Sacred Heart Cathedral Parish seats about 320 people, which was appropriate when the diocesan population was about 6,000 people. But as the diocese grew (nearly 42 percent in the last 10 years), a new cathedral was needed.
Plans are underway to build a larger cathedral for the Raleigh Diocese. It will be located on 400 acres of land purchased in 1896 by Fr. Thomas Frederick price, co-founder of the Maryknoll Missioners. Known as the "Tar Heel Apostle," Fr. Price was the first native North Carolinian to be ordained a Catholic priest.
Once ground is broken, the new 2,000-seat cathedral is expected to take about two years to complete. It will be called Holy Name of Jesus - the name Fr. price had given the chapel at the orphanage he had established on the property. The new cathedral will cost about $41 million to build.
On this day in 2012, the cause for beatification and canonization of Fr. Price opened.
- Little Black Book, Diocese of Saginaw