St. Joseph Cathedral (Catholic Church) is “The Spiritual Heart of Baton Rouge”

The past of St. Joseph Cathedral (Catholic Church) is inseparable from the history of Baton Rouge. It remains integral to the city today. It is the center of the Catholic Community and at the same time, catholic in its ecumenical thrusts. It was, and remains, the place downtown for all to come in celebration or in grief. With its red doors, the landmark shows its presence more dominantly. It is a structure that deserves to be noticed, appreciated, used and celebrated.

Founded in 1792!

For over 175 years St. Joseph Catholic Church (now Cathedral) has stood on its present site ministering to an ever-increasing population. But its history goes back farther than that. King Carlos IV of Spain founded the parish in 1792, with the name of “Nuestra Señora de los Dolores” (Our Lady of Sorrows); at the time, the colony of Louisiana was under the ecclesiastical jurisdiction of the Diocese of Santiago de Cuba. The first pastor, Father Carlos Burke, was an Irishman who had been schooled in both Lyons, France, and Salamanca, Spain, in preparation for his ministry among people who spoke French, Spanish and English. The first church was a small wooden chapel that barely seated a hundred people. With a resident pastor, growth was immediate: within three years he reported 529 parishioners!

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