SF's Grace Cathedral Holds In-Person Services for the First Time Since Pandemic Began

For the first time since March 2020, Grace Cathedral in San Francisco opened its doors to its congregation for in-person service.

Sunday, roughly 200 masked congregants entered the historic cathedral for mass.

John Wolf has been attending services at the cathedral for years.

“Glad to join together with so many loved ones. When we join together we join as one body and it’s been so long since we’ve done that and it’s just a beautiful day,” he said.

The church moved to virtual worship in the spring of 2020, now all 77 churches of the diocese of California are starting to reopen for in-person services.

Although congregants weren’t allowed to sing, the choir performed while wearing masks designed for singing.

Grace Cathedral Director of Music Ben Bachmann said, “doing this live, with real human beings, is an incredible and irreplaceable experience.”

While it was the start of worship returning to normal in California, at least one experience didn’t quite fully return, yet.

Churchgoers received a bread-only communion outside on the steps of the church, the wine may have to wait for later.

— MJ Johnson