Cathedral of the Holy Family in Anchorage
Encyclopedia
Cathedral of the Holy Family in Anchorage is a cathedral
of the Roman Catholic Church
in the United States
. It is the motherchurch of the Archdiocese of Anchorage
and is the seat of the prelate
archbishop
. It is located in the City of Anchorage
in the state
of Alaska
.
On Good Friday
of 1964, an earthquake with a magnitude of 9.2 devastated much of southcentral Alaska. The Pope's apostolic delegate came to view the damage, and upon doing so they saw that Anchorage would be the focal point of both state and spiritual growth. In 1966, the Holy See created the Archdiocese of Anchorage, and made Alaska a separate province. Today, most of Alaska's archdiocese's Catholics worship in one of Anchorage's parishes.
The Cathedral was the host church for the 1981 visit of Pope John Paul II
to Anchorage, which attracted a crowd estimated at about 80,000 people.
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...
in the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
. It is the motherchurch of the Archdiocese of Anchorage
Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Anchorage
The Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Anchorage is an ecclesiastical territory or diocese of the Roman Catholic Church in the northwestern United States, comprising several boroughs and census areas in the state of Alaska. It is led by a prelate archbishop which serves as pastor of the mother church,...
and is the seat of the prelate
Prelate
A prelate is a high-ranking member of the clergy who is an ordinary or who ranks in precedence with ordinaries. The word derives from the Latin prælatus, the past participle of præferre, which means "carry before", "be set above or over" or "prefer"; hence, a prelate is one set over others.-Related...
archbishop
Archbishop
An archbishop is a bishop of higher rank, but not of higher sacramental order above that of the three orders of deacon, priest , and bishop...
. It is located in the City of Anchorage
Anchorage, Alaska
Anchorage is a unified home rule municipality in the southcentral part of the U.S. state of Alaska. It is the northernmost major city in the United States...
in the state
U.S. state
A U.S. state is any one of the 50 federated states of the United States of America that share sovereignty with the federal government. Because of this shared sovereignty, an American is a citizen both of the federal entity and of his or her state of domicile. Four states use the official title of...
of Alaska
Alaska
Alaska is the largest state in the United States by area. It is situated in the northwest extremity of the North American continent, with Canada to the east, the Arctic Ocean to the north, and the Pacific Ocean to the west and south, with Russia further west across the Bering Strait...
.
History
This Building with a neo-roman arquitecture is placed in Downtown Anchorage,Fith and H Avenue.On Good Friday
Good Friday
Good Friday , is a religious holiday observed primarily by Christians commemorating the crucifixion of Jesus Christ and his death at Calvary. The holiday is observed during Holy Week as part of the Paschal Triduum on the Friday preceding Easter Sunday, and may coincide with the Jewish observance of...
of 1964, an earthquake with a magnitude of 9.2 devastated much of southcentral Alaska. The Pope's apostolic delegate came to view the damage, and upon doing so they saw that Anchorage would be the focal point of both state and spiritual growth. In 1966, the Holy See created the Archdiocese of Anchorage, and made Alaska a separate province. Today, most of Alaska's archdiocese's Catholics worship in one of Anchorage's parishes.
The Cathedral was the host church for the 1981 visit of 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 ...
to Anchorage, which attracted a crowd estimated at about 80,000 people.