th-century Catholic church architect. The 1868 building was celebrated as 'the largest church edifice in the state' and seats 750 after the 2003–2004 renovation (originally 1,500 across a larger sanctuary). Its signature 180.5-foot (55 m) stone tower and spire, finished in 1894, has served as a defining Bridgeport landmark for more than 130 years. St. Patrick's, the parish's second worship site, is itself an architectural landmark — a massive early-20th-century superstructure by Dwyer and McMahon of Hartford atop James Murphy's basement church (1910–1913).

• Patrick C. Keely, architect (1868)
• Gothic Revival style; granite from Pequonnock quarry
• 180.5 ft (55 m) tower & spire (completed 1894)
• Dwyer & McMahon, architects of St. Patrick's superstructure (1910)

Visiting, Location, and Contact

The cathedral's perch on Golden Hill, with its tall spire, makes it an easy landmark to find from anywhere in central Bridgeport. St. Patrick's looms alongside I-95 in the North End. Parish offices are at 170 Thompson Street, Bridgeport, CT 06604. Sunday Mass is livestreamed via the parish website for those unable to attend in person, and the office welcomes inquiries by phone or email during the published office hours.

• Parish Office: 170 Thompson Street, Bridgeport, CT 06604
• Phone: (203) 368-6777
• Email: [email protected]
• Office hours: Mon–Thu 9–4 (lunch 1–2), Fri 9–1
• Live-streamed Sunday Mass via the website