Who We Are

The Cathedral is a ‘House of Prayer for All People’, amplifying the mission of the Diocese through its three congregations (Sunday, MANNA, and The Crossing), its justice ministry, its Ministry of the Steps, and its partnership with the diocese coordinating The St. Paul Center for Theology and Prayer. It is the home of the diocesan Chinese congregation and the place where Muslims who work or study downtown come for Jum’ah prayers on Fridays. 

In 1920, Bishop William Lawrence chose St. Paul’s to be the cathedral for the diocese because of its location at the crossroads of the capital city, facing the State House. He commissioned it to be a place where “the lost and lonely people know they have a home” and a place where people from all over the diocese would have an experience that sent them home braver for the gospel. The Right Reverend Barbara Harris, the first woman bishop in the Anglican Communion, was elected bishop here, and for years St. Paul’s served as the base for her prophetic ministry. The first public healing services for people with AIDS were also held here.