July 17: Observe the Time and Fly

Welcome to the American Catholic Daily Reader podcast. Today is July 17th, and our story is, Observe the Time and Fly. When Father Joseph Alamany, O.P., immigrated to the United States from Spain in 1840, fewer than 400 people lived in the village of Yerba Guina, California. By 1851, when Alamany arrived as bishop, the village had been renamed San Francisco and was home to almost 40,000 residents.

Both events, Alamanni's appointment to the newly created Diocese of Monterey, and the city's mushrooming population, stemmed from the 1848 discovery of gold nearby. In the wake of that find, men and women from around the world came pouring into the city.

Along with them came saloons, gambling halls, and brothels. To that mission field, Rome sent alimony. While the bishop established schools and hospitals, he also made plans for a cathedral, a beautiful, centrally located building that bore silent witness to God in a city filled with debauchery and dissipation. To put those plans into action, he hired two architects who modeled the new cathedral's design on a church in Alimeni's hometown.

They then contracted with granite suppliers in China and brickmakers in New England to ship the necessary materials across the Pacific and around Cape Horn. On July 17, 1853, Bishop Alimony laid the cornerstone for the future St. Mary's Cathedral.

Seventeen months later, on Christmas Eve, the church opened its doors for Mass. Above those doors was a message, carved in stone for those who walked the city's streets. Son, observe the time, and fly from evil. Unfortunately, few listened, and by 1884, when Alimony retired as Archbishop of San Francisco, brothels and saloons flanked the cathedral on all sides. For that reason, his successor, Archbishop Patrick Riordan, built San Francisco a new cathedral in a better neighborhood.

Old Saint Mary's, however, still stands. Fire gutted her in 1906, but the Paulist fathers quickly rebuilt and carried on the work begun by Archbishop Alimony, proclaiming Christ to the wounded and weak. Archbishop Alimony built a cathedral in the heart of a chaotic city. He knew the building itself would not end vice or corruption, but he believed that the presence of Christ, visible, enduring, and unmistakable, mattered. Sometimes, the church's mission is not to flee difficult places, but to stand firmly within them.

In our own lives, we are called to do the same. Whether in our workplaces, communities, or families, our witness should quietly but clearly proclaim the gospel, reminding others that holiness is possible even in the midst of confusion and temptation. Place a visible reminder of your faith in your home or workspace today, a crucifix, prayer card, or image, to serve as a quiet witness to Christ.

Thank you for listening to the American Catholic Daily Reader podcast. Join us tomorrow, July 18th, for another story of faith and courage in America.