Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception (Memphis, Tennessee)
Encyclopedia
The Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception is a Catholic cathedral
in Memphis, Tennessee
, United States
. It is the seat of the Diocese of Memphis
.
of the Diocese of Nashville
in 1921. It was the ninth parish in Memphis. Msgr. Dennis J. Murphy was the appointed as the parish’s first pastor. He built a three-story brick building that served as a combination church and school. It continues to serve the parish today as its school building. The Sisters of Mercy
made up the school’s first faculty.
Construction of the present church building was begun in 1927. Richard J. Regan of Regan and Weller Architects was chosen to design the church. The lower crypt was initially built and used as the church for ten years before the upper church was built. The church was dedicated on July 31, 1938. The parish’s second pastor, Msgr. Francis D. Grady, had the decorative design work completed on the church’s interior. Msgr. Merlin F. Kearney had the high school buildings east of the church built in the 1950s and 1960s. Immaculate Conception High School
for girls was also begun at this time.
established the Diocese of Memphis in January 6, 1971. Immaculate Conception was named as the new diocese’s cathedral. A major renovation of the cathedral was completed in 2001 and was dedicated by Bishop J. Terry Steib
, SVD on December 8 of that year. In 2011 there were 800 families in the parish and 430 students in the school
Cathedral
A cathedral is a Christian church that contains the seat of a bishop...
in Memphis, Tennessee
Memphis, Tennessee
Memphis is a city in the southwestern corner of the U.S. state of Tennessee, and the county seat of Shelby County. The city is located on the 4th Chickasaw Bluff, south of the confluence of the Wolf and Mississippi rivers....
, 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 Memphis
Roman Catholic Diocese of Memphis
The Roman Catholic Diocese of Memphis is a Roman Catholic diocese in Tennessee. It was founded on June 20, 1970, when Pope Paul VI removed the counties in the state west of the Tennessee River from the Diocese of Nashville, which, prior to that time, encompassed the entire state.The diocese is...
.
Immaculate Conception Parish
Immaculate Conception parish was established by Bishop Thomas Sebastian ByrneThomas Sebastian Byrne
Thomas Sebastian Byrne was an American Roman Catholic clergyman.Byrne was born in Hamilton, Ohio, and prepared for the priesthood at St. Thomas Seminary in Bardstown, Kentucky; Mount St. Mary's Seminary of the West in Cincinnati; and the Pontifical North American College in Rome...
of the Diocese of Nashville
Roman Catholic Diocese of Nashville
The Roman Catholic Diocese of Nashville is a Roman Catholic diocese in Tennessee. It was founded on July 28, 1837 by the Dominican Bishop Richard Pius Miles. The Cathedral Church of the Incarnation is the seat of the Bishops of Nashville....
in 1921. It was the ninth parish in Memphis. Msgr. Dennis J. Murphy was the appointed as the parish’s first pastor. He built a three-story brick building that served as a combination church and school. It continues to serve the parish today as its school building. The Sisters of Mercy
Sisters of Mercy
The Religious Order of the Sisters of Mercy is an order of Catholic women founded by Catherine McAuley in Dublin, Ireland, in 1831. , the order has about 10,000 members worldwide, organized into a number of independent congregations....
made up the school’s first faculty.
Construction of the present church building was begun in 1927. Richard J. Regan of Regan and Weller Architects was chosen to design the church. The lower crypt was initially built and used as the church for ten years before the upper church was built. The church was dedicated on July 31, 1938. The parish’s second pastor, Msgr. Francis D. Grady, had the decorative design work completed on the church’s interior. Msgr. Merlin F. Kearney had the high school buildings east of the church built in the 1950s and 1960s. Immaculate Conception High School
Immaculate Conception Cathedral High School (Memphis, Tennessee)
Immaculate Conception Cathedral School is a private, all-girls Roman Catholic school in Memphis, Tennessee. It consists of an elementary school , middle school and a high school...
for girls was also begun at this time.
Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception
Pope Paul VIPope Paul VI
Paul VI , born Giovanni Battista Enrico Antonio Maria Montini , reigned as Pope of the Catholic Church from 21 June 1963 until his death on 6 August 1978. Succeeding Pope John XXIII, who had convened the Second Vatican Council, he decided to continue it...
established the Diocese of Memphis in January 6, 1971. Immaculate Conception was named as the new diocese’s cathedral. A major renovation of the cathedral was completed in 2001 and was dedicated by Bishop J. Terry Steib
J. Terry Steib
James Terry Steib, S.V.D. is an African American prelate of the Roman Catholic Church. He is the fourth and current Bishop of Memphis.-Biography:...
, SVD on December 8 of that year. In 2011 there were 800 families in the parish and 430 students in the school