My Faith Journey to Old Saint Marys - Essay Example

My Faith Journey to Old Saint Mary’s A journey of faith is what I need these days. I really want to take a break from the hassles of daily life, the tools, equipment, technology, the air that is not pleasant anymore, and the activities that seem insignificant in my existence. So here I go. I’m on my way to the Old Cathedral of Saint Mary of the Immaculate Conception. This has been a personal quest. I’ve been intrigued by the structure, the physical appearance, and the seeming mystique yet real building. Will it be a part of my spiritual life? My experience with the Old Saint Mary’s Cathedral is one that is lasting and I would like to consider it as a continuing experience. I became in touch with real people, people who know how to let you feel God’s presence. It started with a simple call from the inside of me. Go and explore. There’s that simple phrase that caught my enthusiasm: “Feel like you’re missing something? Explore the Faith!” My inner calling and that simple phrase combined my next move to find answers. And the questions seemed vague at first. What were the questions? Who will answer? Sometimes we become too busy with the now and not the things God has prepared for us that we forget to act for our souls. Sometimes too we become too heavy, our conscience wouldn’t allow us to move. We become lazy, and heavier and heavier everyday with burdens that are not really burdens. We just have to act for our own cleansing. That thought in mind, I made the first move. The very act of deciding for Old Saint Mary’s Cathedral is a big move on my part. I would like to act on the “missing something” part. These people must know their faith, and how to improve faiths. I dialed a number and I heard a soft and angelic voice. From that time on, I felt was a part of a team, a new community to usher me into a new life with the Lord. There was nothing extraordinary in my entrance except that they welcomed me like I was a member of a family. They occasioned my entry in the community in a special prayer meeting in one of the chapels of the Old Saint Mary’s. It was a very homey atmosphere. I learned that this has been used for a small mass and prayer meetings. A prayer and a welcome note came from Fr. Shea, and the rest were prayers of concern for me and the growing community of the Wyman Club, which I learned later, is composed of the youth ministry. A prayer meeting is one of the programs of the church to encourage the people to pray and interact with each other, and ask the Holy Spirit to inspire and guide them in their daily lives. The young spiritual group laid their hands on me – I felt a wholesome feeling, my inner self was sort of cleansed. I really felt I belonged to a community of God. History This is the old Saint Mary’s Roman Catholic Church, California’s First Cathedral. It has come a long way, from its early founding in the 1800s, the earthquake of the 1906, to its historic preservation, parishioners hail from all walks of life, from politicians to actors, and ordinary people who worship God the Catholic way. Its visitors come from across the United States and from countries like Canada, Mexico and as far away as Germany and the Philippines, to see the landmark of California’s history. The history of this church is the history of San Francisco, then a small community comprised of “forty Spanish families, a few soldiers, and three Franciscan Fathers.” (Old Saint Mary’s Cathedral website) The settlement was started in mid-1830s when Yankee whaling ships who had gone from the Pacific areas began arriving in cove at the west side of San Francisco Bay. This cove became popular to ships to replenish their supplies before returning home around Cape Horn. By 1849, after the gold rush, San Francisco became inhabited by around 40,000 people to take advantage of the economic boom, and buildings soon started to rise. They were short lived because fires ate them up damaging millions of dollars worth of property and displacing many families. Business and commerce became alive again, with warehouses, shops, hotels, and saloons mushrooming in the waterfront streets doing brisk business. People who came from around the world came to settle in San Francisco. (Old Saint Mary’s website) In 1850, when California entered the Union, San Francisco became part of the newly formed Monterey Diocese under the able leadership of Bishop Joseph Sadoc Alemany, a 36 year old Spanish member of the Dominican Order born in Vich, Spain, and who became its first Bishop. Bishop Alemany’s diocese included all of California from San Jose to the Oregon border and all the territory north of the Colorado River and west of the Rockies. There were 50,000 Catholics, 22 priests and 25 churches. (History of Old Saint Mary’s Cathedral) The cornerstone for the cathedral was laid on July 17, 1853, and the design resembled a “Gothic church in Alemany’s hometown in Spain.” Our church’s website describes the first constructed cathedral as having “parapets on either flank, surmounted with embrasures, and buttresses finished cut-stone pinnacles. Inside a vaulted ceiling with groin arches rose above a Carrara marble altar imported from Rome.” (History of Old Saint Mary’s Cathedral) Many years after, because of the declining situation of the area, due to criminality and the presence of lawless elements, Archbishop Alemany announced that the Cathedral would be moved to O’Farrell Street and Van Ness Avenue, a neighborhood without such dangers. Old Saint Mary’s Cathedral was then given to the care of the members of the Missionary Society of St. Paul the Apostle, also known as the Paulists. In April 18, 1906, all the beauty of the building of Old Saint Mary’s Cathedral became smoking rubble when a fire erupted after an earthquake that would have registered 8.25 on the scale if Charles Richter had devised his scale, shook San Francisco. Gone were the roof, the ceilings, and the stained glass windows. After a year of plans for restoration, on June 20, 1909, Archbishop Riordan rededicated a renovated Old St. Mary’s. All these years saw the emergence of a new Old Saint Mary’s Cathedral with many new plans and projects for its reconstruction, and with the start of Old Saint Mary’s Living Landmark Campaign initiated by Rev. Charles Kullman, CSP, Pastor. This rich history is now laid before me. But what is more important is my spiritual experience. I am now a part of the prayer meeting groups after I attended a seminar. The seminar is one of those activities for the youth and for anyone who wants to experience the gifts of the Holy Spirit. In those meetings, you will really experience God’s grace if you only submit yourself to the living power of God. This is God in action right in your very heart. References Old Saint Mary’s Cathedral website. Available from http://www.oldsaintmarys.org/html/pastoral.htm [Accessed 28 November 2008] Old Saint Mary’s Past and Present. Available from: http://www.oldsaintmarys.org/html/retrofit.htm [Accessed 28 November 2008] Read More