Cathedral of St. Helena, exterior2Name of Church Cathedral of St. Helena

Address 530 North Ewing Street, Helena MT 59601

Phone number (406) 442-5825

Mass times Saturday vigil, 5 p.m. Sundays, 7:30 a.m., 9 a.m., 11 a.m. Monday – Friday, 7 a.m., Tuesday, Wednesday & Thursday, noon. Saturday, 9 a.m. The cathedral has hosted two Latin Tridentine Masses recently, including on All Souls Day, which were well attended; a regular diocesan Tridentine Mass may be established in the area soon.

Confessions Saturdays, following 9 a.m. Mass until 11 a.m. and by appointment.

Names of priests Monsignor Kevin O’Neill, pastor. Father John Crutchfield, parochial vicar.

Cathedral of St. Helena, ceilings

 

 

 

 

 

Special groups/activities Young Adult Group, Catholic Couple Fellowship, exposition of the Blessed Sacrament on Fridays after 7 a.m. Mass, devotion to Our Mother of Perpetual Help on Tuesdays following Masses.

School No, St. Helena’s school closed years ago. Helena does not have parochial schools, although there is a private Catholic school in Helena, St. Andrew’s, which serves grades K-12. Carroll College, a Catholic liberal arts college which opened in 1909, is a mile away from the cathedral.

Music There is a world-class organ which is played at most weekend Masses.

Fellow parishioners This is a mostly English-speaking community in western Montana.

Parking There is a large parking lot to the north of the cathedral.

Cathedral of St. Helena2, interiorAcoustics They are excellent for a large church. In fact, the Helena Symphony & Chorale performs Handel’s Messiah there in December. You can ask for a hearing assistance device, however, if you need one.

Cry room No.

Additional observations The Cathedral of St. Helena is a historic gothic cathedral that is the mother church of the diocese of Helena. The church opened for Mass in 1914, although building on the structure continued for another 10 years. A wealthy miner funded the cathedral, which is modeled after one in Vienna, Austria. It is ornate, with high, decorative ceilings and marble columns, beautiful stained glass windows, impressive woodwork, a pipe organ and beautiful traditional art. It is located in downtown Helena, and surprisingly large for a relatively small city (its towers stand out impressively as you view the city landscape). Check the website for summer cathedral tours for groups. The diocese itself has struggled recently; in 2014, it filed for bankruptcy due to settlements of clergy sex abuse cases dating back to the 1940s.