The Occasional Pilgrim: San Francisco's Grace Cathedral

RELIGION NEWS SERVICE
By Kimberly Winston and Sally Morrow

A large carving of St. Francis of Assisi – the city’s namesake – spreads his arms wide just inside the cathedral’s front door. The thrum of the city outside is stilled by stone walls. Religion News Service photo by Kimberly Winston

CALIFORNIA---Grace Cathedral is the spiritual home of San Francisco’s Episcopal community and is almost as old as the city itself. It was established as Grace Chapel in 1849, when the city pulsed with Gold Rush fever. That church fell to the massive fire that followed the 1906 earthquake. Today’s Grace Cathedral, begun in 1928, is now an epicenter of spirituality in the City by the Bay. Fifty years after its formal completion, the landmark cathedral attracts pilgrims from around the world. [link]