[Congressional Record Volume 149, Number 132 (Wednesday, September 24, 2003)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages E1881-E1882]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




     HONORING ST. PETER'S CATHEDRAL PARISH ON ITS 150TH ANNIVERSARY

                         HON. PAUL E. KANJORSKI

                            of pennyslvania

                    in the house of representatives

                     Wednesday, September 24, 2003

  Mr. KANJORSKI. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to call the attention of the 
House of Representatives to the St. Peter's Cathedral Parish in 
Scranton, Pennsylvania as they celebrate their 150th Anniversary on 
Sunday, September 28, 2003.
  Reverend Monsignor Joseph Quinn announced that a yearlong celebration 
of events will culminate this Sunday, the anniversary date of the 
dedication of the Cathedral, with a grand celebration of liturgy in St. 
Peter's Cathedral.
  St. Peter's Cathedral and its parishioners have a storied history. In 
1841, the Catholic faith was formally brought to Scranton by James 
Sullivan, a missionary priest who celebrated the first Mass in a house 
on Shanty Hill, located in what is now the South Side of the city. 
Within the next seven years the first Catholic Church had been built in 
that section and dedicated by Bishop John Kenrick of Baltimore.
  In 1853, a small wood frame church was constructed on the corner of 
Franklin Avenue and Spruce Street in what would become downtown 
Scranton, to accommodate the growing number of Catholics in the 
Scranton area. It was named St. Vincent de Paul Church, and later 
renamed St. Peter's Cathedral. Before its completion, Rev. Moses Whitty 
became the first pastor of what was to eventually become known as St. 
Peter's Cathedral. With the establishment of the Diocese of Scranton in 
1868, this parish began a history of faith that continues today.
  With the rapidly growing number of newly arrived immigrants, it was 
soon necessary for Father Whitty to search for a site to construct a 
new church. Three lots in the 300 block of Wyoming Avenue were 
purchased for the sum of approximately $2,000, a large sum for its day, 
at the present site of the Cathedral. In 1865 ground was broken at the 
corner of Linden Street and Wyoming Avenue for the new church. Some 
deemed it to be ``in the woods'' as it was far removed from the primary 
commercial area of the community then located in the Bellevue and Hyde 
Park areas of the city.
  On March 10, 1867, Bishop James Wood of Philadelphia blessed the new 
church. The establishment of the new Diocese of Scranton and the 
installation of its first Bishop followed quickly in 1868 with the 
consecration of the Most Reverend William O'Hara. A native of Ireland 
and the former pastor of Saint Patrick's Church in Philadelphia, Bishop 
O'Hara was to remain as the first head of the new diocese until his 
death three decades later on February 3, 1899.

[[Page E1882]]

  Beginning in 1883, a project was undertaken to remodel and embellish 
the church, which was now the central church of the diocese. On 
September 28, 1884 upon completion of the project and satisfaction of 
all debt incurred, the new Mother Church of the diocese was consecrated 
by Archbishop P.J. Ryan of Philadelphia, and its name was changed to 
the Cathedral of St. Peter marking its new role in the still young 
diocese comprised of eight counties in northeastern Pennsylvania.
  Mr. Speaker, on this 150th anniversary celebration, I would like to 
congratulate the parishioners of St. Peter's Cathedral. St. Peter's 
Cathedral, a Scranton landmark that has endured these many years, is a 
visible example of both the storied history of the City of Scranton and 
the role the Catholic Church played as an integral part of this 
community.

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