Cathedral of the Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary (Grand Island, Nebraska)

The Cathedral of the Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary, also known as St. Mary’s Cathedral, is the cathedral church for the Roman Catholic Diocese of Grand Island located in Grand Island, Nebraska, United States. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1982.HistoryParish and churchIn 1859 two brothers from Iowa City, Iowa, Patrick and Richard Moore, settled in Hall County, Nebraska. They are believed to be the first Catholic settlers in the county. Other Catholic families moved to the area as well. The first priest to visit the area, the Rev. Almire Fairmont, arrived two years later. He celebrated Mass in the Moores' log dwelling, which was located three miles west of the present town of Wood River. In the following years, a priest from Omaha or Columbus would visit once a year to celebrate Mass and administer the Sacraments.After the railroad arrived in Hall County in 1868, it was decided that a church should be built. The Union Pacific Railroad donated the land in Grand Island in 1869 and a church, named St. Mary’s, was built under the direction of the Rev. M.J. Ryan. The building, however, was destroyed by a windstorm before its dedication. A second attempt at building a church in 1873 was stopped because of an economic depression. A third attempt was initiated on February 17, 1877. The cornerstone was laid on May 7; the building was completed in July, and the new church was dedicated in September 1877. It was a frame structure built on a brick foundation. The Rev. P.J. Erlach was named the parish’s first resident pastor in that year.

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