1. When was the Cathedral of St. Raphael built?
Our Cathedral of St. Raphael, the Mother Church of the Archdiocese of Dubuque, was dedicated in 1861 and the Cathedral rectory was built nine years later in 1870. These buildings have weathered severe storms, Iowa winters, considerable water runoff, in addition to over a century and a half of daily use. Those years of use and weathering have taken a visible toll on the campus.
2. Why do we refer to The Cathedral of St. Raphael as the “Mother Church” of the Archdiocese of Dubuque?
Every Catholic in the world should ideally celebrate Holy Mass on Sunday with the pope in his cathedral church in Rome. As this is not practical, dioceses are established, and bishops are named. So, every Catholic in the world should ideally celebrate Holy Mass on Sunday with the bishop in the cathedral church, which would be Dubuque for our Archdiocese. As this is not practical, parishes are established, and pastors are named. Diocesan parishes are therefore considered children of the cathedral; hence the name: mother church.
3. What are the events of “greatest significance in our Archdiocese” that take place and have taken place at the Cathedral of St. Raphael?
The events include:
5. How were the needs and repairs identified?
A firm (Gronen Restoration from Dubuque) that specializes in building preservation and restoration was retained to review the condition of the building and the campus. The firm worked with Cathedral leadership to review all aspects of the church and campus to determine the needs.
7. Why can’t the Cathedral of St. Raphael parishioners fully finance these repairs? They will be asked to participate fully in this effort to preserve the Cathedral. However, the neighborhood in which the Cathedral is located has changed dramatically over the years. While it remains a vibrant, strong parish, there are significantly fewer parishioners with an aging population in an area of town that is not growing. Thus, the capacity to raise the funds to address the needs is severely limited. But significantly more important, the Cathedral of St. Raphael is the Mother Church. It belongs to all of us requiring us to share in the responsibility.
8. Is it possible to move it to an existing parish or perhaps build new?
Possible? Yes. Practical? No. A new Cathedral would be too costly. The most recent Cathedral built in the United States was in the Diocese of Nashville at a cost of $28 million. Our Cathedral of St. Raphael belongs to all in our archdiocese. We share in an important responsibility to preserve it not only for those who follow us, but to honor those who came before us.
History of the Cathedral Campus
1861 – Cathedral Church dedicated
1865 – Cathedral School was built (closed 1976)
1870 – Rectory opened
1876 – The Tower and Spire completed
1882 – Winter Chapel completed
1884 – Convent opened (sold for apartments)
1886 – Stained glass added
1902 – Mortuary Chapel completed
1964 – Vestibule added
1983 – Winter Chapel converted to Cathedral Center
1986 – Major renovations to the church interior
* Page updated March 12, 2020