St. Viator Church was built on the site of the former city dump in 1955. The ground proved to be unstable and the church was condemned and torn down six months after it opened. The Rev. Richard Crowley, CSV, now churchless, approached Moe Dalitz to donate land on the Las Vegas Strip. Although Jewish, Dalitz liked the idea of having a church convenient for his casino workers. He donated land near the Desert Inn in 1961. Dalitz was familiar with the work of Los Angeles architect Paul R. Williams and approached him to design the new church. Guardian Angel Shrine was opened in October 2, 1963. In 1977 Bishop Norman McFarland of the recently re-designated Diocese of Reno-Las Vegas chose the shrine as the co-cathedral. The diocese was divided in 1995 and the Diocese of Las Vegas was established. Guardian Angel retained its status as a cathedral. The cathedral was renovated for $1.3 million in 1995.
A guardian angel is an angel that is assigned to protect and guide a particular person, group, kingdom, or country. Belief in guardian angels can be traced throughout all antiquity. The concept of tutelary angels and their hierarchy was extensively developed in Christianity in the 5th century by Pseudo-Dionysius the Areopagite.
The theology of angels and tutelary spirits has undergone many refinements since the 5th century. Belief in both the East and the West is that guardian angels serve to protect whichever person God assigns them to, and present prayer to God on that person's behalf.
The guardian angel concept is clearly present in the Old Testament, and its development is well marked. The Old Testament conceived of God's angels as his ministers who carried out his behests, and who were at times given special commissions, regarding men and mundane affairs.
Hop Harrigan (also known as The Guardian Angel and Black Lamp) first appeared in All American Comics #1 created by Jon Blummer (Fighting Yank, Little Boy Blue) as one of the first successful aviation heroes in comic history (Hop appeared after Tailspin Tommy, Barney Baxter, Connie Kurridge and others). Hop Harrigan was technically not a true superhero (as he had no costume or special powers) though he did meet the Justice Society of America in All American Comics #8, and he did eventually become a superhero from All American Comics #25 (April 1941) to #28 (July) as the costumed Guardian Angel.
Hop Harrigan's story begins with him being raised by his neighbor, who tried to gain legal guardianship of him in order to try to obtain Hop's inheritance (of which he was successful). Hop Harrigan had been orphaned by his father, a legendary pilot, who disappeared on a flight to South America to see his wife. By the time Hop Harrigan had almost grown, his neighbor tried to destroy a biplane that once had been in the possession of Hop's father. Seeing this, Hop angrily knocked the old man to the ground and escaped in the biplane, not planning to return. He arrived at an airport where he saved the life of mechanic Tank Tinker, who became his friend and companion. Tank gave Harrigan his nickname when he said, "Some hop, Harrigan." Later, Hop, Tank and Prop Wash (the pilot who accidentally endangered Tank), along with help from an heiress (who later became Hop's girlfriend), set up the All-American Aviation Company, a company that dealt with a variety of exciting adventures. By the time World War II came, as with most other comics of the time, the Hop Harrigan comic started to have World War II themed adventures as Hop, Tank and Prop joined the US Army Air Corps in service of the war effort.
Italian sculptor Alideo Tazzioli Fontanini sculpted most of the images on the exterior, such as Our Lady of Sorrows, located on the front of the cathedral, and the six guardian angels surrounding the central tower.- Advertisement -.
Italian sculptor Alideo Tazzioli Fontanini sculpted most of the images on the exterior, such as Our Lady of Sorrows, located on the front of the cathedral, and the six guardian angels surrounding the central tower.- Advertisement -.
The U2 front man visited historic GuardianAngelCathedral, posting a pic at the front of the church, “Giving thanks for two opening shows.” ... Guardian Angel Cathedral.
2 at GuardianAngelCathedral, the mother church of the Archdiocese of Las Vegas... The Archdiocese of Las Vegas serves more than 620,000Catholics and “hundreds of thousands of tourists,” according to the cathedral’s website ....
Cathedral of Sts ...Petersburg, the Cathedral of Sts ... Cathedral of Sts ... Cathedral of Sts ... But the center of the fortress - and of the city - will forever remain the Cathedral of Saints Peter and Paul, crowned by a golden spire and a guardian angel.
The Sun Chronicle
23 Feb 2023
The Sun Chronicle
23 Feb 2023