Dear Sisters and Brothers in Christ,
This year we are celebrating Cathedral Sunday on the weekend of Feb. 13-14.
The first church, named St. Margaret, was constructed and dedicated in 1856. When the Diocese of Davenport was created in 1881 from what had been a portion of the Dubuque Diocese, Most Rev. John McMullen, the first bishop, chose St. Margaret Church as the cathedral. Soon it became apparent that the church was too small for cathedral ceremonies and a new cathedral was built, which was dedicated to the Sacred Heart of Jesus in 1891.
Over the years, the Sacred Heart Cathedral was redecorated in 1908, restored after a fire in 1928, remodeled in the spirit of the Second Vatican Council in 1980, and redecorated and had a new roof installed in 1990. A new parish-and-diocesan hall was completed and blessed in 2017.
It is a blessing to have such a beautiful cathedral in which to celebrate our special diocesan liturgies, and a bright, airy hall in which to gather together socially thereafter.
Please prayerfully consider a gift to the Cathedral Sunday diocesan-wide collection, which will be used to keep the cathedral in good condition.
Bishop Thomas Zinkula
Bishop of Davenport