St. Peter's Cathedral & Episcopal Diocese Of Montana, Helena Montana #whyhelenamt
St. Peter’s Cathedral & Episcopal Diocese Of Montana, Helena Montana
St. Peter’s Cathedral is located in Helena, Montana, United States. It is the seat of the Episcopal Diocese of Montana. History : The first Episcopal services were held in Helena on August 11, 1867 by Bishop Daniel Sylvester Tuttle and the Rev. E. N. Goddard. On March 28, 1869 Bishop Tuttle formed a Bishop's committee to establish an Episcopal mission in Helena; he celebrated Holy Eucharist in the courthouse.He paid $1,200 for property on Warren and Grand Streets to build a church, known as St. Peter's Episcopal Church. A stone structure with a bell tower was completed for $12,000. Holy Eucharist was first celebrated there on October 19, 1879 and the church was consecrated on November 11, 1881.By 1920, St. Peter's was led by Rev. Sidney Douglass Hooker, originally from Watertown, New York, who was rector through initial planning of the new cathedral. Fundraising for the present church building was begun 1927. Spokane, Washington architect Harold Whitehouse designed it in the English country Gothic style. He also crafted a myrtlewood cross for the church. (He was elected as a Fellow to the American Institute of Architects for his work.)The cornerstone was laid by Bishop William F. Faber on September 10, 1931. The stones for the cathedral were quarried in the Helena area. The new St. Peter's Church was completed for $90,000 and dedicated by Bishop Faber on Easter Sunday, March 27, 1932. The bell and brass altar from the first church were used in the new one. It was designated as the pro-cathedral for the diocese.
The Story of St. Peter's Cathedral. (From the Church Website SPCHelena.org)
Helena was a raucous gold-mining town when Bishop Daniel Sylvester Tuttle and The Rev. E. N. Goddard held their first Sunday services on August 11, 1867. Sunday streets were crowded with men and teams. Auctioneers were selling wares, hurdy-gurdy houses were thronged and more than one hundred businesses were open. Sunday was not the Lord's Day! It was a day for miners to come to town, stock up on supplies and relax.
On a subsequent visit, Bishop Tuttle formed a Bishop's committee to create an Episcopal mission in Helena. He launched this effort by celebrating Holy Eucharist at the courthouse on March 28, 1869. Later that year, he paid $1,200 for property on which to build a church. At the intersection of Warren and Grand Streets, a stone church complete with a bell tower was soon finished for the price of $12,000. The original bell and brass altar rail still grace our church today. You can find a painting of that first building in the stairway at the back of the church. Holy Eucharist was first celebrated there on October 19, 1879, and the building was consecrated on November 11, 1881.
In 1927, The Rev. Henry Daniels began a capital campaign for a new and larger church. The present land on Park Avenue was purchased in 1930. Bishop William F. Faber laid the cornerstone on September 10, 1931. Harold Whitehouse, who also built Episcopal churches in Missoula, Butte, and the lovely cathedral in Spokane, was the architect. The cost was $90,000 - a huge sum and an act of faith for the parish during the Great Depression. Bishop Faber dedicated the new church on Easter, March 27, 1932 and designated it the pro-cathedral of the diocese. Father Daniels became the first of eight deans of the cathedral (the Very Rev. Charles Wilson, The Very Rev. Raymond D. Brown, the Very Rev. Jim Reeves, the Very Rev. Arch Hewitt, the Very Rev. Stephen Brehe, the Very Rev. Heidi Kinner, and the Very Rev. Scott Anderson). It reverted to parish status in the mid-1990's. In November 2004, St. Peter's was once again dedicated the cathedral church of the diocese. In 1941, the church built a deanery for Dean Wilson and his family, which now serves as the Diocesan Offices. An educational building was added in 1959 and later named Wilson Hall in honor of Dean Wilson's 26 years of service.
Today, Sundays in Helena are a bit quieter. St. Peter's has raised up many community leaders over the years which all began with the pioneering men and women of Helena in the latter half of the nineteenth century.
Picture of First Church On Warren Street Built in 1881 also from the SPChelena.org website. Thank you!
Street Address:
511 North Park Avenue
Helena, MT 59601
Mailing Address:
PO Box 819
Helena, MT 59624
Telephone: 406.442.5175
Email: info@spchelena.org
The Cathedral Office is located
in Wilson Hall, behind the
main church building
Thank you to helenahistory.org
“Helena As She Was”
So much amazing history in this one website!
Pay them a visit and contribute to the rich history of Helena Montana.
URL: http://helenahistory.org
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