Visit the beautiful St. Patrick Cathedral in Downtown Fort Worth to admire its architecture or to attend a Catholic Mass. Appreciate the history and beauty of the building, which resembles European churches of the time. The cathedral is one of the most important Catholic houses of worship in the city.
St. Patrick Cathedral began life as a humble frame church in 1876 when Father Thomas Loughrey was assigned to Fort Worth. The church was then named in honor of St. Stanislaus Kostka, a Polish Jesuit saint, and the first High Mass was celebrated on October 29, 1876. Attend a Mass today and experience a very different building from the original one.
The new church construction was started in 1888 just north of St. Stanislaus Church. Look for the original cornerstone, which is engraved with a cross, the date 1888, the name of the architect, J.J. Kane and the name St. Patrick Church. The cathedral’s name was chosen by the large Irish community in honor of their patron saint.
The beautiful white brick cathedral was designed in the Gothic Revival style and resembles the churches of France from the same period. It was dedicated in July 1892 and became one of the state’s most important Catholic houses of worship. Visit today and you can still sense the history emanating through the architecture, as well as the reverence felt by the 600,000 Catholics across 89 parishes who are under its diocese.
The church was raised to the status of co-cathedral in 1953, an honor it shares with the Sacred Heart Cathedral in Dallas. The diocese was renamed to take this into account and became the Diocese of Dallas-Fort Worth. Attend the twice-daily Masses held within the church to experience its community feel and peaceful atmosphere.
St. Patrick Cathedral is located in the heart of Fort Worth near the Convention Center and Water Gardens. It is open to visitors of all faiths. Visit the website to learn about special events held at the church.
