Dec. 14, 2020 Nicholas Wolfram Smith At the end of a devastating year of pandemic and with a new lockdown, the pastor of Old St. Mary’s Cathedral and Chinese Mission shared with parishioners a grim assessment with a call for Advent hope. “Our beloved church is at the very edge of survival,” Paulist Father John Ardis, pastor of Old St. Mary’s, wrote in his appeal letter asking for supporters to summon “the resiliency and determination needed to help California’s oldest Cathedral survive these trying times.” The parish has fallen deeply into debt amid the upheaval of 2020, and needs to raise at least $252,000 to cover its insurance payments for both 2020 and 2021.