St Matthew Catholic Church

A fire ravaged Dallas in 1860, consuming businesses and the rented space of St. Matthew’s Church. This included all their belongings and records. The small Episcopal congregation, just a few years old, was devastated. St. Matthew’s Church, the third church formed in Dallas, had begun humbly in 1856 with services held above a general store. Despite this setback, St. Matthew’s persevered. They rebuilt and grew, even adding a bell in 1870. The expanding city necessitated another move in 1877. During this move, the church building collapsed. Undeterred, the parishioners, aided by the community, carried the salvaged lumber to the new site and rebuilt. St. Matthew’s gained prominence in 1875 when Bishop Alexander Garrett designated it as his cathedral church. This marked an important step, solidifying St. Matthew’s as the mother church of the Episcopal Diocese of Dallas. The church continued to flourish, necessitating a new stone cathedral at Elm and Lamar in 1893. However, progress brought new challenges. Train tracks were laid nearby, and the noise and smoke from the steam engines disrupted Sunday services. Facing financial difficulties, Saint Mary’s Episcopal College for Women saw an opportunity. The cathedral relocated to the college campus in 1929, assuming the college’s debt. The former chapel was expanded, becoming the current St. Matthew’s Cathedral. The tranquil, tree-lined campus became the cathedral close. It now showcases a collection of stained-glass windows, some dating back to the late 19th century. St. Matthew’s Cathedral also houses a notable collection of Victorian-era paintings. Many of these paintings were originally gifts to Saint Mary’s Episcopal College for Women, often depicting Saint Mary herself. More recently, the Justus Sundermann Art Gallery opened in 2013, featuring rotating exhibits by local artists. The church is constructed in the Gothic Revival style. Look closely and you’ll see cornerstones, plaques, and stained-glass windows from previous cathedral locations incorporated into the present structure. The stained glass tells a story. The central window, originally from Saint Mary’s College, depicts the Nativity. Flanking it are windows honoring patron saints of women. A stained-glass window of St. Matthew, the cathedral’s patron, was later installed in the south transept. The windows also depict scenes of the Resurrection, the Stations of the Cross, the sacraments, and the founding fathers of the church. Uniquely Texan images, such as cowboys, Native Americans, and a stagecoach, can also be found among the stained glass.