St. Patrick Cathedral

The Cathedral Parish of St. Patrick is the seat of the Diocese of El Paso and the mother church for 686,000 Catholics. In 2005, the parish dedicated a nave to the memory of San Pedro de Jesús Maldonado, the martyr of the Diocese of El Paso who was ordained in the Cathedral in 1918. Over the years, many seminarians for the Diocese have begun their service as ordained priests at St. Patrick Cathedral. This fund helps support the life and programs of the parish.

15 Donors

$8,061 Current Value

$500,000 Goal

The Cathedral Parish of St. Patrick is the seat of the Diocese of El Paso and the mother church for 686,000 Catholics.

• Plans to build the church of St. Patrick originated with the Irish Catholic community in El Paso in 1908 when parishioners at Holy Family Church (formerly St. Mary Chapel) began to fundraise for a larger church.
• Several sites were considered for the new church before Father Edward Barry, S.J., the pastor at Immaculate Conception, settled on the corner of Mesa and Arizona Streets which he bought in February 1914 for $20,000.
• The church was designed by Barnett, Haynes and Barnett of St. Louis in the Byzantine style of architecture and constructed from brick and carrara marble.
• Designed to seat 720 worshippers, the interior is modified byzantine with the woodwork of golden oak and the floor of polished oak. The interior is adorned with Roman columns, elaborate frescoes that depict biblical scenes, and the Stations of the Cross that are carved in bas-relief on the interior walls. The impressive marble altar, 75 feet tall, is a duplicate of the altar in the St. Louis Cathedral and contains an eight-foot statue of the Sacred Heart of Jesus under a large canopy that is topped with a golden eagle.
• On November 19, 1917, the finished St. Patrick Church was officially designated by Bishop Schuler as the Cathedral for the Diocese of El Paso. The dedication ceremony took place on Thanksgiving Day, November 29, 1917.

In addition to online donations, there are a variety of ways you can donate to support this fund.

Phone or Mail:

Call (915) 872-8412 Monday – Friday from 9 AM to 4 PM MT to donate the phone. Or you can download this form and mail it to the PO Box listed at the bottom.

Monthly Giving:

As little as $20 (66 cents a day) can make a difference for the people helped by the parishes, schools, ministries, and charities in the Diocese of El Paso. Set up a monthly donation.

Planning Giving:

Creating a bequest in your will for the Catholic Foundation for the Diocese of El Paso is a powerful statement in your legacy and costs you nothing today. Learn about planned giving.

Establish a Named Fund:

Donors may create a Named Fund benefiting the endowed fund of their choice with a gift or pledge of $10,000 or more over five years. If you’re interested in creating a legacy in honor or memory of a loved one, find out more or call (915) 872-8412.