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This Cathedral is named after Paul of Tarsus, the Roman-Jewish rabbi-turned-apostle who persecuted Christians until experiencing a vision of Jesus on the road to Damascus.
Whoever you are and wherever you find yourself in your spiritual journey, this is a place where you may share fully in the activities of Christian worship and community.
Two commandments, which Christ placed above all Biblical law and prophecy, guide our Cathedral’s life:
• Love the Lord God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind;
• Love your neighbor as yourself.
St. Paul’s offers opportunities for worship, prayer, learning, service, and giving through which you may explore the path of your response to Christ’s call.
Worship in this church consists of the rites and ceremonies of the worldwide Anglican Communion, enriched by exceptional religious music both traditional and modern, vocal and instrumental. The celebration of the Holy Eucharist—the partaking of consecrated bread and wine—takes place each day of the week at different times and is open to all who feel called to participate.
Anglicanism, the Episcopal Church, and the Book of Common Prayer
Anglicanism is the religious tradition born of the once-Roman Catholic Church of England, which rejected the supremacy of Rome and the pope in the 16th century. The tradition in its present form blends elements of Catholicism and Reformation church life: religious services resemble those of Catholic practice; bishops, priests, and deacons may marry; bishops are elected by the people and the clergy together. Our church ordains both men and women
The Episcopal Church in the United States became independent at the time of the American Revolution. In recent decades the traditional affinity for English Anglicanism has increasingly combined with elements reflecting contemporary American life.
For the Cathedral and all other Episcopal congregations, the Book of Common Prayer, the historic shared legacy of the worldwide Anglican Communion, contains the agreed-upon forms for public worship, known as the liturgy. It includes as well an Outline of the Faith summarizing the essential doctrines espoused by the Episcopal Church.]
The activities associated with the ministries of worship, prayer, learning, service, and giving lend a vibrancy to the Cathedral campus every day of the week, a vibrancy reminiscent of the animation of the great medieval cathedrals.
The congregation consists of residents of the surrounding neighborhoods as well as people throughout the region attracted to this church. Currently, there are more than 750 members of the St. Paul’s community. The Cathedral welcomes Hispanic San Diegans and persons of all ages and from every social, ethnic, cultural, and religious background.
St. Paul’s Cathedral – Cathedral for the City
Although much older as a parish, St. Paul’s has been a cathedral since 1985, when the new San Diego diocese with its own bishop was created out of the Diocese of Los Angeles. The diocese encompasses San Diego and Imperial counties, part of Riverside County, and Yuma, Arizona.
As San Diego’s cathedral, St. Paul’s is the seat of the diocese’s bishop, the Right Reverend James Mathes. His chair, or cathedra, is placed behind the main Altar, with the diocesan coat of arms displayed on the wall above and behind.
The Diocese of San Diego counts fifty-one congregations with more than 23,000 members.
A Church Rooted in the Origins of San Diego Anglicanism
Episcopal services were the first non-Roman Catholic Christian services celebrated in the then-embryonic settlement of San Diego, starting in 1853. The small Episcopal community coalesced into the Parish of the Holy Trinity in 1868, and Holy Trinity Church was in fact the first Protestant church building in San Diego. In 1885 the parish took the name of St. Paul’s Church.
St. Paul’s Church stimulated the creation of a number of new church communities, including St. Matthew's in National City and All Saints and St. Dunstan's in San Diego.
In 1983 Queen Elizabeth II, who is the Supreme Governor of the Church of England, and Prince Philip visited St. Paul's as part of their official tour of California.
Seniors, Singles, Couples, and Families with Children
Seniors
Service and participation in programs are fully open to the older members of the congregation. Seniors serve the Cathedral as docents, ushers, money counters, Chapter members, bookstore volunteers, hospitality coordinators, and more. They are warmly welcome to the longstanding Friday Friendship group.
Conversely, the Cathedral has long offered special service to seniors, starting significantly 50 years ago with the construction of St. Paul's Manor for residential senior living, located just blocks from the church. The Manor is now managed by St. Paul's Senior Homes and Services, which has grown to include senior day care, independent living, assisted living and comprehensive nursing care services. Homebound seniors are offered nursing visitation from our Cathedral Nurse, clergy visitation, and lay Eucharistic visitation to meet their continuing physical and spiritual needs.
Singles, Couples, and Families with Children
The Cathedral offers a variety of special opportunities for people in these groups, such as Godly Play for small children, teenage activities, a Cathedral-sponsored chapter of Integrity, and the same volunteer opportunities available to seniors. Please ask any priest or staff person for detailed information related to your particular interests.
Hispanic Ministry
The Cathedral celebrates Holy Communion in Spanish on Sundays and, throughout the year, Hispanic events such as Día de los Muertos, Posadas, and the Serenade for Our Lady of Guadalupe. We also offer First Communions and Quinceañeras. Spanish-speaking staff and clergy are available to answer questions about these and the other components of our rich Hispanic Ministry.
Governance
St. Paul’s is governed by a partly elected, partly appointed sixteen-member board, known as the Chapter. The Dean of the Cathedral, the Very Reverend Scott Eric Richardson, acts as the organization’s chief executive officer.
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