The destruction of the 8-foot statue of the Sacred Heart of Jesus at the historic St. Patrick Cathedral on September 15, 2020 was a wound on the Cathedral, the Diocese, and the entire community. The statue of the Sacred Heart has stood as a beacon of hope and prayer for nearly 100 years but our hurt and anger over recent events will not damage our trust in Jesus and the message of his Sacred Heart, a message of compassion and love for all.

There has been an outpouring of shock and grief, as well as a desire to contribute. The Cathedral Sacred Heart Statue Fund was established to provide a vehicle for those who want to help. The Foundation will help oversee the distribution of donations intended to support the Cathedral Sacred Heart Statue Fund and the parish.

When you donate to the Cathedral Heart Statue Fund, your gift will go to support restoration or replacement of the statue, and added security at St. Patrick Cathedral. If you would like to make a contribution to the St. Patrick Cathedral Historic Preservation Fund, a permanently endowed fund created by Fr. Rick Matty† for the preservation of the Cathedral that provides an annual distribution and support in perpetuity, please click here.

Located on the Northeast corner of Mesa and Arizona, the Cathedral is a work of art and an historic landmark. Plans to build the church of St. Patrick originated with the Irish Catholic community in El Paso in 1908 when parishioners at Holy Family Church, formerly St. Mary Chapel, began to fundraise for a larger church. When Bishop Anthony Schuler, S.J. became the first bishop of El Paso in November 1915, he announced his intentions to make St. Patrick the Cathedral. On November 12, 1916, Bishop Schuler blessed the cornerstone and the site of the altar was marked by a large wooden cross. On November 19, 1917, the finished St. Patrick Church was officially designated by Bishop Schuler as the Cathedral for the Diocese of El Paso. The dedication ceremony took place on Thanksgiving Day, November 29, 1917. The statue has been at the Cathedral almost that entire time and was made by the Daprato Brothers, now Daprato Rigali Studios, founded in 1860.

For more information, please contact Major Gifts Officer Sofía Larkin at slarkin@elpasodiocese.org , 915-872-8412 or directly at 915-433-2003.