I am not Catholic but everyday I step out of my vehicle and look to Gospel Hill. There atop of that hill shining in the morning sun is The Cathedral of the Blessed Sacrament and The American Flag. God and Country represented in one morning scene, what a splendid picture. I often find myself saying a brief prayer. I thank God for another day and the blessing of liberty he has granted to America.

 

In the early 20s Altoona, Pennsylvania, like all of America, was in its own Golden Age. Americans were enjoying a time of abundance and so was the Catholic Church in Altoona. This abundance led to the development of schools, orphanages and The Cathedral of the Blessed Sacrament. Old Saint John’s Church was too small to handle the number of Catholic parishioners. So Bishop McCort wanted people to envision a Cathedral but where to locate the Cathedral was the question.

 

Bishop McCort had several options for the placement of The Cathedral. He was offered property near the current location of the Jaffa Mosque. The reason for doing that was the location of the PRR Main line. Therefore everyone traveling on the railroad would see the marvelous Cathedral. It was a good idea and the complex would have been impressive but the Bishop had other options. He could build at the current location or on Fourteenth Avenue.

 

So the Bishop was undecided. Bishop struggled with the decision about the current location. Old Saint Johns Church was the first Catholic church of Altoona. He would also have to relocate the Sisters of Charity who’s Mother House was located on the property. Imagine the decision. To tear down these structures that people held so dear. This was not an easy decision for Bishop McCort. Where in Altoona, Pennsylvania would he build this Cathedral?

 

Then the story is told that Annie Wolf offered the Bishop a steinmeyer organ from Germany namely Bavaria. What was the stipulation? He had to build the Cathedral on the site of Old Saint Johns. Old Saint Johns was located on Gospel Hill, a place where anyone coming to Altoona, Pennsylvania could see the structure. Annie and the Bishop no doubt felt that the first impression upon arriving to Altoona should be the view of The Cathedral. Just like Saint Peter’s Cathedral is on one of the seven hills in Rome. So when Annie Wolf made the offer of the steinmeyer organ that convinced Bishop McCort and construction began on The Cathedral.

 

It took only eight years to build the exterior of The Cathedral of the Blessed Sacrament in Altoona, Pennsylvania. The structure is made of Limestone in the style of the Italian renaissance. The Cathedral could boast that the Steel Columns manufactured in Johnstown’s Bethlehem Steel Company were the longest columns used for building purposes. They measured 108 feet, 4and ½ inches. In 1929 the stock market crashed and it would take over 30 years to finish the interior of The Cathedral.

 

When I attended Bishop Guilfoyle, I played the trumpet for graduations. I stood near the steinmeyer organ located in the balcony and played Trumpet Voluntary for the students, the teachers, the Priests, the Bishop, and most importantly my Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. The doors of this great building are always open and will always welcome friends and strangers. I imagine it will start finding me sitting in a Pew taking a moment to pray and reflect about all of God’s blessings.

 

 

 

 

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