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)
) Bishop William Dollard |
In 1829, Prince Edward Island, New Brunswick, and Cape Breton
had been erected as the Diocese of Charlottetown. Bishop Dollard was
consecrated the first Bishop of the diocese on June 11, 1843. He took up residence in Saint John by November of 1844. Realizing that the Catholic population in Saint John outgrew Saint Malachi's chapel prior to 1843, he made the initial plans for the erection of the Cathedral. No substantial action had been taken when he passed away unexpectedly on a visit to Fredericton on August 29, 1851. |
) Bishop Thomas Louis Connolly |
Bishop Thomas Louis Connolly was born in Ireland in 1815. He
was consecrated at St. Mary's Cathedral, Halifax, on August 15, 1852. He was
named the second Bishop of New Brunswick. He arrived in Saint John on September 11, 1852 and was immediately confronted with the challenge of providing a place of worship which would adequately accommodate the large Irish Catholic population. |
A meeting was held on November 21, 1852 following Bishop Connolly's announcement of his intention to spearhead the construction of a Cathedral.
During the late summer and fall of 1852 Charles F. Anderson, an Anglo-Irish
architect from New York City was engaged to prepare plans and specifications
for the Cathedral; however, the details of his involvement are obscure. The
Cathedral was ultimately erected from the design of Mr. Matthew Stead, a Saint
John architect. The design was English Gothic.
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