St. Ann's Cathedral (Great Falls, Montana)

St. Ann's Cathedral is a Catholic cathedral in Great Falls, Montana, United States. Along with St. Patrick's Co-Cathedral in Billings, Montana it is the seat of the Diocese of Great Falls-Billings. In 1991 it was included as a contributing property in the Great Falls Northside Residential Historic District on the National Register of Historic Places.[2]

St. Ann's Cathedral
47°30′32″N 111°17′43″W
Location715 3rd Avenue North
Great Falls, Montana
CountryUnited States
DenominationRoman Catholic Church
Websitewww.stannscathedral.org
History
StatusCathedral
Founded1889
Architecture
Architect(s)John H. Kent
StyleGothic Revival
Completed1907
Construction cost$100,000
Specifications
Number of spiresOne
MaterialsLimestone
Administration
DioceseGreat Falls-Billings
Clergy
Bishop(s)Most Rev. Michael Warfel
RectorRev. Oliver Doyle
Part ofGreat Falls Northside Residential Historic District (ID91000355[1])
Added to NRHPApril 1, 1991

History
The original St. Ann's Church
The cathedral and neighborhood in 1920.

St. Ann's Parish

The first St. Ann's Church was financed by three parishioners who signed a note for $3,000.[3] The church was built of brick on the site now occupied by the Heisey Center. The first resident pastor was Father Dols who was also responsible for parishes in Cascade, Choteau, and Neihart.

St. Ann's Cathedral

On May 18, 1904, St. Pius X established the Diocese of Great Falls[4] and St. Ann's became the cathedral. One of the first tasks of the new bishop, Mathias Clement Lenihan, was to build a new cathedral to accommodate the growing congregation. Designed by John H. Kent of Helena,[5] the present church was constructed between 1906 and 1907 for around $100,000 ($2,900,000 in 2021 dollars).[3][6] It features a cruciform plan, gothic arched windows and a turreted bell tower. The stone for the Gothic Revival structure was quarried near Stockett. It is Great Falls' largest church.[2] The former church building was remodeled for a parochial school.

The current rectory was built in 1931 and designed in a style similar to the cathedral. The old church was demolished and the Heisey Youth Center built on the site in 1936. It is also used as a parish center. The cathedral was extensively renovated in 1953 in anticipation of the diocese's Golden Jubilee the following year.

Pope John Paul II renamed the Great Falls Diocese as the Diocese of Great Falls-Billings on February 14, 1980.[4] At that time, St. Patrick's Church in Billings joined St. Ann's as co-cathedral of the diocese.

Pipe organ

The Cathedral pipe organ was built by the Reuter Organ Co. of Lawrence, Kansas in 1929 as their Opus 328. It consisted of 14-rank in two divided chambers and distributed over 3-manuals. In 1995, Meadway & Stettner Pipe Organs of Monroe, Washington refurbished the organ which included adding front expression shutters to both chambers, console upgrades, and tonal revision - but still remaining as 14-ranks. [7] [8]

See also

References
  1. "National Register Information System". National Register of Historic Places. National Park Service. July 9, 2010.
  2. Candi Helms. "Great Falls Northside Residential Historic District". National Park Service. Retrieved 2017-09-18.
  3. "The History of St. Ann's". St. Ann Cathedral. Archived from the original on July 28, 2011. Retrieved 2011-09-17.
  4. "Diocese of Great Falls-Billings". Catholic-Hierarchy. Retrieved 2011-09-17.
  5. Robison, Ken. Postcard History Series: Cascade County and Great Falls. 2011.
  6. "Saint Anne's Cathedral". Emporis. Retrieved 2014-03-09.
  7. "Pipe Organ Database | Reuter Organ Co. (Opus 328, 1929) St. Ann's Roman Catholic Co-Cathedral".
  8. "Pipe Organ Database | Meadway & Stettner Pipe Organs (1995) St. Ann's Roman Catholic Co-Cathedral".
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