Co-Cathedral of The Sacred Heart (Houston) - Establishment As A Co-Cathedral

Establishment As A Co-Cathedral

In 1847, Pope Pius IX established the Diocese of Galveston for the 20,000 Catholics who lived in the new state of Texas. This new diocese covered an area as large as France and was served by one bishop and ten missionary priests. A church was built in Galveston and in 1848 it was dedicated as St. Mary's Cathedral. St. Mary's was the first catholic Cathedral in the state of Texas and for over 100 years it was the only cathedral in the Diocese of Galveston.

Due to the tremendous growth in the city of Houston, in 1959, the Most Reverend Wendelin J. Nold, fifth bishop of the Galveston Diocese, was permitted by Rome to erect a cathedral of convenience in Houston. Because of its central location, Sacred Heart Church, built in 1911, was chosen to serve as co-cathedral. With this designation, an episcopal chair was installed in Sacred Heart Co-Cathedral. This did not change the status of the City of Galveston as an Episcopal see city, however it did permit full pontifical ceremonies to be held in Houston, as well as Galveston. Both cathedrals are co-equal in rank; however, since St. Mary's is the original Cathedral for the State of Texas, it has the distinction of being the Mother Cathedral for all the Catholic dioceses in Texas.

In 1979, in recognition of the Galveston Cathedral's importance to the community and state, as well as its historical role as the motherchurch for Catholicism in the state of Texas, Pope John Paul II elevated St. Mary's to the status of Cathedral Basilica.