St Anne of the Sunset Church

I came to this church yesterday to attend a mass in honor of the first anniversary of my uncle’s death. The service was nice, and the church was both architecturally beautiful and large.
The single thing I would say I didn’t like about this church is its kneelers. Oh my gosh are these things hard. I found that it hurt to stand or walk after kneeling on these for even a small amount of time. Even the cushions that cover the kneelers are firm! Just the thought of doing prayers on these after a confessional gives me nightmares.
Anyways, with the exception of the kneelers, this church is amazing. The church seems to be well funded, as I noticed that the pianist was using an iPad to read his sheet music. Something I’ve never seen before, but then again I haven’t been to church in quite a while.
After mass, coffee, tea and pastries are served. There is even a church gift shop; food and drinks are not allowed in there though.

I started coming to this church in November 2013 after moving to San Francisco from San Diego (& living in East Bay for a few months). I tried checking out other churches in the area, but what appealed to me about St. Anne was not only that the «N» muni stops right in front of it, but also that the parish community is so, so welcoming. There are lots of smiles and hellos exchanged here. :) My boyfriend and I are Filipino and when we first walked in the vestibule out first day attending St. Anne’s, some of the parishioners were serving rice and chicken adobo! The next week their were members of the Chinese St. Anne community serving food as well. There are usually people with some kind of breakfast foods, coffee, or other drinks — all for donations of course.
As far as the actual mass goes, I have primarily attended the 10:30 a.m. mass with Fr. Ray Reyes. (There is also a 9 a.m. mass, both in English, and I believe a later one that is in Chinese.) Fr. Reyes is amazing! His homilies really hit home and focus on one’s relationship with God, and how we can best serve God-​all what being a Catholic/​Christian is about. (I’ve attended masses before at other churches where you could tell the hidden agenda was to raise money, or didn’t even really relate to the readings… but not here!) Unfortunately, we were told today that Fr. Ray will be leaving, but I have faith that whoever is coming in will be great, too.
The actual church – even though it is very PINK and that may not appeal to everyone – is absolutely beautiful inside. It’s much larger than you would imagine, with big pillars, stained glass windows, and lots of prayer rooms/​areas. I do not have kids or anything but I know there is a private school (St. Anne’s School) affiliated with the church. They usually have Sunday school during mass, but since they just finished the school year last week, the kids were super involved in the mass today and helped with the readings, prayers, etc.
Lastly, something that was added within the last month was that they put the prayers, hymns, etc. etc. projected onto the wall so that if you are a fairly new member of the church and don’t quite memorize everything yet, you can read right along! Yay, technology.

I was visiting friends and staying in Inner Sunset. I was up at 10 and thought I’d Unilocal Catholic churches nearby for Sunday mass. As luck would have it, St. Anne was a few blocks away and they had a 10:30 mass.
It was an easy walk there. The church wasn’t crowded. Though I was a bit late, there were plenty of pews I could choose from so as not to have to cross over people. I was able to sit in the center next to the aisle.
Not having been here before, I was expecting a boring mass. Quite the contrary. The readings, and everything else but the sermon and consecration for that matter, were said/​performed by elementary students (I assume) of the parish/​school. Readings were well done as were the hymns well sung. The pastor, who also seemed to be a teacher of the school, also gave a very good homily. It wasn’t read from a paper he’d written the night before. I know this is what a good homily is supposed to be. But these days, they’re just too few and far between.
Thank you St. Anne of Sunset for a beautiful Sunday morning. I do look forward to mass there when I visit again.

As Holy as organised religion gets…

Ok, I really wanted my 100^th review to be fore Disneyland, but I already reviewed it. and updated it.4 times.
This review is for the Church only, not the parish, there’s nothing wring with the parish, I just don’t know too much about it.
SO! This is where I got married! YAY! The church is very beautiful inside, with SF’s longest aisle (no KIDDING!). The ceilings are very high, and the architecture is phenomenal! I don’t know what else to say, except it’s pretty amazing!

Wonderful church. The only bad star is for horrible parking and the long distances one must walk to get around the monster sized building. But, the grand old dame of San Francisco is wonderful for events and fun to be a vendor supporting parties and dances. Very well kept up and clean. Impressive!

This church is beautiful inside and very very large. I was here for a sad event but could imagine a wedding would be great here.
It is very very cold inside, so bring a sweater.

I seriously love St. Anne of the Sunset so much. It is such a beautiful church to come worship at. The size alone of the inside is remarkable, but the ambiance is perfected by the gorgeous stained-​glass windows lining the church’s perimeter. Furthermore, the acoustics in here are phenomenal. The vaulted dome ceiling resonates such beautiful sounds from the organ pipes situated above and behind the pews.
It is also really nice that I only live two blocks away, so I can walk here on Sundays! I would recommend this church to anyone for the kindness of the clergy, the serene setting, and the beauty both outside and in this amazing house of worship.

Wow, I can’t believe I never wrote a review about St. Anne! Especially since I lived five blocks away for nine years, and now I live in Concord. Oh well. Better late than never.
We got married at this church, and my daughter was baptized there. It is easily one of the most beautiful churches I’ve ever been to, even though it’s pink. But that’s part of what it makes it unique. The stained glass windows are stunning.
I also like that this parish has such a long history, and the building is so old and ornate. I’m not a big fan of newer, more modern type churches.
I miss walking by the school’s playground on my way to Andronico’s with my daughter, who enjoyed seeing the kids playing four square or basketball or jump rope.
Even though I didn’t attend mass regularly, I miss living by St. Anne. It was kind of a beacon welcoming me home to the neighborhood.

Great for weddings!!!

yuck. sits right on Judah Street. It’s got this ugly pink paint that needs to be redone. This is why I am moving out of San Francisco. I think hell took over.

I am not a churchgoer. Yet as architecture this basilica’s church is impressive each time I pass by. The interior is impressive too. It has mosaics and stained glass art work that fills the entire building with light, color and lots of detail.
The church has a long history in the City and is most known for its annual novena from July 18 to July 26.
The carved scenes on the front entrance of the church are a work of art in themselves, like something out of an epic biblical movie by film director Cecil B. Demille.
For more info visit web site at:

I can’t give a church one star! I went here for the first time this past Sunday to visit Father Felipe who got transferred from St. Elizabeth to St. Anne. Eh, I still like St. Elizabeth better due to its close-​knit feel. This is too big of a church for me. But hey, I like the fact that it’s one block away from San Tung.
As with every church, I still saw the usual suspects — women who linger around the priests and kiss their behinds. I have no idea what they expect to gain. It makes them happy I guess, so I’m all for it. Gosh, I’m such a sinner. Forgive me, women who love priests!

This church improves my already stellar view, been inside once… meh… not as impressive as i would expect, but all the nights where there is a beautiful sunset, this church makes the view absolutely gorgeous, and for that it is A-​OK!

Love this church. Dear to my heart as I attended school there. It absolutely beautiful inside. Very grand.

I drive by this everyday and love the older gent that helps with the crosswalk for the schoolkids. I love that it is an edifice in this community that is HUGE from my window… the view I have is of the ocean and park and golden gate all the way east to the city. When the sun sets across all of it, it bounces against the pink… and creates a stunning array of oranges and reds… eventually being one of the last things in the neighborhood to hold the gaze of the sun. I adore this thing up close, and from afar. It really makes the neighborhood, and is a lovely piece of SF history.
This church has been here since we Sunsetters were the «Outside Lands», and is a great part of our city!

Ahh… the big pink lady.
Yes, an architectural delight. Yes, let’s vote her a cathedral, because that’s pretty much what she should be. Yes, excellent catholic elementary school. Yes, I love the festivals and the wonderful bingo nights. Ah yes, she was a prominent influence on my youth and subsequently the development of my peculiar neuroses today.
Curious how these cross-​crowned edifices stand out as the main stages for my incipient decay in sanity. Most notably, they are the first places I learned how to be bored. And seek distractions, I certainly did! Compared to the austere, hands-​folded-​in-​prayer, silently weeping devotees mumbling over and over the decades of the rosary, (DECADES, yes, very aptly coined) I should say my fidgeting with the only toy I managed to smuggle in my catholic school uniform cardigan — a blue rubber band — was not only inappropriate… it was downright sinful! And my stern schoolmistress would by all means let me know. And by «all means» I could mean a vicious grab of my peter pan collar or a glare that would make you cower as if you’d been lashed with a whip. My only joy was when the time came for belting out my favorite hymns in the choir… Lord of the Dance, Here I Am, On Eagle’s Wings, One Bread, One Body, oh yeah… you know, the Top 40.
So it comes to pass, that sometimes I shudder when I draw near. For these impressionable memories, I give it 4 stars, because it has shaped the character I am today. Bless you St. Anne’s, you will always be the pink in my sunset.

I was told St. Anne is the largest Catholic parish in the SF archdiocese. It’s a fantastically grand church with mosaic artwork of saints, stunning stained glass windows, and the dome is great to stare at when you’re looking for guidance from the Lord. It was a lovely church to attend when I was a practicing Catholic. Also, a highly regarded school too. The uniforms aren’t as ugly as other Catholic schools. I was here during the ’89 Earthquake so it holds a special place in my heart. Go Stars!!! (that was our mascot… so it deserves 5!)
Found an album of it’s detailed architecture… never realized they were there:

Big, beautiful, resplendent and PINK. Would be the drag queen of churches, if it weren’t a Catholic church. And yet they do embrace diversity: they offer masses in Chinese, Arabic, and possibly some other languages I can’t understand. It makes St. Ignatius look like the boring white people’s church. Or maybe that’s just my own inadequacy complex…