St. Patrick's Catholic Church, San Francisco

Last updated
Saint Patrick's Catholic Church
St Patrick's Catholic Church (San Francisco) (1).jpg
Religion
Affiliation Roman Catholic
District Archdiocese of San Francisco
Province Archdiocese of San Francisco
Ecclesiastical or organizational status Church
Leadership Archbishop of San Francisco
Location
Location San Francisco, California, United States
Geographic coordinates 37°47′08″N122°24′13″W / 37.785588°N 122.403508°W / 37.785588; -122.403508
DesignatedSeptember 3, 1968 [1]
Reference no.4
Website
stpatricksf.org

St. Patrick's Catholic Church is a Catholic church in San Francisco, California, founded in 1851. It is located at 756 Mission Street, between 3rd and 4th streets, across the street from Yerba Buena Gardens in the heart of the South of Market district.

Contents

History

On June 9, 1851, the church held its very first mass in a hall on the corner of 4th and Jessie streets. A couple of months later a temporary church was built facing Market Street on the land where the Palace Hotel stands today. Inspired by the Irish population in the area, it was given the name of Ireland's patron saint, Saint Patrick. After the Civil War droves of people immigrated to San Francisco and the need for a bigger church grew. As a result, a new church facing Mission Street was constructed and opened in April 1870. It was dedicated by the then archbishop Joseph Alemany, O.P. Many described it as the most magnificent church west of Chicago.

During the 1906 San Francisco earthquake the church was completely destroyed. The foundation and parts of the walls were the only portions of the building that still stood. Since many were shaken up and were in despair, many of the parishioners left the church. In the meantime, masses were held in the sandlots on Folsom Street between 3rd and 4th streets. They also built a permanent shelter called Tir-Na-Og (Land of the Young) which would be later called St. Patrick's shelter. Those who remained constructed a new church, similar to the old church. It was desired for it to be the church for the Irish in the West Coast. The rebuild of the church included importing Ireland Caen stone and green translucent marble of Connemara, and Irish artist Mia Cranwill designed the main altar's metal crucifix. [2]

The Irish designer, Kitty MacCormack of the Dublin-based Dun Emer Guild, was commissioned to design and create vestments for the Church in 1923. [3]

In 1968, the church became a San Francisco landmark. Later on, as the redevelopment of the Yerba Buena area occurred, the church remained unchanged as its surroundings were transforming into a modern look into the new millennium.

The church has been home to many nationalities. Reflecting the population shifts of the South of Market neighborhood, the Irish has given way to the Spanish community, which then, in turn, gave way to the Filipino community. Today, Filipinos make up the majority of parishioners. It also caters to the business people and tourists in the area.

It regularly holds CCD and RCIA classes. It also has many devotions and novenas that have been influenced by the Filipino community. Masses are held daily and the church is open until 6:15 pm on weekdays and 6:45 pm on weekends. [4] [5]

Architecture

The church features Gothic Revival architecture, with ribbed vaults, pointed arches, a central nave and two side aisles of lower height. The nave follows the basic Gothic pattern with a triforium and clerestory-like top tier.

Inspired by the national colors of Ireland, it features green Connemara marble (Verd antique, serpentine marble) and white and gold Bontticino marble. Decorating the church are Tiffany-style stained glass windows depicting the patron saints of Ireland's 32 counties. [6]

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Architecture of cathedrals and great churches</span>

The architecture of cathedrals and great churches is characterised by the buildings' large scale and follows one of several branching traditions of form, function and style that derive ultimately from the Early Christian architectural traditions established in Late Antiquity during the Christianisation of the Roman Empire.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">South of Market, San Francisco</span> Neighborhood in San Francisco, California, US

South of Market (SoMa) is a neighborhood in San Francisco, California, situated just south of Market Street. It contains several sub-neighborhoods including South Beach, Yerba Buena, and Rincon Hill.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Yerba Buena Gardens</span> Two blocks of public parks in San Francisco, California

Yerba Buena Gardens is the name for two blocks of public parks located between Third and Fourth, Mission and Folsom Streets in downtown San Francisco, California. The first block bordered by Mission and Howard Streets was opened on October 11, 1993. The second block, between Howard and Folsom Streets, was opened in 1998, with a dedication to Martin Luther King Jr. by Mayor Willie Brown. A pedestrian bridge over Howard Street connects the two blocks, sitting on top of part of the Moscone Center convention center. The Yerba Buena Gardens were planned and built as the final centerpiece of the Yerba Buena Redevelopment Area which includes the Yerba Buena Center for the Arts. Yerba Buena Gardens Conservancy operates, manages, programs, and elevates the property on behalf of the City and County of San Francisco.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">St. Patrick's Old Cathedral</span> Catholic parish church in Manhattan, New York

The Basilica of Saint Patrick's Old Cathedral, sometimes shortened to St. Patrick's Old Cathedral or simply Old St. Patrick's, is a Catholic parish church, a basilica, and the former cathedral of the Archdiocese of New York, located in the Nolita neighborhood of Lower Manhattan, New York City. Built between 1809 and 1815 and designed by Joseph-François Mangin in the Gothic Revival style, it was the seat of the archdiocese until the current St. Patrick's Cathedral in Midtown Manhattan opened in 1879. Currently, liturgies are celebrated in English, Spanish, and Chinese. The church is at 260–264 Mulberry Street between Prince and Houston streets, with the primary entrance on Mott Street. Old St. Patrick parish merged with Most Precious Blood parish, and the two churches share priests and administrative staff.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Saint Joseph's Church, Victoria Street</span> Church in Singapore , Singapore

Saint Joseph's Church is a Roman Catholic church in Singapore. It is located along Victoria Street in the Rochor Planning Area, within the Central Area of Singapore's central business district. The church was constructed from 1906 to 1912 with its foundation stone laid in 1904. The building was built in the Neo-Manueline Portuguese late-Gothic style by the Portuguese Mission. Saint Joseph's Church is noted for its Portuguese-inspired religious traditions, such as the annual Good Friday celebrations.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">St. Brigid Roman Catholic Church (Manhattan)</span> Catholic parish in New York City

St. Brigid's Roman Catholic Church, also known as St. Brigid's or Famine Church, is a church located at 123 Avenue B, on the southeast corner of East 8th Street, along the eastern edge of Tompkins Square Park in the Alphabet City section of the East Village of Manhattan, New York City. Associated with the church is a parish school, Saint Brigid School, consisting of grades Pre-K through 8, which has been in existence since 1856.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Old St. Peter's Landmark</span> Historic church in Oregon, United States

Old Saint Peter's Landmark, commonly referred to simply as Old St. Peter's, is a historic building located at the corner of 3rd and Lincoln Streets in downtown The Dalles, Oregon, United States. It was built in 1897 and dedicated on March 17, 1898 as St. Peter's Church, and served the local Roman Catholic congregation as its place of worship until 1968. It was saved from scheduled demolition in 1971 by a group of concerned citizens who formed Old St. Peter's Landmark, Inc., for that specific purpose, and which maintains the building as a museum and site for weddings, concerts and other cultural events.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">St. Patrick's Church (New Orleans, Louisiana)</span> Historic church in Louisiana, United States

St. Patrick's Church is a Catholic church and parish in the Archdiocese of New Orleans, Louisiana, United States. The parish was founded in 1833, and the current structure was completed in 1840. It is the second-oldest parish in New Orleans, located upriver from the French Quarter at 724 Camp Street in what is now the Central Business District. The building, a National Historic Landmark, is one of the nation's earliest and finest examples of Gothic Revival architecture.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">St. Peter's Church (Manhattan)</span> Historic church in Manhattan, New York

Saint Peter's Church/Our Lady of the Rosary is a Catholic church in the Financial District of Manhattan, New York City. The current building was constructed from 1836 to 1840 and was designed by John R. Haggerty and Thomas Thomas in the Greek Revival style, with six Ionic columns. The church opened February 25, 1838 with Archbishop John Hughes officiating.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Old St. Mary's Cathedral</span> Historic church in California, United States

The Old Cathedral of St. Mary of the Immaculate Conception is a proto-cathedral and parish of the Roman Catholic Church located at 660 California Street at the corner of Grant Avenue in the Chinatown neighborhood of San Francisco, California. It was built in 1854 in the Gothic Revival style, and was made a Designated San Francisco Landmark on April 11, 1968.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Saint Joseph's Roman Catholic Church (Mobile, Alabama)</span> Historic church in Alabama, United States

Saint Joseph's Roman Catholic Church was a historic Roman Catholic church building in Mobile, Alabama, United States. It served as the parish church for St. Joseph's Parish in the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Mobile.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">St. Audoen's Church, Dublin (Church of Ireland)</span> Church in Ireland

<span class="mw-page-title-main">St Mary Star of the Sea, West Melbourne</span> Church in Victoria, Australia

St Mary Star of the Sea is a Roman Catholic parish church in West Melbourne, Victoria, Australia. The foundation stone of the church was laid in 1882 and the building was completed by 1900. Since 2002, restoration has been ongoing to restore the church to its original state. Built with seating for over 1,200 people, it has been described as the largest parish church in Melbourne, in Victoria, or even in Australia.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">St. Thomas of Villanova Church</span> Church in Pennsylvania, United States

St. Thomas of Villanova Church is a Catholic church on the campus of Villanova University in Villanova, Pennsylvania. Completed in 1887, it had long been the center of Augustinian activity in the United States, and still plays an important role within the order's local province. Today, the church functions as a parish church as well as the university chapel. The church's dual Gothic revival spires have long been symbolic of the university.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Precious Blood Catholic Church (Los Angeles)</span> Church in California, USA

<span class="mw-page-title-main">St. Joseph's Church and Complex</span> Historic church in California, United States

St. Joseph's Church and Complex is a historic church built in 1906, and located at 1401–1415 Howard Street in the South of Market neighborhood of San Francisco, California, United States.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">St Patrick's Cathedral, Toowoomba</span> Church in Australia

St Patrick's Cathedral is a heritage-listed Roman Catholic cathedral on James Street, South Toowoomba, Toowoomba, Toowoomba Region, Queensland, Australia. It was designed by Toowoomba architect James Marks and was built from 1883 to 1935. The site of the cathedral was originally a church and school known as St Patrick's Church School. In 1899, the school was moved to make way for the building of the cathedral and in 1959 renamed as St Saviour's School. St Patrick's Cathedral was added to the Queensland Heritage Register on 21 October 1992.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">St Patrick's Church, Fortitude Valley</span> Church in Australia

St Patrick's Church is a heritage-listed Roman Catholic church at 58 Morgan Street, Fortitude Valley, City of Brisbane, Queensland, Australia. It was designed by Andrea Giovanni Stombuco and built from 1880 to 1882 by John Arthur Manis O'Keefe. It was added to the Queensland Heritage Register on 21 October 1992.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Evelyn Gleeson</span> Anglo-Irish embroiderer, designer and co-founder of the Dun Emer Press

Evelyn Gleeson was an English embroidery, carpet, and tapestry designer, who along with Elizabeth and Lily Yeats established the Dun Emer Press.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">St Mary and St Modwen Church, Burton-on-Trent</span> Church in Burton upon Trent, United Kingdom

St Mary and St Modwen Church is a Roman Catholic parish church in Burton upon Trent, Staffordshire, England. It was built from 1878 to 1879, to designs by John Edgar Young in the Gothic Revival style. It is located on Guild Street in the town centre. It is a Grade II listed building.

References

  1. "City of San Francisco Designated Landmarks". City of San Francisco. Retrieved 2012-11-23.
  2. San Francisco in the 1930s: The WPA Guide to the City by the Bay. University of California Press. 2011. p. 271. ISBN   9780520268807.
  3. "Papers of Evelyn Gleeson and the Dun Emer Guild". Irish Archives Resource. Retrieved 21 October 2020.
  4. "The Changing Faces of St. Patrick's" . Retrieved June 12, 2018.
  5. "St. Patricks Church (MAM Movies)". YouTube . Archived from the original on 2021-12-21. Retrieved June 12, 2018.
  6. "St. Patrick Church" . Retrieved June 11, 2018.