At the end of a devastating year of pandemic and with a new lockdown, the pastor of Old St. Mary’s Cathedral and Chinese Mission shared with parishioners a grim assessment with a call for Advent hope.
“Our beloved church is at the very edge of survival,” Paulist Father John Ardis, pastor of Old St. Mary’s, wrote in his appeal letter asking for supporters to summon “the resiliency and determination needed to help California’s oldest Cathedral survive these trying times.”
The parish has fallen deeply into debt amid the upheaval of 2020, and needs to raise at least $252,000 to cover its insurance payments for both 2020 and 2021.
Just as people came together to rebuild the church more than 100 years ago after its near destruction in the fires following the 1906 earthquake, Father Ardis hopes that people today can unite to keep the parish open.
“It’s amazing, the sacrifices that our ancestors have made to keep the faith alive and my hope is that we can keep the faith alive for those that come long after us,” he said.
The Chinatown parish has been hit hard by the Covid-19 pandemic and the following lockdowns. Until last March, its proximity to downtown made the old cathedral a stop for tourists and for workers in the area; the near total disappearance of both groups since then has badly starved the parish of operating income.
The parish preschool, which had 35 students last March, reopened with only five full-time students. Father Ardis suspended the school after it could no longer cover the salaries of its staff. The parish’s Catholic bookstore and gift shop, one of the few in the city, saw its income dry up like most of the neighboring stores in Chinatown.
Because of the loss of income and the looming insurance payments, the pastor has had to lay off much of the parish staff. Without someone to watch the church during the day, the parish doors have had to stay closed to private prayer….
Donate to the Light in the City campaign to help Old St. Mary’s.
The above comes from a Dec. 14 story in Catholic San Francisco.
Get ready for many, many more.
So at least we are clear: Reluctance to reduce inside liturgies comes down to finances, not to sacramental jurisprudence or public health concerns.
Would you make the same snide remark about restaurants? Are you collecting a pension and don’t have to worry about generating income for yourself? For most people, business, and yes the church, finances matter.
I don’t disagree with you that everyone is hurting terribly financially. I just think that the answer for both restaurants and churches is to deliver services outdoors. We should just be honest about that and stop pretending that government is trying to strangle Churches at the expense of everyone else, or that the state has told churches that they can’t minister.
are the Paulists even Catholic?
just askin’
No order of priest and nuns has done more to spread the faith through books, films, etc. than the Paulists for years and years.
And Paulist priest Fr. Ricky Manalo has gifted the church with such beautiful liturgical music.
Shirley Eujest– Very true, sadly!
Well heck…went to NDV right up the hill from there and I always thought that was an Old Catholic Church church. Had no idea it was an archdiocesan parish.
Mark, Notre Dames des Victories, staffed by the Marist Fathers, from France, is a French National parish church, founded in 1856 (during the same time Old St. Mary’s was founded) to serve French immigrants during the Gold Rush. Its main Mass is in French.
Old St. Mary’s served as the first S.F. Archdiocesan cathedral, until the new one was built, in 1891; then, it became a parish church. The Paulist Fathers took charge of Old St. Mary’s in 1894.
Old St. Mary’s served as the first S.F. Archdiocesan cathedral, until the new one was built, in 1891; then, it became a parish church. The Paulist Fathers took charge of Old St. Mary’s in 1894.
This situation is a metaphor for the universal Church…teetering, crumbling. Drastic action is needed if we are to save it!
The closing of the Catholic Churches’ instructional facilities is an abomination. If a school or parish needs support the diocese must come forth and provide aid . If the diocese hasn’t the funds then it should have a fund drive to get it. We support all these outside causes but don’t support our own needs. Crazy.
Maybe God wants everything to close. Why don’t you ask why he’s not helping his church? I sure am asking that. Money doesn’t grow on trees. The wicked have plenty of money. God blesses them but he doesn’t bless his own people, his own church. Ponder that.
Kevin, do you recall the days of Soviet Russia, perhaps during the JFK-Krushschev era– when atheism ruled the land, and churches were destroyed or closed, and Bibles were banned?? Well, you just cannot kill Christianity! Many Catholic and Protestant missionaries and religious orders (including Jesuits, Billy Graham, and others) tried to sneak in Bibles, do secret evangelical work, and keep Christianity alive, in Russia, praying for Communism to end, and for Christ to triumph. No matter what, Christianity will have the final say, on His Church. Pope St. John Paul II suffered greatly from Communist rule and persecution, in Poland– but helped break and destroy their Satanic power, finally.
Have you ever heard Bing Crosby sing the long-ago song, “Old St. Mary’s,” celebrating this beautiful, landmark church, opened in 1854, with its famous clock tower, and huge replica of Murillo’s exquisite 1678 “Immaculate Conception” painting, above the main altar?? Bing Crosby also once came to sing in the choir loft, of this beautiful church! It is also situated right next to Chinatown, always of interest to tourists– and had a Chinese Mission, also. Beautiful old landmark churches like Old St. Mary’s, have all suffered greatly, due to Vatican II “wreckovations” — from head-to-toe “modernizations” in every possible way. Old St. Mary’s modernist Paulist Fathers long ago ripped out her original altar rail, and later proceded with extreme Vatican II “wreckovations” of its parishioners’ traditional Catholic devotional life, driving thousands away. It once was a very thriving Catholic “mecca,” in San Francisco, very strongly supported! Lots and lots of Catholics grew up, got married, raised large Catholic families, and spent their lives as parishioners, in this parish! But the Paulists– who were originally formed as a “modernist,” more secularized religious order, anyway– detested all beautiful traditional Catholicism, and things just got worse and worse, for Old St. Mary’s parishioners. I recall one sad, quiet afternoon, many decades ago, going with a group of ladies to say the Rosary, at this lovely church– and the Pastor saw us, came over and sternly rebuked us, and told us never to carry a Rosary or any traditioval Catholic holy object, prayer book, etc., into “his” church, ever again! Because, now these were the “great and glorious days,” of the new Vatican II!! (What about all the beautiful Catholic Rosaries, holy cards, holy medals, devotional books, etc., in “his” bookstore, next to the church??) Oh, he was just unbelievably stupid, unreasonable, and cruel! I was so deeply shocked and hurt, I never went back!
Thank you for telling us about it. I saw beautiful Catholic churches here in California stripped of their altars and kneelers, and the parishioners charged for church renovations that were not even needed. And some wonder why some Traditionalists are so bitter. Yet those in the new Mass often get upset if one of their own favorite devotions or method of doing things is changed. Can’t help but think “now you know how it feels”. Some stupid modernist priests telling the people that the priests used to “face the wall” when they prayed in the older Mass. That shows their utter lack of knowledge of and contempt for Church history.
I would like to clarify that I did not mean that all priests were or are stupid who did not or do not understand why some priests faced away from the people and toward Christ over the altar. I was referring to those older past priests, who knew better, and taught younger people that priest’s “faced the wall” in contempt of the practice just because they did not like it.
Many of the Paulists (including the one who scolded us) have unfortunately embraced secular modern trends, such as feminism, LGBT agendas, etc. Many feminists and LGBTs are against the Rosary, and teachings about Our Blessed Mother. Many modernist Catholic clerics, who promote feminism and LGBT agendas, seek to tragically persecute nice, normal, feminine, conservative, traditionally devout Catholic ladies!
Anon. December 17, 2020 at 5:08 pm
and
Anon. December 17, 2020 at 10:30 pm
Thanks for answering my question.
God bless you for your fidelity under
harassment, if not persecution.
Old St. Mary’s is dedicated to Our Blessed Mother’s Immaculate Conception, and the new Cathedral is dedicated to her Assumption.
The new Cathedral, which was completed in 1971 (the one built in 1891 burned down in 1962) is starkly modern, and many Catholics (including me!) have sadly never felt comfortable worshiping there. Too bad our modern-era Church doesn’t care. Well, what I feel is truly horrifying — is the current, extremely shocking, “modern art” Christmas Nativity, on display, this year, at the Vatican! A horror for all to behold! Doesn’t the Church care, especially with the horrors of the Pandemic this year??
The best Paulist priest is Fr. James Lloyd, C.S.P. He will turn 100 on April 3, God willing. He’s done great work with the COURAGE apostolate.