HISTORY NOTESKay Fialho, Archivist/Historian

On December 8, 1953, St. Patrick’s church attained the designation of co-cathedral when the name of the Dallas Diocese was changed to the Diocese of Dallas-Fort Worth. The word, cathedral, comes from the Latin word, cathedra, meaning the seat of the bishop. Thus, a special chair or throne for the bishop is present in a cathedral to designate the dignity of the episcopal office. The chair that was prepared for the bishop had been in use in St. Patrick’s for many years, and the pastor, Msgr. Grundy O’Donohoe, ordered a special crown to be carved out of cedar wood and heavily gilded from N. Vidargas a Hijos in Mexico City. The crown was to be the centerpiece from which velvet drapes of green would hang. In a letter to the Appraiser of Merchandise, United States Customs, dated April 30, 1954, Msgr. O’Donohoe wrote:

“The gold fringe and gold tassels that are to trim the velvet drapes were made specially in France for this throne and are considered by all who have seen them the finest ever. I’m not trying to impress, only to emphasize the fact that this is to be one of the finest and most artistic episcopal thrones in this country and something in which the public can take real pride.”

During the restoration of the cathedral in 2001-2002, the cathedra was removed and replaced with a simple chair, modern in design. This remained in use until 2014, when the original cathedra was returned to its place.

If you are interested in a tour of the cathedral, please send an email to ‘kay.fialho@gmail.com’.