St. Paul's Cathedral (Fond du Lac)
Encyclopedia
St. Paul's Cathedral is the mother church of the Episcopal Diocese of Fond du Lac
and is located in Fond du Lac, Wisconsin
which is the see
city of the diocese.
and the Rev. F. R. Haff visited the thriving village of 400 inhabitants, conducting services at the residence of Governor Nathaniel P. Tallmadge
.
On September 3, 1848, the Rev. Joshua Sweet, the Episcopal
clergyman for the village of Fond du Lac, formally organized St. Paul’s Church. The new congregation included some well-known names in the area, such as, Doty, Tallmadge, Ruggles, and McWilliams. These names would be used as street names within the city of Fond du Lac
.
These Episcopalians first worshiped in a variety of makeshift locations until in 1851 a wood frame building was erected at the corner of Follett and Bannister {Macy} streets.
. By 1870, Fond du Lac had become the second largest city in Wisconsin. The new Diocese of Fond du Lac came to be in 1875 and shortly thereafter its new bishop, Bishop John Henry Hobart Brown
declared the city of Fond du Lac and St. Paul's Church as the Episcopal See. It may have been chosen because it was a 'free-church
'.
In January 1884, the building burned and was replaced by the present structure. From 1889-1912, Bishop Charles Chapman Grafton
worked to complete the interior of the building. Early acquisitions were a pulpit
(created by local stone carver Robert Powrie), a brass eagle lectern
, and the German
-Victorian
carvings from 1893-1894. The carvings came from Munich
and included the twelve Apostles, St. Paul, and twenty-five angels.
and red porphyry
sarcophagus
, supporting a life-size figure of the Bishop. The chapel became the permanent site of his burial on August 30, 1913.
View maps: 43°46′44.13"N 88°26′57.64"W
Episcopal Diocese of Fond du Lac
The Diocese of Fond du Lac is a diocese of the Episcopal Church in the United States of America, encompassing the northeastern third of Wisconsin. The diocese contains more than 6,000 baptized members worshipping in 36 locations. It is part of Province 5 . Diocesan offices are in Appleton, Wisconsin...
and is located in Fond du Lac, Wisconsin
Fond du Lac, Wisconsin
Fond du Lac is a city in Fond du Lac County, Wisconsin, United States. The name is French for bottom of the lake, for it is located at the bottom of Lake Winnebago. The population was 42,203 at the 2000 census...
which is the see
Episcopal See
An episcopal see is, in the original sense, the official seat of a bishop. This seat, which is also referred to as the bishop's cathedra, is placed in the bishop's principal church, which is therefore called the bishop's cathedral...
city of the diocese.
Formative Years (1848-1865)
The first Episcopal church services held in Fond du Lac were in 1842 by the Rev. Richard Fish Cadle. In 1845 Bishop Jackson KemperJackson Kemper
Bishop Jackson Kemper was the first missionary bishop of the Episcopal Church in the United States of America.Baptized David Jackson Kemper by Dr...
and the Rev. F. R. Haff visited the thriving village of 400 inhabitants, conducting services at the residence of Governor Nathaniel P. Tallmadge
Nathaniel P. Tallmadge
Nathaniel Pitcher Tallmadge was an American lawyer and politician. He was a U.S. Senator from New York and Governor of the Wisconsin Territory.-Early life:Tallmadge graduated from Union College in 1815...
.
On September 3, 1848, the Rev. Joshua Sweet, the Episcopal
Episcopal Church (United States)
The Episcopal Church is a mainline Anglican Christian church found mainly in the United States , but also in Honduras, Taiwan, Colombia, Ecuador, Haiti, the Dominican Republic, Venezuela, the British Virgin Islands and parts of Europe...
clergyman for the village of Fond du Lac, formally organized St. Paul’s Church. The new congregation included some well-known names in the area, such as, Doty, Tallmadge, Ruggles, and McWilliams. These names would be used as street names within the city of Fond du Lac
Fond du Lac, Wisconsin
Fond du Lac is a city in Fond du Lac County, Wisconsin, United States. The name is French for bottom of the lake, for it is located at the bottom of Lake Winnebago. The population was 42,203 at the 2000 census...
.
These Episcopalians first worshiped in a variety of makeshift locations until in 1851 a wood frame building was erected at the corner of Follett and Bannister {Macy} streets.
Developing Years (1866-1913)
In 1866 with the growth of the congregation, it moved to its current location on West Division Street, building a new stone structure. That same year, the process was begun to erect a new diocese from the Fond du Lac Deanery of the Diocese of WisconsinEpiscopal Diocese of Milwaukee
Episcopal Diocese of Milwaukee is the diocese of the Episcopal Church in the United States of America located in the southern area of Wisconsin. It is in Province V . The Rt. Reverend Steven Miller is the bishop.-Cathedral:...
. By 1870, Fond du Lac had become the second largest city in Wisconsin. The new Diocese of Fond du Lac came to be in 1875 and shortly thereafter its new bishop, Bishop John Henry Hobart Brown
John Henry Hobart Brown
John Henry Hobart Brown was the first Bishop of the Diocese of Fond du Lac in The Episcopal Church.-Early Life:Brown was born on January 1, 1831 in New York City...
declared the city of Fond du Lac and St. Paul's Church as the Episcopal See. It may have been chosen because it was a 'free-church
Free church
The term "free church" refers to a Christian denomination that is intrinsically separated from government . A free church does not define government policy, nor have governments define church policy or theology, nor seeks or receives government endorsement or funding for its general mission...
'.
In January 1884, the building burned and was replaced by the present structure. From 1889-1912, Bishop Charles Chapman Grafton
Charles Chapman Grafton
The Right Reverend Charles Chapman Grafton was the second Bishop of the Diocese of Fond du Lac in The Episcopal Church.-Early Life:...
worked to complete the interior of the building. Early acquisitions were a pulpit
Pulpit
Pulpit is a speakers' stand in a church. In many Christian churches, there are two speakers' stands at the front of the church. Typically, the one on the left is called the pulpit...
(created by local stone carver Robert Powrie), a brass eagle lectern
Lectern
A lectern is a reading desk with a slanted top, usually placed on a stand or affixed to some other form of support, on which documents or books are placed as support for reading aloud, as in a scripture reading, lecture, or sermon...
, and the German
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
-Victorian
Victorian era
The Victorian era of British history was the period of Queen Victoria's reign from 20 June 1837 until her death on 22 January 1901. It was a long period of peace, prosperity, refined sensibilities and national self-confidence...
carvings from 1893-1894. The carvings came from Munich
Munich
Munich The city's motto is "" . Before 2006, it was "Weltstadt mit Herz" . Its native name, , is derived from the Old High German Munichen, meaning "by the monks' place". The city's name derives from the monks of the Benedictine order who founded the city; hence the monk depicted on the city's coat...
and included the twelve Apostles, St. Paul, and twenty-five angels.
The Chapel of St. Michael the Archangel
It was Bishop Grafton’s request that he be buried within the walls of the Cathedral, so in the year following his death on August 30, 1912, the area known as the Chapel of St. Michael the Archangel was redone. The burial site features a white marbleMarble
Marble is a metamorphic rock composed of recrystallized carbonate minerals, most commonly calcite or dolomite.Geologists use the term "marble" to refer to metamorphosed limestone; however stonemasons use the term more broadly to encompass unmetamorphosed limestone.Marble is commonly used for...
and red porphyry
Porphyry (geology)
Porphyry is a variety of igneous rock consisting of large-grained crystals, such as feldspar or quartz, dispersed in a fine-grained feldspathic matrix or groundmass. The larger crystals are called phenocrysts...
sarcophagus
Sarcophagus
A sarcophagus is a funeral receptacle for a corpse, most commonly carved or cut from stone. The word "sarcophagus" comes from the Greek σαρξ sarx meaning "flesh", and φαγειν phagein meaning "to eat", hence sarkophagus means "flesh-eating"; from the phrase lithos sarkophagos...
, supporting a life-size figure of the Bishop. The chapel became the permanent site of his burial on August 30, 1913.
External links
View maps: 43°46′44.13"N 88°26′57.64"W