Ecclesiasticus 4:23 - Old St. Mary's Cathedral - San Francisco, CA
Posted by: 
saopaulo1
N 37° 47.555 W 122° 24.342
10S E 552324 N 4182969
A quote underneath the clock at Old St Mary's Cathedral.
Waymark Code: WMZ5N3
Location: California, United States
Date Posted: 09/13/2018
Views: 0
"Son, Observe the Time and Fly from Evil" (Ecclesiasticus 4:23)"
"Old Saint Mary's cornerstone was placed on Sunday, July 17, 1853 at the corner of California and Dupont Streets by the Bishop of Monterrey Joseph S. Alemany. With its dedication by Alemany, now as the new Archbishop of San Francisco, at Christmas Midnight Mass, 1854, it became the first cathedral of the Archdiocese of San Francisco. It is the first cathedral in California to be built for the express purpose of serving as a cathedral, although other churches in the state served as cathedrals before it was built.[1][2] When it opened, it was the tallest building in San Francisco and all of California.[3][4][5]
It was used from 1854 to 1891 as a cathedral and was replaced by the first Cathedral of Saint Mary of the Assumption, as the archdiocese was in need of a larger space for the growing number of Catholics in the area. In 1891, Old Saint Mary's became a parish church, still using the same name that it bore as a cathedral. The new St. Mary's Cathedral was located at Van Ness Avenue and O'Farrell Street.
Under the clock face of Old St. Mary's appear the words: "Son, Observe the Time and Fly from Evil" (Ecclesiasticus 4:23). This sentiment was aimed at the men who frequented the surrounding brothels in the 1850s." (
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