St. Francis by the Sea Cathedral and its colorful history in Laguna Beach is the subject of the next Laguna Beach Historical Society program, 7:30 p.m. Tuesday, Sept. 20, at City Hall.
The talk will focus on the early 1930s from its founding as an American Catholic church by Bishop Percy Wise Clarkson, through its second phase during the years before and after World War II, continuing up to the present, says a society statement.
The presentation will highlight how St. Francis by the Sea, known as the world’s smallest cathedral and listed on the National Register of Historic Places since 1988, has survived despite cultural changes and upheavals in leadership.
Slides will show original and early-period decorative details, along with rare documents and artifacts that reflect an eclectic expression of spirituality, the statement says.
“Historically speaking, this is not your typical Catholic church. Yet over the years, St. Francis by the Sea has celebrated mass, weddings, and baptisms, serving the needs of Laguna’s less conventional Catholic community,” says a statement from Allene Symons, the society’s presenter and author of “Aldous Huxley’s Hands.” Huxley along with friends such as then-Laguna resident Christopher Isherwood were involved in psycho-spiritual techniques at a monastery in Trabuco Canyon, mirroring practices at St. Francis by the Sea.
Locals can view the program live on Cox Cable 852.
