Jay, a fellow first year student, and I decided earlier in the week that we would head into the city to visit this church. Several other students heard about our plan and wanted to come along, so at 9:45 we all packed into Jay's SUV and trekked across the Bay Bridge into San Francisco. The fog was still hanging over the hills of Berkeley and as we crossed the bridge we were able to see that SF was still fogged in. We couldn't actually see the city until we were a few yards away. We navigated the many hills and strange one way streets and made to the cathedral's parking garage (yes they have their very own parking garage) in decent time, so much so that we were actually forty-five minutes early. We were curious if we would encounter any traffic on I80 west into SF, but fortunately we crossed the bay early enough to avoid any traffic snarls.
This actually worked out quite well for us as it allowed us to walk around the grounds of the cathedral and move around inside without being in the way. After we parked the car we went outside so that we could get a view of the exterior and it was absolutely amazing. In very much the same way in with the Mormon Temple in SLC was impressive in stature so too Grace loomed large over the surrounding community. It also helps that Grace sits atop Nob Hill, one of the many hills of SF, so that helped in the overall grandiose style of the cathedral. When I looked at the exterior of the cathedral I was immediately brought back to the days when I was touring the medieval cathedrals of France, oh so many years ago when my brother and I traveled there as a high school graduation gift. Now I am not an architect but it definitely looked Gothic in style. The spire rising up from the center of the building had long gargoyles shooting out in every direction. The front was very reminiscent of the French cathedrals in that there were two giant gold plated doors, that remain closed, at the very center of the entryway with two smaller arched entryways that are used on a regular basis. On each side were two large bell towers, which according to one person I talked to houses forty four bells cast in England and shipped to the cathedral as a gift from a local parishioner who bemoaned the fact that the cathedral had no bells at that point. The arches surrounding the doors were intricately carved with ornate decorations in the stone. It was absolutely humbling to stand in front of this magnificent offering of stone and wood to the glory of God.
The bell towers, spire and front facade of the cathedral
The entryway
Once I passed through either of the doors I was met with something very peculiar that I had never seen inside a church, and it was a labyrinth laid on the floor. I have seen labyrinths on church grounds before, our cathedral in Boston has one in one of the halls, but I have never seen one in the church itself. Because we had arrived early I saw several people walking the labyrinth with their head down, solely focused on their experience and completely oblivious to what was going on around them. they also have one outside of the church in their "plaza" area.
The labyrinth inside the cathedral
People walking the labyrinth outside after the service
While the labyrinth was pretty cool to see I was completely blown away by the space inside. The minute I walked into the nave a wave washed over me and I knew that I was entering a very sacred space. The walls reached up to the sky and would have reached heaven if they had not been capped by the vaulted ceiling. Grace Cathedral is the third largest Episcopal cathedral in the country, behind St. John the Divine in NYC and the National Cathedral in DC. The sheer size of the inside just blew my mind.
A view of the pews leading up to the altar and the apse
While we walked around trying to soak in all that our eyes were observing, we had the opportunity for parishioners to approach us and give us little details about the cathedral. We were completely surrounded by stained glass and as the sun began to peek through the fog the rays of light were passing through the windows and casting colorful shadows that danced along the floor. I was told the a fair amount of the windows were Connick
One of the many windows lining the walls of the cathedral
The rose window
After viewing the many side chapels and little nooks and crannies of the building we took our seats in the pews and more people were filing in to take their seats. At 11:00 sharp, the organ kicked in and the space was filled with sounds of Hymn 400 All Creatures of Our God and King. I was looking over my shoulder to watch the procession come in from the back but the procession started from a door to the right of the sanctuary. First were the torch bearers and the crucifer, followed by a verger and the first section of the choir, which was followed by another verger and the second section of the choir, then another verger led the eucharistic ministers, then another verger carrying the seal of the diocese led the priests, deacons and dean of the cathedral, then the thurifier who swung his incense around filling the space with the clouds of smoke, and finally the one last verger who led the presider of the service. I have seen processions before but this was pretty impressive to see all of the people necessary to make the service happen on a given Sunday. Had the bishop been in town he would have come last but we were not graced with his presence this morning, though we wondered if anyone would take his parking spot in the garage below since he wasn't in town. After the opening hymn the presider began to chant the opening acclimation, which since coming to the west coast the chanting of the services seems to be "in" thing. The service followed the same format that I am accustomed to, however but choral pieces that comprised much of the service music was difficult to hear and follow along with given the acoustics of the large open space. It was a lot of the high church "smells and bells" but it was nice to experience it since it is very different from the way a lot of churches conduct their services. What was also surprising was how quickly the priests facilitated communion. Obviously they have it down to a science but given the large number of people in the congregation I thought it would take a while to administer communion to everyone, but they did it quickly enough in time with the choir singing an anthem. In a little less then an hour and a half later the service was over and we were sent out into the world to continue on with our busy lives.
All in all it was a great experience, especially for me coming from a small parish. Don't get me wrong I love the intimacy that comes with being a part of a small community because in the cathedral there were so many people but it was fun to see just how varied the worship services can be within the Episcopal Church. I could see myself doing one year of my field ed at Grace for two reasons. First it would be great to see how a large, dynamic, and multi-program church operates on a day to day level, again especially coming from a small church model. Secondly, I think it would be great to work there for the many connections and relationships that could be fostered in an environment such as serving in the episcopal seat of a diocese. I will also be visiting other large churches in the Bay Area as well as smaller and multicultural churches that can also be found in the area so I am definitely keeping my options open. But how cool would it be to have an opportunity to preach in a place like Grace Cathedral?
The altar
One of the several side chapels within the cathedral
A view of the cathedral from down Sacramento St.
A view out from the front steps, coincidentally there were people across the street decorating the park for a wedding and after the service we saw the bride and groom cross the street to one of the hotels
Wow!
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