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The first Episcopal worship services were held in the fledgling city’s courthouse in Old Town in 1853 and St. Paul’s was the first Protestant Church in San Diego. In 1869, the congregation incorporated in “New Town,” which is Horton Plaza today.
As San Diego grew, so did St. Paul’s, always staying near the city center. Did you know members of that early congregation helped sponsor the first hospital in San Diego? In the spirit of serving joyfully, they worked with local Native Americans and ran a shelter for the homeless. St. Paul’s members brought the first pipe organ to the city and our church. Our present location was dedicated in 1951 and became the official Cathedral of the diocese of San Diego in 1985. With Balboa Park as a historic neighbor, St. Paul’s Cathedral is a part of the area’s spiritual and cultural legacy.
Being named Cathedral for the City is a way of describing St. Paul’s as a center for spirit and service. When the shootings occurred in Santee, ours was the first major church to hold an evening candlelight vigil open to all. Following 9/11, the church opened for prayer and a community prayer vigil. In times of local or national disaster, people of all faiths come here to light candles, pray, and walk the Labyrinth.
Neighborhood groups meet here to discuss traffic or safety measures. Being for-the-City means witnessing at City Hall for worker justice or hosting city-wide workshops on affordable housing, peace, and ending racism–there are so many important causes.
Our on-going art program highlights the creative gifts of youth, the disabled, and other special interests groups. We march in parades and support the many fund-raising walks in Balboa Park and the neighborhood. Our music groups perform with the San Diego Chamber Orchestra, Chorale, and dance groups. We host concerts like The Messiah, Gospel Style.
Cathedral for the City means being Christ to everyone as an inclusive, prophetic, compassionate witness. It means being a sacred space open to all, on a come-as-you-need basis. As Jesus said, a light set on the side of a hill cannot be hidden. That light is the welcoming love of God.
We mean it when we say, “Whoever you are, wherever you may be on your journey of Faith, we welcome you.”
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