Cathedral of Mary Our Queen
Encyclopedia
Cathedral
A cathedral is a Christian church that contains the seat of a bishop...
of the Roman Catholic Church
Roman Catholic Church
The Catholic Church, also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the world's largest Christian church, with over a billion members. Led by the Pope, it defines its mission as spreading the gospel of Jesus Christ, administering the sacraments and exercising charity...
located at 5200 North Charles Street
Maryland Route 139
Maryland Route 139, known locally for most of its existence as North Charles Street, runs through Baltimore City and through the Towson area of Baltimore County. On the north end it terminates at a traffic circle with Bellona Avenue near Interstate 695 and at the south end it terminates in Federal...
, in northern Baltimore, Maryland.
The Cathedral is the seat of the Archbishop of Baltimore, presently Edwin Frederick O'Brien, STD, DD
Edwin Frederick O'Brien
Edwin Frederick O'Brien is an American prelate of the Catholic Church. He is the current Pro-Grand Master of the Equestrian Order of the Holy Sepulchre of Jerusalem since his appointment by Pope Benedict XVI on 29 August 2011...
. The Cathedral is located in the Homeland
Homeland, Baltimore
Homeland is a neighborhood located in the northern part of Baltimore, Maryland, United States. It is bounded roughly by Melrose Avenue on the north, Bellona Avenue on the east, Homeland Avenue on the south, and Charles Street on the west....
area of northern Baltimore City and near Loyola University Maryland and St. Mary's Seminary and University
St. Mary's Seminary and University
St. Mary's Seminary and University is a Roman Catholic seminary in Baltimore, Maryland; it was the first seminary founded in the United States of America.-History:...
, the first Catholic seminary created in the United States. It was built using funds bequeathed by an Irish
Ireland
Ireland is an island to the northwest of continental Europe. It is the third-largest island in Europe and the twentieth-largest island on Earth...
Baltimore merchant, Thomas O'Neill.
In October 1954, ground was broken for the new Cathedral of Mary Our Queen. On the morning of October 13, 1959, a few days past the fifth anniversary of the groundbreaking ceremony, the Cathedral was consecrated by Bishop Jerome Sebastian. The architecture is late period Art Deco
Art Deco
Art deco , or deco, is an eclectic artistic and design style that began in Paris in the 1920s and flourished internationally throughout the 1930s, into the World War II era. The style influenced all areas of design, including architecture and interior design, industrial design, fashion and...
, built of brick
Brick
A brick is a block of ceramic material used in masonry construction, usually laid using various kinds of mortar. It has been regarded as one of the longest lasting and strongest building materials used throughout history.-History:...
faced with limestone
Limestone
Limestone is a sedimentary rock composed largely of the minerals calcite and aragonite, which are different crystal forms of calcium carbonate . Many limestones are composed from skeletal fragments of marine organisms such as coral or foraminifera....
, and uses a classical east-facing cruciform
Cruciform
Cruciform means having the shape of a cross or Christian cross.- Cruciform architectural plan :This is a common description of Christian churches. In Early Christian, Byzantine and other Eastern Orthodox forms of church architecture this is more likely to mean a tetraconch plan, a Greek cross,...
floor plan (see cathedral diagram
Cathedral diagram
In Western ecclesiastical architecture, a cathedral diagram is a floor plan showing the sections of walls and piers, giving an idea of the profiles of their columns and ribbing. Light double lines in perimeter walls indicate glazed windows. Dashed lines show the ribs of the vaulting overhead...
).
Archbishop Edwin Frederick O'Brien, STD, DD
Edwin Frederick O'Brien
Edwin Frederick O'Brien is an American prelate of the Catholic Church. He is the current Pro-Grand Master of the Equestrian Order of the Holy Sepulchre of Jerusalem since his appointment by Pope Benedict XVI on 29 August 2011...
serves as pastor of the Cathedral and Reverend Monsignor J. Bruce Jarboe is Rector
Rector
The word rector has a number of different meanings; it is widely used to refer to an academic, religious or political administrator...
. The Archdiocese of Baltimore is the Premier See. The crypt
Crypt
In architecture, a crypt is a stone chamber or vault beneath the floor of a burial vault possibly containing sarcophagi, coffins or relics....
under the main floor of the cathedral
Cathedral
A cathedral is a Christian church that contains the seat of a bishop...
is reserved for the deceased archbishops and auxiliary bishops of Baltimore. There are six bishops buried in the crypt: Cardinal Lawrence Shehan, Archbishop Francis Patrick Keough, Bishop Jerome Sebastian
Jerome Aloysius Daugherty Sebastian
Jerome Aloysius Daugherty Sebastian was an American clergyman of the Roman Catholic Church. He served as an auxiliary bishop of the Archdiocese of Baltimore from 1954 until his death in 1960.-Biography:...
, Bishop T. Austin Murphy, Bishop P. Francis Murphy and Archbishop William Donald Borders
William Donald Borders
William Donald Borders was an American prelate of the Roman Catholic Church. He was the 13th Archbishop of Baltimore from 1974 to 1989, having previously served as the first Bishop of Orlando from 1968 to 1974...
.
A cellphone antenna is concealed within the tower, generating revenue for the diocese.
Basilica of the National Shrine of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary
The Basilica of the National Shrine of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary, also called the Baltimore Basilica, was the first Roman Catholic cathedral built in the United States, and was the first major religious building constructed in the nation after the adoption of the U.S. Constitution...
, on Cathedral Street
Maryland Route 139
Maryland Route 139, known locally for most of its existence as North Charles Street, runs through Baltimore City and through the Towson area of Baltimore County. On the north end it terminates at a traffic circle with Bellona Avenue near Interstate 695 and at the south end it terminates in Federal...
at Mulberry Street, in downtown Baltimore
Baltimore
Baltimore is the largest independent city in the United States and the largest city and cultural center of the US state of Maryland. The city is located in central Maryland along the tidal portion of the Patapsco River, an arm of the Chesapeake Bay. Baltimore is sometimes referred to as Baltimore...
. The Basilica reopened in November 2006 after a 32-month restoration.
His Holiness Pope John Paul II
Pope John Paul II
Blessed Pope John Paul II , born Karol Józef Wojtyła , reigned as Pope of the Catholic Church and Sovereign of Vatican City from 16 October 1978 until his death on 2 April 2005, at of age. His was the second-longest documented pontificate, which lasted ; only Pope Pius IX ...
visited both the Cathedral of Mary Our Queen and the Basilica in 1995 and in 1976 as Cardinal Karol Wojtyla. A plaque outside the Blessed Sacrament Chapel (the north transept
Transept
For the periodical go to The Transept.A transept is a transverse section, of any building, which lies across the main body of the building. In Christian churches, a transept is an area set crosswise to the nave in a cruciform building in Romanesque and Gothic Christian church architecture...
) commemorates the 1995 visit.
Organs
The cathedral is notable for having two organs. The original organs were installed by M. P. MollerM. P. Moller
Mathias Peter Møller was a prolific Danish organ builder. He was a native of the Danish island of Bornholm. He founded the M.P. Moller Pipe Organ Company in Greencastle, Pennsylvania in 1875...
Company of Hagerstown, Maryland
Hagerstown, Maryland
Hagerstown is a city in northwestern Maryland, United States. It is the county seat of Washington County, and, by many definitions, the largest city in a region known as Western Maryland. The population of Hagerstown city proper at the 2010 census was 39,662, and the population of the...
(Opus 9200). After 46 years of use and some considerable damage due to water and smoke it was decided that the cathedral organs would be restored. Schantz Organ Company
Schantz Organ Co.
The Schantz Organ Company of Orrville, Ohio is a major, national builder and restorer of the pipe organ. Their facilities are located in Orrville, Wayne County Ohio, about 70 kilometers due south of Cleveland, Ohio.- History :...
of Ohio was chosen to restore and replace many parts of the original instrument. The restoration started with the removal of the Great Gallery organ and, after it was reinstalled and ready to be played, the Chancel organ was then removed and restored. On Sunday, November 12, the Cathedral used the restored organs.
In addition to new pipe work, voice work, new wind chests, two new identical console
Organ console
thumb|right|250px|The console of the [[Wanamaker Organ]] in the Macy's department store in [[Philadelphia]], featuring six manuals and colour-coded stop tabs....
s were built: one for the Gallery and one for the Chancel. This allows the organist to have command of both organs from either console. The chancel console has the ability to be moved around the sanctuary depending on the need. (In the original Moller installation, the Great Gallery organ console was four manuals and had complete control over both the Gallery and Sanctuary organs. The Sanctuary organ console was two manuals, had complete control over the Sanctuary organ and the Gallery organ through "blind" controls. The Sanctuary console was replaced in 1974 due to a fire in the console which caused smoke damage to both organs' pipework.)
The first solo concert performance on the new organ was on July 5, 2007 and was played by Cherry Rhodes as part of the closing ceremonies of the American Guild of Organists
American Guild of Organists
The American Guild of Organists, or AGO, is a national organization of academic, church, and concert organists in the U.S., headquartered in The Interchurch Center in New York City. It was founded in 1896 as both an educational and service organization...
convention that was held in Baltimore.