Cathedral of Saint Andrew

265 Sheldon Ave

                      ^{church bulletin}

The first church:

St. Mary's Mission

It began as St Mary's mission in an Indian village on the west side of the Grand River as the Indians and the French-Canadian fur trappers had to portage around the rapids. The Catholic mission was near Gelock Pl at Butterworth Ave. ^McGee  The church, 50 feet x 30 feet was dedicated on 20 April 1834.

 1831 Survey by Lucius Lyons founder of the Village of Kent.  GRHC

^Ancona

Fr. Frederic Baraga built the first chapel, St. Mary's Mission, in 1833.

^{The second church:}

Squabble

In 1837, Louis Campau built a new church on the east side of the river where later Herpolsheimer's, now the police department, would be located.. He did not deed the building to the Catholic Church but kept ownership. One Sunday in 1839 the priest, Fr. Viszoczky born in Hungary,  and most of the congregation left in the middle of the Mass and rowed across the river to St. Mary's Mission. This building was never used by Catholics again. Louis's mother held title and she sold it to the Congregationalists. When they built a new church in 1868 (Park Congregational on East Park Place), the old church and land
were purchased by Lewis Porter who had arrived in 1848 from Chicago and who built the Porter Block. ^{Albert Baxter}

^Ancona

The iron cross was removed to St. Andrews Cemetery. McGee tells an amusing story concerning Mrs. Campau's refusal to allow the cross to remain on a Congregational church.

 Louis seems to have been quite an irascible fellow. He was always feuding with someone.

The third church:

1838

The home of Richard Godfroy was purchased on the SE corner of Monroe and Ottawa as a rectory.^Ancona
McGee states "Richard Godfroy had come to Grand Rapids in 1834, and had built the house the following year. It was said to be the first frame dwelling in the city, and one of the finest homes even in 1846. Commodious enough, a story and a half in height as were all the houses in the village, the building seemed large enough to provide quarters for the priest, and a suitable chapel.  The property, even more valuable than the house, was up for sale because Godfroy had left Grand River and settled in Muskegon --.

The cornerstone of a new church was laid on 10 June 1849 and was 90' by 50' when fire struck on 14 Jan 1850. ^Ancona
McGee states, " The entire Godfroy houses, and a portion of the unfinished church were consumed in the flames, but more terrible still, the aged mother and the sister of Father Kilroy, who were staying with their son and brother at the time of the disaster, were both burned to death. Miss Kilroy was outside the building, but in the excitement of the struggle to save the property, she slipped back into the house to rescue her mother, and plunged into certain death. The mother, bed-ridden, could not get out by herself.

Built from Grand River limestone it was the largest building in Grand Rapids.

Looking down Ottawa Avenue towards Monroe Avenue:

                                                           South

      GRPL                 East  ^{1853 map  McGee}    
                                                                   North

GRPL

A prettified drawing

I have to admit I became confused by Ancona's description and compared to an article in the Grand Rapids Democrat dated 6 Oct 1901 so I had to re-examine the 1853 map. The newspaper prints that rough photo above and states: "Ottawa street looking south from Pearl Street. Haldane and Shepard residences on the left, where the Michigan Trust Building, Shepard Block (was torn down a long time ago) and Peninsular Club (now closed) buildings now stand. At the end of the (Ottawa) street is the old stone Catholic Church which faces Monroe street where the Voight-Herpolsheimer stores now are. The church property was sold to the late Moses V. Aldrich in 1873-".  Herpolsheimer's was built in place of the Luce Bldg that burned down. It was then sold to Wurzburg's which was  torn down about 30 years ago to become a parking lot and is now the Art Museum. So Ancona is right and the Democrat is wrong.

  ^{1853 map      McGee}

The church was at the SE corner.  I have put an X to represent the point-of-view of the above rough photograph and identified where the Michigan Trust Bldg is and where the Pantlind/Amway Grand Plaza Hotel is. The above photo from McGee's book shows the Catholic Church next door to the Luce Hall which is where the first graduation was held for   Central High School in 1862.

Thus passed "the old stone church" as the men and women of St. Andrew's congregation called it, looking fondly at its quaint limestone walls and stump of a tower. Probably its sale meant the possibility of enough money to erect the new church on Sheldon. Nonetheless, one cannot escape a twinge of sadness to think that this landmark had to pass. ^Ancona

The fourth church: