The Cathedral of Saint Paul — also known as Saint Paul's Cathedral — is the mother church of the Diocese of Worcester, Massachusetts. It is located at 38 Chatham Street in downtown Worcester, Massachusetts, in the United States.
Built between 1868 and 1889, Saint Paul is an example of Victorian Gothic architecture. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1980.
The Cathedral of Saint Paul stands in downtown Worcester, facing north on the south side of Chatham Street at High Street, one block west of Main Street.
Saint Paul Cathedral is in length, in width, and in height. It is a large stone cruciform structure, with built-out rock-faced granite blocks. The main facade consists of a tall square tower on the right, the gabled end of the nave at the center, and a smaller square tower topped by a round turret on the left.
The cathedral entrances are located in the base of the large tower and in projecting Gothic-arched sections in front of the nave. The main roof is steeply pitched, with a cross at the front gable end and tall Gothic windows in the gables at the nave and transepts.
A statue of St. Francis of Assisi occupies the small courtyard outside the cathedral.
Located in the center of the cathedral sanctuary is the green and white marble altar. The front of the altar displays a bas relief carving of the Last Supper. The cathedra is located near the altar surrounded by a carved oak reredos.
A shield over the cathedral displays the coat of arms for the diocese and for the current bishop. The ambo, or pulpit, was constructed of the same marble as the altar. The large crucifix hanging over the altar was carved in Bavaria in Germany.
The baptismal font is located to the right of the sanctuary. Behind the font is a cabinet that houses the holy oil.
The cathedral contains four shrines:
The cathedral contains 11 windows that illustrate the life of the Apostle Paul:
The clerestory in the upper part of the cathedral contains windows that display symbols of the apostles and saints.
During the 1860s, Worcester had two parishes, St. John's and St. Anne's, both under the jurisdiction of the Archdiocese of Boston. In 1866, Archbishop John Williams allowed John Power, the pastor of St. Anne's, to purchase a property in Worcester for a new mission church.
Power broke ground on the new church in 1868, hiring the architects E. Boyden & Son to design the building. The first services were held in the church basement in 1869. Saint Paul Church was dedicated in 1875. In 1889, the parish completed construction of the bell tower for the church.
In 1950, Pope Pius XII erected the Diocese of Worcester and appointed John J. Wright as its first bishop. On March 7, 1950, Wright elevated Saint Paul Church to the Cathedral of Saint Paul. In 1952, the diocese added a white Botticino marble wainscoting to the sanctuary. The crucifix in the vestibule was added in 1953.
After the Second Vatican Council of the early 1960s, the diocese made some changes in the church layout to follow liturgical reforms of the Council. These included moving the choir to the front of the cathedral.In 1996, the diocese replace the existing altar, installed in 1902, with a green and white marble altar. At the same time, a shrine was added to house the tabernacle.
In 2021, the diocese began a major renovation of Saint Paul. The roof and some windows were replaced and the outside masonry was repaired. The diocese launched a campaign in 2026 to raised $500,000 for structural repairs to the bell tower and an upgrade to its electrical and mechanical systems.