St. Matthew Cathedral

St. Matthew Cathedral is a Catholic cathedral in South Bend, Indiana, United States. Along with Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception in Fort Wayne, it is the seat of the Diocese of Fort Wayne-South Bend.HistorySt. Matthew ParishThe Rev. John DeGroote bought 14 lots in the Oak Park addition of South Bend in 1921. Initial plans called for a building to house a combined church and school, but because the estimated cost of $35,000 was considered too expensive, Bishop Herman Alerding suggested a more modest wooden structure to serve temporarily as a church. The Rev. Theodore Hammes was appointed as the parish’s first pastor and initially lived at St. Monica’s parish in Mishawaka. Twenty-two men volunteered to help build the church, which was constructed in May 1922 for $10,000. The sanctuary was dedicated August 13, 1922, with a parish hall in the basement. The congregation quickly outgrew the structure’s capacity of 240, and in October 1923, church leaders dedicated an expansion that increased the seating capacity to 600. The parish purchased six additional lots in 1924 which became the site of a school in 1929.The Missionary Sisters of Our Lady of Victory arrived at St. Matthew in 1942 and stayed until 1958. They taught religious education to the children who did not attend the parish school and performed other duties. The current rectory opened in 1954 to replace a small house that was no longer adequate and soon after, in 1959, ground was broken for the current church. The old church was demolished however, the bells were stored to become part of the new church.