St. Peter Chaldean Catholic Cathedral (El Cajon, California) Explained

St. Peter Cathedral
Fullname:St. Peter Chaldean Catholic Cathedral
Pushpin Label Position:none
Map Caption:St. Peter Cathedral's location in Southern California
Coordinates:32.754°N -116.9242°W
Location:1627 Jamacha Way.
El Cajon, California
Country:United States
Denomination:Chaldean Catholic Church
Founded Date:December 6, 1973
Dedicated Date:September 10, 1983
People:Assyrian Converts from ACOE
Style:Byzantine Revival
Completed Date:1983
Capacity:600
Dome Quantity:One
Diocese:Eparchy of St. Peter the Apostle
Bishop:Most Rev. Emanuel Hana Shaleta
Rector:Rev. Michael J. Bazzi

St. Peter Cathedral is a Chaldean Catholic cathedral located in El Cajon, California, United States. It is the seat for the Eparchy of St. Peter the Apostle.

History

The first Chaldean Catholic Assyrian people to immigrate to the United States arrived at the end of the nineteenth century. Although small in number, they were spread across the country by the middle of the twentieth century.[1] St. Peter Chaldean Catholic parish was established in 1973 with Father Peter Kattoula as its first pastor.[2]

The present church building was completed in 1983 and dedicated on September 10 of that year. It has a seating capacity of 600 people.[3] The church hall was opened on November 29, 1989. It became a cathedral when the Eparchy of St. Peter the Apostle was established in 2002.

In September 2020 the cathedral was vandalized with graffiti of contradictory messages including among other things pentagrams, upside down crosses, white power, swastikas, "BLM", and "Biden 2020".[4]

Community outreach

St. Peter Cathedral collaborates with local organizations such as the Mar Toma Council, a Knights of Columbus council, to support community initiatives. In 2014, the cathedral hosted a fundraising event with the Mar Toma Council that raised $650,000 for Christian refugees impacted by conflicts in Mosul and the Nineveh Plains. These efforts were part of broader activities to support displaced communities in Iraq, Turkey, Syria, and Lebanon.[5]

See also

External links

Notes and References

  1. Web site: Chaldeans And Assyrians In The United States. Catholic Diocese of St. Peter the Apostle for Assyrian Catholics. 2014-01-14. dead. https://web.archive.org/web/20140719033829/http://www.kaldu.org/2_st_peter_diocese/diocese.htm. 2014-07-19.
  2. Web site: St. Peter Cathedral. GCatholic.org. 2014-01-14.
  3. Web site: St. Peter Chaldean Catholic Cathedral. Chaldean Catholic Diocese of St. Peter the Apostle. 2014-01-14. dead. https://web.archive.org/web/20140105205849/http://www.kaldu.org/2_st_peter_diocese/churches/st_peter.htm. 2014-01-05.
  4. Web site: Catholic cathedral vandalized in California with 'white power,' 'BLM,' and swastikas. Catholic News Agency. September 26, 2020. September 29, 2020.
  5. Web site: Mar Toma Council awarded International Service Award. 2024-05-24.