Saint Anthony Cathedral Basilica
| St. Anthony Cathedral Basilica | |
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 Location in Texas
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| 30°04′40″N 94°06′03″W / 30.0777°N 94.1009°WCoordinates: 30°04′40″N 94°06′03″W / 30.0777°N 94.1009°W | |
| Location | 700 Jefferson St. Beaumont, Texas |
| Country | United States |
| Denomination | Catholic Church |
| Website | www |
| History | |
| Dedication | Anthony of Padua |
| Dedicated | January 27, 1907 |
| Architecture | |
| Status | Cathedral - Minor Basilica |
| Groundbreaking | 1903 |
| Completed | 1907 |
| Specifications | |
| Materials | Brick |
| Administration | |
| Diocese | Beaumont |
| Clergy | |
| Bishop(s) | Most Rev. Curtis J. Guillory, S.V.D. |
| Rector |
Rev. Msgr. Jeremiah J. McGrath |
 
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| Part of | Beaumont Commercial District (#78002959) |
| Added to NRHP | April 14, 1978 |
Rev. Msgr. Jeremiah J. McGrath
Saint Anthony Cathedral Basilica in Beaumont, Texas is the cathedral of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Beaumont. It was listed as a contributing property in the Beaumont Commercial District on the National Register of Historic Places in 1978. The cathedral was raised to the status of a Minor Basilica in 2006.
St. Anthony Cathedral Basilica's roots go back to 1853 when the Catholic Church sent priests on horseback to minister to the settlers around the port of Beaumont. In 1879, Bishop Jean-Marie Odin, C.M., first bishop of the Diocese of Galveston and Fr. Vital Quinon build St. Louis Church and established the first formal Catholic parish community in Beaumont. St. Anthony Cathedral Basilica is the direct successor to this small limited seating structure and parish community. In 1901, following the Lucas Oil Boom, Bishop Nicolaus Gallagher, third bishop of Galveston and Fr. William Lee built a new and larger church to take the place of the St. Louis parish church. Bishop Gallagher changed the name of St. Louis parish community to St. Anthony. The cornerstone of St. Anthony Church was blessed in 1903. In 1907 Bishop Gallagher dedicated this new brick church.
The church building has undergone many changes through the leadership of several Bishops and pastors. The first major interior restoration took place under Bishop Christopher Byrne, of the Diocese of Galveston and Monsignor E. A. Kelly in 1937. Stained-glass windows were installed throughout the church and symbolic oil paintings were added behind the altar. With the inception of the Diocese of Beaumont in 1966, St. Anthony Church was elevated to the rank of a Cathedral by Pope Paul VI and Bishop Vincent Harris was installed as the first Bishop of Beaumont. In 1972 Bishop Warren Boudreaux, second Bishop of Beaumont, and Monsignor M. F. Enderle began the second major renovation of this sacred site in conformity with renewal of the Sacred Liturgy following the Second Vatican Council. A free-standing altar was introduced facing the people, an appropriate bishop’s chair became a permanent fixture in the sanctuary, the art in the sanctuary and throughout the Cathedral was renewed, the pews were refinished, kneelers replaced, carpeting installed, and new acoustical and lighting systems added. Extensive landscaping to the grounds was introduced, the exterior was renewed, the copper dome restored and a 2,500-pipe Wicks organ installed. Bishop Bernard Ganter, third Bishop of Beaumont and Monsignor Bennie Patillo undertook the building of a new Cathedral center and Chapel-Office Complex that was dedicated in 1991. In 1998, Bishop Joseph A. Galante, fourth Bishop of Beaumont, and Monsignor Jeremiah J. McGrath began extensive repairs of the Cathedral. At the beginning of the third millennium, Bishop Curtis J. Guillory, S.V.D., fifth Bishop of Beaumont and Monsignor McGrath began a major liturgical renovation of the Cathedral. On October 17, 2004 Bishop Guillory re-dedicated and consecrated historic Saint Anthony Cathedral.
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Wikipedia