February 25, 2021

ST. JOSEPH:

Unsung saint is the ‘model for manhood’ we need now

RITE OF ELECTION:

LENT:

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PAGE 13

Center your life on others, not self, pope says

Highlights renewal and growth in church

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CATHOLIC SAN FRANCISCO Newspaper of the Archdiocese of San Francisco

www.catholic-sf.org

SERVING SAN FRANCISCO, MARIN & SAN MATEO COUNTIES

FEBRUARY 25, 2021

$1.00 | VOL. 23 NO. 4

Court ruling gives pastors flexibility in ministry NICHOLAS WOLFRAM SMITH CATHOLIC SAN FRANCISCO

(PHOTO BY DENNIS CALLAHAN/CATHOLIC SAN FRANCISCO)

Chinese New Year Mass stresses post-pandemic hope

Divine Word Father Peter Zhai is seen delivering his homily for the Chinese New Year Mass Feb. 20, 2021, in the parking lot of St. Anne of the Sunset Church in San Francisco. At left are retired Bishop Ignatius Wang and St. Anne pastor, Father Daniel Nascimento. The Mass was prayed in Cantonese and Mandarin. Father Zhai’s homily focused on Jesus as the light “leading us to ‘pass over’ the long tunnel of the pandemic into a bright future of the new year.” See story on Page 7.

Local pastors appreciate that celebrating Mass indoors for their parishioners is no longer forbidden by health department rules, but outdoor Mass is here for the duration of the pandemic.

A Feb. 5 decision by the U.S. Supreme Court gave California churches the right to resume indoor worship services while still allowing the state to keep its ban on singing and chanting and limiting attendance at 25% of capacity. The decision responded to a lawsuit filed by two Southern California churches that argued the state’s restrictions on indoor worship services violated the Constitution since some businesses are allowed to remain open.

Father Pat Michaels, pastor of Our Lady of Mount Carmel, Mill Valley, said the parish has begun holding indoor weekday Masses in addition to its live streams and outdoor Sunday Masses.

SEE COURT, PAGE 6

Parish honors Black History Month with church display CHRISTINA GRAY CATHOLIC SAN FRANCISCO

The framed faces of Harriet Tubman, Martin Luther King Jr., Cardinal Wilton Gregory, John Lewis, Barack Obama, Rosa Parks and Mahalia Jackson and other notable Americans of African American descent were the first thing Most Holy Redeemer parishioners saw when they arrived for Mass during the month of February.

The regal display honoring Black culture during Black History Month Feb. 1-March 1, was an “intentional teaching tool” in a parish with less than a half-dozen Black members, said Mercy Sister Marilyn Morgan.

“Our parish has often been introspective, and we wanted to focus outside of ourselves on racism,” said

Sister Morgan, who designed the display.

The longtime parishioner, a liturgical design consultant and chair of the parish environment committee, said she and Pastor Father Matthew Link hoped the display would help start “a conversation” in the predominantly white Castro District parish and she feels it has.

Parishioners have been intrigued by the photos which include notable Black Americans in history, politics, religion, sports and the arts, said Sister Morgan.

They include poet Amanda Gordon, U.S. Vice President Kamala Harris, the Buffalo Soldiers of World War II and the first Black American priest, Father A personal way to honor your loved one’s patriotism to our country.

Augustus Tolton.

(PHOTO BY DENNIS CALLAHAN/CATHOLIC SAN FRANCISCO) If you have received aMost flag honoring your loved one'sFather military service and would like to donate Holy Redeemer pastor Matthew Link, far left, talks withitparishioner James John, second to the as part an “Avenue of Flags" Memorial Day, Julyview and Veterans' Day,Black History Month display. from left,ofand two others afteron Mass on Feb. 164th as of they the parish’s SEE PARISH, PAGE 6 cemetery to be flown

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2 ARCHDIOCESE NEED TO KNOW ESSAY CONTEST RECOGNITIONS: Winners from the annual Respect Life Essay Contest will be recognized at a Mass at 11 a.m. on March 14, 2021, at St. Mary’s Cathedral in San Francisco with Archbishop Salvatore J. Cordileone, principal celebrant. COVID-19 protocols will be followed with only winners and their families in the assembly. The Mass will also be livestreamed. This year there will be no reception following the Mass. The contest is sponsored by the Office of Human Life & Dignity. Visit https://sfarchdiocese.org/essay-contest.

ANNIVERSARY CERTIFICATES: The annual Wedding Anniversaries Mass celebrated to recognize marriages reaching various five-year markers has been cancelled this year due to COVID-19. In its place is an opportunity for couples to receive a certificate celebrating their 2021 anniversary through the Office of Marriage and Family Life of the archdiocese. Any couple wishing to receive a certificate for this year’s anniversary may do so by sending the names of the couple, their wedding date, and their mailing address to Ed Hopfner at HopfnerE@SFArch. org. Please send the information by Feb. 21, 2021. A donation of $10 is requested for the certificate.

FIRST SATURDAY MASS AND ROSARY FOR LIFE MARCH 7, 2021: The monthly first Saturday Mass and rosary for life takes place March 7, 2021 at 8 a.m. at St. Mary’s Cathedral, Gough Street and Geary Boulevard in San Francisco. A walk after Mass will take the assembly to the site of the new Planned Parenthood clinic on Bush Street. All are welcome to join. For more information, email prolife@sfarch.org.

ART AND LITURGY: March 16, 23, 30, April 6, 13, 20, 2021, 7:45 p.m. “Art, Elevation & the Liturgy,” an online course with Elizabeth Lev. The series explores the history of art in the context of the liturgy, specifically works designed to elevate the mind, heart, and spirit during the Mass. Following these classes, participants will discover how beauty is an essential force for persuading the faithful during worship to look not down at the distractions of this world, but to raise our eyes and hearts to things divine. Visit www. sfarch.org/liftupyoureyes.

ARCHBISHOP CORDILEONE’S SCHEDULE FEB. 24: Real Life Catholic show with Chris Stefanik, 5 p.m.

FEB. 25: Seminary meetings FEB. 28: Installation Mass for Father Goo, St. Michael Korean, 10 a.m.

MARCH 2: SPL “Faith and Modern Science,” Zoom MARCH 3, 4: Chancery meetings MARCH 7: Installation of Father Zamora, St. Robert, 11:30 a.m.

CATHOLIC SAN FRANCISCO | FEBRUARY 25, 2021

Deacon: St. Joseph the ‘model for manhood’ we need now CHRISTINA GRAY CATHOLIC SAN FRANCISCO

St. Joseph is a much-needed model for manhood in a culture that offers up both stereotyped strongmen and gender-neutralized male ideals, according to a parish deacon hosting an educational series on the foster father of Jesus this Lent.

“In our culture right now, male identity is under severe attack,” Deacon R. Christoph Sandoval told Catholic San Francisco Feb. 16 outside the doors of St. Mary’s Cathedral where he is the longtime coordinator of the parish’s spiritual care ministries.

Christ’s earthly manhood comes from the example and model of Joseph who embodies a “different kind of masculinity” modeled by the love of God, he said.

“If you look at the manhood of Joseph, where does he get it?” the deacon asked rhetorically. “He gets it from the eternal father as a gift and then imparts it to Jesus who saved the world through his manhood.”

Deacon Sandoval said he did a deep dive into “Josephology” – the study of and devotion to St. Joseph – after Pope Francis announced “The Year of St. Joseph,” running Dec. 8, 2020-Dec. 8, 2021. The date is the 150th anniversary of the proclamation of St. Joseph as Patron of the Universal Church.

Brimming with new knowledge and intensified devotion, he wanted to share it and designed a five-week adult faith formation lecture series.

The Wednesday night series which began on Ash Wednesday, ultimately leads participants to make

Archbishop Cordileone posted the following, titled “Justice is working in Marin County,” on Feb. 19, 2021. An open letter to Marin County District Attorney Lori Frugoli is urging that felony charges be dropped against five protesters in the Oct. 12, 2020, toppling of a statue of St. Junipero Serra at Mission San Rafael.

“The justice system is working. The matter of what happened on the night of October 12, 2020 at Mission San Rafael will soon rest in the hands of a judge or jury.

“We live in a time of tumultuous change and angry division. Junípero Serra lived a life of sacrificial devotion to the poor, the weak and the marginalized in the tradition of St. Francis of Assisi. To Catholics, that means that he is a great saint. It is for good reason that Pope Francis canonized him on American soil in 2015.

“While St. Junipero’s dedication to protecting the native peoples of California is documented by historians, nevertheless – sadly and falsely – to some St.

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a personal consecration to the “Chaste Heart of St. Joseph” at St. Mary’s Cathedral on March 19.

Pope Francis released an apostolic letter, “Patris corde,” (With a Father’s Heart) in proclaiming the Year of St. Joseph. In it he describes St. Joseph’s virSEE DEACON, PAGE 8

Archbishop comments on Serra statue vandalism case

CONCERTS

HELPLINES FOR CLERGY/CHURCH SEXUAL ABUSE VICTIMS

(PHOTO BY CHRISTINA GRAY/CATHOLIC SAN FRANCISCO)

Deacon R. Christoph Sandoval is pictured in the St. Mary’s Cathedral sanctuary Feb. 16 with a new statue of St. Joseph. The longtime deacon is leading a five-week, online adult formation series on the saint which leads participants to their consecration to the Chaste Heart of St. Joseph on March 19 at St. Mary’s.

www.smcsf.org

SUNDAY AFTERNOON MUSICAL MEDITATIONS: For the time being, all performances are livestreamed on the Cathedral YouTube channel,

youtube.com/cathedralofstmaryoftheassumption Sunday, February 28, 4:00 pm: Jin Kyung Lim, Organ; with Kathy McKee, Mezzo-Soprano, and Colby Roberts, Tenor.

Sunday, March 7, 4:00 pm: Federico Andreoni (Italy), Organ.

Sunday, March 14, 4:00 pm: David Hatt, Organ. Celebrating the 50th anniversary of the artist’s first recital.

Sunday, March 21, 4:00 pm: Hans Uwe Hielscher (Germany), Organ.

Sunday, March 28, 4:00 pm: Diana Stork and Cheryl Fulton, Harps.

Sunday, April 4, 4:00 pm: Gail Archer (New York), Organ.

Sunday, April 11, 4:00 pm: Norm Paskowsky, Organ.

Sunday, April 18, 4:00 pm: St. Mary’s Cathedral Choir.

Sunday, April 25, 4:00 pm: Cathedral Jubilee Organ Recital, celebrating 50 years of St. Mary’s Cathedral and the Cathedral’s Ruffatti Organ. Olivier Latry (Notre Dame, Paris), Organ.

Junípero has become a symbol of the terrible human rights abuses committed against California indigenous peoples by Spanish conquerors and later the genocide perpetrated on them by the Anglo Americans who governed California. To heal and unite is not easy; it requires dialogue with good will, honesty and humility, and above all putting aside violence as a response.

“If a crime caught on videotape and witnessed by the police were not to have been prosecuted, it would have sent a profoundly disturbing message to the hundreds of thousands of people of faith in Marin County: Churches, synagogues, mosques and temples are at the mercy of small mobs. Even more, this would set an extremely troubling precedent in that no one could be secure that those who perpetrate crimes against them will be prosecuted for their wrongdoing.

“I want above all to thank the San Rafael Police Department and the Marin County District Attorney’s Office for recognizing that social justice requires justice: that all of us enjoy the equal protection of the laws.”

CATHOLIC SAN FRANCISCO Archbishop Salvatore J. Cordileone Publisher Jan Potts Interim Director of Communications Rick DelVecchio Editor/General Manager EDITORIAL Christina Gray, associate editor Tom Burke, senior writer Nicholas Wolfram Smith, reporter

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ARCHDIOCESE 3

CATHOLIC SAN FRANCISCO | FEBRUARY 25, 2021

Archbishop: During Lent, draw closer to God through inner growth

2,000 join Mission churches’ virtual charismatic congress

A Massgoer receives a sprinkling of ashes from Archbishop Salvatore J. Cordileone during the 12:10 p.m. Ash Wednesday Mass at St. Mary’s Cathedral Feb. 17. Citing Matthew’s Gospel, the archbishop reminded the congregation that the Lenten practices of prayer, fasting and almsgiving are the marks of a Christian life. He also noted that Lent is a time to focus on inner spiritual growth, to imitate Christ’s 40 days in the desert and draw closer to God. After being blessed, ashes were sprinkled on Massgoers’ heads in observance of COVID safety precautions.

The annual Charismatic Evangelization Congress of Catholic churches in San Francisco’s Mission District took place Feb. 13, and for the first time in 30 years was virtual, livestreamed from St. Anthony Church. More than 2,000 participated through social networks, said César Hernández, who with his wife María Teresa Hernández coordinates the Mission parishes’ prayer group Cristo Rey. The event included Christ’s presence in the Blessed Sacrament, with the preaching of Bishop Francisco Tijerino from the Diocese of Bluefields in Nicaragua and Father Pedro Alvarado from Guadalajara, Mexico.

At St. Anthony Church, participants were accompanied by the episcopal delegate for the Catholic Charismatic Renewal of the Archdiocese of San Francisco,

LORENA ROJAS SAN FRANCISCO CATÓLICO

SEE CHARISMATIC, PAGE 12

(PHOTO BY DENNIS CALLAHAN/CATHOLIC SAN FRANCISCO)

Clergy assignments announced Father Andrew Spyrow, vicar for clergy, announced clergy assignments Feb. 6, 2021 on behalf of Archbishop Salvatore J. Cordileone.

Special assignments:

Father Mark D. Doherty, interim rector, St. Patrick’s Seminary & University, effective Oct. 1, 2020; Father Patrick J. Summerhays, vicar general and moderator of the curia, effective Jan. 1, 202. Note that Father Stephen H. Howell also continues as vicar general.

Parochial vicar:

Father Linh T. Nguyen, St. Bartholomew Parish, effective March 1, 2021

Retiring July 1, 2021 unless otherwise indicated:

Father Joseph P. Bradley, effective April 1, 2021; Father Daniel E. Carter, Father Michael J. Healy, Father J. Manuel Estrada, Father Jonathan Paala

Residence changes:

Msgr. James P. McKay, Alma Via of San Rafael, effective Dec. 11, 2020; Father Aquino Padilla, Philippines, effective Dec. 15, 2020; Father Paul E. Perry, Alma Via of San Rafael, effective Dec.15, 2020; Father Edward Phelan, Atria Burlingame, effective Nov. 1, 2020

24

TH

In hospice care:

Msgr. J. Warren Holleran, Serra Clergy House, San Mateo

Granted leave:

Father Ernesto M. Jandonero, leave of absence, effective Feb. 1, 2021; Father Jose Shaji, release from assignment, effective March 1, 2021

Religious orders:

Father Dominic DeLay, OP, in residence, St. Raymond Parish, assigned in Diocese of San Jose as associate director of the Catholic Community at Stanford University, effective Sept. 24, 2020; Father Ryan C. (“Justin”) Gable, OP, St. Dominic Priory, San Francisco, assigned as Regent of Studies of the Western Dominican Provincial and assistant professor of philosophy at DSPT, Berkeley, effective July 1, 2020; Father Anthaiah Madanu, SVD, in residence, All Souls Parish, effective Oct. 3, 2020; Father James J. Moore, OP, in residence, St. Dominic Priory, with provincial assignment, effective June 24, 2020; Father Emmerich Vogt, OP, in residence, St. Dominic Priory, San Francisco, effective Jan. 25, 2021; Father Philip Yang, OSA, Augustinian Community of St. Rita, Cole Street, San Francisco, effective July 1, 2020

Remaining outside of the U.S. at this time due to COVID restrictions:

Unable to travel to the archdiocese to take up their assignments due to immigration complications: Father Christian N. Anyanwu (Nigeria); Father Stephen Idoko (Nigeria) Unable to return to the archdiocese due to immigration complications: Father Fredereck S. del Carmen, FFI (The Philippines); Father Gabriel Flores (México); Father Ephrem R. Tillya (Tanzania)

Departures from the archdiocese:

Father Peterson O. Tieng, LRMS, returned as planned to the Philippines, Jan. 31, 2021; Father Jeong Gon Kim, returned to the Diocese of Suwon, South Korea, effective Nov. 22, 2020; Father Tadeusz Rusnak SCh, assigned elsewhere by Society of Christ, effective Sept. 30, 2020

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4 ARCHDIOCESE

CATHOLIC SAN FRANCISCO | FEBRUARY 25, 2021

(PHOTOS BY DENNIS CALLAHAN/CATHOLIC SAN FRANCISCO)

Parish RCIA instructors enter St. Mary’s Cathedral at the start of the Rite of Election and Call to Continuing Conversion Feb. 21 carrying their parish’s Book of the Elect. During the rite, catechumens sign their name in their parish’s book as a sign of their intention to enter the church and be baptized and receive Communion and Confirmation at Easter. Left, RCIA team members hold their parish’s Book of the Elect after catechumens signed their names.

Rite of Election highlights renewal and growth in church, archbishop says NICHOLAS WOLFRAM SMITH CATHOLIC SAN FRANCISCO

Nearly 150 people from 25 parishes in the archdiocese will enter into full communion with the Catholic Church this year, a sign that “the work of the Gospel continues here,” Archbishop Salvatore J. Cordileone said.

On Feb. 21, Archbishop Cordileone celebrated the Rite of Election and Call to Continuing Conversion

at St. Mary’s Cathedral. A few hundred people from 15 parishes attended the rite in person, while more watched the livestream.

The ceremony is held on the first Sunday of Lent and is when candidates and catechumens going through RCIA publicly declare their intention to fully enter the church.

The archdiocese this year had 52 catechumens, who will receive all the sacraments of initiation, and 89 candidates, who have been baptized but

have not finished receiving the sacraments of initiation.

Archbishop Salvatore J. Cordileone in his homily said, “We rejoice with those of you who will be initiated into the faith of Christ this Easter, and those of you who have answered the call to continuing conversion and will be received into the full communion of the church.”

SEE RITE OF ELECTION, PAGE 6

40 Days for Life brings Christ to the door of abortion clinics, organizer says NICHOLAS WOLFRAM SMITH CATHOLIC SAN FRANCISCO

Organizers for 40 Days for Life urged Catholics to join their spring prayer campaign for unborn children, saying participation during Lent was a powerful witness to the suffering abortion causes.

“By our prayer we’re bringing Christ to the door before a child dies. I feel like it’s the last prayer of love for this child, and it’s a victory if the mother turns around,” Kelly Connelly, an organizer with San Francisco’s 40 Days for Life chapter.

40 Days for Life’s spring prayer campaign started Feb. 17, Ash Wednesday, and ends March 28. Since it started in 2007, 40 Days for Life has organized prayer vigils in

more than 1000 cities. The organization emphasizes prayer and fasting, peaceful witness outside abortion facilities and community outreach during its campaigns.

San Francisco’s chapter prays at two locations in the city. Monday through Saturday participants go to the abortion clinic on Valencia Street. On Sundays, people pray in front of Planned Parenthood’s proposed flagship building on Bush Street.

Connelly said there are always at least two people praying in front of a clinic and encouraged people to sign up.

“It could be the sun, the wind or the rain but we’re out there in prayer. It’s a great opportunity during Lent to pray and sacrifice and be a witness to these women in a time of immense stress,” she said.

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Jessica Munn, who organizes Redwood City’s 40 Days for Life campaign, said finding enough people to commit to the campaign can be challenging. Every affiliate commits to holding a vigil in front of an abortion clinic with at least two people for 12 hours a day. Over the course of a campaign, she needs to find enough people to cover 960 hours of prayerful witness.

Each campaign has a few stalwart “very generous souls” who can be a constant presence, Munn said, but she likened much of her work with 40 Days to operating a switchboard, texting and emailing people to see who can cover empty slots during the day.

For Munn, the experience always shows her how much she depends on God, saying “I kind of leave everything in God’s hands.”

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ARCHDIOCESE 5

CATHOLIC SAN FRANCISCO | FEBRUARY 25, 2021

300-plus students participate in Respect Life Essay Contest More than 300 students from a dozen Catholic elementary, home schools, and religious education programs in the Archdiocese of San Francisco took part in the 32nd annual Respect Life Essay Contest for 2020-2021. “Open Wide Our Hearts to All God’s Children” was the contest theme. Winners will be recognized at a Mass at 11 a.m. on March 14, 2021 at St. Mary’s Cathedral in San Francisco with Archbishop Salvatore J. Cordileone, principal celebrant. COVID-19 protocols will be followed with only winners and their families in the assembly. The Mass will be livestreamed. The contest is sponsored by the Office of Human Life & Dignity. Visit https://sfarchdiocese.org/essay-contest.

RESPECT LIFE ESSAY CONTEST 2020-2021 WINNERS

Kindergarten

Grand Prize, Elise Pahk St. Isabella; First Prize, Marin, Chelsea Pass, St. Isabella; San Mateo, Sarah Escarpe, St. Catherine of Siena; San Francisco, Charlotte Outram, St. Cecilia Honorable Mention, Penelope Chung, Diana Galante St. Catherine of Siena; Alice Jaeger, Hans MacMinn, Ike Willenborg, St. Isabella

Grade 1

Grand Prize, Lauren Kim, St. Catherine of Siena; First Prize, Marin, Vincent Caputo, St. Isabella; San Mateo, Jeremiah Kuiper, St. Catherine of Siena; San Francisco, Jaden Au St. Monica Honorable Mention, Ana Bodner, Wesley Gustafson, St. Monica; Sophia SosaDiFrede, Christian Mendoza, Timmy Brennan, Rosalyn Booysen, Emily I. Vasquez-Cadillo, St. Pius; Caitlin Pabalan, St. Cecilia CFF; Aaron Vital, Siena Cypert, Holy Angels; Victoria Sinigiani, Enzo Benguerel, Benjamin Campbell, Elias Bautista, Desmond Evans, Emma Hilton, Emma Dailey, Madison Wood, Siena Withey Yasmin Flores, St. Isabella

Grade 2

Grand Prize, Desmond Jaeger, St. Isabella; First Prize, Marin, Giuliana Mancini, St. Isabella; San Mateo, Ehlani Arcia Sabadlab Holy Angels; San Francisco, Briana Kwan, St. Monica Honorable Mention, Briana Gomez, Julia Rodriguez, Alexa Manalastas Holy Angels; Morgan Pahk, Harrison Casey, Lucca Vattuone, Nisa Poon, Mason Wimett, Samuel Kupelian St. Isabella

Grade 3

Grand Prize, Ruthie Valdez, St. Catherine of Siena; First Prize, Marin, Mason Hart, St. Anselm; San Mateo, Olivia Kim, St. Catherine of Siena; San Francisco; Mengxuan Lee, Holy Name Honorable Mention, Camille Baron, Logan Lam, Leia Schmidt, Isabella Mellett Holy Name; Ashton Walsh, Natasha Hiyagon, Makaio Pineda, Michelle Solis, Lea Hernandez, Ramses Ustariz, Epiphany; Riley Au, St. Catherine of Siena; Grayson Soares, Quinn Hedrick, Megan Parente, Emilia Quinn, St. Anselm

Grade 4

Grand Prize, Jackson Barney, St. Catherine of Siena; First Prize, San Mateo, Joseph Dwyer, St. Catherine of Siena; Marin, Dillon Fitzgerald, St. Anselm; San Francisco, Madison Manalo, School of Epiphany Honorable Mention, Harlow Huston, Sean McConnelong, Caroline Hyer, St. Anselm; Beatrice Pheatt, Leo Renghini, Isabel Andrews, St. Isabella; Valeria Gomez, Isabella Yurich, St. Catherine of Siena; Amelia Vega, Jenna Shqair, Holy Angels School; Mary Lucey, St. Cecilia;

Kindergarten Grand Prize artwork by Elise Pahk from St. Isabella Parish Alani Smith, Mia Kashiwabara, St. Monica; James Boles, Sts. Peter & Paul; Nadya Lopez, Alicia Trejo, Carlos Vasquez Martinez, Aaliyah Carrasco, Audriana Rivera, School of Epiphany

Grade 5

Grand Prize, Naya Noureddine, St. Catherine of Siena; First Prize, San Mateo, Lour Shqair; Marin, Emma Holyoke; San Francisco, Sophia Howard Honorable Mention, Lucy Kramer, Abby Lardner, Devin Starzan, Taylor Fahy, St. Anselm; Nikita Sriarm, Ryder Perryman, Lauren Arebalo, Emma Daniel, Jackson Gamble, Ellie Reid, Kate Podhasky, Faris Nasser, Thomas Schetz, Landon Shura, Abigail Goldman, Nils Krueger, Joseph Giraud, St. Isabella; Sarah McLaughlin, Ashley Kofman, Ella Joy Ballesteros, Holy Name; Julia Coughlan St. Monica; Elana Quetingco, School of Epiphany; Jalen Mingao, Nathan Alimorong, All Souls School; Kareen Bhasin, Kate Hsieh, St. Catherine of Siena; Jonah Jacob, Isabella Fernander, Holy Angels School

Grade 6

Grand Prize, Luke Hanna, St. Catherine of Siena; First Prize, San Mateo, Ayana Devgan; Marin, Anthony Caputo; San Francisco, Anicia Cunningham, St. Monica Honorable Mention, Kailah O’Doherty, Gianluca Potente, St. Monica; Kyla Handley, Nathan Breen, Samantha Ariyoshi, Angelina Hellmold, Ryan Gamblin, Morgan Graziano, John Hishmeh, Taryn Bryan, Elena Basso, Sydney Ryssemus, David Pass, Declan Drey; Cody Davis, Oliver Jenkins, Adam Garcia, Kayla Burr, Sam Isaac Palaez-Rivero, Porter Klok, Burke Hadd, St. Isabella; Grace Basso, Caroline Cibrowski, Joey Parente, St. Anselm; Jeremiah Parangan, Holy Angels School; Jamie Hargreaves, Caleb Bandel St. Catherine of Siena

Grade 7

Grand Prize, Hannah Lucey, St. Cecilia; First Prize, San Mateo, Hayden Fong, Marin, Esme Palmer; San Francisco, Harrison Kashiwabara Honorable Mention, Megan Low, Leo Lei, St. Monica; Luke Martin, Mikel Barreheche, Lily Rubio, Savannah Browne, Zela Lee Flores, Kyle Conroy, Ryder Eron, Michael Reid, Jasmin Lakner, St. Isabella; Ava Martinez Holy Angels School; Chloe French-Evans, St. Catherine of Siena

Grade 8

Grand Prize, Joshua Breen, St. Isabella; First Prize, Marin, Meg Podhasky; San Mateo, Makayla Fong; San Francisco, Avery Tim Honorable Mention, Hadley Hodges, Tage Barker, Brooklyn Wandzilak, Jayden Hayre, Lauren Cervantez, Kailey Burr, Elijah Gahan, Christian Lee, Chelsea Wood-Bernardino, Aisling Handley, Vincent Basso, Gabriel Martin-Toups, Natalie Jaworski, St. Isabella; Lilli Macy, St. Monica; Dempsey Boone, St. Anselm; Nathan Loong, St. Catherine of Siena

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6 FROM THE FRONT

CATHOLIC SAN FRANCISCO | FEBRUARY 25, 2021

RITE OF ELECTION: Highlights renewal and growth in church FROM PAGE 4

For everyone in the church, the archbishop told the assembly, the first Sunday of Lent is an opportunity to remember two essential parts of the Gospel’s Good News: repentance and belief. The two are always connected, because belief in the Gospel “brings about a change of life, only made possible by great humility,” he said.

Archbishop Cordileone pointed out that the readings on the first Sunday of Lent and the Rite of Election look forward to the growth and renewal of the church, as it welcomes its new members and renews the baptismal promises of those who already belong to it.

“For all of us – catechumens, candidates, and those already fully initiated – this all has to do with living out those two implications of the essence of Christ’s message, the establishment of the Kingdom of God,” he said.

For each person, he concluded, the ultimate goal is “to live in conformity

(PHOTO BY DENNIS CALLAHAN/CATHOLIC SAN FRANCISCO)

A catechumen signs her name in her parish’s Book of the Elect, as her godmother stands behind her. During the rite, godparents affirm to the archbishop that the catechumens are ready to enter the church.

with Christ and so begin to share life with him now in this world, and the fulfillment of that life forever in the world yet to come.”

The archdiocese had about half the number of candidates and catechumens this year compared to previous years because of the pandemic’s effect on evangelization and outreach.

Classes for the Rite of Christian Initiation for Adults were done over Zoom and participants praised faith formation teams for the work they had done.

James Crane, a catechumen from St. Roberts, San Bruno, said his RCIA experience had been “phenomenal,” with two retreats and a supportive team of instructors.

“They’ve provided a wonderful journey, keeping us engaged. They’re really wonderful people and it’s been a fantastic experience,” he said.

Candidates and catechumens will complete their faith formation programs and fully enter the church at Easter, which falls this year on April 4.

COURT: Ruling gives pastors flexibility in ministry FROM PAGE 1

Parishioner reactions to the court decision and the indoor Masses have been mixed, he said, as some feel the Supreme Court acted prematurely and others argue the government should not have involved itself in worship matters.

“We live in polarized times, and on just about any issue you’re going to get people across the board in any parish,” he said.

Being able to celebrate Mass inside, though, means he can bring Mass indoors for anyone who wants to attend during bad weather. The parish also lacked any room outdoors to celebrate Mass on weekdays, so parishioners have an option now for daily Mass.

Father Michaels said one of the difficulties that the Supreme Court decision remedied was the state’s assumption that all worship spaces were the same level of risk. Our Lady of Mount Carmel seats 900 people, making it significantly different from smaller churches, he said.

“It’s very safe to me in our church,” he said.

At Holy Name of Jesus Parish and St. Anne of the Sunset Parish in San Francisco, administrator and pastor Father Dan Nascimento said celebrating Mass outdoors continues to be safer but the lifting of restrictions on indoor worship means they can better serve their parish and neighborhood.

On Ash Wednesday, Holy Name celebrated Mass indoors because outdoor liturgies would have

Father Pat Michaels

Father Dan Nascimento

Father Mark Reburiano

‘Our preference is to hold Mass outdoors unless the weather does not permit it or it’s safer to do indoors. COVID isn’t to be taken lightly and we’re trying to keep everyone safe.’

FATHER DAN NASCIMENTO

Holy Name of Jesus Parish and St. Anne of the Sunset Parish in San Francisco blocked the sidewalk. At St. Anne, the parish opted to celebrate the evening Ash Wednesday Mass indoors rather than keep people outside at night.

“Our preference is to hold Mass outdoors unless the weather does not permit it or it’s safer to do indoors,” he said. “Covid isn’t to be taken lightly and we’re trying to keep everyone safe.”

Both parishes under his leadership are large, well-ventilated spaces, making it more straightforward to keep people safe indoors, he said. Father Nascimento said deciding where to safely hold Masses has been done in constant dialogue with parishioners, but envisioned live streaming and outdoor Masses would remain at the parish until a majority of people are vaccinated.

“We’re in this together, walking together, and we want to take the bigger picture of being part of a community,” he said.

St. Gregory Parish, San Mateo, offers one indoor Mass on Sunday, along with an outdoor Mass on Saturday and Sunday. Father Mark Reburiano, the parish pastor, said his parishioners are evenly split on the issue of indoor Mass, but having one helps those who have missed the beauty and familiarity of their parish.

“Most of our masses are still outdoors as encouraged by the archbishop because of the health situation, but we give the possibility for parishioners to be inside, especially for those who are more spiritually nourished by the art and architecture of a building,” he said.

Parishioners have been grateful for the indoor Mass and the parish’s safety protocols, but Father Reburiano acknowledged holding Mass indoors was more difficult because of the additional volunteers needed and the expense of professional cleaning crews.

“But for me, just as a pastor, knowing the needs of the parishioners, I want to respond to that,” he said.

PARISH: Honors Black History Month with church display FROM PAGE 1

“One woman said she didn’t know who some of these people were, so she was going to go home and look them up to find out what they did,” she said.

Many have been vocal in their joy at seeing one of their heroes — the late civil rights leader John Lewis being a favorite — or their desire to include others not pictured.

It’s been well received, she feels, evidenced by the fact that “every week the display changes.”

“I wish that (football player) Colin Kaepernick was included, but I suppose there is only so much room available in that tightly packed collage of humanity’s heroes,” said 66-year-old James Jones, a retired information technology systems analyst and one of the few MHR parishioners of African American descent.

“I can’t speak for the entire congregation, but I am grateful that Most Holy Redeemer has chosen to

celebrate people of color who have accomplished so much good in America,” he said.

On Feb. 3, President Joe Biden released a message for Black History Month, calling on the American people to “honor the history of achievements of Black Americans and to reflect on the centuries of struggle that have brought us to this time of reckoning, redemption and hope.”

Sister Morgan said that she has wanted to do something at the parish, but didn’t want a well-intentioned effort to smack of tokenism. Tokenism is the act of making only a perfunctory or symbolic effort to do something in order to give the appearance of racial equality or awareness.

The parish has made a point of celebrating other cultural traditions, she said, such as a Day of the Dead altar last year for All Souls Day which “people loved,” and a Filipino parol ceremony at Christmas time for the parish’s Filipino parishioners. “But we’ve never

done anything for African Americans,” she said.

She recalled a conference for the National Association of Pastoral Musicians she attended recently where a Black man stood up and asked attendees this question: “What do you have in your church that would make me feel like I belong here?”

“That has really stuck with me because there is nothing in our church that would really make a Black person feel like they belong here,” she said. “And in most churches that’s the case, the statues are all white unless you go to an African American church.”

She said liturgical design consultants like herself help parishes consider in their building, renovation and liturgical choices how to better embrace and attract other ethnicities regardless of the dominant culture.

“How do you get churches not to just think of themselves but about the wider church,” she said. “That’s a challenge, I think, no matter who you are.”

ARCHDIOCESE 7

CATHOLIC SAN FRANCISCO | FEBRUARY 25, 2021

(PHOTOS BY DENNIS CALLAHAN/CATHOLIC SAN FRANCISCO)

Father Peter Zhai, director, archdiocesan Chinese Ministry, is seen with retired Bishop Ignatius Wang at the outdoor Chinese New Year Mass Feb. 20, 2021, at St. Anne of the Sunset Church, San Francisco. Bishop Wang was ordained in China in 1959 and has made the Chinese New Year Mass a regular spot on his liturgical calendar. Left, the outdoor Mass was prayed in Mandarin and Cantonese and had an in-person assembly of about 100 people, all wearing masks and socially distanced over much of the parking lot. The liturgy was also livestreamed. An Ancestor’s Shrine can be seen at right.

Chinese New Year: ‘Prayer and gratitude’ TOM BURKE CATHOLIC SAN FRANCISCO

Chinese New Year was celebrated Feb. 20, 2021, with a noon Mass in the parking lot of St. Anne of the Sunset Parish in San Francisco.

Divine Word Father Peter Zhai, archdiocesan director of Chinese Ministry, was principal celebrant and homilist. Father Daniel Nascimento, pastor of St. Anne and Father Dominic Savio Lee, chaplain to the Chinese Ministry, concelebrated.

Deacon Simon Tsui assisted. Retired Bishop Ignatius Wang, who was born and ordained in China, was present in the sanctuary.

The Mass, prayed in Mandarin and Cantonese, had an in-person assembly of about 100 people all wearing masks and socially distanced over much of the parking lot. The liturgy was also livestreamed.

Chinese New Year’s Day was Feb 12, 2021, heralding the Year of the Ox. Among its traditions, the new year also has lucky colors, this year white, yellow, and green and lucky numbers, this year 1 and 4.

Father Zhai, who gave his homily in Chinese to commemorate the occasion and for benefit of an assembly who speak Chinese, summarized the exhortation in English for Catholic San Francisco: “Celebrating Chinese New Year is like

celebrating the feast of Passover instituted by God through Moses in the book of Exodus, which, by recalling God’s saving grace, ensures the Israelites God’s continuous presence in their lives and ‘pass over’ the immanent threats. Our faith in Jesus is a faith in the paschal mysteries, that is to ‘pass over’ from one side to the other. It has been a long year since the pandemic started and the world family is longing for a deliverance from this catastrophe.

“At the beginning of the New Year,” Father Zhai continued. “We are gathered to remember and celebrate God’s goodness toward us, in faith and prayers offered in this New Year Eucharist, we ‘pass over’ from the darkness of the pandemic to the other side of faith, hope, joy and peace, because Jesus, the Paschal Lamb on the cross has destroyed enemies of sin and death and brought us eternal life. Jesus is the light leading us to ‘pass over’ the long tunnel of the pandemic into a bright future of the new year, 2021. Let us ask God to provide us endurance as we pray and anticipate the day when we will gather again in the house of God to praise and worship him.”

A huge part of the celebration is remembering the Chinese heritage and an Ancestors’ Shrine is prepared onsite for people to venerate. A prayer service took

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place at the shrine following the Mass.

“Many volunteers from different Chinese communities help with the celebration,” Father Zhai said.

“Chinese New Year is always celebrated with gratitude and prayers,” Father Zhai told Catholic San Francisco. “Limited on its scales during the pandemic, nevertheless, the celebration offers an opportunity for the Chinese faithful to congregate to give thanks and praise to our loving God and offer our prayers for our families and the family of the world.

We prayed for the universal church and church in China and our Pope Francis and our local bishops.”

Families enjoy reunion dinners to mark the new year and a large element of the archdiocesan celebration has been a banquet bringing several hundred families to the table. The banquet, beyond its place in the tradition of the occasion, also served as a fundraiser to help support the ministry office’s good works. It has been cancelled this year due to the pandemic.

“We are having an annual appeal for Chinese Ministry since we cannot hold the banquet this year,” Father Zhai said.

To assist in the fundraiser or get information about Chinese Ministry, visit www.facebook.com/ccinsf; email zhaip@ sfarch.org; call (415) 614-5575.

8 NATIONAL

CATHOLIC SAN FRANCISCO | FEBRUARY 25, 2021

Retired nurse urges people of color to get vaccine KAREN PULFER FOCHT CATHOLIC NEWS SERVICE

MEMPHIS, Tenn. – Having the ability to educate and advocate for her family inspired Joyce Christian of Somerville, Tennessee, to become a nurse.

It has been a long, tragic pandemic and the COVID-19 vaccines are finally becoming available. Christian is on a mission to try to encourage people of color to take the vaccine.

Christian understands firsthand why many Black people and other people of color are hesitant and mistrust the medical community. Her father, Freddie Lee Tyson, was unknowingly a part of the U. S. Public Health Services Syphilis Study at Tuskegee in Alabama.

Hundreds of rural Black men in the 1930s were left untreated for syphilis even after penicillin became available. Syphilis was present already in their blood either through inheritance or some external cause.

Her father was told he had “bad blood” and they gave him a few perks to be a part of the study. “These were good men, they had professions and they were treated as if they were nobodies,” she said.

While Christian acknowledged past injustices, she said people today are better protected by the law and are better informed. She has seen the impact sharing her knowledge has had on others’ lives.

She wants to narrow the disparities in health care among those most in need and she understands why some are hesitant. But she sees people in her community dying at disproportionate rates and she feels the need to speak out, educate and advocate. “Black and brown people are dying most” she said and she tells them: Don’t be afraid to take the vaccine.

Christian and her family sympathize with the people who fear the vaccine because of the type of injustice her father experienced.

What happened to those men and her father, at the hands of the government, led to the establishment of the National Commission for the Protection of Human Subjects of Biomedical and Behavioral Research.

(CNS PHOTO/KAREN PULFER FOCHT)

Joyce Christian, along with her husband, Will, walk with their grandchildren in Somerville, Tennessee, in this undated photo.

She is a retired nurse who encourages African Americans and other people of color to get the COVID-19 vaccine.

Committees were established to set ethical criteria to ensure what happened to her father would not happen again.

She said her father felt bad for all the people who were in the study and that did not know they were being used in that way. It was important to him that people know that this happened.

Christian’s career has taken her all over the world, and everywhere she goes she carries her father’s story.

Descendants of the men in the study founded a nonprofit called Voices for Our Fathers’ Legacy Foundation in 2014 as a way to pay the men honor and keep their stories alive.

“My father was humble, reserved and wise. When he had something to say, it was profound,” Christian said.

He lived to be 83 and died in a car accident.

Her mother was a domestic worker. “She was so

wonderful and resourceful,” Christian recalled fondly.

Her parents had a very deep faith and they passed it down to their children. “We saw them pray. When I was in high school, I would stop by the basilica and pray to Mary for her guidance,” Christian said.

Even though they were not Catholic, when nearby Dominican nuns recruited the children to go to a Catholic school which her father was helping build, her parents were all for it. Christian said her parents wanted their children to have the best education.

As children, they went to Mass on Sunday morning and then spent the rest of the day at their parents’ church.

Christian is still Catholic today and she goes to St Philip the Apostle Church in Somerville. “God had a way of planning out my life and I thank him every day.”

“Faith has always been a big part of my life, I have survived a lot of things,” she added in an interview from her front porch. “The Holy Spirit was always guiding me.”

As a young nurse in the Air Force, she was stationed in the Philippines at Clark Air Base, then a U.S. military base, during the Vietnam War. They got all of the casualties from Vietnam. She was commissioned as a second lieutenant and was there when the POWs were released. That led to a chance meeting with the POW for whom she wore a bracelet. Wearing bracelets for POWs and MIAs was popular during and after the war.

Her bracelet had his name engraved on it, and she saw that he was coming to the base. “We received all of the POWs. I saw his name on the manifest and I met the plane on the tarmac. I told him, ‘I was praying for your safe return!’” She remembers he was very grateful.

Her parents gave her a great sense of family.

Of her nine siblings, five are still living and they have an ongoing prayer line. Every Sunday, they pray together over Zoom and pray together via texting every day.

“Our father taught us to be a family and he wanted us to stay strong in our faith and persevere,” Christian said. “The family prayer line has made us even closer.”

DEACON: St. Joseph the ‘model for manhood’ we need now FROM PAGE 2

tues categorically as a beloved father, a tender and loving father, an obedient father, an accepting father; a father who was creatively courageous, a working father, and a father in the shadows.

“Now, 150 years after his proclamation as patron of the Catholic Church by Blessed Pius IX (8 December 1870), I would like to share some personal reflections on this extraordinary figure, so close to our own human experience.”

The pope noted St. Joseph’s steady, behind the scenes place in the Holy Family and his obedient, loving and faithful role in the “service of the entire plan of salvation.”

Pope Francis said in his letter that his reflections on the selfless love of St. Joseph were brought into clearer focus by the experience of the global pandemic. The crisis proved again, he wrote, “how lives are often woven together and sustained by ordinary people, people often overlooked.” He applauded the vast array of essential workers who over the past year have “understood that no one is saved alone.”

“Each of us can discover in Joseph – the man who goes unnoticed, a daily, discreet and hidden presence –- an intercessor, a support and a guide in times of trouble,” he wrote. “St. Joseph reminds us that those who appear hidden or in the shadows can play an incomparable role in the history of salvation.”

SAINTS PETER AND PAUL CHURCH LENTEN MASS AND SOUP SUPPER SAINTS PETER AND PAUL CHURCH LENTEN MASS AND SOUP SUPPER Join us on the Friday nights of Lent as we gather for

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Supper will be followed by a short talk on Stations of the Crosswill andbe Lenten Soup the rectory.

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Deacon Sandoval showed a copy of a painting he will include in his lecture series. It is a depiction of St. Joseph’s role as God’s “mystical shadow,” an icon of the Heavenly Father’s paternity on earth.

God is pictured just behind St. Joseph as he holds the infant Jesus. There are only two feet pictured – one belonging to God and the other to St. Joseph.

People sometimes say to the deacon that Joseph wasn’t Jesus’ “real father,” as if he doesn’t quite count.

“Fatherhood is an act of love, the act of doing, not just a paternal source,” said Deacon Sandoval.

In “Patris corde,” Pope Francis agrees, saying fathers are “not born, but made,” and notes that many children today “seem like orphans.”

“A man does not become a father simply by bringing a child into the world, but by taking up the responsibility to care for that child,” he writes.

St. Joseph is the patron saint of fatherhood, patron for the suffering and dying, patron and protector of a happy death, patron of human work and patron of the terror of demons, among a long list of patronages.

Deacon Sandoval said St. Joseph is a man people can identify with. He was married and had a wife and child he had to fend for, support and protect.

“He’s not a pope, he’s not a bishop, he’s not a priest, he’s not even a deacon,” he said. “He’s a regular guy. He’s the model for lay men.”

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On ‘Today’ show, Cardinal Gregory reflects on his faith journey, racism

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Al Roker, weather forecaster and co-host of NBC’s “Today” show, interviews Washington Cardinal Wilton D. Gregory Jan. 21, 2021, at the Archdiocese of Washington’s Pastoral Center chapel in Hyattsville, Maryland.

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experience of what it means to be an African American man in our country.”

The interview with Roker, who noted that he is Catholic, was recorded in January at the chapel in the Archdiocese of Washington’s Pastoral Center in Hyattsville, Maryland, just outside the District of Columbia.

Cardinal Gregory and Roker also discussed how the cardinal would interact with President Joe Biden as a Catholic in his archdiocese. The cardinal said he knows there will be times when they will disagree, but he doesn’t expect their paths to cross frequently.

“He’s not going to be on speed dial, and I hope I’m not on his speed dial,” he said. “But there will be moments when I will be able to speak to him about faith, about the works that he is trying to accomplish that we can be supportive of, but also areas where we’re not going to agree.

But I’m going to always try to do it in a respectful way.”

A clip was shown of Cardinal Gregory offering a prayer at a memorial service Jan. 19 at the Lincoln Me-

morial Reflecting Pool to remember the 400,000 Americans who had died of the coronavirus at that point.

Standing nearby at the memorial service were Biden and Kamala Harris, joined by their spouses, one day before the new president and vice president were inaugurated.

Cardinal Gregory said his message to the nation at that service was: “If we’re going to heal, we have to remember we have to heal together.”

The cardinal said that while he was at the Vatican for his elevation as cardinal in November, “there were so many thoughts going through my heart and mind. I thought about my mom and dad, family members, my grandmother. It was very humbling.”

Noting that some people wondered why it took so long for an African American to be made a cardinal, Washington’s archbishop said it was a reminder that the Catholic Church, like the rest of the world, continues to grapple with racism and exclusion.

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HYATTSVILLE, Md. – In a Feb. 15 segment for the “Today” show’s “Changemakers” and “Black Voices” series, Cardinal Wilton D. Gregory of Washington reflected on his faith journey and on his own experiences with racism.

He described his race as a common denominator for how he is judged, along with “every other African American man in Washington,” when he is not wearing the clothes that identify him as a member of the clergy.

The interview was conducted by Al Roker, weather forecaster and co-host of the “Today” show.

Roker asked the cardinal about his path to the priesthood, which began when he was a student in Catholic school in Chicago and was inspired by the example of the priests and women religious there; about his pastoral role in relation to the president of the United States; about his status as the first African American to be made a cardinal; and whether he has experienced racism.

“I don’t know of any African American who hasn’t tasted the bitter cup of discrimination,” Cardinal Gregory said.

He added that as long as he is dressed as a member of the clergy, “I’m treated with great respect and affection. But if I take off my clerics to go out, to go shopping or run an errand, I’m in the pool of every other African American man in Washington.”

The cardinal told of one occasion, perhaps 15 years ago, when he was invited to a Palm Springs golf club.

Dressed to play golf, he went to open the trunk of his car. Someone approached and said to him, “‘You can put my clubs on the golf cart.’ I had to say, ‘Well, I can have somebody retrieve your clubs, but I’m here to play golf.’ I never forgot that.”

Such experiences are healthy reminders for him, he said. “It’s good for me not to lose a grounding in the

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10 FAITH

CATHOLIC SAN FRANCISCO | FEBRUARY 25, 2021

SUNDAY READINGS

Second Sunday of Lent GENESIS 22:1-2, 9A, 10-13, 15-18 God put Abraham to the test. He called to him, “Abraham!” “Here I am!” he replied. Then God said: “Take your son Isaac, your only one, whom you love, and go to the land of Moriah. There you shall offer him up as a holocaust on a height that I will point out to you.” When they came to the place of which God had told him, Abraham built an altar there and arranged the wood on it. Then he reached out and took the knife to slaughter his son. But the Lord’s messenger called to him from heaven, “Abraham, Abraham!” “Here I am!” he answered. “Do not lay your hand on the boy,” said the messenger. “Do not do the least thing to him. I know now how devoted you are to God, since you did not withhold from me your own beloved son.” As Abraham looked about, he spied a ram caught by its horns in the thicket.

So he went and took the ram and offered it up as a holocaust in place of his son. Again the Lord’s messenger called to Abraham from heaven and said: “I swear by myself, declares the Lord, that because you acted as you did in not withholding from me your beloved son, I will bless you abundantly and make your descendants as countless as the stars of the sky and the sands of the seashore; your descendants shall take possession of the gates of their enemies,

and in your descendants all the nations of the earth shall find blessing—all this because you obeyed my command.”

PSALM 116:10, 15, 16-17, 18-19 I will walk before the Lord, in the land of the living.

I believed, even when I said, “I am greatly afflicted.”

Precious in the eyes of the Lord is the death of his faithful ones.

I will walk before the Lord, in the land of the living.

O Lord, I am your servant; I am your servant, the son of your handmaid; you have loosed my bonds. To you will I offer sacrifice of thanksgiving, and I will call upon the name of the Lord.

I will walk before the Lord, in the land of the living.

My vows to the Lord I will pay in the presence of all his people, In the courts of the house of the Lord, in your midst, O Jerusalem.

I will walk before the Lord, in the land of the living.

ROMANS 8:31B-34 Brothers and sisters: If God is for us, who can be against us? He who did not spare his own Son but

handed him over for us all, how will he not also give us everything else along with him? Who will bring a charge against God’s chosen ones? It is God who acquits us, who will condemn? Christ Jesus it is who died—or, rather, was raised— who also is at the right hand of God, who indeed intercedes for us.

MARK 9:2-10 Jesus took Peter, James, and John and led them up a high mountain apart by themselves. And he was transfigured before them, and his clothes became dazzling white, such as no fuller on earth could bleach them. Then Elijah appeared to them along with Moses, and they were conversing with Jesus. Then Peter said to Jesus in reply, “Rabbi, it is good that we are here! Let us make three tents: one for you, one for Moses, and one for Elijah.” He hardly knew what to say, they were so terrified. Then a cloud came, casting a shadow over them; from the cloud came a voice, “This is my beloved Son. Listen to him.” Suddenly, looking around, they no longer saw anyone but Jesus alone with them. As they were coming down from the mountain, he charged them not to relate what they had seen to anyone, except when the Son of Man had risen from the dead. So, they kept the matter to themselves, questioning what rising from the dead meant.

Intimations of mortality

I

n his poem, “Ode: Intimations of Immortality,” William Wordsworth mourns the loss of his childhood spiritual vision. As the title suggests, as a child he had “intimations of immortality,” but now that he is grown up, he has lost that sense of closeness to the glory of his divine origin.

Wordsworth says: “There was a time when meadow, grove and stream, / The earth, and every common sight, / To me did seem / Appareled in celestial light / The glory and freshness of a dream. / It is not now as it hath been of yore – / Turn whereso’er I may, / By night or day, / The things which I have seen I can see no more.”

Wistful, the poet pines for the lost connection to immortalFATHER CHARLES ity: “Wither is fled the visionPUTHOTA ary gleam, / Where is it now the glory and the dream?”

We can all relate to the poet’s longing. In our childhood, there seemed a mysterious sense of closeness to something beyond us and yet intimate, but when we grow up, regrettably, we lose that innocence. It may be because, as the poet would say: “The world is too much with us.” Let us recall Jesus’ words about the need to become like children for us to be able to enter God’s kingdom.

SCRIPTURE REFLECTION

For our peace, happiness, and fulfillment, we need to recover the intimations of immortality.

The “luminious” mystery of the Transfiguration in the Gospel this Sunday could well be an instance of the intimations for Jesus and the three apostles.

In a series of epiphanies from the Nativity, Epiphany, Presentation, finding of Jesus in the Temple, baptism and now to Transfiguration, and through all the “signs” in the Gospel of John, Jesus’ connection with his Father, no doubt, is an intimation into his identity as the Father’s “beloved,” anointed, affirmed, and empowered to go forward and accomplish the redemptive mission.

As for the Apostles, in a trance-like heightened consciousness, they glimpse into the divinity of Jesus. They encounter part of the salvation history – the law (Moses) and prophesy (Elijah) – all of which is fulfilled in Jesus. The apostles “hardly knew what to say” and were “terrified.” They have eyes and now they can see, they have ears and now they can hear. “Appareled in celestial light,” the Apostles enjoy “the visionary gleam” and “the glory and the dream.”

Coming down the mountain, Jesus warns them not to reveal the event to anyone. Mark’s Gospel employs repeatedly the theological trope of the “Messianic secret” by which Jesus insists that his messiahship will be fully revealed – and proclaimed – not in his miracles but in his suffering and death.

The Father will give up his son for the mission of salvation and renewal.

As Paul in Romans says, the Father who “did not

spare his own son and handed him over for us” will “give us everything else along with him.” The Apostles’ intimations will necessarily include the mystery of suffering before resurrection. Transfiguration is a foretaste of the glory to come. All our trials and sufferings cannot separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord: “If God is for us, who can be against us?”

The theme of the sacrifice of the son is introduced in the first reading when Abraham in the shocking story is invited to give up his only son, but thank God, it was just a test of faith, and a stern warning to the people of the time against human sacrifice.

It was a moment of an epiphany – an intimation – to Abraham of his deep, steadfast connection to a God who was making a covenantal promise that his descendants would become as numerous as the stars of the sky and the sands of the seashore.

This Lent, still in the throes of the pandemic, we are invited to pay close attention to the intimations of immortality. We could yield to the irresistible pull to enter the presence of God. We too can experience transfiguration if we choose to come into the divine milieu. Suffering will be part of the journey, but glory is assured. We are to reclaim the grandeur and beauty of our life by surrendering to God’s continuous grace, abiding presence, and resplendent glory.

Lent may be a good time to try some such adventures.

GN 37:3-4, 12-13a, 17b-28a. PS 105:16-17, 18-19, 2021. JN 3:16. MT 21:33-43, 45-46.

gious. DN 3:25, 34-43. PS 25:4-5ab, 6 and 7bc, 8-9. JL 2:12-13. MT 18:21-35.

SATURDAY, MARCH 6: Saturday of the Second Week of Lent. MI 7:14-15, 18-20. PS 103:1-2, 3-4, 9-10, 1112. LK 15:18. LK 15:1-3, 11-32.

WEDNESDAY, MARCH 10: Wednesday of the Third Week of Lent. DT 4:1, 5-9. PS 147:12-13, 15-16, 19-20.

SEE JN 6:63c, 68c. MT 5:17-19.

SUNDAY, MARCH 7: Third Sunday of Lent. EX 20:117 or EX 20:1-3, 7-8, 12-17. PS 19:8, 9, 10, 11. 1 COR 1:22-25. JN 3:16. JN 2:13-25.

THURSDAY, MARCH 11: Thursday of the Third Week of Lent. JER 7:23-28. PS 95:1-2, 6-7, 8-9. JL 2:12-13.

LK 11:14-23.

MONDAY, MARCH 8: Monday of the Third Week of Lent. Optional Memorial of St. John of God, religious. 2 KGS 5:1-15ab. PS 42:2, 3; 43:3, 4. SEE PS 130:5, 7. LK 4:24-30.

FRIDAY, MARCH 12: Friday of the Third Week of Lent.

HOS 14:2-10. PS 81:6c-8a, 8bc-9, 10-11ab, 14 and 17.

MT 4:17. MK 12:28-34.

FATHER CHARLES PUTHOTA is pastor of St. Elizabeth Parish, San Francisco.

LITURGICAL CALENDAR, DAILY MASS READINGS MONDAY, MARCH 1: Monday of the Second Week in Lent. DN 9:4b-10. PS 79:8, 9, 11 and 13. SEE JN 6:63c, 68c. LK 6:36-38.

TUESDAY, MARCH 2: Tuesday of the Second Week of Lent. IS 1:10, 16-20. PS 50:8-9, 16bc-17, 21 and 23. EZ 18:31. MT 23:1-12.

WEDNESDAY, MARCH 3: Wednesday of the Second Week of Lent. Optional Memorial of St. Katharine Drexel, virgin. JER 18:18-20. PS 31:5-6, 14, 15-16. JN 8:12. MT 20:17-28.

THURSDAY, MARCH 4: Thursday of the Second Week of Lent. Optional Memorial of St. Casimir of Poland. JER 17:5-10. PS 1:1-2, 3, 4 and 6. SEE LK 8:15. LK 16:19-31.

FRIDAY, MARCH 5: Friday of the Second Week of Lent.

TUESDAY, MARCH 9: Tuesday of the Third Week of Lent. Optional Memorial of St. Frances of Rome, reli-

SATURDAY, MARCH 13: Saturday of the Third Week of Lent. HOS 6:1-6. PS 51:3-4, 18-19, 20-21ab. PS 95:8.

LK 18:9-14.

OPINION 11

CATHOLIC SAN FRANCISCO | FEBRUARY 25, 2021

The triumph of good over evil

A

colleague once challenged Pierre Teilhard de Chardin with this question. You believe that good will ultimately triumph over evil; well, what if we blow up the world with an atomic bomb, what happens to goodness then?

Teilhard answered this way.

If we blow up the world with an atomic bomb, that would be a two-million-year setback; but goodness will triumph over evil, not because I wish it, but because God promised it and, in the resurrection, God showed that God has the power to deliver on that promise.

He is right. Except for the FATHER RON resurrection, we have no guarROLHEISER antees about anything. Lies, injustice, and violence may well triumph in the end. That is certainly how it looked the day Jesus died.

Jesus was a great moral teacher and his teachings, if followed, would transform the world. Simply put, if we all lived the Sermon on the Mount, our world would be loving, peaceful, and just; but self-interest is often resistant to moral teaching.

From the Gospels, we see that it was not Jesus’ teaching that swayed the powers of evil and ultimately revealed the power of God. Not that. The triumph of goodness and the final power of God were revealed instead through his death, by a grain of wheat falling in the ground and dying and so bearing lots of fruit.

Jesus won victory over the powers of the world in a way that seems antithetical to all power. He did not overpower anyone with some intellectually supe-

LETTERS Read the Beatitudes, do not judge

I am Catholic by birth. I consider Scripture and the Mass sacred. My heart has been touched by both and has guided me in all my life’s decisions.

I still struggle with being told how to think regarding abortion by the hierarchy of males in the church who have struggled with their own iniquities.

Something is askew.

The Jan. 28 issue of Catholic SF is disturbing to me. The large byline on the front page reads, ‘“Pray for new administration, defend life,’ archbishop says.” So, which one is it? Pray for new administration because they are “bad” Catholics or abortion?

A woman on the news marching in the SF right for life event was being interviewed by a local news reporter. She wanted to speak her mind on the issue.

“The only person (politician) that supported right to life,” she said, “is Trump!

He supports my view.” On Page 9 the headline reads, “Sotomayor: Trump’s 13 executed ‘deserved more’ from court.”

Sotomayor felt that the courts did not provide adequate justice or resolve serious claims raised by the inmates. A conservative, majority “Trump court” has allowed 13 people killed.

Wait. What?

Killing is killing. The Fifth Commandment: Thou shalt not kill. I get it. In the larger biblical picture people will be judged by their actions under God’s law.

Why is the Catholic Church always trying to commandeer their sheep? Do they feel it’s their duty? The hierarchical group, mostly white men, lacking women, are calling the shots for all the rest of us. Let’s not go there.

We will all be judged by our merits and deeds. Just read the beatitudes. I am given free will by God to think, act and make personal decisions. It’s about individual choices. Where is it written that any person should judge others?

I don’t have that authority nor does anyone else; not even Catholics. Please read Scripture!

rior muscle or by some worldly persuasion. No, he revealed God’s superior power simply by holding fast to truth and love even as lies, hatred, and self-serving power were crucifying him.

The powers of the world put him to death, but he trusted that somehow God would vindicate him, that God would have the last word. God did. God raised him from the dead as a testimony that he was right and the powers of the world were wrong, and that truth and love will always have the last word.

That is the lesson. We too must trust that God will give truth and love the last word, irrespective of what things look like in the world. God’s judgment on the powers of this world does not play out like a Hollywood film where the bad guys get shot in the end by a morally superior muscle and we get to enjoy a catharsis. It works this way: Everyone gets judged by the Sermon on the Mount, albeit self-interest generally rejects that judgment and seems to get away with it.

However, there is a second judgment that everyone will submit to the resurrection. At the end of the day, which is not exactly like the end of the day in a Hollywood movie, God raises truth and love from their grave and gives them the final word. Ultimately, the powers of the world will all submit to that definitive judgment.

Without the resurrection, there are no guarantees for anything. That is why St. Paul says that if Jesus was not resurrected then we are the most deluded of all people. He is right. The belief that the forces of untruth, self-interest, injustice and violence will eventually convert and give up their worldly dominance can sometimes look like a possibility on a given night when the world news looks better. However, as happened with Jesus, there is no guarantee that these

In terms of the abortion issue, it’s pretty straightforward. If you don’t believe in abortion, don’t have one. God, at some point, will handle it.

Margaret Franz-Costello Novato

Bravo to St. Hilary Parish

Re “Parish series helping parishioners find the upside of lockdown,” Feb. 11: In a recent article you featured the preaching series of our pastor, Father Gustafson. The article was interesting, but the final sentence stunned me. It read, “St. Hilary was one of those churches that was declining.”

If that statement was referring to all the churches’ lack of services due to the COVID virus, I understand it, but if suggesting that the “declining” had anything to do with the steady, spiritual ministry of the church, I must strongly disagree. Under the exemplary pastorate of Father William Brown, the church was quite thriving. In particular, his preaching was intelligent, often filled with great humor, grounded in his own spiritual journey to which we could relate, and always drawing us to a deeper relationship with Christ. After all, it is in the daily and Sunday Mass and homily that the Scriptures come to life, and we parishioners are deepened in our spiritual lives. That was never lacking at St. Hilary with Father Brown as pastor.

Perhaps an apology might be due to him.

I also wish to highlight the religious education evident in the weekly children’s’ Mass. The active participation of those kids is a joy to us seniors. It says the future of the church is in solid hands. Bravo to the teachers, staff and children of St. Hilary parish.

Don Foree Tiburon

Prayers and thanks for public health officials

After a divided U.S. Supreme Court issued a decision on Feb. 5, overruling portions of California’s restrictions on indoor religious services during the

powers will not eventually turn and crucify most everything that is honest, loving, just and peaceful in our world. The history of Jesus and the history of the world testify to the fact that we cannot put our trust in worldly powers even when for a time they can look trustworthy. The powers of self-interest and violence crucified Jesus. They were doing it long before and have continued doing it long after. These powers will not be vanquished by some superior moral violence, but by living the Sermon on the Mount and trusting that God will roll back the stone from any tomb in which they bury us.

Many people, perhaps most people, believe there is a moral arc to reality, that reality is bent toward goodness over evil, love over hate, truth over lies, and justice over injustice, and they point to history to show that, while evil may triumph for a while, eventually reality rectifies itself and goodness wins out in the end, always. Some call this the law of karma.

There is a lot of truth in that belief, not just because history seems to bear it out, but because when God made the universe, God made a love-oriented universe and so God wrote the Sermon on the Mount both into the human heart and into the very DNA of the universe itself.

Physical creation knows how to heal itself, so too does moral creation. Thus, good should always triumph over evil but, given human freedom, there are no guarantees except for the promise given us in the resurrection.

OBLATE FATHER RON ROLHEISER is former president of the Oblate School of Theology, San Antonio, Texas where he is now a full-time faculty member in the school’s Spirituality Institute.

COVID-19 pandemic, Archbishop Cordileone issued a statement characterizing the safety measures as an “abuse of power” by our public health officials.

The archbishop praised the Supreme Court’s decision for diminishing what he called “the risk of harassment by government officials.”

I am very distressed by these statements, which question the integrity and good faith of our public health officials, as they struggle to control the deadly pandemic.

I pray for the continued courage and perseverance of our public health officials, and I thank God for their dedication.

I am ashamed that our archbishop is playing politics with a tragic public health crisis.

Frank Lindh San Rafael

Science and politics

Re “High court rebukes California COVID worship limits,” Feb. 11: According to Archbishop Cordileone, “this decision makes clear we can now return to worshiping safely without risk of harassment from government officials.” Too bad public safety and the science-based findings of most health experts during a raging pandemic (475,000 deaths nationwide, 45,000 California alone) didn’t figure in Archbishop Cordileone’s concerns, while such issues are the overriding concern in the minds of those big bad government officials. Wonder who it is who’s playing politics here and who is following the science and the experts.

It is much like the right-wing religious extremist sudden change on Supreme

Court that made this decision, reversing almost all other courts dealing with pandemic decisions. Neither Archbishop Cordileone nor any of the justices has any background or training in science and health issues relating to the pandemic, which should be the only concern when so many are still dying every day.

Peter Mandell San Francisco

Standing up for principles

Thank you, Archbishop Cordileone, for your article in the Jan. 28 issue of Catholic San Francisco. It has given me renewed faith that the church has recognized the hypocrisy of some of the leaders in our federal government. Both President Biden and Speaker Pelosi, while professing to be Catholics, do not adhere to the fundamental rights of the church. In good conscience, how can these two “leaders” ignore the Sixth Commandment, and by what authority does Speaker Pelosi have the right to chastise those who voted for President Donald Trump because he was pro-life?

Certainly, we can agree to disagree, but condemnation of individuals if they do not agree with you, is not acceptance.

Now we learn President Biden is sending millions of dollars to Mexico in support of abortions in that country.

Shame on President Biden and shame on Speaker Nancy Pelosi. They do not speak for all Catholics, and as you stated they do not speak for the Catholic Church.

My family and I pray for the protections of the principles of our church and our Constitution.

Marie C. Zahn Atherton

LETTERS POLICY EMAIL letters.csf@sfarchdiocese.org WRITE Letters to the Editor, Catholic San Francisco, One Peter Yorke Way, San Francisco, CA 94109

NAME, address and daytime phone number for verification required SHORT letters preferred: 250 words or fewer

12 OPINION

CATHOLIC SAN FRANCISCO | FEBRUARY 25, 2021

Who isn’t pro-life?

SISTER M. CAROL BAETZ, RSM

To most individuals, pro-life means “I don’t approve of abortion.” But that is not only what prolife means.

Pro-life means to promote and support life in all stages from conception to natural death. Children must be properly fed, clothed, housed, loved, educated and given all necessary and/or possible helps to develop their natural talents. Attention must be paid to the special needs of teens, individuals in their early teens and late adulthood, the physically handicapped and impaired individuals at any stage.

Environmental factors are an essential part of pro-life. Nations need to reduce carbon emissions.

Cars need to be kept in safe condition so that they will not pollute, so that blown tires or mechanical deficiencies will not cause accidents. Keeping the speed limit promotes safe travel and allows for the least gas consumption. Air in homes and businesses must be clean and free from harmful substances. Water, so necessary for life, must be safe

to drink for rich and poor alike in all countries of the world.

Our beautiful planet must be pro-life. Clean environments are needed to support the health and welfare of all humans, animals and plants. Nature needs to thrive just the way God intended. Farming practices that pollute rather than support the land and limit the abundance that is possible need changing. Solar and wind need further development so that those clean energies are readily available to all at reasonable prices. Animal practices that harm animals and are solely for the pleasure or profit of humankind need to be stopped.

Pro-life means that safe and clean waterways are provided for all life that lives and grows in our oceans and lakes. New rules must be made for luxury liners that dump their trash and waste in the waters. Fracking is harmful to the environment and an aberrant way to bring up and make new gases available.

Pro-life means that the neediest and poorest among us – immigrant populations, ethnic minori-

ties, the handicapped and the elderly – have all that they need to maintain a lifestyle that is consistent with healthy living standards.

Pro-life means that governments have responsibilities to promote jobs so that workers can use their talents in ways that assure growth for themselves and for the common welfare.

Pro-life means that affordable health care is readily available to all. Medical, physical, emotional and social needs must be addressed. Many elders in this society are just plain lonely. They often live lone or are left alone without companionship for substantial periods of time.

Pro-life measures promote a society of happy, fulfilled, citizens who will contribute to world peace and prosperity. Pope Francis said that “protecting human life is the pre-eminent social and political issue. This is not a religious issue; it’s a human rights issue.”

SISTER M. CAROL BAETZ, RSM, is a member of the Mercy Sisters’ West Midwest Community in Burlingame.

CHARISMATIC: 2,000 join Mission parishes’ virtual conference FROM PAGE 3

Father Moisés Agudo, and Father Rafael Bermúdez, vicar of the Mission churches, Hernández said.

Hernández acknowledged that he felt sad when he saw the church empty during the congress because in previous years they had gathered hundreds of faithful.

Alejandro Galo, general coordinator of the His-

panic Catholic Charismatic Renewal Movement of the Archdiocese of San Francisco, said the virtual congress reached people who previously participated in person, and also elderly or sick people who could not attend a congress before.

Rosario Méndez, a parishioner of St. Anthony and St. Peter, has participated for many years in the evangelization congress in St. Anthony. This year, she participated by phone from her bedroom.

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Méndez has had a difficult time in the last two years, with the deaths of close family members. In addition, she and her husband were diagnosed positive for COVID-19.

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“I pray God and the Virgin that next year we have a congress where we can embrace,” she said. “We need the hugs. In a congress we embrace the people we see who are suffering, we cry with those who are sad.”

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CATHOLIC SAN FRANCISCO | FEBRUARY 25, 2021

For Lent, ask if one’s life is centered on God or oneself, pope says CAROL GLATZ CATHOLIC NEWS SERVICE

VATICAN CITY – Lent is a time to reconsider the path one is taking in life and to finally answer God’s invitation to return to him with one’s whole heart, Pope Francis said.

“Lent is not just about the little sacrifices we make, but about discerning where our hearts are directed,” he said, “toward God or toward myself ?”

The pope’s remarks came in his homily at Mass Feb. 17 for Ash Wednesday, which included the blessing and distribution ashes, marking the beginning of Lent for Latin-rite Catholics.

Because of ongoing measures in place to reduce the spread of the coronavirus, the Mass and distribution of ashes took place with a congregation of little more than 100 people at the Altar of the Chair in St. Peter’s Basilica.

Pope Francis did not do the traditional walk from the Church of St. Anselm to the Basilica of Santa Sabina on Rome’s Aventine Hill to prevent large crowds of people from gathering along the route.

In St. Peter’s Basilica, the pope received ashes on his head from Cardinal Angelo Comastri, archpriest of the basilica, and he distributed ashes to about three dozen cardinals, as well as the priests and deacons assisting him at the Mass.

In his homily, the pope said one must bow to receive ashes sprinkled on the crown of the head, which reflects the “humble descent” one makes in reflecting on one’s life, sins and relationship with God.

(CNS PHOTO/GUGLIELMO MANGIAPANE, REUTERS)

Pope Francis uses incense as he celebrates Ash Wednesday Mass in St. Peter’s Basilica at the Vatican Feb. 17, 2021.

“Lent is a journey of return to God,” especially when most people live each day ignoring or delaying their response to God’s invitation to pray and do something for others.

“It is a time to reconsider the path we are taking, to find the route that leads us home and to rediscover our profound relationship with God, on whom everything depends,” he said.

“The journey of Lent is an exodus from slavery to freedom,” he said, noting the easy temptations along that journey, including yearning for the past, or hindered by “unhealthy attachments, held back by the seductive snares of our sins, by the false security

of money and appearances, by the paralysis of our discontents. To embark on this journey, we have to unmask these illusions.”

The way back to God, he said, starts with understanding, like the prodigal son, how “we have ended up with empty hands and an unhappy heart” after squandering God’s gifts “on paltry things, and then with seeking God’s forgiveness through confession.

The pope again reminded confessors that they must be like the father in the story of the prodigal son and not use “a whip,” but open their arms in a welcoming embrace.

“The journey is not based on our own strength.

Heartfelt conversion, with the deeds and practices that express it, is possible only if it begins with the primacy of God’s work” and through his grace, the pope said.

What makes people just is not the righteousness they show off to others, “but our sincere relationship with the Father,” after finally recognizing one is not self-sufficient, but in great need of him, his mercy and grace.

The pope asked people to contemplate daily the crucified Christ and see in his wounds, “our emptiness, our shortcomings, the wounds of our sin and all the hurt we have experienced.”

“We see clearly that God points his finger at no one, but rather opens his arms to embrace us,” he said.

It is in life’s most painful wounds, that God awaits with his infinite mercy because it is there “where we are most vulnerable, where we feel the most shame” and where he comes to meet his children again.

“And now,” the pope said, “he invites us to return to him, to rediscover the joy of being loved.”

Iraq’s historic sites important to understanding Christianity DALE GAVLAK CATHOLIC NEWS SERVICE

AMMAN, Jordan – Pope Francis hopes to embark on the first-ever papal visit to the biblical land of Iraq in early March in a spiritual pilgrimage of sorts to the place known in Arabic as the “land of the two rivers” – the mighty Tigris and Euphrates – and once renowned as Mesopotamia, the “cradle of civilization.”

The Garden of Eden is believed possibly to have been in ancient Iraq, but certainly the famed Hanging Gardens of Babylon and the Tower of Babel were located there. Jews exiled to ancient Iraq in Old Testament times, such as the prophet Daniel, experienced God’s miraculous grace; Daniel was rescued from the lion’s den and his friends from the fiery furnace.

“The pontiff said he looks forward to visiting our country, which is also where Abraham began his journey,” Cardinal Louis Sako of Baghdad said of the March 5-8 trip.

The historically rich country is full of religious sites important to understanding the antecedents of the Christian faith, making the visit significant for Pope Francis. Here’s a snapshot of some of these places.

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(CNS PHOTO/MARCIN MAZUR)

Women and a girl attend Mass in the Church of the Immaculate Conception in Qaraqosh, Iraq, June 7, 2019. Pope Francis plans to visit Iraq March 5-8.

lies on a former course of the Euphrates and is one of Iraq’s oldest sites.

The pope will see a dry, flat, and ocher-colored plain renowned for its well-preserved stepped platform or ziggurat, which dates back to the third millennium B.C. Also, some of the earliest known writing, cuneiform, has been uncovered at Ur. Around 2000 B.C., Ur was a bustling urban center, drawing traders from both the Mediterranean and the Indian subcontinent, until its conquest by Alexander the Great a few centuries before Christ. Pope Francis will participate in an interreligious meeting there.

Pope Francis will travel to Nafaq, also in the South, for a key encounter with one of Shiite Islam’s most authoritative figures, Ayatollah Ali al-Sistani, as part of his efforts to embrace all of the Islamic world.

Lying 100 miles south of the capital, Baghdad, Najaf is a center of Shiite Islam’s spiritual and political power as well as a pilgrimage site for Shiite adherents. Its spectacular gold-domed Imam Ali Mosque is

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CATHOLIC SAN FRANCISCO | FEBRUARY 25, 2021

Bishop sprays holy water from fire truck to ‘cleanse’ Colombian city MANUEL RUEDA CATHOLIC NEWS SERVICE

BOGOTA, Colombia – The bishop of a Colombian city that is suffering from a deadly spike in drug violence boarded a fire truck to spray the town’s main street with holy water and help to “cleanse it” of evil.

Bishop Rubén Jaramillo Montoya performed the gesture Feb. 10 during a protest against violence in Buenaventura, a city of about half a million people on Colombia’s Pacific Coast.

During the event, thousands of local residents, dressed in white and wearing face masks, also formed a 12-mile-long human chain that crossed most of the city.

“This is a way of acknowledging that there is evil in this city, but that we want it to leave,” Bishop Jaramillo said. “We are also imploring the people in gangs to leave their weapons behind.”

Buenaventura is Colombia’s main port on the Pacific Ocean. It is located on a large inlet surrounded by thick jungle and dozens of small rivers that spill out into the sea.

This geographic location has long made the city and its surroundings a coveted spot for drug traffickers, who ship cocaine to Central America and the United States.

(CNS PHOTO/COURTESY DIOCESE OF BUENAVENTURA)

Colombian Bishop Rubén Darío Jaramillo Montoya of Buenaventura rides atop a fire truck during a protest against growing drug violence Feb. 10, 2021.

Fighting between gangs increased in January as new players like the National Liberation Army guerrillas and Mexican drug cartels try to get a foothold in the area.

According to the Washington Office on Latin America, a human rights group, the surge in violence doubled the city’s homicide rate in January and forced 400 people to leave their homes.

In a bid to pressure Colombia’s government to respond more effectively to the situation, in February residents of Buenaventura staged protests, backed by the diocese.

“We need the government to come up with a solid strategy to invest in this city,” said Leonard Renteria, a youth leader who participated in the Feb. 10 protest.

While Buenaventura’s port facilities generate millions of dollars in revenue each year for Colombia’s government and handle a third of the country’s imports, the city, whose population is mostly Black, is in a precarious situation.

According to a survey conducted by Colombia’s government in 2017, 66% of Buenaventura’s residents live in poverty and 90% work in the informal economy.

For Bishop Jaramillo, the solution to Buenaventura’s problems starts with stemming corruption, so that funds destined to the city are well used. But he also said gang members need to make decisions that will lead them down another path. That’s why he thinks symbolic gestures like spraying holy water from a fire truck or organizing human chains are important.

“We need to show violent people that we reject their decisions,” Bishop Jaramillo said. “We don’t want any more decisions that lead to violence.”

IRAQ: Historic sites important to Christianity FROM PAGE 13

considered the third-holiest site for the Shiite Muslims, after Mecca and Medina in Saudi Arabia.

Flying into Baghdad from Rome, Pope Francis will be received in an official welcome ceremony at the presidential palace. At the capital’s Syriac Catholic Cathedral of Our Lady of Deliverance, he will meet bishops, priests, men and women religious, seminarians and catechists. The cathedral was the site of a 2010 massacre that killed 58 people and was claimed by Iraq’s al-Qaida group, which splintered into the so-called Islamic State.

Mass is scheduled at the Catholic Chaldean St. Joseph Cathedral, also in Baghdad, a city with a rich, storied history where some 8 million inhabitants now live.

Heading north, Pope Francis will meet the Christian communities of Ninevah Plain, an area overrun by the Islamic State group in 2014 until its liberation

three years later. The Old Testament prophet Jonah, who asked people to repent and return to God, lived in Ninevah.

It’s the historic Christian heartland of Iraq, where Christians have lived since Jesus’ earthly ministry, when St. Thomas brought the Gospel message around A.D. 35, aided by St. Jude. The pair were thought to base themselves in the northern city of Irbil in modern-day Kurdistan, where they preached to the local people.

And it is in that city where Pope Francis will be welcomed by religious and civil leaders. Irbil and the nearby Christian enclave of Ankawa have hosted tens of thousands of Christians and other religious minorities forced to escape Islamic State atrocities.

Chaldean Catholic Archbishop Bashar Warda of Irbil said “international support for livelihood programs” is needed “to help families remain in Iraq.”

Some of those groups include Aid to the Church in

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One such program providing livelihood training is the Christian Aid Program Northern Iraq run by Iraqi Father Emanuel Youkhana, who a priest, or archimandrite, of the Assyrian Church of the East.

CAPNI has assisted some “8,500 displaced Christian families to return to their Ninevah Plain towns, helping first to rebuild homes, infrastructure and businesses. Now it is providing English language and vocational training for practical jobs needed in the marketplace,” Father Youkhana told Catholic News Service by phone.

He said that while Pope Francis “may not be able to visit the rebuilding projects due to time, he will certainly be informed.”

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CATHOLIC SAN FRANCISCO | FEBRUARY 25, 2021

LITURGY & PRAYER

storative Justice Certificate Series webinar led by the Catholic Restorative Justice Network, the official California source for formation and leadership in restorative justice ministry in California. A certificate of completion issued by the CCC and Santa Clara University will be signed by Bishop David O’Connell, Santa Clara University Director, and local archbishops.

Register at restorejustice.com.

LEARNING

WEDNESDAYS THROUGH MARCH 31: “Shelter in Faith,” is a free, seven-week prayer group by the founders of faith-sharing group, Random Acts of Catholics. The online meetings are designed to help participants, in the words of St. Ignatius of Loyola, ’see Christ more clearly, love him more dearly and follow him more nearly.’ 6:30 p.m. Features Ignatianstyle prayer. Visit randomactsofcatholics.org.

SUPPORT

THURSDAYS THROUGH MAY 27: Book of Psalms.

Weekly online course with Father William Nicholas: These 150 prayers express a variety of sentiment and feeling covering a wide range of spirituality from earthy to mystical, thanksgiving to regret, deep affection to equally deep resentment, joy to the depths of despair. Father Nicholas presents an overview of the prayers 7-8:30 p.m. Visit frbillnicholas.com/zoompresentations.

TUESDAYS, FEB. 9-APRIL 6: St. Pius Church Grief Ministry: “Moving through the loss of a loved one” is a new eight-week series for those who would like group support in progressing through their personal grief journey. Email griefministry@ pius.org to register, or call (650) 361-0655.

FRIDAYS THROUGH APRIL 2: St. Dominic Parish Friends in Christ Zoom Stations of the Cross: 7:30 p.m. Visit stdominics.org.

SATURDAY, MARCH 6: (Public event, monthly) Mass and Rosary Procession for Life: A monthly Mass at St. Mary’s Cathedral, 1111 Gough St., San Francisco, followed by a rosary procession to the Bush Street Planned Parenthood clinic. 8 a.m. Visit sfarch. org/events.

SUNDAY, MARCH 14: (Public event) Respect Life Essay Contest Mass and Awards: Archbishop Cordileone will celebrate the winners of the archdiocesan Respect Life Essay Contest at 11 a.m. at a special Mass at St. Mary’s Cathedral, 1111 Gough St., San Francisco. Awards ceremony to follow. Visit sfarch. org/essay-contest.

MUSIC & ART SUNDAY AFTERNOONS: St. Mary’s Cathedral Sunday Afternoon Livestream Concerts: Enjoy the longest continuously running organ concert series in San Francisco, and other instrumental and vocal recitals. For the time being, these musical meditations are not open to the public but are being livestreamed at smcsf.org/ event/musical-meditations-3.

SUNDAY, MARCH 14: Mission Dolores Basilica Livestream Concert: Livestream concert, 4 p.m. at the basilica. Allison Lovejoy, piano. Visit missiondolores.org.

LEARNING SATURDAY, FEB. 27: Exploring the Roots and Meaning of Religious Fear with Father Ron Rolheiser: This Zoom retreat will examine the origins and the complexities of religious fear and, after giving fear its proper due, will examine some biblical principles which invite us to live with less fear. 9-3 p.m., $25. Offered by Vallombrosa Center. Register at vallombrosa.org.

WEDNESDAYS THROUGH MARCH 17: Adult Education series on St. Joseph, Patron of the Universal Church: 2021 was named the Holy Year of St. Joseph by Pope Francis. Join St. Mary’s Cathedral Deacon Christoph Sandoval for an educational Zoom series leading up to a personal Cathedral consecration to Chaste Heart of St. Joseph on his feast day, March 19. 7 p.m. Wednesdays. Visit smcsf.org/event/consecration-to-st-josephpreparation-lectures.

THURSDAY, MARCH 4: Sts. Peter and Paul Don Bosco Reading Group: 4 p.m. Zoom meeting to discuss the first 13 chapters of Jesuit Father James Martin’s “Jesus: A Pilgrimage.” (The remainder of the book will be discuss at the April 13 meeting). No reading necessary. Contact Frank Lavin at (415) 310-8551, or franklavin@comcast.net.

TUESDAY, MARCH 9: Human Trafficking SeriesBecoming a shepherd in your parish: This series will equip diocesan and parish leaders with a three-pronged approach to transform empathy for victims into action that is effective and long-lasting. 6:30 p.m. Visit sfarch. org/seminars.

TUESDAYS, MARCH 16, 23, 30; APRIL 6, 13, 20: “Art, Elevation and Liturgy: Lift Up Your Eyes:” is a six-week online series with art historian Elizabeth Lev. This series explores the history of art in the context of the liturgy, specifically works designed to elevate the mind, heart, and spirit during the Mass. Visit sfarch. org/liftupyoureyes.

THURSDAYS, MARCH 4-MAY 13: Restorative Justice Certificate Series Training: The California Catholic Conference is hosting a free weekly Re-

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FRIDAY, MARCH 5: Strength for the Journey: Spiritual support meeting via Zoom led by Deacon Christoph Sandoval of St. Mary’s Cathedral for those facing a life-threatening illness. 1-3 p.m. on the first Friday of the month. Visit sfarch.org/grief.

RETREATS WEDNESDAYS, THRU MARCH 17: St. Anselm Parish Parable & Poetry Lenten Retreat: 9 a.m. or 7. p.m. If you’re feeling depleted by the pandemic or disillusioned by political, economic and racial strife, reclaim your inner peace with Dominican Father Jude Siciliano and Dominican Sister Patricia Bruno in this weekly online retreat. Email modear@comcast.net.

FRIDAY, FEB. 26: “Lent - A Season of Transformation” virtual retreat: Led by Father Jim Clarke, director of New Evangelization for the Archdiocese of Los Angeles. How is God inviting us to embrace the mystery that is our lives? 1-5 p.m., $35. Dominican Sisters of Mission San Jose Center for Education and Spirituality. Visit msjdominicans.org/education-arts/ center-education-spirituality.

FUNDRAISING THURSDAY, MARCH 18: Epiphany Center 24th Annual Benefit and Show (virtual): For over two decades this event has raised funds to help San Francisco’s at-risk women, children and families heal and transform their lives. Ticket includes a catered meal delivered to your home, show, client testimonials and more. $250. Center was founded in 1852 to care for San Francisco’s orphans. Visit TheEpiphanyCenter.org for more information and to purchase tickets.

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16 COMMUNITY

CATHOLIC SAN FRANCISCO | FEBRUARY 25, 2021

OBITUARIES FATHER WILTON SMITH

Superintendent

Department of Catholic Schools (DCS) The Department of Catholic Schools Office of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Santa Rosa, CA is seeking a full-time Superintendent. The primary role of the Superintendent is to assist the Bishop in directing the Catholic schools in the Diocese of Santa Rosa, CA. The Superintendent is the senior lay administrative person and chief representative responsible for working with parish and diocesan leadership to establish a collaborative, ongoing culture of excellent preschool – 12th grade education.

FOR MORE INFORMATION ON HOW TO APPLY, please see the employment page of www.srdiocese.org or contact Human Resources at lnorcia@srdiocese.org.

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Father Wilton Smith, retired pastor of St. Veronica Church in South San Francisco, died Feb. 12, 2021, at Golden Home Extended Care in San Rafael. Father Smith was a priest for 62 years and 88 years old.

Father Wilton Ordained at a time Smith when what are now the Diocese of Oakland and the Diocese of San Jose were part of the Archdiocese of San Francisco, Father Smith served as a parochial vicar at parishes including St. Catherine, Martinez and St. Martin, Sunnyvale as well as St. Emydius, San Francisco, and St. Isabella San Rafael. He was in residence at Church of the Epiphany, San Francisco while serving as full-time chaplain of the Newman Center at San Francisco City College 1976-1980.

The Office of the Vicar for Clergy included an excerpt from a letter to Archbishop Joseph McGucken about Father Smith from Dr. Ernest Nackord of City College during Father Smith’s time at the school: “Father Smith is one of the most respected and loved ‘guys’ on this campus, both

by Catholic and non-Catholic faculty members. Of course, the students think of him as another St. Francis and they may well be correct. I don’t think Father Smith has ever in his life had an unkind thought about anyone or anything. Without being flip, disrespectful, or presumptuous, I truly believe that God was in a very happy mood when he created Father Smith.”

Father Andrew Spyrow, vicar for clergy, said Father Smith “retained his generous nature, phenomenal memory and steady focus through his 18 years of retirement, despite the slow but relentless progress of Parkinson’s.”

Survivors include brother-in-law Robert DeMattei (Kay), nephew Paul DeMattei; nieces Susan DeMattei (Dave Wiens) and their sons Cooper, Ben and Sam; Nancy DeMattei, Lisa DeMattei (Matt Naworski) and their daughters Jessica and Ava. He is also survived by cousins Presentation Sister Marilyn Medau, and Margaret

Jenkins (Lou) and their children Jean Schulte, Laura Fahy, and Dan Jenkins.

There will be no public Mass at this time due to the pandemic. Remembrances may be made to the Priests’ Retirement Fund, One Peter Yorke Way, San Francisco 94109.

FATHER ROBERT E. STEIN, SDB

Salesian Father Robert E. Stein, a native Californian, died on Feb. 16, 2021, succumbing to COVID-19 at St. Mary’s Hospital in San Francisco.

Father Robert was 72 years old and was a professed member of the Salesians of Don Bosco for 54 years and Father Robert E. a priest for 43 years.

Stein, SDB Father Bob graduated from Don Bosco College in Newton, New Jersey, with a bachelor’s degree in philosophy later earning graduate degrees in theology and spiritual direction.

Following ordination, Father Stein worked in a variety of ministries all related to youth ministry. As classroom teacher or guidance counselor he served young people at Salesian High, Don Bosco Tech, and St. John Bosco High School in the Los Angeles Archdiocese. He also ministered at Salesian High in Richmond as well as St. Francis School in Watsonville.

“He enjoyed spending time with the young people both inside and outside the classroom,” the Salesians said in a statement. “No matter where he served, he was sought after by people who found in him a willing ear to listen and sensitivity toward their spiritual journey. He had a heart open to the needs of all whom God sent into his life.”

Father Stein had extensive experience in parish ministry in California and in Surrey, British Colombia, Canada. It was in Surrey that he served as pastor of Our Lady of Good Counsel Church. His last assignment was at Sts. Peter and Paul Church in San Francisco as a member of the parish staff.

Father Stein is survived by his brothers George, Paul, Tom, Jim and Bill, and also by his sister, Margaret Mary.

A Mass of Resurrection will be celebrated in Father Stein’s memory at a future date.

SAN FRANCISCO CATÓLICO 17

CATHOLIC SAN FRANCISCO | FEBRUARY 25, 2021

Arquidiócesis de San Francisco

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SALMO 9:19

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Para más información, por favor contacte a su parroquia o a la Oficina de Desarrollo al (415) 614-5580 o vía email a development@sfarch.org

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18 SAN FRANCISCO CATÓLICO

CATHOLIC SAN FRANCISCO | FEBRUARY 25, 2021

Congreso Carismático Católico de San Francisco por primera vez en 30 años fue virtual LORENA ROJAS SAN FRANCISCO CATÓLICO

Para ser la primera vez que el Congreso de Evangelización del grupo carismático Cristo Rey se realiza de forma virtual estuvo muy bien, dijo César Hernández quien con su esposa María Teresa Hernández coordinan el grupo de oración de las parroquias de la Misión en San Francisco.

El congreso anual tuvo lugar el 13 de febrero, por primera vez en 30 años de forma virtual y se trasmitió desde la iglesia San Antonio en San Francisco.

Lo más importante fue que estuvimos con Jesús presente en el Santísimo Sacramento, y muchas personas siguieron el congreso a través de tres diferentes plataformas tanto por Facebook Live, como en el canal de YouTube de las parroquias de la Misión y de la Arquidiócesis de San Francisco.

Otra razón por la cual la primera experiencia fue muy buena fue que contamos con la predicación del obispo Francisco Tijerino desde la Diócesis de Bluefields en Nicaragua y el padre Pedro Alvarado desde Guadalajara, dijo Hernández.

Mientras tanto, “aquí en la iglesia San Antonio nos acompañaron el delegado episcopal para la Renovación Carismática Católica de la Arquidiócesis de San Francisco el padre Moisés Agudo, y el padre Rafael Bermúdez, vicario de las iglesias de la Misión, agregó Hernández.

Hernández reconoció que sintió tristeza al ver la iglesia vacía durante el congreso ya que en años anteriores reunían a cientos de fieles en el salón de la iglesia San Antonio.

Sin embargo, “gracias a la tecnología hemos podido conectar a muchas personas con Jesús (través de la exposición del Santísimo), gracias también al padre Moisés que nos dio permiso de hacer este congreso de esta forma”, dijo el coordinador del grupo Cristo Rey. Alejandro Galo, coordinador general del Movimiento de Renovación Carismática Católica Hispana de la Arquidiócesis de San Francisco, quien desde hace unos 40 años experimentó la efusión del Espíritu Santo en un encuentro en la iglesia Santa Ana en Managua, Nicaragua, dijo que este congreso virtual ha dado buenos resultados, llegando a las personas que antes participaban de forma presencial, ahora también a personas mayores o enfermas que no podían asistir a un congreso.

Galo dijo que las personas carismáticas se unen a este movimiento porque es una forma de celebrar de manera más expresiva la alegría después de haber recibido el Espíritu Santo en la Eucaristía, por eso “al Movimiento Carismático se le llama también la Renovación en el Espíritu”, dijo.

Galo fue uno de los organizadores y predicador durante el congreso virtual, evento en el cual, debido a las restricciones por la pandemia, participaron de forma presencial solo seis miembros de la junta directiva que incluye a más de 20 parroquias en toda la arquidiócesis.

Algunas personas que vivieron el congreso desde sus casas compartieron sus experiencias.

Rosario Méndez, una parroquiana de San Antonio y San Pedro que vive cerca de las calles 24 y Balmy en la Misión, ha participado por muchos años en el Congreso Carismático en San Antonio, este año vio la transmisión del congreso en YouTube desde el cuarto de su casa con el teléfono celular en la mano.

Méndez ha pasado momentos difíciles en los últimos dos años y el congreso carismático le ayudó sobre todo porque estaba terminando la cuarentena por resultar positiva con COVID-19.

Ella salió el 8 de febrero de una habitación

sfc

(FOTOS ZAC WITTMER/SAN FRANCISCO CATÓLICO)

María Teresa Hernández, izquierda y Rocío de la Torre levantan las manos en expresión de alabanza durante un congreso carismático en la iglesia San Antonio en San Francisco, el 13 de febrero.

Alejandro Galo, coordinador del Movimiento de Renovación Carismática Católica de la Arquidiócesis de San Francisco durante una entrevista, el 13 de febrero.

Lissette Galo del grupo de oración Cristo Rey de la Arquidiócesis de San Francisco, canta durante el 30. º Congreso de Evangelización.

de hotel donde estuvo aislada desde el 26 de enero cuando fue diagnosticada con el virus, su esposo Juan Miguel de 70 años, sobreviviente de un derrame cerebral, quien depende de otras personas para sus necesidades diarias, también fue diagnosticado positivo y puesto en cuarentena en su casa bajo el cuidado de su hermana, la única que no tuvo el virus en la casa.

Llorando, por todo los momentos difíciles que ha vivido cuando tuvo a su esposo en coma por el derrame, la muerte de dos hermanos y de su mamá en los últimos dos años, Méndez asegura que el congreso carismático llenó una gran necesidad llegando hasta los hogares.

Sin embargo, ella confía en Dios y la Virgen que esta pandemia termine para poder volver a celebrar como antes.

“Primero Dios y la Virgen el próximo año tengamos un congreso en el que nos podamos

abrazar. Necesitamos los abrazos. En un congreso abrazamos a las personas que vemos que están sufriendo, lloramos con quienes están tristes”, dijo.

Laura Flores, de 51 años, su esposo Héctor, su hija Areli y su pequeño niño Gianni, ellos viven en Stockton y no pertenecen a algún grupo carismático, pero a través del rezo del Rosario que transmite María Teresa Hernández vía Facebook Live cada noche a las 7 p.m. desde la iglesia San Antonio, se enteraron de este congreso y participaron el 13 de febrero.

“Es una nueva experiencia diferente pero también hermosa, sentí esa presencia y energía, esa paz que nos dio estar frente al Santísimo”, dijo.

Agregó que “si Dios nos da la oportunidad a mi esposo y a mí nos gustaría asistir a un grupo carismático cuando todo esto (la pandemia) pase y también asistir al congreso carismático del grupo Cristo Rey”, dijo Flores.

MANTÉNGASE CONECTADO A SAN FRANCISCO CATÓLICO

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SAN FRANCISCO CATÓLICO 19

CATHOLIC SAN FRANCISCO | FEBRUARY 25, 2021

Hispanos de la Arquidiócesis reciben nuevo Directorio de Catequesis LORENA ROJAS SAN FRANCISCO CATÓLICO

La llegada del nuevo Directorio de Catequesis en junio de 2020, en medio de la pandemia, propició el uso de un nuevo vehículo para llegar a los catequistas de la Arquidiócesis de San Francisco a través de clases vía Zoom, dijo la hermana Graciela Martínez, directora adjunta de formación en la fe hispana de la oficina de Formación en la Fe de la Arquidiócesis de San Francisco.

Varias decenas de catequistas hispanos se integraron a las clases sobre el nuevo Directorio de Catequesis que tuvieron lugar del 16 de enero al 13 de febrero de este año.

La hermana Martínez recomienda que todas las personas que están trabajando en la formación de la fe Católica, en todos los niveles deben conocer sobre el contenido del nuevo directorio.

La catequesis no es solo enseñanza de la preparación para la Primera Comunión o la Confirmación, “la catequesis es una forma y habilidad de enseñar la fe a otros, pero sobre todo es acerca de cómo vivir la fe de manera personal”, dijo la hermana Martínez.

Ella dijo que están explorando la posibilidad de programar más clases vía Zoom para responder a la necesidad e interés de los catequistas que no pudieron asistir a la primera serie de clases.

“Hay una gran hambre de conocimiento” sobre las

(FOTO ZAC WITTMER/SAN FRANCISCO CATÓLICO)

La Hna. Graciela Martínez se ve durante una reunión arquidiocesana del V Encuentro, en los salones de la Catedral Santa María en octubre de 2017.

normas de la Iglesia y la forma como enseñar la fe, dijo la hermana Martínez. Agregó que por ser clases virtuales, participaron catequistas de las iglesias de San Francisco, pero también de otras diócesis.

María Vázquez es una catequista de Santa Isabel en Oakland, quien desde hace varios años, con otras catequistas de su parroquia asisten a clases con la hermana Graciela. Ella participó también en este curso vía Zoom.

Vázquez dijo que la

formación que recibe con la hermana Martínez le ha ayudado mucho para poder enseñar a los niños que están en la catequesis.

El Directorio de Catequesis es un documento del Consejo Pontificio para la Promoción de la Nueva Evangelización con sede en el Vaticano, contiene la orientación para enseñar la fe Católica en todo el mundo.

El primero se publicó en 1971 como resultado del Concilio Vaticano II. Una segunda edición salió en 1977 con resultados de los sínodos de los obispos, exhortaciones apostólicas y nuevas experiencias de la Iglesia en todo el mundo.

El nuevo Directorio de Catequesis de la Iglesia Católica de 2020, además del contenido de los dos anteriores, promueve una catequesis hacia la evangelización desde la perspectiva de la renovación personal y la experiencia de encuentro con Jesús.

Este directorio parte de la visión de una Iglesia evangelizadora y misionera con conversión pastoral.

También promueve reformas para responder a las nuevas necesidades de los fieles.

Cursos de Planificación Familiar Natural Por favor comuníquese con Carlos y Mariana de la Torre cascafu@gmail.com.

Visite ccli.org para obtener más información.

NÚMEROS DE AYUDA PARA VÍCTIMAS DE ABUSO SEXUAL DE PARTE DEL CLERO 0 MIEMBROS DE LA IGLESIA Este número 415-614-5506 es confidencial y Ie atiende Rocio Rodríguez, LMFT, Coordinadora de la oficina arquidiocesana de ayuda a las víctimas de abuso sexual.

Si usted prefiere hablar con una persona que no está empleada por la arquidiócesis por favor marque este número: 415-614-5503; es también confidencial y usted será atendido solamente por una persona que ha superado la experiencia traumática del abuso sexual.

Reporte el abuso sexual de un obispo o su interferencia en una investigación de abuso sexual a un tercero confidencial: 800-276-1562. www.reportbishopabuse.org

Holy Cross Catholic Cemetery 1500 Mission Road, Colma | 650-756-2060 Holy Cross Catholic Cemetery Santa Cruz Ave. @Avy Ave., Menlo Park | 650-323-6375 Tomales Catholic Cemetery 1400 Dillon Beach Road, Tomales | 415-479-9021 St. Anthony Cemetery Stage Road, Pescadero | 650-752-1679 Mt. Olivet Catholic Cemetery 270 Los Ranchitos Road, San Rafael | 415-479-9020 Our Lady of the Pillar Cemetery Miramontes St., Half Moon Bay | 650-712-1679 St Mary Magdalene Cemetery 16 Horseshoe Hill Road, Bolinas | 415-479-9021

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CATHOLIC SAN FRANCISCO | FEBRUARY 25, 2021

In Remembrance of the Faithful Departed Interred In Our Catholic Cemeteries During the Month of January HOLY CROSS, COLMA

Bahieh Abudayeh Constancia Gomez Acosta Renato Marquez Aguilar Charles Carmelo Aguis Peter E. Alciera Alberto Alvarado, Jr. Jose Manuel Alvarez Quinciana A. Aragon Magdalena M. Arcayena Romeo Molinas Baarde, Sr. Barbara L. Bergmaschi Emma Bertacchi Dr. Carolina A. Braga Lourdes P. Brooks Paul Cafini Adelaida I. Calibuso Agustina Vasquez Capristo Francisca Carati Carmen Castorena Dominador Catacutan Edison C. Cayabyab Crecenciano T. Celis, Jr. Maria Busuttil Chetcuti Rose Chetcuti Dorothy Chursin Lois L. Connell Laudalino Costa Alejandro G. Cruz Dolores Cuevas Margie D’India Consuelo Romero De Losa Louis De Salvatore Laverne Barbara DeMartini Louis Paul DeMartini Wynn Rita DeMartini Mary Lou Devincenzi Josephine S. Dimatteo Gary Dimiceli Revelino Dingle Arthur Dunham, Jr. Marianne Eberle Tony J. Escobar Lauro Espinosa Pelepetua Etu Marian C. Fellman George Edward Fetta E. Lorraine Flickinger Clarita O. Fong Concepcion Fonseca Jose Ernesto Fuentes-Ortega Luz Garcia Peter Giovanola Stanislawa A. Grochowski

Sonia Gioconda Gutierrez Yolanda Guzzetta Leander J. Hall Helen Lucille Haynes Thompson Elizabeth Hopper John H. Hopper Peggy Lynette Jabri Dolores R. Johnson Joseph B. Johnson Ruby C. Johnson Dorothy Helen Kearney Maria Velma Kielian Leilani Faye Ancheta Lacap Polly Lau George Lee Joanne Liberti Catherine P. Linehan Matilde Lopez Eduardo Montes Lostica Remedios L. Louth David John Mackin Marco Malagon Edwin Manuel Walter Marston Edith Catalina Martinez Jolene S. McGillivary Jose Q. Mejia Margaret Claire Melanephy Violeta Mielich Louis Montalvo Lydia Montoya Dennis J. Mulvihill Judith Murphy Noreen Murphy Laurel Jean Newman Guise Nguyen Dinh Nhi Efren Nieva Violet Noonan John W. O’Neill Antonio B. Ocampo Isidro Orozco Juanita Jean Patrick Lee J. Pawlas Benito G. Perez Jacoba Perez Theodore Robert Posadas John Thomas Quinn Consuelo Robles Leonor C. Rochette Wassil Nicholas Rolovich Ana Maria Rossal Wajih Ibrahim Saadeh Joseph E. Saba Joseph Eugene Saccone Carmel R. Saco Francisco J. Sandoval

Octavio Sarrio Concepcion Schmidli Loretta B. Schoenstein Ronald Shaw John Henry Sherratt Victor Silveira Dolores Solano Robert Sonnier Ann Frances Spirz Louis Stalcar Jesse Suarez Maxcine Sukle Bernard Sweeney Rose T. Symkowick Anna M. Thompson Madeline Louise Torre Nereo A. Trinca Frances E. Tywoniak William F. Utterback Joseph Eusebio Vaez Lolita C. Valido Daniel “Danny” Paul Viri Margaret M. Walton Kevin Williams Vasiliy Zvarich

MT. OLIVET, SAN RAFAEL

Trudy Ashmore Gary Corvello Joan G. Cullin Betty Jane Nuti Rev. Fr. Michele A. Raimondi Frank Rinaldi Maurice Velcich

HOLY CROSS, MENLO PARK

Refugio Arteaga Jesus Urena Banuelos Gail Derry Blach Catalina M. Bueno Francisco A. Carrera Stephen Salvadore Cusenza Oneahi Malia Latu James David Lazcano Arturo Macias, Jr. Tuike O. Mahoni Frances A. Modica Edith C. Muennemann Lolito Eclarin Nafrada

Holy Cross Catholic Cemetery, Colma While we will not be having a First Saturday Mass in March, we encourage you to remember in prayer all our beloved dead at rest in our Catholic Cemeteries.

Holy Cross Catholic Cemetery 1500 Mission Road, Colma CA | 650-756-2060 Holy Cross Catholic Cemetery 1975 Santa Cruz Ave. @Avy Ave., Menlo Park, CA | 650-323-6375 Tomales Catholic Cemetery 1400 Dillon Beach Road, Tomales, CA | 415-479-9021 St. Anthony Cemetery Stage Road, Pescadero, CA | 650-712-1675 Mt. Olivet Catholic Cemetery 270 Los Ranchitos Road, San Rafael, CA | 415-479-9020 Our Lady of the Pillar Cemetery 926 Miramontes St., Half Moon Bay, CA | 650-712-1679 St. Mary Magdalene Cemetery 16 Horseshoe Hill Road, Bolinas, CA | 415-479-9021

A Tradition of Faith Throughout Our Lives.

CATHOLIC SAN FRANCISCO Newspaper of the Archdiocese of San Francisco

SERVING SAN FRANCISCO, MARIN & SAN MATEO COUNTIES

www.catholic-sf.org

FEBRUARY 25, 2021

$1.00 | VOL. 23 NO. 4

Archdiocese of San Francisco

ARCHDIOCESAN ANNUAL APPEAL 2021

“For the needy will never be forgotten, nor will the hope of the afflicted ever fade.”

PSALM 9:19

Archdiocese of San Francisco Office of Development (415) 614-5580 development@sfarch.org SFArch.org/AAA

AAA2

ARCHDIOCESAN ANNUAL APPEAL 2021

CATHOLIC SAN FRANCISCO | FEBRUARY 25, 2021

CATHOLIC SAN FRANCISCO | FEBRUARY 25, 2021

ARCHDIOCESAN ANNUAL APPEAL 2021 GOAL $6,100,00 “For almost a quarter of a millennium, the Church in San Francisco has been a beacon of hope, spreading the light of Christ to all in our community. I ask you to be generous with your prayers and with your material support for the mission of the Church here in our Archdiocese.”

Universal Church & Communications 24% $1,446,000

Archbishop Salvatore Cordileone

YOUR GIFTS CHANGE LIVES

Clergy Support 35% $2,159,000

Your gift to the Archdiocesan Annual Appeal allows us to provide ministries, programs and services that benefit parishes and people throughout the Archdiocese of San Francisco.

The Annual Appeal is an opportunity for all in the Archdiocese to come together as one community to support one another and all whom we serve.

Parish Ministry & Schools 19% $1,140,000 Social Ministry 22% $1,355,000

AAA3

CHANCERY BUDGET FOR 2021 SOURCES OF INCOME $ 15,500,000

AAA 2021 39% $6,100,000

Other Sources 61% $9,400,000

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Clergy Support Clergy Support helps those who care for us.

It supports priests, deacons, and seminarians in their ministry. This ministry includes: Council of Priests, Vicar General, Vicar for Clergy, Clergy Education, Priests Education Fund, Permanent Diaconate, Diaconate Formation, Office of Consecrated Life, Office of Vocations, Priests Retirement Fund, Serra Clergy House and Priests Elder Care.

Diaconate Formation Priests Retirement Fund Active Priests Support Seminarian Formation Priests Education Fund

Social Ministry Through its variety of social ministries, the Archdiocese is able to thoughtfully engage with its diverse communities. Supported offices and ministries include: Hospital Chaplains, the Tribunal, Youth and Young Adult Ministries, Public Policy, Justice and Peace, Respect Life, Prison Ministry, Ethnic Ministry, Chinese Ministry, Ministry for the Spanish Speaking, Filipino Ministry, Ecumenical and Interreligious Programs.

Hospital & Prison Chaplains Office of Youth & Young Adult Ministries Respect Life Justice & Peace Ecumenical & Interreligious Programs Ministry Support in 22 Languages

Parish Ministry & Schools The Archdiocese provides additional funding for its parish schools, varied educational programs and financial aid. Supported offices and ministries include: Department of Pastoral Ministry, Faith Formation Youth & Young Adult, Office of Worship, Marriage and Family Life, Teacher Incentive Grants, Alliance for Mission District Schools and Child and Youth Protection.

22,950 Catholic School Students 2,890 Teachers & Staff 68 Teacher Grants Premarital & Marriage Support Office of Faith Formation Office of Worship

Universal Church & Communications The Universal Church supports the larger work of the California Conference of Bishops, the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops and the Holy See. The Office of Communications provides internal constituent communications and external communications that fund media relations, public information and special projects.

The Holy See Catholic San Francisco San Francisco Católico SFArchdiocese.org & Social Media California Catholic Conference of Bishops US Catholic Conference of Bishops

4 ARCHDIOCESAN ANNUAL APPEAL 2021

CATHOLIC SAN FRANCISCO | FEBRUARY 25, 2021

Watch Archbishop Cordileone’s 2021 Annual Appeal video message: SFArch.org/AAA February 1, 2021 Dear Friends in Christ: The year 2020 was a year like no other.

Whether it was the shelter-in-place mandate, the virus itself, or the economic shutdown, all of us have been affected.

While sometimes a cause for anxiety and apprehension, these many months have also reaffirmed our tremendous sense of community in the Church. Parishioners, men and women religious, and priests throughout the Archdiocese have vividly demonstrated what it means to be a Catholic through prayer, outreach, care, and love for one another.

As Catholics, we use our gifts and talents to serve others. We practice our faith in many ways – devoting our time to mission and ministry, assisting people in need, and supporting each other. The demonstrations of faith that I witness daily inspire me in my ministry.

The Archdiocesan Annual Appeal (AAA) provides a unique opportunity to practice our faith and assist people in need – and does so in a way that our individual parishes would not be able to on their own. We cherish the opportunity to come together as one body in the Archdiocese and participate in the AAA. The theme for this year’s AAA is “For the needy will never be forgotten; nor will the hope of the afflicted ever fade.”

This year, in particular, there are many people who need care and support.

By responding to God’s call to stewardship and grace and participating in the Annual Appeal, we support our pastors and parishes in their financial and human resources efforts, our parish ministries and schools, clergy, youth and young adults, social ministries, and the greater Church, among others.

On behalf of all who need and depend on the ministries and services of the Archdiocese of San Francisco, I ask you to make a gift to the Archdiocesan Annual Appeal. Your gift will impact many lives, and it will be greatly appreciated.

Your contribution is a tangible expression of your commitment to bring Christ to others. It reinforces the vital nature of our mission; it enhances our ability to teach, spread, and celebrate the faith; and it impacts the lives of countless individuals.

I thank you for your demonstrations of faith that inspire me, your commitment to our Church, your support of your parish, and your consideration of this request.

Sincerely yours in our Lord, Most Rev. Salvatore J. Cordileone Archbishop of San Francisco

WAYS TO GIVE Only you can decide what gift amount is right for you in light of your circumstances and the blessings God has given you. For your convenience you may make your contribution over time.

Please see the table to the right for budgeting purposes.

• Online (by credit card or checking account): Please note that you can take full advantage of the benefits offered by your credit card, such as bonus points and airline miles.

• Using the enclosed brochure (by credit card, check, or cash): Please make checks payable to “Archdiocesan Annual Appeal 2021.” You may send your completed donation brochure directly to the Archdiocese (the address is pre-printed on the form).

• Stocks, Bonds or Mutual Funds: Donations of stock offer a way to make a charitable gift without having to utilize cash funds. In addition, a stock donor may be able to benefit from capital gains tax savings. For more information on how to donate stocks, bonds or mutual funds, please contact the Office of Development: (415) 614-5580, development@sfarch.org.

• Matching Gifts: Many employers have matching gift programs which provide employees with the opportunity to enhance their charitable contributions. Please contact your company’s Human Resource professional to find out whether your company has a matching gift program.

SUGGESTED GIFT PLANS Total Gifts

1st Payment

10 Monthly Payments

$5,000

$500

$450

$2,000

$200

$180

$1,000

$100

$90

$800

$80

$72

$500

$50

$45

$300

$30

$27

$200

$20

$18

$150

$15

$13.50

$100

$10

$9

For more information, please contact your parish or the Office of Development at (415) 614-5580 or email: development@sfarch.org A self-addressed AAA donation brochure is enclosed for your convenience.