We are a landmark congregation for San Francisco’s African American Episcopalians that has changed to reflect changes in our neighborhood. In 1960, our members built and opened this sacred space. They paid off the mortgage through pledges, BBQ dinners, rummage sales, and community dinners. Today we strive to be a Christian community where all are welcome, where everyone can find their place, and where diversity of race and orientation is part of who we are.

With over 90 years of service and worship in San Francisco, St. Cyprian’s is a thriving community space & a growing multicultural congregation. We invite you to join us on the adventure of being a people of faith, action, and community — together, creating a place where everyone matters.

Throughout St. Cyprian’s history, many lay and ordained people have worked hard, many times against the odds, often with limited resources, to give human expression to the divine love of Jesus.

OUR ANCESTORS

In the early 1870s, a group of Black Episcopalians gathered together with the assistance of Rev. Fr. Peter William Cassey to form a new church. This group became known as Christ Mission, and services were held in Youngmen’s Hall on Pacific Street in the City.

Thirty years after the closure of Christ Mission, the remaining church members and their families renewed their quest for a church to meet their needs. With the assistance and guidance of Rev. Fr. David Wallace, and the sponsorship of Oakland’s St. Augustine’s Church, the families started a San Francisco Guild.

With the completion of the Panama Canal in 1914, laborers from the project began moving to San Francisco. Many of these migrants were Anglicans of West Indian origin, and they soon met African American Episcopalians who had also migrated to the City by the Bay. The two groups joined forces to work toward a common goal: their own Episcopal church in San Francisco. During the celebration of the 1915 Panama-Pacific International Exposition, members of the fledgling congregation held church services on Sunday afternoons at St. Paul’s Church and later transferred their worship to the Chapel of Grace at Grace Cathedral in 1922.

A committee was formed to discuss plans for creating a Black Episcopal church in the Diocese of California, and the group received the approval of the Rt. Rev. Edward Lamb Parsons, Bishop of California. A vestry was elected, and the new church was named “St. Cyprian’s.”

The first formal service at St. Cyprian’s Church was held in the Grace Chapel on April 8, 1923. The parish formed St. Cyprian’s Guild and began raising funds for a church building. The congregation was forced to move several times during this period: first to St. Stephen’s on May 23, 1923, then to the Church of the Advent in 1926. At this time, St. Cyprian’s became a mission with the Church of the Advent. The Church of the Advent was staffed by the Society of St. John the Evangelist (Cowley Fathers), a monastic order headquartered in Cambridge, Massachusetts. St. Cyprian’s was under the charge of the Cowley Fathers until 1934, when the Rev. Fr. Robert Humphrey, SSJE, became full-time vicar of St. Cyprian’s Mission.

Fr. Humphrey and members of the church wanted to secure a permanent location for St. Cyprian’s and purchased a building on the corner of Sutter and Lyon Streets. The first service at this new location was conducted on December 22, 1935, by Bishop Parsons. However, regular worship did not take place in the building until Christmas Eve 1937, as the building needed further construction and repair. St. Cyprian’s had several priests lead the congregation from 1938 until 1947 when the Rev. Elmer McLaughlin became vicar. In February 1953, St. Cyprian’s was given parish status in the diocese. Bishop Karl Morgan Block decided that St. Cyprian’s church building should be replaced rather than repaired, and a new church building was constructed on the corner of Turk and Lyon Streets, where it stands today. The first service was held in the new church on December 18, 1960. Rev. McLaughlin worked hard for the growth of the church until his retirement in 1966.

Since St. Cyprian’s arrival at Turk and Lyon, the community and neighborhood have experienced enormous change. With passion, commitment, and courage, the St. Cyprian’s community reached out by starting a job training program for youth in the late 1960s, theater productions in the 1980s, and a needle exchange program in the 1990s. Numerous clergy and lay leaders helped in these efforts.

Check our St. Cyprian’s Oral History Project to hear stories of congregation members, friends, and neighbors who have broadened our understanding and appreciation of this unique church.