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Paulist Father John Ardis, pastor of Old St. Mary's Cathedral, is leading the “Light in the City” campaign to raise more than $250,000 to rescue the financially struggling parish.
Dec. 14, 2020
Nicholas Wolfram Smith
At the end of a devastating year of pandemic and with a new lockdown, the pastor of Old St. Mary’s Cathedral and Chinese Mission shared with parishioners a grim assessment with a call for Advent hope.
“Our beloved church is at the very edge of survival,” Paulist Father John Ardis, pastor of Old St. Mary’s, wrote in his appeal letter asking for supporters to summon “the resiliency and determination needed to help California’s oldest Cathedral survive these trying times.”
The parish has fallen deeply into debt amid the upheaval of 2020, and needs to raise at least $252,000 to cover its insurance payments for both 2020 and 2021.
Just as people came together to rebuild the church more than 100 years ago after its near destruction in the fires following the 1906 earthquake, Father Ardis hopes that people today can unite to keep the parish open.
“It’s amazing, the sacrifices that our ancestors have made to keep the faith alive and my hope is that we can keep the faith alive for those that come long after us,” he said.
The Chinatown parish has been hit hard by the COVID-19 pandemic and the following lockdowns. Until last March, its proximity to downtown made the old cathedral a stop for tourists and for workers in the area; the near total disappearance of both groups since then has badly starved the parish of operating income.
The parish preschool, which had 35 students last March, reopened with only five full time students. Father Ardis suspended the school after it could no longer cover the salaries of its staff. The parish’s Catholic bookstore and gift shop, one of the few in the city, saw its income dry up like most of the neighboring stores in Chinatown.
Because of the loss of income and the looming insurance payments, the pastor has had to lay off much of the parish staff. Without someone to watch the church during the day, the parish doors have had to stay closed to private prayer.
“Having to let people go in these times, it’s painful for them and very painful for me,” he said.
On a personal level, Father Ardis's brother-in-law died from coronavirus, as well as two members of his religious order.
As a pastor and priest, Father Ardis has seen that the pain and suffering of the past year are not the full story. During the eight weekends the church was open for Mass this fall, the pastor said it was “very heartening” to see parishioners gather and greet old friends. Even behind masks, the smiles on many were evident.
“It made you realize how much you had truly missed and how grateful you were to be together as a community again,” he said.
Father Ardis said what has been uppermost on his heart during Advent is hope: for the end of the pandemic, for when the parish can gather as a community once more, for celebrating sacraments without the distance of public safety measures.
“I am hopeful in the midst of it that we are going to see a new day at the end of what seems like a very dark tunnel. I know that the Lord hasn’t abandoned me or (the parish), that the Lord is still there for us,” he said. “Ultimately I do see that we have been light and there is a light at the end of the tunnel. There are still many good things that our ministry can do for people and continue to bring light in the dark time.”
To donate to the Light in the City campaign, visit https://oldsaintmarys.givingfuel.com/donate-to-old-saint-marys.