Some 25 or so years ago I, along with other folks from St. Paul’s, went on a pilgrimage of British cathedrals organized by the Rev. Canon Anne Chisham and Lanita Carroll, and “narrated” by Dean James Carroll, our first dean. It was an amazing trip that took us from York Minster Cathedral at the north end of England, to eventually ending up in London and visiting St. Paul’s Cathedral and Westminster Abbey.
While there were many profound, spiritual, funny, and unexpected things that happened as we traveled, one of the strongest memories I have is of the first cathedral we visited, York Minster Cathedral. Admittedly I was fairly jet lagged after having just arrived at Manchester airport, but even taking that into account, the experience of entering the Cathedral was overwhelming. Having opened in 637 AD, York Minister was grand, stately and had an air of great tradition and history. We were there for a noon service and afterwards as I was walking around taking in the beauty of the place, I had the urge to touch the wall near where I was standing. Upon doing so it was almost as if I could sense all the pilgrims, worshippers, tourists, travelers, seekers and the curious who had come into that sacred space over the centuries.
Afterwards upon returning I felt the same urge to touch the walls of our Cathedral and once again it was almost as if I could feel the presence of the people who had entered St. Paul’s with their desires to encounter God, find community, have a place of refuge and just some quiet in a noisy world.
As we continue in the time of transition I encourage you to take your own pilgrimage of our Cathedral, to all to spend some time in the Cathedral space however you are included to do so. Touch the walls if you wish, sit in a moment of quiet reflection, pray, meditate and simply experience its holy space. While we are in the beginning of a discernment process as we seek to call our next dean, it is important as part of that discernment process to reflect on the Cathedral’s place in our lives and how God has become known to us in ways, we might never have known otherwise.
I am honored to make this “pilgrimage” with you.
Blessings,
Allisyn
When is the cathedral open?
The cathedral is open to the public before, during and after services times. Our most popular services are every Sunday at 8 am, 10:30 am and 5 pm in the Cathedral. We also offer a noon eucharist every Friday (except for holidays and other closures) in the Chapel of the Holy Family. Our Friday service are usually less attended and could be perfect for those interested in a more meditative or intentional experience. Visiting at any other time would require that you contact one of our facilities team members at (619) 977-5196.
We would love to open our doors more often to the public, however, this requires some operational planning (i.e. opening the doors, having someone present, communicating available times). If you have any interest in volunteering your time to help make this a reality please email info@stpaulcathedral.org with the subject line “Open the Cathedral”.
