Bishop Francis Patrick McFarland expressed interest in creating a new and larger cathedral but was unable to gain support within the diocese.

Upon McFarland's request in 1871, for a reduced area to serve due to failing health, Pope Pius IX established the Diocese of Providence that encompassed Rhode Island, southeastern Massachusetts and Martha's Vineyard.

The new diocese, at the time of its inception, recorded a Catholic population of 125,000; forty-three churches; fifty-three priests; six academies; nine parish schools with 4,225 students and one orphan asylum.

Just as his predecessor, Bishop Hendricken was also in favor of building a new cathedral church to replace the current decrepit and inadequate structure.

Bishop Hendricken worked tirelessly to get the cathedral built and in 1872, he was able to retire the debt and begin preliminary construction planning.

The following year, work on the foundation of a temporary church began when Bishop Hendricken signed a contract for the construction at a cost of $18,950.

On June 30, 1889, more than a decade after construction began, the completed cathedral was finally consecrated by Bishop Matthew Harkins.

[7] In 2006, the basement of the cathedral which holds the church hall was renovated to accommodate parish gatherings and diocesan functions.

The basement crypt was dismantled and a new stone tomb was laid in the upper church as a final resting place for Bishop Hendricken.

Church leaders believed that Bishop Hendricken deserved a more prominent place in the building, as the cathedral is considered his legacy.

[8] Providence's Bishop Thomas Francis Hendricken had been instrumental in raising support and funds for the cathedral's construction, even as his own health was failing.

The brownstone exterior is remarkably similar to the original Cathedral of St. Joseph in Hartford, CT, finished in 1889 (which burned in 1956).

Green marble serves as decorative wainscoting along the walls and comprises the interior columns along the nave.

[11] A statue of Providence mayor Thomas A. Doyle was erected in Cathedral Square in 1889, and removed to the corner of Broad and Chestnut Street in 1967.

Designed by renowned American organ builder Lawrence Phelps, Casavant's Opus 3145 was installed in the ecclesiastical North (compass East) Transept at a cost of $217,500.