“Son, observe the time and fly from evil.” The words are etched under the clock face of Old St. Mary’s Cathedral. It is a stern reminder aimed at the men who frequented brothels nearby in the 1850s. Welcome to Old St. Mary’s Cathedral, a beacon of resilience in San Francisco.
Old St. Mary’s was California’s first cathedral. Its cornerstone was laid in July 1853. This was just three years after California became a state. The foundation uses granite cut in China. The bricks came from New England. Ships carried them around Cape Horn as ballast.
Completed and dedicated at Christmas Midnight Mass in 1854 it became the first church named for the Immaculate Conception. At the time, it stood as San Francisco’s tallest building. Archbishop Alemany oversaw its construction. He wanted a grand cathedral for the growing city.
For 40 years, it was simply St. Mary’s Cathedral. But as San Francisco grew, the area around the cathedral declined. By the late 1880s, the Barbary Coast was nearby. Houses of prostitution lined the streets. Archbishop Alemany decided to move the cathedral. In 1891, the new cathedral opened on Van Ness Avenue. The former cathedral became known as Old St. Mary’s.
In 1894, the Paulist Fathers took pastoral care of Old St. Mary’s. They diligently preserved it. They made it a place of peace amidst chaos. They created the first Catholic Chinese mission. They offered a relaxing place for World War II soldiers.
Father Henry Wyman established the Chinese mission in 1903. Father Henry Stark opened the first Chinese mission school in America. He started with just four students. The Holy Family Chinese Mission chapel was dedicated in 1928. In the early 1980s, it was renamed Holy Family Chinese Mission. Old St. Mary’s and Holy Family officially became one parish in 2013.
A major earthquake struck San Francisco on April 18, 1906. Old St. Mary’s stood undamaged. But a fire raged out of control. It raced toward the cathedral. When the smoke cleared, the area was destroyed. Old St. Mary’s stood gutted but undaunted. Only its exterior brick walls and bell tower remained.
During World War II, the Paulist Fathers created the Old St. Mary’s Service Center. It was a place for service personnel to gather and relax. From 1944 to 1946, it served 50,000 individuals. They called it “the nearest thing to home in the whole war.”
Old St. Mary’s has undergone renovations. It continues to serve the Chinatown and Nob Hill communities. It is a testament to faith, resilience, and community. It stands as a proud landmark. It is a reminder of San Francisco’s rich history. The echoes of its past resonate within these walls. They remind us of the challenges it has overcome. Today, Old St. Mary’s remains an active parish.