The nave and high altar seen from the choir loft, flanked by processional banners
Few cities in the world are so identified by a single building as is New Orleans. The triple steeples of St. Louis Cathedral tower above the Cabildo, the Presbytere, and the green of Jackson Square — and behind that famous silhouette is a working cathedral parish where Mass has been offered without interruption for nearly three centuries. The present church dates primarily to 1850, the third on this site, and serves as the seat of the Archbishop of New Orleans and a minor basilica of the universal Church.
Spiritual significance
The Cathedral-Basilica of St. Louis King of France is the oldest continuously active Catholic cathedral faith community in America and the mother church of the Archdiocese of New Orleans — a fitting end to the pilgrimage, gathering the city's local shrines and parishes back to its cathedral.
A Prayer at Journey's End
“Lord, you have led us through this city of saints and sinners, of beauty and trial. As we end where the Church here has long gathered, send us out renewed — to carry what we have received to those we will meet. Through the intercession of St. Louis, our patron, and Our Lady of Prompt Succor. Amen.”
Gallery
