California Spiritual Traveler Journeys: I lit a candle to my namesake on July 19th at Old St. Mary’s Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception in Chinatown today. I am blessed.
That’s the message that I posted on the Spiritual Traveler Guides Facebook Page. I no longer call myself Catholic, but my love of the Blessed Mother persists. After all, she is the reason that I am on this earth plane. Here is the story behind my name:
After my brother, Patrick, was born, my mother, Irene, was told that she could not have any more children. She and my dad, Neil, wanted another child, especially a daughter. They prayed the rosary every day and promised that if they had a little girl they would name her Mary. Mary granted their request—I came down to earth and was named Mary. Of course, I, unlike Mary, was definitely not immaculately conceived.
Whenever I get a chance during my Spiritual Travels, I stop and honor her, the one who is responsible for my very existence in this lifetime. And that’s what I did at St. Mary’s.
My friend Elaine took this photo of me offering a candle to the Blessed Mother at Old St. Mary’s Cathedral. I took a brief Spiritual Traveler pause from playing San Francisco tour guide to Elaine who had never been to this magical city. If I look a bit pained it’s because those old kneelers were VERY hard!
When Old St. Mary’s Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception was dedicated on Christmas Midnight Mass in 1854 it was the tallest building in all of California. It is known as one of the few buildings to have survived the great San Francisco earthquake in 1906. And although it was gutted the day after by fires that melted the church bells and marble alter, the exterior brick walls and the bell tower survived.
Old St. Mary’s Cathedral stands as proudly as it did before the great 1906 San Francisco earthquake.
Today, St. Mary’s is an active parish that serves both San Francisco’s Nob Hill and Chinatown communities. When this Spiritual Traveler comes to San Francisco, she always includes a visit to Old St. Mary’s.
The last time I visited this cathedral was in May of 2015. My original destination was the Buddha’s Universal Church, but it was closed. Instead, I decided to attend the noontime concert at St. Mary’s and there I found my Buddha after all. The concert was given by pianist Antonio Iturrioz, a devotee of Leopoldo Godowski. The music was either written or arranged by Godowski. It was hauntingly beautiful.
I found my Buddha during an Old St. Mary’s noontime concert featuring Antonio Iturrioz (right) and the music of Leopoldo Godowski (left), “the Buddha of the Piano.”
In an effort to bring back that memory, I did a Antonio Iturrioz/Leopoldo Godowski search on YouTube. To tell the truth, I don’t have firm grasp on the music that was played on that afternoon at Old St. Mary’s. However, the YouTube of Iturrioz playing Leopold Godowsky’s transcription of Johann Strauss’ “Artist’s Life” at the First congregational Church in Santa Cruz, California put me back in the church pew at St. Mary’s during that noontime concert.
After that concert, Iturrioz told us about a documentary he had produced called “The Buddha of the Piano: Leopoldo Godowski.” Ah! There was my Buddha! My spiritual adventure was complete.
Curious about Godowski, I checked out the New International Godowsky Society website. Leopold Godowsky was a Polish-American virtuoso pianist, composer, and teacher who passed away in 1938. He was one of the most highly regarded performers of his time—and today pianists and pianophiles like Iturrioz still revere him. They call him a superman of piano playing and a greatly underappreciated composer. The critic James Gibbons Huneker referred to Godowsky as “a pianist for pianists,” “the apostle of the left hand” and “the Buddha of the piano.”
And so, I listen to Iturrioz playing Godowski. I could get the DVD from a third party seller on Amazon. But, I am content with my Old St. Mary memories and the YouTube music that is playing in my heart.
Sources:
Old St. Mary’s Cathedral (https://www.oldsaintmarys.org/)
“Artist’s Life” by Strauss/Godowsky, Antonio Iturrioz pianist (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y5_48E3lJwM)
New International Godowsky Society (www.NewInternationalGodowskySociety.com)
The Buddha of the Piano: Leopold Godowsky- DVD. Available from third party sellers on Amazon (https://www.amazon.com/gp/offer-listing/B00CSYWF0O)
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