Church of St. Joseph designated as co-cathedral of Brooklyn

The Church of St. Joseph is now the Co-Cathedral of St. Joseph.

In one of his final decisions before resigning at the end of February, Pope Benedict XVI approved the request from Bishop Nicholas DiMarzio to elevate the church to the designation of cathedral.

The 162-year-old church, located at 856 Pacific Street, joins St. James Cathedral Basilica in Downtown Brooklyn as co-cathedrals of the Diocese of Brooklyn, which includes Queens.

In his request letter, DiMarzio — who is the pastor at St. Joseph’s — made the case that “since my arrival here as Bishop of Brooklyn almost 10 years ago, it was evident that St. Joseph’s, located in the Prospect Heights section of Brooklyn, is at the heart of a new Brooklyn.

“The Church has a large seating capacity fitting our many Diocesan celebrations. In addition, St. Joseph’s is in a location anticipated to be the most densely populated area in New York City, and it should be a prominent fixture in the re-development at this exciting time in our borough.”

Monsignor Kieran Harrington, administrator of St. Joseph’s, was also delighted at the designation, stating that “this is the Holy Father’s Valentine’s Day gift to the Diocese of Brooklyn.”

St. Joseph’s was established by the late Archbishop of New York, John Hughes, to serve the area’s immigrant population. St. Joseph is the patron saint of families, fathers, expectant mothers, travelers, immigrants, craftsmen and engineers.

On Sundays, Spanish Mass is at 10:30 a.m. and English Mass is at Noon.