Cathedral of St. Mary of the Assumption (Trenton, New Jersey)
Encyclopedia
The Cathedral of St. Mary of the Assumption, also known as St. Mary’s Cathedral, is a Catholic cathedral
in Trenton, New Jersey
, United States
. It is the seat of the Diocese of Trenton
.
during the American Revolutionary War
. A historical marker on the rectory
identifies the location as the place where Hessian Commander Col. Johann Gottlieb Rall died on December 27, 1776. Ground was broken for the parish church on April 23, 1866, and it was dedicated on January 1, 1871.
The Diocese of Trenton was established by Pope Leo XIII
on August 2, 1881. St. Mary’s Church was chosen to be the cathedral of the new diocese. The cathedral was destroyed in a fire on March 14, 1956. It claimed the lives of Msgr. Richard T. Crean, the cathedral rector
, and housekeepers Mary Brennan and Mary Donnellan. The present cathedral church was dedicated three years later on March 14, 1959 by Bishop George W. Ahr
.
Cathedral
A cathedral is a Christian church that contains the seat of a bishop...
in Trenton, New Jersey
Trenton, New Jersey
Trenton is the capital of the U.S. state of New Jersey and the county seat of Mercer County. As of the 2010 United States Census, Trenton had a population of 84,913...
, United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
. It is the seat of the Diocese of Trenton
Roman Catholic Diocese of Trenton
The Roman Catholic Diocese of Trenton is a diocese of the Roman Catholic Church in southern New Jersey, United States. Its ecclesiastic territory includes the counties of Burlington, Monmouth, Ocean, and Mercer ....
.
History
The Rev. Anthony Smith purchased the property on which St. Mary’s Cathedral now sits in 1865. The location had been a part of the battlefield during the Battle of TrentonBattle of Trenton
The Battle of Trenton took place on December 26, 1776, during the American Revolutionary War, after General George Washington's crossing of the Delaware River north of Trenton, New Jersey. The hazardous crossing in adverse weather made it possible for Washington to lead the main body of the...
during the American Revolutionary War
American Revolutionary War
The American Revolutionary War , the American War of Independence, or simply the Revolutionary War, began as a war between the Kingdom of Great Britain and thirteen British colonies in North America, and ended in a global war between several European great powers.The war was the result of the...
. A historical marker on the rectory
Rectory
A rectory is the residence, or former residence, of a rector, most often a Christian cleric, but in some cases an academic rector or other person with that title...
identifies the location as the place where Hessian Commander Col. Johann Gottlieb Rall died on December 27, 1776. Ground was broken for the parish church on April 23, 1866, and it was dedicated on January 1, 1871.
The Diocese of Trenton was established by Pope Leo XIII
Pope Leo XIII
Pope Leo XIII , born Vincenzo Gioacchino Raffaele Luigi Pecci to an Italian comital family, was the 256th Pope of the Roman Catholic Church, reigning from 1878 to 1903...
on August 2, 1881. St. Mary’s Church was chosen to be the cathedral of the new diocese. The cathedral was destroyed in a fire on March 14, 1956. It claimed the lives of Msgr. Richard T. Crean, the cathedral rector
Rector
The word rector has a number of different meanings; it is widely used to refer to an academic, religious or political administrator...
, and housekeepers Mary Brennan and Mary Donnellan. The present cathedral church was dedicated three years later on March 14, 1959 by Bishop George W. Ahr
George W. Ahr
George William Ahr was an American prelate of the Roman Catholic Church. He served as Bishop of Trenton from 1950 to 1979.-Biography:...
.