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Cathedral of the Holy Family (Tafuna, American Samoa)

Coordinates: 14°19′51.7″S 170°44′1.68″W / 14.331028°S 170.7338000°W / -14.331028; -170.7338000
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Cathedral of the Holy Family
Map
14°19′51.7″S 170°44′1.68″W / 14.331028°S 170.7338000°W / -14.331028; -170.7338000
LocationTafuna, American Samoa American Samoa,
United States United States
DenominationRoman Catholic
History
StatusCathedral
Architecture
Functional statusActive
Completed1994
Administration
DioceseSamoa–Pago Pago
Clergy
Bishop(s)Most Rev. Peter Brown, C.Ss.R.
Most Rev. Kolio Etuale (Coadjutor Bishop)

The Cathedral of the Holy Family is a late 20th-century church that serves as the Cathedral—together with the Co-Cathedral of St. Joseph the Worker—of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Samoa–Pago Pago in American Samoa, an unincorporated territory of the United States. It is located in the Ottoville district of Tafuna, the largest city in the territory.

The construction of the cathedral began between the late 1980s and early 1990s and it opened in 1995. It is known for its art pieces, which incorporate the Samoan culture.

Rev. John Quinn Weitzel was appointed by Pope John Paul II to serve as the first Catholic bishop of the newly established Roman Catholic Diocese of Samoa–Pago Pago in American Sāmoa. He was ordained as a bishop of the Catholic Church at Fatuoaiga on October 29, 1986. Bishop Weitzel was a patron of the arts and a strong supporter of local artists, whose work adorns much of the Cathedral of the Holy Family.[1]

Architecture

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Exterior

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Interior

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The interior of the church is noted for its mixture of European and local Samoan features in its design.[2] This is demonstrated in the stained glass windows and numerous pieces of art adorning the cathedral. A 1991 painting by Duffy Sheridan features the Holy Family, with a Samoan beach as the setting.[3]

See also

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References

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  1. ^ Sunia, Fofō Iosefa Fiti (2001). Puputoa: Host of Heroes - A record of the history makers in the First Century of American Samoa, 1900-2000. Suva, Fiji: Oceania Printers. Page 182. ISBN 9829036022.
  2. ^ Samoa & Tonga. Lonely Planet. 2009. p. 86. ISBN 978-1-74104-818-6. Retrieved October 10, 2013. Cathedral of the Holy Family Tafuna.
  3. ^ Stanley, David (2004). South Pacific. David Stanley. p. 479–480. ISBN 978-1-56691-411-6. Retrieved October 10, 2013. Cathedral of the Holy Family Tafuna.