Since it’s founding in 1887, St. Mary’s Cathedral has been blessed by God with the protection of the Virgin Mary and the labors and sacrifices of godly people, such as our first pastor, St. Alexis of Minneapolis.
In the Footsteps of Saints
A Brief History of St. Mary’s
The Protection of the Holy Virgin Mary Cathedral, informally known today as St. Mary’s, has been a visible presence in Northeast Minneapolis since its founding in 1887.
The first members of the parish dedicated the community in honor of a feast of the Virgin Mary, having traveled a great distance from their native lands in the Carpatho-Rusyn region of Eastern Europe. These hardworking people came primarily from the villages of Becherov, Komlosa, Stebnik, Regetovka in an area north of Prešov in eastern Slovakia. At the time, this was part of the Austro-Hungarian Empire, and the immigrants were Eastern-Rite Catholics.
Later immigrants came from other parts of Eastern Europe, including Ukraine, Russia, Romania, Belarus, Poland and the Czech Lands.
The early settlers and founders of the Protection Cathedral requested that a priest be sent from Prešov to care for their spiritual needs. The local Byzantine Catholic bishop sent Father Alexis Toth, a widowed priest and seminary professor from Prešov. It was under his pastoral guidance that the parishioners of the young community decided to return to their Orthodox Christian roots.
In March of 1891, the entire community was formally received into the Orthodox faith on the feast of the Annunciation when Bishop Vladimir of San Francisco, the ruling hierarch of the North American Orthodox Mission, came to Minneapolis and celebrated the sacred rites for the community.
After being received into the Orthodox Church, St. Mary’s Cathedral has played an important role in the missionary legacy of the Orthodox Church in America. One of the first Orthodox Missionary Schools in North America was established here, and was later elevated to become the first Orthodox seminary in North America by Archbishop Tikhon (Belavin), the ruling hierarch for the Missionary Diocese. This enriched the parish experience with the arrival of seminary faculty and their families and students from across the continent.
Even after the seminary was moved to Tenafly, NJ and eventually became St. Vladimir’s Orthodox Theological Seminary, parish life at St. Mary’s has been a dynamic community celebrating the feasts and observing the fasts of the liturgical year and a diverse collection of clubs, organizations, and events for members of all ages.
The community has carried forward the missionary work of early North American saints like St. Tikhon, Apostle to America and Patriarch of Moscow who consecrated our present cathedral temple. Many faithful and dedicated clergy and lay leaders from St. Mary’s have devoted themselves to the growth and labors of the Cathedral and also made positive contributions to the work of the regional diocese and the national Orthodox Church in America.
Throughout the history of St. Mary’s, dozens of men have devoted their lives to God by becoming priests and deacons. Even more men and women have served the church through lay vocations, becoming choir directors, educators, seminary teachers, iconographers, musicians, and priests’ wives.
The parish community of St. Mary’s Orthodox Cathedral has been blessed with the presence of saints in our midst, both those known and unknown, including Saints Alexis (Toth), Sebastian (Dabovich), Tikhon (Bellavin), John (Kochurov), and Anatole (Kamensky); and the ever-memorable Metropolitan Leonty (Turkevich), Bishop Benjamin (Basalyga), and Dr. Constance Tarasar.
Articles about the history of St. Mary’s Cathedral
Historic events in the life of the Cathedral of Saint Mary and Orthodoxy in America
by Archpriest Andrew Morbey
A reflection written by Archpriest Andrew Morbey, Dean of St. Mary’s Cathedral (2003-2025) during the 50th anniversary celebration of the granting of autocephaly to the Orthodox Church in America. Father Andrew reflects on the place of the Cathedral in the history of the Orthodox Church in America on the anniversary of the parish's reception back into the Orthodox faith on the feast of the Annunciation in 1891.
A Short History of St. Mary’s Orthodox Cathedral in Minneapolis
by Paul Nelson and Archpriest Andrew Morbey
A brief overview of the early years of St. Mary's written for the Minnesota Historical Society, recounting the arrival of Father (now Saint) Alexis Toth as the parish's first rector and the community's return to Orthodoxy.
The Spread of Orthodoxy in the Lower 48 States in America
The Orthodox Faith: Volume III - Church History (the 19th Century)
by Protopresbyter Thomas Hopko
A chapter from The Orthodox Faith, a four volume series providing basic, comprehensive information about the Orthodox Faith and its lived experience from Pentecost to modern times. The early years of St. Mary's Cathedral were important for the local Orthodox Church in North America as a hub for education for young people and seminarians alike.
Orthodox Christians in North America (1794 - 1994)
Chapter 2: Immigration and Conversion (1870-1920)
by Archpriest Leonid Kishkovsky and Mark Stokoe
A contemporary look back at the second century of American Orthodoxy with the labors of Father (now Saint) Alexis Toth which began in Minneapolis at St. Mary's Cathedral.
