Bishop-elect the Rev. Antonio Gallardo preaches at St. John’s Cathedral
Los Angeles Bishop-elect Antonio Gallardo delivered a stirring and poetic tribute to St. John’s, “a true cathedral,” preaching during the congregation’s Nov. 16 worship service marking the centennial of its landmark sanctuary, his first visit to a diocesan congregation since his election.
Gallardo invited worshippers to pause for a few moments to take in the breathtaking beauty of “this magnificent building” and highlighted the congregation’s longstanding commitment to community health care, feeding and housing the vulnerable, and fostering interfaith and ecumenical ministries.
“The true cathedral God desires is not made of stone or cement, but of people filled with the Spirit, people who aspire to live and love like Jesus Christ, like all of you here this morning,” said Gallardo, who preached and celebrated at the service, one of several events commemorating the centennial.
Gallardo, who was elected the eighth Bishop of Los Angeles on the eighth ballot on Nov. 8 at the 130th annual meeting of the diocese, was greeted with enthusiastic cheers and applause.
The sermon may be viewed here.
“We are overjoyed to welcome you here to your home among us,” the Rev. Mel Soriano, priest associate, told Gallardo. “Your ‘yes’ to this calling of yours carries both courage and hope to us. You show us that the church is alive and listening to the Spirit, and we give thanks for your vision, your compassion, your steady witness for the gospel of love.”
Though St. John’s was formed in 1890, the current Romanesque Revival church was completed in 1925 and is listed in both the California and U.S. registries of historic places. When the church opened, the Los Angeles Times called it “one of the most beautiful and costly edifices in the country.”
Built to serve a growing congregation which was for a time was the Episcopal Church’s largest west of Chicago, the church was named the diocese’s pro-cathedral in 2007.
The interior includes golden-hued mosaics, Italian marble altar and columns, and a painted wood-beamed ceiling patterned after that of San Minato Basilica in Florence, Italy. A post on St. John’s website recalls an Oct. 4, 2025 centennial art and architecture luncheon which focused on interior elements of the church: “This artistry isn’t merely frozen time from 1925,” according to the post.
“Every generation has contributed to the beauty of St. John’s — from the addition of the windows depicting soldiers in battles yet to be fought in 1925, to Fr. (Warner) Traynham’s painting of Black Jesus, to the installation of the Martin Luther King Jr. clerestory window in the nave.”
Carol Foster, longtime music director at St. John’s and previously at L.A.’s former St. Paul’s Cathedral, is welcomed by current music director Dr. Christopher Gravis (right) and organist Dr. Zach Neufeld. Photo: Mel Soriano
The post also noted original musical works developed for the centennial Eucharist, including a setting of the Latin text, Locus iste a Deo factus est (This place was made by God), written by choir member and composer Vasken Ohanian, and a communion anthem composed by organist Zachery Neufeld of Psalm 84, verses 1-4 (O how amiable are thy dwellings, O Lord of hosts).
Soriano also posted on Facebook, that David Judson of Judson Studios, the oldest family-run stained glass company in the U.S., was among the featured speakers at the luncheon, discussing the church’s stained glass windows and mosaics.
Gallardo noted that “the cathedral’s very shape teaches us that life is meant to be opened upward toward God. Its height reminds us of God’s greatness. Its life reminds us of God’s grace, and its strength reminds us of God’s faithfulness.
“Cathedrals were not built just to be seen, but to shape the heart, to lift the weary, to comfort the searching and to draw the human spirit toward hope,” Gallardo said. “A cathedral is a spiritual center of a community, a sign that Christ is still shepherding his people, building them up in love and sending them out in mission.”
Gallardo also noted the work of St. John’s Community Health, begun as a small volunteer pediatric clinic located in the church’s back building more than 60 years ago. The center since has grown into one of the largest safety-net providers in the city. In honor of the centennial, the center hosted a July 19 free community event which included health screenings, giveaways, music and family activities.
The church also continues to serve by distributing “food to those who cannot afford it, as the food pantry has been doing for more than 45 years,” Gallardo said. And “by providing affordable housing for those with mental health issues and physical disabilities at the Carter House, something that has been going on for more than 30 years. By working in partnership with interfaith and ecumenical siblings as the Guibord Center, as has been happening for more than 15 years.”
The “soaring beauty we admire in the cathedral walls is meant to be reflected in our lives,” he added. “When we lift our prayers to God, our souls rise like these vaulted ceilings. When we let the light of Christ shine through us, we become like stained glass, ordinary pieces which are transformed into something radiant just by God’s grace.
“When we stand together, strong in love, compassion and justice, our lives become pillars that will support others in their struggle. Cathedrals are built to be places of refuge … places of healing, and so are we. Cathedrals are built to be places that invite people in, and that is our calling, too.”
Gallardo added: “As your next bishop, … I invite us to enter the next century in the life of St. John’s Cathedral, not just drawing upwards our eyes to this breathtaking ceiling that expresses hope for a world restored and made whole. I invite us also to lower our gaze and see eye-to-eye our sibling who is hurting and say yes to God’s call to continue to be instruments of healing and compassion in the world.”
A centennial celebration gala fundraising dinner is planned for Dec. 20, 2025. Tickets are available here.