On Good Friday of 1964 , an earthquake with a magnitude of 9.2 devastated much of South Central Alaska . The Pope 's apostolic delegate came to view the damage , and upon doing so they saw that Anchorage would be the focal point of both state and spiritual growth . In 1966 , the Holy See created the Archdiocese of Anchorage , and made Alaska a separate province . Archbishop Joseph T. Ryan was installed as the first Archbishop of Anchorage on April 14 , 1966 . Holy Family church became a cathedral with the establishment of the new archdiocese . Archbishop Ryan invited the Order of Preachers ( Dominicans ) to staff the cathedral in 1974
earthquake with a magnitude of 9.2
1964 Alaska earthquake
Holy Family Cathedral (Anchorage, Alaska)