April 9, 2020

HOLY WEEK:

OUT OF WORK

WUHAN:

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Passion play actors pray, evangelize at home

Farm, service workers hit hard by COVID-19

Chinese city crawls back to life after twomonth lockdown

CATHOLIC SAN FRANCISCO Newspaper of the Archdiocese of San Francisco

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APRIL 9, 2020

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Gomez calls for nation to join in Good Friday prayer CATHOLIC NEWS SERVICE

WASHINGTON – Archbishop Jose H. Gomez of Los Angeles, president of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops, has invited U.S. Catholics to join him on Good Friday, April 10, to pray the Litany of the Sacred Heart at noon (EDT).

“Praying together as a nation, the archbishop asks that we seek healing for all who are unwell, wisdom for those whose work is halting the spread of coronavirus, and strength for all God’s children,” said a USCCB news release issued late April 2.

“Today, in the tragedy of a pandemic, in the face of the many false securities that have now crumbled, in the face of so many hopes betrayed, in the sense of abandonment that weighs upon our hearts, Jesus says to each one of us: ‘Courage, open your heart to my love. You will feel the consolation of God who sustains you.’”

POPE FRANCIS PALM SUNDAY, APRIL 5, 2020, ST. PETER’S BASILICA (CNS PHOTO/PAUL HARING)

SEE GOMEZ, PAGE 10

Pope urges Catholics to contemplate Mary’s ‘seven sorrows’ CINDY WOODEN CATHOLIC NEWS SERVICE

VATICAN CITY – On the Friday before Holy Week, Pope Francis asked people to keep a long tradition of Catholic piety by focusing on “the suffering and sorrows of Our Lady.”

“Honor Our Lady and say, ‘This is my mother,’ because she is mother.

This is the title that she received from Jesus precisely there, at the cross,” the pope said at Mass April 3. Jesus “did not make her prime minister or give her ‘functional’ titles. Only ‘mother.’”

Mary did not ask for any honor or special titles, the pope said. “She didn’t ask to be a quasi-redemptrix or a co-redemptrix, no. There is only one redeemer and this title cannot be duplicated.”

For decades, some Catholics have been petitioning the popes to recognize Mary as “co-redemptrix” to

Mary bore those sufferings “with highlight the essential role she played strength, with tears – it wasn’t a fake in redemption. cry, hers was truly a heart destroyed “Just disciple and mother – and in by pain,” the pope said. that way, as mother, we must think Pope Francis said that late in the about her, seek her out, pray to her,” evening, when he prays the Angelus Pope Francis said. “She is the mother prayer, he contemplates the seven sorin the church that is mother. In the maternity of Our Lady, we see the ma- rows and recalls “how the mother of the church, with so much pain, gave ternity of the church, which receives birth to all of us.” everyone, good and bad, everyone.”

With the morning Masses from the The Friday before Palm Sunday chapel of the Domus Sanctae Marthae is observed in many places as the livestreamed during the coronavirus “Friday of Sorrows,” a special day of crisis, Pope Francis begins the liturgy Marian devotion. with a special thought and prayer Pope Francis asked Catholics to intention each day. spend time considering the “seven sor“There are people who already are rows” of Mary: Simeon’s prophecy that thinking about the ‘after,’ what hapa sword would pierce her heart; the pens after the pandemic,” the pope said flight into Egypt; the worry when the April 3. They already are strategizing child Jesus could not be found because ways to alleviate “all the problems that he was in the Temple; meeting Jesus will come – problems of poverty, jobs, on the way to Calvary; seeing Jesus on (CNS PHOTO/DEBBIE HILL) hunger. Let us pray for all the people the cross; witnessing Jesus, lifeless, Mary and St. John stand at the foot of the personal way to honor your loved one’s patriotism to our country. who are helping today, but also thinkbeing taken down from the cross; Aand cross in this depiction of Christ’s crucifixion If you honoring your lovedto one's military service to donate it Church in Ramallah, West Bank. ing of tomorrow help all of us.”and would like seeing Jesus being buried in have the received tomb. a flag at Holy Family

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A Tradition of Faith Throughout Our Lives.

INDEX National . . . . . . . . . . . . .8 Promise to Protect . . 12 Faith . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14 Opinion . . . . . . . . . . . . 15 World . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16 SF Católico . . . . . . . . . 18

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CATHOLIC SAN FRANCISCO | APRIL 9, 2020

Archbishop Cordileone’s 2020 Easter greeting message

“A

t the Lamb’s high feast we sing, praise to our victorious King.”

These words from the classic Easter Hymn are one of the Church’s treasures.

They remind us of the joy of Easter we ring out every year.

Our 40 days of penance are fulfilled. Today on Easter, we ARCHBISHOP bask in the gloSALVATORE J. ry of Christ’s CORDILEONE Resurrection.

After the fast, we feast.

Christ conquered sin. He conquered death. He won for us reconciliation with God. Through his great sacrifice, re-presented again at every Mass, he offers himself so that we may be joyful in heaven with God, eternally. Eternity is a very long time. Nay, rather, eternity is beyond time, outside of time. This year, though, Easter comes to us tinged with sadness, for we cannot physically come together as fellow believers, as brothers and sisters in Christ,

to rejoice together on this most holy day of the year.

How should we as Christians respond to troubles such as this, which the whole country now faces?

We can begin to glean an answer to this question from the homily Pope Francis gave at the extraordinary “Urbi et Orbi” blessing on March 27.

This blessing was “extraordinary” in the sense that it is normally given “to the city of Rome [Urbi] and to the world [Orbi]” only on Christmas Day and Easter Sunday. But he gave a special, extraordinary (outside of the two ordinary times) “Urbi et Orbi” blessing during the season of Lent for the sake of pleading for God’s mercy to spare us from this current pandemic.

In this homily the Holy Father spoke about the disciples’ lack of trust when the storm blew up at sea and our Lord was sleeping in the boat. He said: “Like the disciples in the Gospel we were caught off guard by an unexpected, turbulent storm.

We have realized that we are on the same boat, all of us fragile and disoriented, but at the same time important and needed, all of us called to row together, each of us in need of comforting the other.”

Remember what happens in this

NEED TO KNOW

Capuchins make face masks for homeless

CSF CORONAVIRUS COVERAGE: Visit catholic-sf.org or Facebook for updates throughout the day. Get a selection of the day’s Catholic coronavirus news each evening by subscribing to CSF’s coronavirus email newsletter. Enter your email in the form on the website. The paper’s April 23 print issue is on schedule. For submissions, questions or comments, email csf@sfarch.org.

story. Peter and the other disciples in the boat become fearful. They wake Jesus up, clamoring, “Save us, Lord; we are perishing!” Jesus turns to them and says, “Why are you afraid?

Have you no faith?” Why did Jesus rebuke the disciples? As Pope Francis puts it, “They think that Jesus is not interested in them, does not care about them. One of the things that hurts us and our families most when we hear it said is: ‘Do you not care about me?’ It is a phrase that wounds and unleashes storms in our hearts.”

They thought the Lord did not care about them in their time of danger.

They were afraid for themselves, which means their hearts were centered in on themselves. This is always the basic orientation of sin: to focus our thoughts, energies, and actions on ourselves. In other words, selfishness. Now, the opposite of selfishness is love: care and concern for others. It is also the cure for the anxieties that trouble us now and in the future.

We can dig further for an answer to the question of the sadness and distress we are feeling at this time by turning to the opening lines of the last verse of this classic Easter hymn: “Easter triumph, Easter joy: Sin alone can this destroy. Souls

Capuchin brothers of the Western America Province of Our Lady of Angels in Burlingame made cloth face masks for the homeless.

Pictured are Brother Peter Ciolino and Brother Austin Cambon. The Capuchin Franciscan Friars are a Roman Catholic religious order of brothers and priests inspired by the life and ideals of St. Francis of Assisi.

CORONAVIRUS RESOURCES: With shelter-in-place restrictions expected to remain in place for several more weeks, visit sfarch. org for resources on staying safe and living the faith. Includes links to livestreamed Masses from parishes, other broadcasts and spiritual resources.

(COURTESY PHOTO)

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from sin and death set free, glory in their liberty.”

A Christian who trusts in God is not sad at this time, because Christ has destroyed sin. Where there is sin, there is no joy; by destroying sin, Christ has destroyed sadness. The true Christian, who lives free from sin, knows the abiding joy that only Christ can give, even in the midst of hardship and the travails of life.

Likewise, only the serious Christian is truly free, because true freedom is freedom from sin. Hence, the true Christian does not feel imprisoned by staying at home, not as long as there is no sin in the home. Rather, the true Christian sees this current situation as a new opportunity to show charity, to be other-centered, to show that he or she cares about the other with the love of Christ: “Yes, I am interested in you. Yes, I care about you.”

My brothers and sisters, let us look for opportunities to serve others in this time of need. All of this wisdom can be summed up in a paraphrase of the great Father of the Church, St. Gregory of Nyssa: If you try to outdo each other in charity, your life on earth will be like that of the angels in heaven.

Happy Easter!

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ARCHDIOCESE 3

CATHOLIC SAN FRANCISCO | APRIL 9, 2020

(COURTESY PHOTO)

Juan Madriz plays the role of Jesus in the passion play last year at St. Dominic Parish in San Francisco. Right, the Madriz family watched a broadcast of Palm Sunday Mass, April 5, 2020, at their home in Richmond.

(PHOTO BY LORENA ROJAS/CATHOLIC SAN FRANCISCO)

Holy Week actors evangelize at home LORENA ROJAS SAN FRANCISCO CATÓLICO

Shelter-in-place has canceled the traditional Holy Week dramatizations and processions that are part of Hispanic ministries in many parishes, but some actors are enacting their parts in the passion play at home.

“I feel sad,” said Jaime Pinto, longtime director of the passion play at St. Dominic and Mission Dolores parishes in San Francisco. “I’m thinking, what does God want? If this thing (the coronavirus) doesn’t let us present the work, it’s because God already had his plans.”

He said that this year 10 more people had been interested in participating and joined the cast at St. Dominic.

“Until two weeks ago, I still thought we were going to perform on April 5, Palm Sunday,” Pinto said. “Maybe God wanted a different year.”

With holy palms he had kept from previous years, and holy water from Lourdes to bless the entrance and the door of his house, Pinto planned to symbolically enact Palm Sunday while watching a live broadcast of the Mass.

Juan Madriz, who is from the Diocese of Oakland, is part of Pinto’s group and has played the role of Jesus since the presentations began.

“I’m a little sad because we’re not going to be able to present the play this year and we were already prepared,” Madriz said.

He said his pastor, Father Ruben Morales of St. Mark Parish in Richmond, had recommended that parishioners have some green foliage during the online celebration of the Palm Sunday Mass.

“Since I am a gardener, I am going to bring some branches from the garden and receive the blessing of the palms from the house, watching it through the cell phone,” Madriz said.

“My faith continues,” he said. “If this is the only means we have to follow the services of this Holy Week, even if it is through an electronic means, that is fine. It would have been much more difficult this Holy Week if we did not have this option.”

St. Timothy Parish in San Mateo

will also feel the absence of the passion play. Enrique Castillo has directed the play and has played different characters for several years.

This year he is using his creativity to celebrate from his home.

“We are having a different Holy Week, but it is still a Holy Week,” he said. “To live the devotion of the liturgy of the Easter triduum I am going to put an altar with the holy cross in my house to do the veneration during the Good Friday liturgy.”

For Palm Sunday, he was planning to join two other members of his parish’s Divine Mercy prayer group to pray the Chaplet of Divine Mercy and commemorate the Lord’s entry into Jerusalem.

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CATHOLIC SAN FRANCISCO | APRIL 9, 2020

Receptions into church rescheduled for Pentecost vigil NICHOLAS WOLFRAM SMITH CATHOLIC SAN FRANCISCO

Initiation into the Catholic Church, traditionally done at the Easter Vigil, will occur this year on May 30, the vigil of Pentecost, because of the ongoing closure of public Masses.

“We can’t do it privately because we initiate them into a community, into a parish. Not to have anyone there defeats the purpose,” Laura Bertone, director of the Archdiocese of San Francisco’s Office of Worship, said.

Archbishop Salvatore J. Cordileone had selected the vigil of Pentecost as a replacement because of its close connection to the descent of the Holy Spirit, and because of the hope that restrictions on public gatherings will have been lifted then.

Along with public Masses, religious education classes were suspended on March 17. RCIA groups have largely continued to meet through Zoom, although catechesis has concluded. “For the most part it’s check-in, fellowship and community,” she said.

The unique circumstances in the church today, like Mass cancellations or Pope Francis’s “Urbi et orbi” blessing March 27, have also prompted questions about “indulgences from the pope, or what happens if I don’t go to Mass,” Bertone said.

RCIA groups have been disappointed, Bertone said, at the delay in their reception into the church, but she said “a little struggle isn’t necessarily a bad thing.

“You have to fight for it - it’s just a challenge, and this will happen, how much do you want your faith?”

(COURTESY PHOTO)

Confirmands at St. Dominic Parish in San Francisco made their own coat of arms as part of their sacramental preparation classes. A catechesis Youtube video from Dominican Father Michael Hurley plays in the background.

Other planned sacramental celebrations like Confirmation and First Communion have been cancelled or rescheduled as well, Bertone said.

“We will make this happen for people,” she said.

“It may be postponed, but we’re going to make this work.”

Dominican Father Michael Hurley, pastor of St. Dominic Parish in San Francisco, said when the shelter in place order came through, he had given his last catechesis class to RCIA. “In terms of catechesis we’d basically completed the program,” he said.

The remaining weeks between March 17 and Easter Vigil on April 11 are more focused on liturgy and integrating into parish life and service, he explained. “That’s what we’re hanging on and will do once we resume.”

Religious education and sacramental preparation classes at the parish have moved online, with students following a lesson plan and turning in homework online, he said.

Father Hurley said RCIA, which he is deeply involved in at his parish, is “quite a journey and for it to be arrested or suspended is kind of tough.

We go through Lent and now the Easter season will be an extension of Lent in some ways.”

As a pastor, he said, “I might be the most disappointed” at the loss of Easter Vigil for receiving people into the church this year. The Easter Vigil can also be a powerful moment for evangelization, Father Hurley said. In the last few years, people who are not Catholic have come up to him after witnessing the Easter Vigil to ask how to join the church.

On a personal and very human level, he said, “One of the truly unexpected joys of the priesthood is being present at Easter Vigil,” he said.

“As pastor it is by far the most energizing affirmation of my own vocation, and in so many ways the fruit of God’s blessing is very manifest, very obvious.”

NDNU SUSPENDING ADMISSIONS, HELPING CURRENT STUDENTS GRADUATE

who would not otherwise be able to access these Holy Names University, Oakland; Humphreys Uniopportunities” is at risk. versity with campuses in Stockton and Modesto; Religious Church Goods & Candles Gifts & Books In response to closing the school, NDNU said on Menlo College, Atherton; Mount Saint Mary’s Notre Dame de Namur University announced its website: “No final decision has been made about University, Los Angeles; Saint Mary’s College of April 2, 2020 that in cooperation the future of NDNU. Closing could be in our future California, Moraga. with its “suspending admissions but we are not closing now and we intend to stay “We’ve worked hard to ensure that all of our stufor summer and fall 2020” it will open at least long enough to serve our students dents in good academic standing who are eligible focus “on helping as many curwho are close to graduating. We hope to find a way to graduate by spring 2021 have the option to finish rent students as possible to finish 5 locations in California to remain open in the future, but we cannot make their degrees at Notre Dame, or transfer to exceldegrees at NDNU by spring 2021.” that guarantee.” lent universities in California,” said Greg White, For students who cannot graduYour Local Store: According to the NDNU website the school has a NDNU vice president for academic affairs. “The ate by then the school said it 369 Grand Ave., S.San Francisco,650-583-5153 current enrollment of 1,492 students in its underbenefits offered by these institutions will make our is “working actively to create Near SF Exit 101 Frwyas@ Grand graduate and graduate programs with tuition of students’ transition asAirport smooth-and affordable transfer pathways to other instituGreg White $36,596. possible.” tions.” www.cotters.com Notre Dame de Namur University is a Catholic, White called all hands on deck in thecotters@cotters.com graduation Low enrollment, a too small endowment and not-for-profit, coeducational institution serving effort. rising costs are chief among reasons the Belmont students from diverse backgrounds. Established in “It will take the effort of everyone at Notre Dame school faces a possible closing it has said.

1851 by the Sisters of Notre Dame de Namur, NDNU de Namur University working together—faculty, Six colleges have, so far, “agreed to accept all is the third-oldest college in California and the first staff, and academic advisors—to ensure that all NDNU students in good standing, with offers that authorized to grant the baccalaureate degree to students have a pathway to graduation, either by include generous financial aid awards, credit for women. finishing at NDNU or transferring,” White said. all non-remedial courses taken, and streamlined NDNU has made public in recent months that its admissions,” the school said. enrollment is at its lowest in 30 years and combined Visit www.ndnu.edu.

The universities that have partnered to date to with spiraling costs to educate students its mission accept NDNU students are: to provide “quality higher education to students Dominican University of California, San Rafael; CATHOLIC SAN FRANCISCO

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CATHOLIC SAN FRANCISCO | APRIL 9, 2020

Archdiocese cuts expenses as giving plunges NICHOLAS WOLFRAM SMITH CATHOLIC SAN FRANCISCO

Archdiocesan tithing has crashed up to 80% since public Masses were cancelled on March 17, forcing parishes and the chancery to draw up plans to bring down costs while maintaining employment.

“The difficulty is Father John there will be at least Piderit, SJ eight weeks in which parishes receive a very small percentage of their ordinary collection because there are no Masses,” said Jesuit Father John Piderit, vicar for administration and moderator of the curia for the Archdiocese of San Francisco.

“The challenge is, how do you make up that reduced revenue and still as much as possible keep everyone on board?”

Because most parishes are receiving about 20% of their usual Sunday collection, the chancery office in San Francisco has cut salaried employees’ compensation 18-25%, reduced hourly workers’ schedules, and frozen hiring until July 2021. Going forward, the chancery offices will be closed on Fridays and nonessential travel and expenses have been suspended.

Father Piderit told Catholic San Francisco that archdiocesan leadership is encouraging pastors to adopt a similar approach or come up with a financial plan that makes an equivalent reduction in spending and keeps as many people employed as possible.

“We’re trying not to shed people at this point, not impact adversely hourly workers and make sure that people retain benefits,” he said.

The archdiocese is overall in a sound financial position, Father Piderit said, and the cutbacks have been designed to make up for two lost months of income as well as an anticipated lower rate of donations after so many job losses.

Development director Rod Linhares has encouraged pastors to embrace online giving so parishioners can donate to their church when the doors are closed. About 30 parishes in the archdiocese are set up to receive them on their own.

Fewer than 10 parishes in the archdiocese have a significant percentage of parishioners tithing online, Father Piderit said. At the majority of them, a tenth of parishioners donate online.

The Office of Development is helping to bridge that divide through an online

(COURTESY PHOTO)

St. Anthony’s Padua Dining Room has switched to providing to-go lunches to guests. Advisory board member Rickey Ono said the nonprofit has strong financial support, but “when you start dipping into cash and cash reserves, if this goes on too long it’ll cause some concern.” donation portal on the archdiocese’s website. Parishioners can select the church to donate to, the amount and the frequency. Parishioners can also mail or drop off collection envelopes at their parish’s mailbox.

In a YouTube video, Archbishop Salvatore J. Cordileone asked Catholics to continue to support their parishes during the pandemic. “Parishes are definitely feeling the economic impact as others are,” he said, pointing to the continuing costs of salaries, maintenance, and insurance incurred by a church.

“I ask you to be mindful of continuing your stewardship of treasure and supporting your parish financially,” the archbishop said. “Your pastors will be deeply appreciative for this, as I am as well.”

Nonprofits have struggled as well during a sudden economic crisis that has tripled unemployment in California. Many fundraisers have been canceled, while activities to raise revenue like summer camps are in limbo. Catholic Charities in San Francisco estimated a budget deficit of $3.5 million by June, according to the Wall Street Journal.

A survey published March 24 by University of San Diego’s Nonprofit Institute found 80% of local nonprofits have reduced program services after school closures and shelter in place orders. More than half of respondents said they would be very or somewhat unlikely to provide any services in

eight weeks if current conditions go on.

According to the Nonprofit Institute, the majority of nonprofit organizations have savings that would allow them to run for up to two months. Almost 60% of nonprofit leaders surveyed said they would “very likely” make payroll in the next four weeks, while only a third said the same about paying staff in eight weeks.

In a press release, Emily Young, the Nonprofit Institute’s executive director, said the “economic crisis is taking a major toll on the capacity of these

organizations to help others. They need immediate economic assistance from government, philanthropy, and the community at large. We encourage everyone to do their part in donating to the organizations they hold dear.”

In the past few weeks, St. Anthony’s Padua Dining Room in Menlo Park has been serving about 300 people a day for lunch, a nearly 25% jump in daily guests. Before San Mateo County issued its shelter in place order, the dining room had decided to switch to providing hot to-go meals to its guests rather than having people eat inside.

While there have been increased expenses from packaging food and offering single-serving drinks, dining room board member Rickey Ono said local businesses and individual donors have been very supportive.

“The fortunate part is the last couple of years the economy has been pretty healthy, and there have been some significant donors, individuals and companies, that have provided a fair amount of donations,” Ono said. “But the thing is that when you start dipping into cash and cash reserves, if this goes on too long it’ll cause some concern.”

Ono said there are no concerns about being able to keep on paying staff.

Building improvement and maintenance projects they hoped to do with their freezers, flooring and heater have had to be paused.

“Our objective is to keep serving because we know there’s a need out there,” Ono said. “And we’re anticipating it’s going to be a growing need at least for the next couple of months.”

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CATHOLIC SAN FRANCISCO | APRIL 9, 2020

Drop in flower sales leaves families jobless LORENA ROJAS SAN FRANCISCO CATTOLICA

Jorge Guzmán celebrated 43 years as an employee of a flower farm in Pescadero on March 19. The same day, he lost his job to the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic.

His wife, Isabel Guzmán, with 42 years at the company, and all the farm workers, 16 families in all, also were laid off.

“The company came and told us that they were going to close because the ‘marqueta’ (the market where the flowers are sold) in San Francisco had also been closed,” Jorge said.

“When we were told that the farm was closed, people looked sad,” he said.

The longtime co-workers went home “and haven’t seen each other since.”

The San Francisco Chronicle reported in late March that the flower industry in the Bay Area, considered a nonessential business under shelterin-place mandates, had to dispose of tons of withered product.

The Guzmáns have been without any income since the farm closed.

“We have already begun to fill out the paperwork to apply for unemployment insurance,” Jorge said. “But more than half of the families who lost their jobs don’t have any papers; they can’t receive that benefit.”

He said some families were going through what little savings they have.

(COURTESY PHOTO)

Isabel Guzmán is pictured at a flower farm in Pescadero on the San Mateo coast. The closure of the flower market in San Francisco because of the pandemic forced one farm to lay off all its workers, with 16 families falling back on savings and the compassion of local aid groups.

Since the mandatory shelter-in-place orders went into effect, the farm families have been collecting food from St. Anthony Church in Pescadero, a mission of Our Lady of the Pillar Parish in Half Moon Bay, where Jorge and Isabel are catechists. The food was donated by the St. Vincent de Paul Society.

According to César Sánchez, a social justice leader at Our Lady of Pillar, the parish has not been able to provide direct assistance to the needy yet because of the shelter-in-place orders.

“I haven’t contacted father yet,” he said. “He’s over 60 and we have to be very careful with this.”

Sánchez is sure that help will be on hand when parish facilities reopen. In the meantime, he relies on Vincentian volunteers and the nonprofit organization Puente, which is also responding to the COVID-19 crisis in the neighboring communities of La Honda, Loma Mar and San Gregorio.

However, Sánchez worries about not being able to afford health premiums, car insurance, utility payments and other expenses. “A check here, and a check there, and the money goes fast,” he said.

Their former employer provides affordable housing for its farm workers.

“We pay a low rent of $650 to $700 a

month for a two-bedroom apartment.

So far, they haven’t told us anything, and I don’t think they will pressure us with the rent,” Guzman said.

Three of his colleagues managed to get a few hours of work at a nearby organic farm. “I didn’t even try because those of us over 60 are afraid to leave the house,” Guzmán said.

Despite the bleak picture, Guzmán speaks as a man of faith. “I think we also have to see the positive side of this crisis. The earth is going to be cleaned up and people are learning to live together,” he said.

Belinda Hernández Arriaga, founder and executive director of the nonprofit Ayudando Latinos a Soñar (Helping Latinos to Dream) in Half Moon Bay and an assistant professor at the University of San Francisco, says community aid agencies on the front lines of the crisis are in great need of donations.

Her group is coordinating with other local agencies such as Coastside Hope and Abundant Grace Coastside Worker to raise $500,000, enough to help as many as 300 families with rent. The effort will give priority to those who do not have legal documents and thus do not qualify for government aid.

The Coastside Crisis Fund, as the campaign is called, raised $6,000 in the first six days. That amount will provide some help for the neediest families during Holy Week.

SVdP food pantry in San Rafael sees record demand CATHOLIC SAN FRANCISCO

With the sudden onset of the COVID-19 pandemic and its “devastating” impact on the working families, demand for the services of the St. Vincent de Paul Society at St. Raphael Parish has spiked to the highest levels in memory, conference members said in an article submitted to Catholic San Francisco.

The conference’s food pantry has seen a surge in demand for groceries, and volunteers are stepping up to meet the need. “The COVID-19 crisis has more than doubled our normal business,” said conference member Luann de Sautel, who is leading the effort.

Local working families are suffering as shelter-inplace mandates devastate the service economy.

“We are all God’s children,” said Deacon Gene Smith, one-time national president of the Society of St Vincent de Paul. “Here in San Rafael, we find the families with the greatest need are immigrants, mostly from Latin America, who do not qualify for any sort of government assistance. The COVID crisis has hit them very hard.”

Job opportunities for the client families often are limited, even during the best of times, said Bill Sanchez, conference president. They work as day laborers, housekeepers, as cooks and cleaning crews in restaurants.

“Abruptly, with the closure of so many businesses due to the COVID crisis, most of these families have lost 100% of their income,” he said. “It is devastating.”

From its beginnings in 1960, the St. Raphael SVdP

(COURTESY PHOTO)

Volunteer Carla Fischer is pictured April 3, 2020, at the St. Vincent de Paul Society food pantry at the rectory of St. Raphael Church in San Rafael, a ministry of the parish St. Vincent de Paul Society conference since 1960. conference has included distribution of groceries and grocery store vouchers among its programs for low-income families in the San Rafael area of Marin County. The conference also helps families with rent and medical expenses, and other assistance as needs arise.

Volunteers who run the food pantry have stepped up their efforts, which were substantial even before

the crisis, to help meet the needs of the poor for nutritious food.

With the quiet support of St. Raphael pastor Father Andrew Spyrow, a solicitation has gone out to all parishioners, asking for extra donations of groceries to replenish supplies. Cash donations also have increased. Marin County and the Marin Community Foundation also have made extra funds available for SVdP clients.

The pantry is open at the rectory every weekday from 10:30-11:30 a.m. Most mornings, families and individuals are waiting in line before the official starting time.

“We try to take care of everyone who shows up at the door,” de Sautel said. “That means, if there are people still in line at closing time, we just remain open until all of our customers have been served.”

Under archdiocesan guidelines, only persons under age 60, and in good health, are allowed to work at the pantry during the COVID-19 crisis.

Volunteers over 60 are still busy behind the scenes, helping with such tasks as record-keeping, grocery shopping, Sanchez said.

“Jesus taught that whatever we do for the least of our brethren, we do for him,” Deacon Smith said.

“That includes feeding the hungry. We see the eyes of Jesus in every person who comes to the rectory for groceries and grocery store vouchers. We feel very blessed by their presence, and we are honored to provide this small service to help our brothers and sisters, and their children, who are in need.”

New ‘Love Your Neighbor’ initiative helps needy with groceries during pandemic CATHOLIC SAN FRANCICO

The Archdiocese of San Francisco Office of Human Life & Dignity has announced a “Love Your Neighbor” initiative to help those who are homebound and need groceries during the COVID-19 shelter-in-place.

The ministry offers groceries for those in financial need, without charge. In addition, it will shop for those with the funds to reimburse for groceries but are homebound because of COVID-19 health concerns.

A telephone hotline went live April 2. The hotline

will be able to respond to Spanish- and Englishlanguage callers. It will be answered from 9 a.m.- 5 p.m. Monday-Friday, and accept voicemails 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.

The hotline number is (888) 237-7807.

The ministry’s English webpage is https://sfarch. org/loveyourneighbor; Spanish, https://sfarchdiocese.org/amaatuprojimo.

The Office of Human Life & Dignity is recruiting Catholic groups to establish short-term grocery buying and delivery ministries during the pandemic. The archdiocese is able to offer startup grants to Catholic groups able to dedicate a minimum of

15 hours a week to this during the crisis. (15 hours divided between the volunteers). The archdiocese is also awarding block grants to purchase groceries to parish groups such as Knights of Columbus, St. Vincent de Paul Society conferences, and young adult groups who participate in this ministry.

The announcement provided the following for pastors and parish administrators on how the initiative will work.

A call will come into the hotline and the hotline coordinator will take the information. The hotline SEE ‘LOVE YOUR NEIGHBOR’, PAGE 22

ARCHDIOCESE 7

CATHOLIC SAN FRANCISCO | APRIL 9, 2020

Extend Lenten spirit, practice virtue, archbishop says on Palm Sunday CATHOLIC SAN FRANCISCO

The pandemic is an opportunity for Catholics to extend Lenten-type discipline past the season and into Easter, Archbishop Salvatore J. Cordileone said in his Palm Sunday homily at St. Mary’s Cathedral on April 5.

Lenten-type discipline can continue in the absence of social interaction, with the immediate goal to end the pandemic and the

ultimate goal eternal life with God in heaven.

“God gives us ample opportunities to show our love for him and our desire for salvation in the current circumstances in which we are living,” the archbishop said.

He urged that Catholics practice neighborliness, patience and humility toward all and generosity toward other household members, taking advantage of the opportunity to spend time together, especially through family prayer.

(PHOTO BY DENNIS CALLAHAN/CATHOLIC SAN FRANCISCO)

Archbishop Salvatore J. Cordileone blesses palms during Palm Sunday Mass at St. Mary’s Cathedral, April 5, 2020.

Gov. Newsom suggests social normalcy is months away CATHOLIC SAN FRANCISCO

Aggressive social distancing should be continued as pressure on the health care system continues to grow, California Gov. Gavin Newsom said.

He told an April 4 online media briefing that there is no timetable for easing shelter-in-place orders, saying the state is focused on preparing the health care system for a surge of COVID-19 cases and protecting vulnerable people.

He said a well-known athlete contacted him to ask if the NFL season might open on schedule in the fall. He advised caution on resuming activities where people congregate.

“We’ll be moved by the facts and enough testing to determine whether that’s appropriate,” he said.

“That’s not something I anticipate happening in the next few months.”

During a Twitter chat on April 2, Newsom said there is evidence that social distancing is slowing the infection rate. “We’re seeing a curve that’s not otherwise what it would have been,” he said.

However, he said the emergency will call for “another month, month-and-a-half” of intense focus to combat the virus.

The number of COVID-19 patients in intensive care in California rose to 1,008 on April 4, up nearly 11% percent from the previous day.

M ATC H I N G GR ANT AV A ILA B LE F O R LARG ER D O NATIO N

S!

The number of Californians testing positive for COVID-19 also continued to rise at double-digit levels.

Newsom said the state is “preparing for a scenario where we need 50,000 beds,” adding that the effort includes rapidly expanding testing, stockpiling personal protective equipment for health care workers and recruiting licensed health care volunteers to serve on the front lines.

He said the state is closely monitoring more than 8,800 institutional facilities including nursing homes, noting that two-thirds of the residents SEE NEWSOM, PAGE 10

Become Part of the Shrine to Our Lady of Lourdes In 2018, a benefactor attending one of our retreats offered to reconstruct the humble Shrine of Our Lady of Lourdes, originally built in the early 50’s. The Vision grew, and now we hope to add gardens and a plaza – named for the beloved, late Fr. Kevin Gaffey – a priest in residence at Vallombrosa who had a great devotion to Our Lady. There will be a Fountain of St. Bernadette, and a “Path of Spiritual Works”, and two formal gates and numerous benches. All these will surround the Shrine and create a quiet and sacred space for prayer, reflection and devotion. There will also be an outdoor altar for Mass at the Shrine in Gaffey Plaza.

A donation of any size will help this project come to life.

Please visit Vallombrosa.org/shrine, email david@vallombrosa.org or call to speak with Dave Fencl on 650-325-5614.

8 NATIONAL

CATHOLIC SAN FRANCISCO | APRIL 9, 2020

During plague, church implored saints for help, healing CAROL ZIMMERMANN CATHOLIC NEWS SERVICE

WASHINGTON – The Catholic Church has had a long tradition of calling on saints and praying for their intercession in sickness and difficult times.

This plea for saintly help for protection from disease and healing was particularly evident when the bubonic plague, or Black Death, spread throughout Europe in the 14th century killing one-third of the population.

At the time, in many cities and villages where medical knowledge was limited, cities and villages often adopted a plague saint to protect them.

In Florence, Italy, the bishop had an altar built in honor of St. Sebastian as a means to stop the Black Death and after the plague was over, he built a church dedicated to the saint in thanksgiving for his intercession.

Artwork depicting the plague shows that St. Sebastian seemed to be the go-to saint at the time.

He was martyred around the year 288 during the reign of the Roman emperor Diocletian. He was shot by arrows, which is how he is portrayed in paintings where the arrows are also said to be symbolic of the arrows of the Black Death.

But the special appeal of St. Sebastian has a lot of layers. He is said to have converted to Christianity after seeing the bravery of Christian martyrs and he then drew others to become Christian, including a Roman officer who was said to be have been cured of a plague at his conversion.

This particular action caught the attention of Diocletian, who sentenced St. Sebastian to death by arrows. But the saint, according to tradition, is said to have survived the arrows and returned to Diocletian to have strong words with him, which caused the emperor to again, and successfully this time, have St. Sebastian executed.

The saint’s prayers for the Roman soldier and the soldier’s cure made him associated with the cure of plagues, especially in Italy.

St. Roch also is portrayed in paintings of the plague, but he is shown among victims, often praying to Mary, since he too was a victim of the disease. The same holds true for St. Aloysius Gonzaga, who contracted a different plague, which hit Rome in 1591, and died of it after catching the disease while caring for victims.

There also is a whole group of saints who were called on for prayers during the plague, starting in 1348 in Munich. This group goes by the name the Fourteen Holy Helpers.

(CNS PHOTO/THE CROSIERS)

This portrait represents St. Blaise, a fourth-century martyr from Armenia, who is credited with saving the life of a choking boy and listed among the Fourteen Holy Helpers, saints revered as healers.

The group of 14 – each with individual feast days and initially one day for the whole group until 1969 – is honored in a German chapel that is a pilgrimage site. There also are churches in Italy, Austria, Hungary and other European countries named after these 14 and one parish in West Seneca, New York, in the Diocese of Buffalo.

Twelve of this specialized group are martyrs and three are women. Perhaps most known now among the group is St. Blaise, patron saint of throats, who is invoked each Feb. 3 on his feast day, for blessing of the throats.

The names of the other 13 – and what people pray to them for protection from or intercession for – follow: St. Achatius, headaches; St. Barbara, fever or sudden death; St. Catherine of Alexandria, sudden death; St. Christopher, plagues, sudden death; St. Cyriacus (Cyriac), temptations; St. Denis (Dionysius), headaches; St. Erasmus (Elmo), abdominal maladies; St. Eustachius (Eustace), family trouble; St. George, protection of domestic animals; St. Giles (Aegidius), plagues, good confession; St. Margaret of Antioch, safe childbirth; St. Pantaleone, physicians; St. Vitus (St. Guy), epilepsy.

Today, Fourteen Holy Helpers Parish in New York, looks, on its website, like most U.S. parishes.

There are descriptions of usual activities and

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events in a nonpandemic time on the site, https:// fourteenholyhelpers.org, and at the top of the home page there is an announcement of online Masses, a plea for online giving to the parish and an urge to support local businesses. The full monthly calendar has the word canceled after every previously scheduled church event.

“This period of time when we have been required to cancel public Masses and all parish events and services should certainly be considered one of the most difficult periods in the 156-year history of our parish. Even through this time of decreased activity, a number of expenses continue to be incurred ... utilities, insurance, maintenance, and payrolls to name a few,” the parish announcement says.

During this current time of coronavirus pandemic, some have called on St. Corona as a possible patron, but the connection seems to be in name only. A Catholic News Service article about her said little is known about the young woman who was killed for her Christian faith, presumably in the second century A.D. St. Corona also is not the namesake for the virus.

The Latin word “corona” means “crown,” an indication that the young saint had achieved the “crown of eternal life” because of the steadfastness of her faith. The connection with the coronaviruses, named because of their crown-like structure, is just a coincidence.

Over the centuries, St. Corona was often prayed to by people seeking her help in times of trouble, be it heavy storms or livestock diseases.

People believed she had a positive influence regarding money matters since “coronae” (crowns) was the name given to coins. As a result, treasurehunters often invoked her name and in light of how COVID-19 has triggered an economic crisis, she could be called on again.

In the listing of church saints there are at least 100 saints that can be invoked for protection or healing of nearly every possible ailment from eye troubles, headaches and toothaches to cancer, rabies and epilepsy.

When asked about saints that would be good intercessors during this time of the coronavirus pandemic, Jesuit Father James Martin, editor at large at America magazine and author of the 2006 book, “My Life With the Saints,” told CNS that three saints he mentions in his book would be good to start with.

At the top of his list is St. Aloysius Gonzaga, the Jesuit saint who died as a result of working with victims of a plague in Rome. The second is St. Therese of Lisieux, “who also had to deal with illness at a young age.”

Last on his shortlist is St. Bernadette Soubirous, the visionary of Lourdes, France, who contracted cholera in the epidemic of 1854 and also suffered from asthma and other ailments throughout her life. She is invoked as a patron for the millions who go to Lourdes each year seeking healing.

Father Martin, on a personal note, said that when he was undergoing treatment for a benign tumor and radiation last summer, his own prayers were to St. Bernadette and Our Lady of Lourdes.

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NATIONAL 9

CATHOLIC SAN FRANCISCO | APRIL 9, 2020

I’m providing health care, and prayer, during COVID-19 SISTER MARY CATHERINE REDMOND CATHOLIC NEWS SERVICE

NEW YORK – In early March, I sat with two other New York City emergency medicine colleagues as part of an interfaith sharing at Fordham University, “Where Faith and Medicine Intersect.”

A Jewish physician, a Muslim physician assistant and I, a Roman Catholic religious sister and physician assistant, shared the moments where our faith intersects in our medical practice. Our hospital in New York City serves the underserved. We spoke of the importance of prayer and how important it is in our work every day. A cycle of prayer, ministry, prayer kept us grounded in the cases we encountered.

Since then, our lives and medical practice have changed drastically.

Experiences where human touch were used in respect, compassion, assurance and healing were tempered as the threat of the coronavirus (the cause of COVID-19) loomed.

In the days that followed I thought, “At least if people can’t feel my touch, they can see the warm, compassion, concern and regard in my face.” And so, I worked at really being present and letting my facial features act in the physical way. Now, I wear a mask that is suffocating and muffles my voice as it covers both my mouth and nose – over half of my face – and I pray to God that the compassion, regard and concern I hold for my patients at this time is expressed in my eyes. That is all I have now.

In midst of my own physical limitations of healing – my touch and facial expressions – I am being asked to see patients who may very well have COVID-19 but are not “sick enough” to get tested. I talk with them, hear their fears and validate their concerns for their health and the health of their family.

I examine them and try to reassure them as much as I can before I give them very strict instructions as I send them home to “be” with others. We are now far enough into the experience of the virus to know that most of these patients will get better, but some will get worse, needing to be intubated, and some may even die. Patients that I have sent home may come back and die.

This is a new reality for me in medicine as I have always prided myself on doing the very best for my patients and really going the extra mile. I have advocated for patients who have nothing. Now there are times I feel like I have very little to offer. The reality of shortages of tests, resources and the

(CNS PHOTO/STEVE MARCUS, REUTERS)

Medical students and physician assistants from Touro University Nevada wait to screen people in Las Vegas for the coronavirus March 30, 2020. deep desire for people to get out of the hospital if they are not sick enough to be there has brought me to a different level of medical care.

The guilt is overwhelming. Have I provided the correct treatment? What if I bring this home to the people I live with? What if I am the reason people get sick? Then there is the guilt I feel when reassuring my family and congregation members that I am doing everything I can to protect myself, when I live with the reality that protective materials are not always available. I feel guilty for assuring people I will be all right.

The reality of health care during this virus is that treatments that have saved lives in the past cannot be used because they would spread the virus. Breathing treatments that have saved people’s lives in the past cannot be used because these very same treatments would spread the virus. Now the only option for patients who need help breathing is to put them on a respirator. That protects their airway, helps them breathe and protects those around them after they are intubated.

Families may come to the hospital with the patient, but they are encouraged to turn away at the door and wait to hear by phone about their loved one.

If they do stay – under a big threat for their own safety, sitting amidst other patients waiting for treatment – we can give updates, but they are not allowed to see the patient. This is heart-wrenching. Admitted patients are sent upstairs and can only connect by phone. Those

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who are intubated can only listen. The loss of physical touch and presence is now overwhelming. I know deep in my heart the days ahead will require dire need and difficult decisions.

I pray with deep desire these days.

I pray all day. My prayer is like it has never been before; real and dire, filled with petition for those I have treated and for those I love. Prayers for those who will die alone and prayers for those who love them. I pray for my family’s safety and my religious congregation — for time to be with them all again. My prayer also includes prayers for me and my co-workers as we battle each day. We battle a war we never signed up to fight and an enemy we are learning small bits about each day with every new patient.

The landscape continues to change drastically as the virus progresses. Our days are filled with stress and our loved ones worry terribly about us. People we have worked with have died, and each death makes the threat real. One man to whom I was very close, our custodian, had only six months of retirement. He deserved so much more.

We are intubating more and more patients – and they are not normal intubations, so we are learning how to adapt. Respiratory therapy is being called constantly all over the hospital as empty spaces and more rooms are made available for patients. Whenever a room opens up for one of our patients waiting in the Emergency Department, or ED. I say a prayer for whoever was in that room and their family.

And I think of the Sunday Gospel of Lazarus at the tomb – “And Jesus wept.” I know Jesus weeps with me in my quiet moments. So many of my coworkers say what a relief the tears are these days. Even our crying has to be sterile, as I would never want to touch my face with infected hands.

I know that the Lord is my shepherd and that my head is anointed with oil each time I am at work. Ministry now has a meaning I would never have conceived of 20 years ago when I started my ministry. And I deeply feel the presence of Jesus.

There is an overwhelming, raw concern and regard for all of our staff – from environmental and clerical, to anesthesia, respiratory and the ED staff.

We are so supportive of each other – wondering if there will ever be a time when our ED will be normal again? We are supportive to each other – sharing resources of prayer and meditation. We are solicitous of the ones who weren’t trained to deal with the death we are seeing these days. Everyone I know knows someone who has died or is fighting this illness.

Our greatest resource right now is ourselves, and so many people are praying. It is their prayers that get us through each shift. We continue to pray too, unceasingly as we worry about our physical and emotional health. Knowing in our hearts if we are standing there, we are fighting the fight and we will make it. The courage in our vulnerability is palpable and we are courage, WE ARE ONE. Sister Redmond, a Sister of the Presentation of the Blessed Virgin Mary, is presently serving as chief physician assistant in hospital emergency medicine, serving the underserved of New York City.

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CATHOLIC SAN FRANCISCO | APRIL 9, 2020

NEWSOM: California governor suggests social normalcy is months away FROM PAGE 7

in some skilled nursing facilities are testing positive.

Newsom added that more than 7,000 hotel rooms have been set aside for the homeless. “We’re getting people off the street in real time,” he said.

Revised national estimates by the Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation at the University of Washington’s School of Medicine show that the need for COVID-19 hospital resources is less than previously thought.

The revised forecasts reflect “a massive infusion of new data,” IMHE director Dr. Christopher Murray said April 6. New data on COVID-19 health service use from multiple states, including New York, Massachusetts, Georgia, Colorado, Pennsylvania, Florida, and California, has led to revisions down in estimated need to deal with the pandemic.

But Murray stressed that the forecasts assume that social distancing will remain in place until the end of May. Newsom said the crux of the effort is social distancing.

(CNS PHOTO/MIKE BLAKE, REUTERS)

People in Encinitas practice social distancing during the coronavirus pandemic March 30, 2020. Authorities managing the pandemic say social distancing is helping to reduce the number of new infections and should remain in place for an undetermined period.

“Don’t force our hand in that respect,” he said, noting that a friend had called him distraught that her son wanted to go to party with his friends. “We can’t allow cabin fever

to come in, allow people to begin congregating again.”

The forefront of the COVID-19 disaster began in China, then moved to Europe and is now surging in the

United States, with New York as the epicenter.

Cases are expected to escalate throughout the Americas, Dr. Carissa Etienne of the World Health Organization told a March 31 media briefing in Washington, D.C. She said it is vital that countries decide what social distancing measures need to be implemented and for how long. “These are the only way to prevent hospitals from being overwhelmed by too many sick people in too short a time,” she said.

“At least” two to three months of social distancing seems prudent, based on the experience in other countries, Dr. Etienne said.

There were signs of hope in Italy, the nation hit hardest by outbreak in terms of severity of illness and death per capita.

Worldometer.info showed the number of new cases per day and the number of deaths per day slowing over the past week.

An estimated 30,000 lives have been saved as a result of lockdown measures taken in early March by Italian authorities, the website said April 3, quoting a report from Istituto Superiore di Sanità.

GOMEZ: Calls for nation to join in Good Friday prayer FROM PAGE 1

A livestream of the Litany of the Sacred Heart with Archbishop Gomez will be available on the Archdiocese of Los Angeles’ website: www. lacatholics.org and on the USCCB Facebook page: www.facebook.com/ usccb. The text of Litany of the Sacred Heart can be found in English and Spanish on the Los Angeles archdiocesan website.

Additionally, with special per-

mission received from the Apostolic Penitentiary of the Holy See, a plenary indulgence is available for those who join Archbishop Gomez in praying the Litany of the Sacred Heart on Good Friday.

A plenary indulgence removes all of the temporal punishment due to sins and may be applied to oneself or to the souls of the deceased (Catechism of the Catholic Church, no.

1471).

To receive this indulgence, the

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faithful would need to: pray the Litany of the Sacred Heart on Good Friday; be truly repentant of any sins they have committed and receive the sacrament of reconciliation (at the earliest opportunity); and pray for Pope Francis’ intentions.

“Good Friday is a day when Christians around the world solemnly commemorate the day when Jesus suffered and died on the cross.

Catholics traditionally mark the day with fasting, penance and reflection on Jesus’ loving sacrifice,” the USCCB release said.

“This opportunity to pray together during the coronavirus pandemic offers a special moment of unity for the faithful during a time when communities throughout the United States and worldwide are physically unable to congregate for Holy Week and Easter because of COVID-19,” it added.

(CNS PHOTO/STEPHEN B. WHATLEY)

The Sacred Heart of Jesus is depicted in a modern painting by Stephen B. Whatley, an expressionist artist based in London.

Archbishop Jose H. Gomez of Los Angeles, president of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops, will lead the nation in prayer at this time of the coronavirus on Good Friday, April 10, 2020.

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CATHOLIC SAN FRANCISCO | APRIL 9, 2020

Pandemic’s economic toll just starting to show MARK PATTISON CATHOLIC NEWS SERVICE

WASHINGTON – After 11 years of U.S. economic growth, the statistics are staggering.

First-time applications for unemployment benefits, which had been hovering in the low 200,000s from week to week, soared to 3.3 million in the March 26 report, then nearly doubled to 6.58 million in the April 2 report. Those two weeks by themselves topped all unemployment benefit filings for the first six months of the “Great Recession” of 2008.

All of the jobs added in the U.S. economy since Donald Trump assumed the presidency in 2017 are now effectively gone. And, depending on whether there’s another round of bad news or some thread of hope to cling to by Wall Street traders, all of the stock market gains since January 2017 are gone, too.

And fast.

The March unemployment figures released April 3 go through only March 12 – the day after the National Basketball Association suspended its season, with pro hockey and baseball following suit – at that time the most shocking signal yet that these were new and highly uncertain times.

Even so, the climb from a 3.5% unemployment rate in February to 4.4% in March, representing a loss of 701,000 jobs, does not reflect all that has happened in the following weeks: spiking COVID-19 positive tests results – and death rates; restrictions on public gatherings and the issuance of “stay at home” orders; the closure of shops, stores and restaurants, throwing as-yet-untold numbers of people out of work; and people who do have money having far fewer places, and inclinations, to spend it.

The May jobs report, due May 8, will take into account all that has happened with jobs and the economy into mid-April, said Elise Gould, a senior economist with the Economic Policy Institute. It also will show which sectors of the economy were hit hardest, as well as the demographic groups affected most severely by the pandemic-related economic stall.

In California, demand for unemployment benefits has reached historic levels. A total of 878,727 claims were processed during the week ending Saturday, March 28, a nearly fourfold increase from the week before and a 15-fold increase from the week before that, the state’s Employment Development Department said April 2.

Figures from Washington state, the first epicenter of the coronavirus outbreak, while themselves preliminary, give a clue to what the rest of the nation could expect. Three job categories suffered month-to-month double-digit job losses: accommodation and food services, 16.5%; arts, entertainment and recreation, 11.3%; and “other services” outside of public administration, 10.9%.

The $2 trillion stimulus package hammered out

by Congress and signed into law by Trump in late March is “not stimulus so much as relief and recovery,” Gould said. “What we need to do right now is ease people’s pain ... ease people’s pain from these job losses.”

(CNS PHOTO/KEVIN LAMARQUE, REUTERS)

Grocery shoppers in Bailey’s Crossroads, Virginia, are seen March 31, 2020, during the coronavirus pandemic.

She added, “People are losing their job and they’re not going to be able to put food on the table, this CARES (Coronavirus Aid, Relief and Economic Security) Act, what it does, it expands unemployment insurance so that more people can get it for a more expansive number of reasons related to COVID-19.”

Gould said more action will need to be taken in Washington to get the country through and past the pandemic.

Clayton Sinyai, executive director of the Catholic Labor Network, said: “It’s probably a good generalization” that those who have the least have thus far been hurt the most by the sudden economic upheavals.

For Sinyai, it’s personal. “My brother-in-law is a cab driver in Honolulu and is an immigrant. He is trying to figure out how to navigate the system,” he said. “It’s really challenging for someone who does not have a lot of experience accessing benefits or things like that.”

The Catholic Labor Network has been working with food service workers at the airports serving the Washington area. “They’ve all been furloughed or something similar to that. Restaurants are in the same category,” Sinyai said.

“Those of us who are able to continue working are disproportionately in white-collar jobs and able to work online and not working with our hands – and not sitting on our hands and hoping to get the relief Congress and the taxpayers have just offered.”

At Georgetown University in Washington, the contractor that employs food service workers sent them home without pay when Georgetown closed the campus. After complaints to university leadership by the union representing those workers and by students, a deal was worked out that paid workers until the end of the term. “That was at some expense to Georgetown itself,” said Sinyai, noting the university also had rebated dorm-dwelling students the unused portion of their dorm charges.

In the Archdiocese of Los Angeles, the nation’s largest diocese, “where we can, we will continue to have folks working,” said Annabelle Baltierra, senior director of human resources. “As this continues to go on, we don’t have donations coming in, although our bishop (Archbishop Jose H. Gomez) is encouraging,

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for example, our parishes talking with their donors about continuing, our parents continuing to pay their tuition. Resources will make it doable.”

Next steps? “Then we start thinking about reducing staff hours across the board. The bishop encouraged the clergy to set an example and consider taking a cut in their salary,” Baltierra said, although they should not go below the minimum wage in doing so. “A last resort,” she added, “is to have our employees go on furlough, which would mean they wouldn’t have any income, but they would be able to utilize their vacation time until the government passes another emergency bill.”

The National Conference on Catechetical Leadership had to call off its annual conference in Dubuque, Iowa, even though its bylaws mandate an annual meeting. “We didn’t realize how much the Spirit would force us to look at who we are and how we do things,” said executive director Margaret Matijasevic, noting that was part of the conference’s theme. “It forced us to do that quicker than we thought.”

The future requires a longer-range look than merely rescheduling a meeting, according to Matijasevic.

“What other options we move into, it would be completely shifting our business model,” she said. “We really have no measurement of engagement or buy-in for anything that we consider moving into. There will be some loss, some loss of our identity as an organization, which we’ve already been looking at” as a result of a leadership crisis in the church, she added.

Membership dues are one source of revenue for many national Catholic organizations. For the NCCL, it lost members who were laid off when diocesan and parish revenues were reduced following a fresh wave of revelations of clerical sexual abuse; Matijasevic told Catholic News Service more could be let go if contributions wither during the pandemic. Another revenue source is convention and conference fees.

NCCL’s convention is over before it began; strike two.

“The other main revenue stream for many Catholic organizations is their investments. That becomes a point of crisis for some of us, as it is for many dioceses,” Matijasevic said. “Most nonprofits are using that as their supplemental reserve.”

She added, “Now you’re in the crisis point where you’re losing your main business model, which is based on the parish business model – and the same thing is happening with many national organizations that have mimicked that model.” And if reserves are compromised because of investments in a tailspin, “that’s going got hit us tremendously,” Matijasevic said.

“We had no concept that COVID-19 would be coming down the pike and force us to refocus who we really are,” she added. The challenge comes in “how to be pastoral in that, but taking a good hard look at how we do business,” Matijasevic said. “We’d better rethink it.”

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12

CATHOLIC SAN FRANCISCO | APRIL 9, 2020

The Child and Youth Protection Program in the Archdiocese of San Francisco is part of a much larger program that extends to dioceses, archdioceses, and eparchies across the United States – all under the guidance of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops’ Secretariat of Child and Youth Protection and the Charter for the Protection of Children and Young People. Every diocese, archdiocese, and eparchy provides annual training for adults, including priests and deacons who interact with minors; and the minors themselves.

In 2019, the Archdiocese of San Francisco again completed its annual audit for the national firm of Stonebridge Business Partners, which specializes in determining whether compliance is present within the norms for avoiding, detecting, and reporting child abuse. These norms were established by the USCCB in 2002 and have been updated numerous times in the ensuing 17 years.

In 2019, we also marked the second full year the Archdiocese used the VIRTUS program for student training on abuse prevention and awareness, and fingerprinting of adults working educators, with and ministering to minors.

Additional and ongoing training employees and is being provided to the teachers volunteers trained* and catechists presenting the lessons to the students, and to the parish and school administrators of the VIRTUS program.

Information about the VIRTUS program is available online at www.VIRTUS.org. In early 2020, Archbishop Cordileone named Deacon Fred Totah as the new Director of Pastoral Ministry, the department which oversees Child and Youth Protection.

14,034

Ten Tips for Protecting Children

and Offering Outreach to Victims/Survivors

1 2

Sexual abuse is about the victim.

Many people are affected by abuse but the individual most impacted is the victim who has suffered a violation of trust that can affect his or her entire life.

5

6

8

There are behavioral warning signs of child abusers.

Some abusers isolate a potential victim by giving him or her undue attention or lavish gifts, others allow young people to participate in activities which their parents or guardians would not approve, such as watching pornography, drinking alcohol, using drugs, and excessive touching, such as wrestling and tickling.

9

Common sense is not all that common.

People can be taught to identify grooming behavior.

Grooming behaviors are the actions which abusers take to project the image that they are kind, generous, caring people, while their intent is to lure a minor into an inappropriate relationship. Offenders can be patient and may groom their victim, his or her family, or community for years.

Dioceses, schools, parishes, and especially families, must educate themselves and others on how to protect children.

Child sexual abuse can be prevented.

It is critical to build safety barriers around children and young people to keep them from harm—such as protective guardians, codes of conduct, background evaluations, policies and procedures, and safety training programs.

You cannot always predict who will be an abuser.

Experience shows that most abuse is committed by someone who has gained the trust of a victim/survivor and his/ her family.

No one has the right to have access to children.

No one, no matter who they are, has an automatic right to be around children or young people who are in the care of the Church without proper screening and without following the rules.

4

7

The residual effects of having been abused can last a lifetime.

The sense of violation goes deep into a person’s psyche and feelings of anger, shame, hurt and betrayal can build long after the abuse has taken place. Those who have been abused can heal, but if often takes time, therapy, and the support of loved ones.

3

and concerns are taken seriously, and a victim/survivor’s suffering, pain, and anger are acknowledged.

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Feeling heard leads toward healing.

Relief from hurt and anger often comes when one feels heard, when one’s pain

Copyright © 2018, United States Conference of Catholic Bishops, Washington, DC. All rights reserved.

Background checks are important.

Background checks in churches, schools and other organizations keep predators away from children both because they scare off some predators and because they uncover past actions which should ban an adult from working or volunteering with children.

Since 2002, the bishops of the United States have carried out their ministries to protect and heal within all dioceses, archdioceses, and eparchies through the implementation of the Charter for the Protection of Children and Young People, most recently revised in June 2018. The Charter gives direction on the following matters: ♦ Outreach and healing to victims and survivors ♦ Prompt and effective responses to allegations of abuse ♦ Cooperation with public authorities ♦ Removal of offenders from ministry ♦ Safe environment training programs for clergy, employees, volunteers, children, and youth that include information on prevention, identification, and response and reporting of abuse ♦ Fingerprinting for all clergy, employees, and volunteers that have regular contact with children ♦ Annual audits of dioceses, archdioceses, and eparchies to ensure compliance with Charter guidelines The goal is that all children in Archdiocesan Priests, Deacons, involved programs through Faith and candidates for Formation, Parochial Schools, sports programs, youth ordination trained* ministry programs and other programs receive training each year. Additionally, the adults who either volunteer or are employed in those programs are trained and cleared to work with children before they begin their ministries with the children, and are retrained every three years.

415

If you are an individual who either volunteers with children or are a paid employee of the Archdiocese who works with children and have not gone through Safe Environment training, you should immediately consult with your pastor and he will direct you to the correct person. Those with questions about compliance, victim assistance, or the1Bishops’ charter are welcome to contact the following personnel at the Archdiocese Chancery offices:

CATHOLIC SAN FRANCISCO | APRIL 9, 2020

Deacon Fred Totah Director of Pastoral Ministry (415) 614-5504

A PRAYER FOR HEALING VICTIMS OF ABUSE

God of endless love, ever caring, ever strong, always present, always just: You gave your only Son to save us by his blood on the cross.

Rocio Rodriguez, LMFT Victim Assistance Coordinator (415) 614-5506

Gentle Jesus, shepherd of peace, join to your own suffering the pain of all who have been hurt in body, mind, and spirit by those who betrayed the trust placed in them.

Twyla Powers Safe Environment Coordinator for Adults (non-clergy) (415) 614-5576

Hear the cries of our brothers and sisters who have been gravely harmed, and the cries of those who love them.

Soothe their restless hearts with hope, steady their shaken spirits with faith.

Grant them justice for their cause, enlightened by your truth.

Karen Guglielmoni Safe Environment Coordinator for Children & Youth (415) 614-5578

24,414 children

and youth trained*

* All training numbers are as reported by the Archdiocese of San Francisco to Stonebridge Business Partners for the 2018-19 audit period ending June 30, 2019.

Additional information regarding the Church’s response to the abuse of minors and vulnerable adults may be found at http:// usccb.org/issues-and-action/child-and-youth-protection/index.cfm

Holy Spirit, comforter of hearts, heal your people’s wounds and transform brokenness into wholeness.

Grant us the courage and wisdom, humility and grace, to act with justice.

Breathe wisdom into our prayers and labors.

Grant that all harmed by abuse may find peace in justice.

We ask this through Christ, our Lord. Amen.

Copyright © 2014, United States Conference of Catholic Bishops, Washington, DC. All rights reserved. To order publication no. 7-495, visit usccbpublishing.org or call 877-978-0757.

What to do if you suspect abuse Anyone who has reason to believe or suspects that a child has been or is being abused should report their suspicions first to civil authorities and then to the Archdiocese’s Victim Assistance Coordinator, Rocio Rodriguez, LMFT, at (415) 614-5506.

Investigation should be left to duly appointed professionals. State law requires persons in certain positions (called “mandated reporters”) to make such reports. Others (called “ethical reporters”) should do so.

Every allegation will be treated seriously and immediate steps taken to protect the alleged victim(s). These actions will be taken discreetly so as to protect the confidentiality and the rights of both the victim and the accused.

Reporting Instructions by County Cases of alleged abuse in which the abuser and the victim are members of the same household are to be reported to Child Protective Services (CPS) or Children & Family Services (CFS), while cases in which the victim and the accused do not share a household should be reported to law enforcement authorities (Sheriff ’s Department or City Police). If in doubt, just report to the most convenient agency. They will help ensure the message reaches the proper agency.

Marin Children & Family Services . . . . . . . . . . . (415) 473-7153 or www.marinhhs.org/children-family-services-emergency-response Sheriff ’s Department . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . (415) 473-7250

San Francisco Child Protective Services . . . . . (800) 856-5553 or www.sfhsa.org/services/protection-safety/child-abuse Police Department . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . (415) 553-0123 (non-emergency line)

San Mateo Children & Family Services . . . . . (800) 632-4615, (650) 595-7922 or https://hsa.smcgov.org/children-family-services Sheriff ’s Department . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . (650) 216-7676 or (650) 363-4911 (after hours non-emergency) Note: You can also report abuse directly to your local Police Department.

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14 FAITH

CATHOLIC SAN FRANCISCO | APRIL 9, 2020

SUNDAY READINGS

Easter Sunday – The Resurrection of the Lord The Mass of Easter Day ACTS 10:34A, 37-43 Peter proceeded to speak and said: “You know what has happened all over Judea beginning in Galilee after the baptism that John preached, how God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Spirit and power. He went about doing good and healing all those oppressed by the devil, for God was with him. We are witnesses of all that he did both in the country of the Jews and in Jerusalem. They put him to death by hanging him on a tree. This man God raised on the third day and granted that he be visible, not to all the people, but to us, the witnesses chosen by God in advance, who ate and drank with him after he rose from the dead. He commissioned us to preach to the people and testify that he is the one appointed by God as judge of the living and the dead. To him all the prophets bear witness, that everyone who believes in him will receive forgiveness of sins through his name.”

This is the day the Lord has made; let us rejoice and be glad.

“The right hand of the Lord has struck with power; the right hand of the Lord is exalted. I shall not die, but live, and declare the works of the Lord.”

This is the day the Lord has made; let us rejoice and be glad.

The stone which the builders rejected has become the cornerstone. By the Lord has this been done; it is wonderful in our eyes.

This is the day the Lord has made; let us rejoice and be glad.

PSALM 118:1-2, 16-17, 22-23.

This is the day the Lord has made; let us rejoice and be glad.

Give thanks to the Lord for he is good, for his mercy endures forever. Let the house of Israel say, “His mercy endures forever.”

Sequence Christians to the Paschal Victim Offer your thankful praises! A Lamb the sheep redeems; Christ, who only is sinless, Reconciles sinners to the Father.

Death and life have contended in that combat stupendous: The Prince of life, who died, reigns im-

W

COLOSSIANS 3:1-4 Brothers and sisters: If then you were raised with Christ, seek what is above, where Christ is seated at the right hand of God. Think of what is above, not of what is on earth. For you have died, and your life is hidden with Christ in God. When Christ your life appears, then you too will appear with him in glory.

mortal. Speak, Mary, declaring What you saw, wayfaring. “The tomb of Christ, who is living, The glory of Jesus’ resurrection; bright angels attesting, The shroud and napkin resting. Yes, Christ my hope is arisen; to Galilee he goes before you.” Christ indeed from death is risen, our new life obtaining. Have mercy, victor King, ever reigning! Amen. Alleluia.

JOHN 20:1-9 On the first day of the week, Mary of Magdala came to the tomb early in the morning, while it was still dark, and saw the stone removed from the tomb. So she ran and went to Simon Peter and to the other disciple whom Jesus loved, and told them, “They have taken the Lord from the tomb, and we don’t know where they put him.” So, Peter and the other disciple went out and came to the tomb. They both ran, but the other disciple ran faster than Peter and arrived at the tomb first; he bent down and saw the burial cloths there, but did not go in. When Simon Peter arrived after him, he went into the tomb and saw the burial cloths there, and the cloth that had covered his head, not with the burial cloths but rolled up in a separate place. Then the other disciple also went in, the one who had arrived at the tomb first, and he saw and believed. For they did not yet understand the Scripture that he had to rise from the dead.

Race to the tomb tion, and tradition of filling the tomb with objects to honor a pharaoh. A tomb stuffed with valuables was assurance that their ruler was well equipped for his next life beyond death.

The tomb of Jesus is a stark contrast with the grave- monuments of pharaohs. In the Gospel, there’s an irony in the repetition of tomb seven times like a mantra, or poetic incantation. But it’s a very different tomb than the pyramids. The empty tomb, in those brief hours, generates consternation among the disciples. Its emptiness disrupts expectations.

Its discovery generates a new relationship among the followers of Jesus. What are aspects of this new relationship?

First, the tomb of Jesus is open to everyone to see that he is not buried there. The stone is removed from the entrance. Unlike the tombs of pharaohs, Jesus’ tomb is not intentionally hidden, sealed, or filled with valuables; it’s not his resting place or his memorial.

Second, Mary Magdalene, a woman, is the messenger of the new, unexpected story to Simon Peter, head of the disciples. Jesus is somewhere else. He’s not in the tomb. Contrary to patriarchal reflexes, Peter has no ready answer for her or explanation for her claims.

Third, her own urgency – she runs back to the men – infuses them with her energy.

They “went out” and “came” and both of them “ran” as she did. She gets the men to break out of the walls of their confinement and fear, to move along.

Fourth, there is an odd competition between the men. Sulpician Father Ray Brown and Immaculate Heart Sister Sandra Schneiders have analyzed it and

conclude it shows the Johannine community gave primacy to the teaching, leadership and spiritual tradition associated with “the disciple whom Jesus loved” – the enlightened interpreter originating the Johannine tradition. But the yielding also affirmed the ecclesial authority of Simon Peter. The yielder’s followers identified themselves as the “church of Peter.”

Fifth, the “disciple whom Jesus loved” got to the tomb first. In this way, he and Mary Magdalene share a unique and personal discovery of the tomb as foundational witnesses. Those who come after them see through their eyes and hearts as “disciples whom Jesus loved.”

Sixth, the tomb is emptied out of everything except the burial cloths that wrapped his body, and a cloth that covered his face. There is nothing to retrieve.

No body at all. No weapons. No chariots. No jewelry.

Only that uniquely-rolled- up face cloth in a separate place. It seemed an orderly, calm departure, not a stealthy removal of a body.

Seventh, it is “the disciple whom Jesus loved” who ran, arrived at the tomb, waited, bent down, looked in, went in, saw and believed – and waited for a fuller understanding.

This is the end of visits to the tomb. From now on, the disciples meet Jesus in Jerusalem, in Galilee, on the water, and on the beach at the Sea of Tiberias.

Easter is a eucharistic celebration. Jesus is alive everywhere in the world. The tomb is empty.

MONDAY, APRIL 13: Monday in the Octave of Easter. ACTS 2:14, 22-33. PS 16:1-2a and 5, 7-8, 9-10, 11. PS 118:24. MT 28:8-15.

SATURDAY, APRIL 18: Saturday in the Octave of Easter. ACTS 4:13-21. PS 118:1 and 14-15ab, 16-18, 19-21. PS 118:24. MK 16:9-15.

WEDNESDAY, APRIL 22: Wednesday of the Second Week of Easter. ACTS 5:17-26. PS 34:2-3, 4-5, 6-7, 8-9. JN 3:16. JN 3:16-21.

TUESDAY, APRIL 14: ACTS 2:36-41. PS 33:4-5, 1819, 20 and 22. PS 118:24. JN 20:11-18.

SUNDAY, APRIL 19: Second Sunday of Easter (or Sunday of Divine Mercy). ACTS 2:42-47. PS 118:24, 13-15, 22-24. 1 PT 1:3-9. JN 20:29. JN 20:1931.

THURSDAY, APRIL 23: Thursday of the Second Week of Easter. Optional Memorial of St. George, martyr and St. Adalbert, bishop and martyr. ACTS 5:27-33. PS 34:2 and 9, 17-18, 19-20. JN 20:29. JN 3:31-36.

e were a group of biblical graduate students from Jerusalem, fortunate on our trip to Egypt. Our guide was the renowned French Egyptologist Father Henri Cazelles. Following the Nile, we bused our way from Cairo in the north, to Luxor and then to Aswan in the south, clambering up, into and out of at least 15 empty tombs. Pyramids had darkened, narrow entryways to vertical shafts with oneway stairs leading to more spacious chambers above, 30-watt bulbs strung along the ceiling. The dank air was oppressive and suffocating.

I was pretty sick of empty tombs when the trip was over.

I didn’t come away feeling close to individual pharaohs, SISTER ELOISE grasping the significance of ROSENBLATT, RSM their reigns, or deciphering the carved hieroglyphics proclaiming their great deeds. Grave robbers over centuries had stripped the tombs of sarcophagi linings, face masks of intricately wrought gold and lapis, scarab jewelry, fabulously carved furniture, splendid armaments leaving nothing but amazing frescoes still alive with color. I had to wait until the King Tut exhibit came to San Francisco to see a sample of riches that were originally buried with pharaohs.

The Gospel writers were more familiar than I am with the Egyptian death cult, body mummifica-

SCRIPTURE REFLECTION

MERCY SISTER ELOISE ROSENBLATT is a Ph.D. theologian and an attorney in private practice in family law. She lives in San Jose.

LITURGICAL CALENDAR, DAILY MASS READINGS

WEDNESDAY, APRIL 15: Wednesday in the Octave of Easter. ACTS 3:1-10. PS 105:1-2, 3-4, 6-7, 8-9. PS 118:24. LK 24:13-35.

THURSDAY, APRIL 16: Thursday in the Octave of Easter. ACTS 3:11-26. PS 8:2ab and 5, 6-7, 8-9. PS 118:24. LK 24:35-48.

FRIDAY, APRIL 17: Friday in the Octave of Easter.

ACTS 4:1-12. PS 118:1-2 and 4, 22-24, 25-27a. PS 118:24. JN 21:1-14.

MONDAY, APRIL 20: Monday of the Second Week of Easter. Optional Memorial of St. Beuno in Wales.

ACTS 4:23-31. PS 2:1-3, 4-7a, 7b-9. COL 3:1. JN 3:1-8.

TUESDAY, APRIL 21: Tuesday of the Second Week of Easter. Optional Memorial of St. Anselm, bishop & doctor. ACTS 4:32-37. PS 93:1ab, 1cd-2, 5. JN 3:1415. JN 3:7b-15.

FRIDAY, APRIL 24: Friday of the Second Week of Easter. Optional Memorial of St. Fidelis of Sigmaringen, priest and martyr. ACTS 5:34-42. PS 27:1, 4, 13-14. MT 4:4b. JN 6:1-15.

SATURDAY, APRIL 25: Feast of St. Mark, evangelist.

1 PT 5:5b-14. PS 89:2-3, 6-7, 16-17. 1 COR 1:23a24b. MK 16:15-20.

OPINION 15

CATHOLIC SAN FRANCISCO | APRIL 9, 2020

The meaning of Jesus’ death

J

esus’ death washes everything clean, including our ignorance and sin. That’s the clear message from Luke’s account of his death.

As we know, we have four Gospels, each with its own take on the passion and death of Jesus.

As we know too these Gospel accounts are not journalistic reports FATHER RON of what hapROLHEISER pened on Good Friday but more theological interpretations of what happened then. They’re paintings of Jesus’ death more so than news reports about it and, like good art, they take liberties to highlight certain forms so as to bring out essence. Each Gospel writer has his own interpretation of what happened on Calvary.

For Luke, what happened in the death of Jesus is the clearest revelation, ever, of the incredible scope of God’s understanding, forgiveness, and healing. For him, Jesus’ death washes everything clean through an understanding, forgiveness, and healing that belies every notion suggesting anything to the contrary. To make this clear, Luke highlights a number of elements in his narrative.

First, in his account of Jesus’ arrest in the Garden of Gethsemane, he tells us that immediately after one of his disciples struck the servant of the high priest and cut off his ear, Jesus touched the man’s ear and healed him. God’s healing, Luke intimates, reaches into all situations, even situations of bitterness, betrayal, and violence. God’s grace will ultimately heal even what’s wounded in hatred.

Then, after Peter denied him three times and Jesus is being led away

after his interrogation by the Sanhedrin, Luke tells us that Jesus turned and looked straight at Peter in a look that made Peter weep bitterly. Everything in this text and everything that comes after it suggests that the look from Jesus that caused Peter to weep bitterly was not one of disappointment and accusation, a look that would have caused Peter to weep in shame. No, rather it was a look of such understanding and empathy as Peter had never before seen, causing him to weep in relief, knowing that everything was all right and he was all right.

And when Luke records Jesus’ trial before Pilate, he recounts something that’s not recorded in the other Gospel accounts of Jesus’ trial, namely, Pilate sending Jesus to Herod and how the two of them, bitter enemies until that day, “became friends that same day.” As Ray Brown, commenting on this text puts it, “Jesus has a healing effect even on those who mistreat him.”

Finally, in Luke’s narrative, we arrive at the place where Jesus is crucified and as they are crucifying him, he utters the famous words: Father, forgive them for they know not what they do. Those words, which Christians forever afterwards have taken as the ultimate criterion as to how we should treat our enemies and those who do us ill, encapsulate the deep revelation contained in Jesus’ death. Uttered in that context as God is about to crucified by human beings, these words reveal how God sees and understands even our worst actions: Not as ill-will, not as something that ultimately turns us against God or God against us, but as ignorance – simple, non-culpable, invincible, understandable, forgivable, akin to the self-destructive actions of an innocent child.

In that context too, Luke narrates Jesus’ forgiveness of the “good thief.” What Luke wants to high-

light here, beyond the obvious, are a number of things: First, that the man is forgiven not because he didn’t sin, but in spite of his sin; second, that he is given infinitely more than he actually requests of Jesus; and finally, that Jesus will not die with any unfinished business, this man’s sin must first be wiped clean.

Finally, in Luke’s narrative, unlike the narratives of Mark and Matthew, Jesus does not die expressing abandonment, but rather dies expressing complete trust: “Father, into your hands I commit my spirit.”

Luke wants us to see in these words a template for how we can face our own deaths, given our weaknesses.

What’s the lesson? Leon Bloy once wrote that there is only one true sadness in life, that of not being a saint. At the end of the day when each of us face our own death this will be our biggest regret, that we’re not saints. But, as Jesus shows in his death, we can die in (even in weakness) knowing we are dying into safe hands.

Luke’s account of the passion and death of Jesus, unlike much of Christian tradition, does not focus on the atoning value of Jesus’ death.

What it emphasizes instead is this: Jesus’ death washes everything clean, each of us and the whole world. It heals everything, understands everything, and forgives everything – despite every ignorance, weakness, infidelity, and betrayal on our part. In John’s passion narrative, Jesus’ dead body is pierced with a lance and immediately “blood and water” (life and cleansing) flow out.

In Luke’s account, Jesus’ body is not pierced. It doesn’t need to be. By the time he breathes his last he has forgiven everyone and everything has been washed clean.

OBLATE FATHER RON ROLHEISER is president of the Oblate School of Theology, San Antonio, Texas.

Easter hope for the pandemic

E

aster is a time to rejoice in our redemption from sin and death through Jesus’ resurrection.

We proclaim this great joy during the Paschal sequence: “Christ indeed from death is risen, our new life obtaining.

Have mercy, victor King, ever reigning!”

Easter is a different VERONICA celebration SZCZYGIEL this year. In fact, most of us might not experience it as a celebration at all. Many of us will feel sad and alone due to quarantining and social distancing during the pandemic.

Instead of gathering, we will be isolating. Instead of receiving Communion at Mass, we will partake it in spiritually through our televisions.

It’s okay to feel sadness and to mourn the altered state of our reality. It is a difficult time that none of us had expected or planned. None of us had control over this global situation. And yet, no matter how lonely we feel, we aren’t alone in these feel-

ings. Who better to understand what we are going through than “our paschal lamb, Christ” who “has been sacrificed” (Corinthians 5:7)?

After the Last Supper, Jesus brought his disciples to the Garden of Gethsemane, where he begged God three times, “My Father, if it is possible, let this cup pass from me” (Matthew 26:39). These pleas weren’t signs of weakness but of honesty.

Jesus as a human being did not want to suffer even though Jesus as a divine being knew that the great Easter hope – his own resurrection – was to come. In order to attain redemption for us all, Jesus had to suffer at the hands of his fellow humans and, by extension, our sinfulness. In the end, his resurrection made that sacrifice worthwhile. And so, Jesus accepted God’s will for him: “yet, not as I will, but as you will” (Matthew 26:39).

Bearing this in mind, we can view our current strife with the perspective of allowing God’s will to unfold before us. Easter technically arrived in the church calendar, but we sense that the Easter of this coronavirus crisis is still to come. But it is coming. It may take a while, and it will involve our steadfast patience. Like Jesus, we can certainly pray that this particular cup will pass over us

and our loved ones. Even so, we as Catholics know deep down that hope is near and that there will be an end to suffering, because that is exactly what Jesus showed us through his own suffering “so that … by the glory of the Father, we too might live in newness of life” (Romans 6:4).

When this Easter hope for the pandemic arrives, it may do so loudly and triumphantly, as in the Gospel of Matthew from the Easter Vigil, or it may do so more quietly, as in the Gospel of John from Easter Sunday. In Matthew’s Gospel, we see the women Mary and Mary Magdalene gain immediate realization of the truth. Not only did they feel an earthquake and hear an angel proclaim that Jesus “has been raised from the dead,” but “Jesus met them on their way and greeted them” and encouraged them to be witnesses to his new life (Matthew 28:7, 9). Perhaps we, too, will have such a sudden and definitive end to this crisis.

Or, the pandemic’s end may arrive unannounced. What the Gospel of John from Easter Sunday shows us is victory’s subtlety. Mary Magdalene first thought that Jesus’ body was stolen, and later, Peter remained SEE SZCZYGIEL, PAGE 22

LETTERS Mass without a congregation

The priests’ reactions to celebrating a Mass without a congregation reminded me of what a priest friend of mine said back in the Korean War days when somebody asked him whether it was OK for a priest to celebrate Mass alone.

No, he said, but a priest never celebrates Mass alone. When a priest celebrates Mass there are always ten thousand angels on his right hand and 10,000 angels on his left hand.

E. L. Gelhaar Millbrae

Concerned about seminary enrollment

The online edition of Catholic San Francisco mentioned that, because of COVID-19, St. Patrick’s Seminary & University sent the 47 students to their home dioceses to complete the courses by distance conferencing or online. This is a good cautionary step and innovative use of technologies.

However, the student body size of 47 is worrisome for a few reasons: A. That is one half the capacity of the seminary building.

B. The seminary needs a fuller student body to finance its operations. This may cause going into seminary reserves or other support from the dioceses.

C. The class for ordination is too small to support retiring priests in the areas served.

There may be a decrease in vocations nationwide. It might be up to vocation directors and pastors to seek more seminarians.

Concerned about the future of the church.

Stuart MacKenzie Banning

Ring it loud, ring it clear

In the April 2 issue, there was an interesting article about the Belfry Society at St. Philip Parish in Noe Valley. I liked what Bill Yenne had to say about church bells being a form of communication which is still viable today.

Just after reading CSF, I happened to read an opinion piece by Robert Louis Wilken in the February issue of First Things,” and ironically Wilken also had something to say about church bells. He said they “attest to a living church.

They declare the presence not only of a church building, but of a community of Christians.” He also said bells, calling worshipers to church, “are an irreplaceable declaration that Christ is alive” even to those in society who have turned away from Him. Congrats to the St. Philip bell ringers. God bless them and all other parish bell ringers for keeping those church bells ringing.

Dolores Brady San Francisco

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

16 WORLD

CATHOLIC SAN FRANCISCO | APRIL 9, 2020

Latin American bishops invoke Our Lady to end pandemic DAVID AGREN CATHOLIC NEWS SERVICE

MEXICO CITY – The Latin American bishops’ council announced plans to perform an act of consecration of Latin America and the Caribbean to Our Lady of Guadalupe on Easter, “asking her for health and an end to the pandemic.”

The consecration will take place at noon April 12 behind closed doors at the Basilica of Our Lady of Guadalupe, but it will be transmitted digitally.

Cathedrals and parishes throughout the region will participate by ringing their bells 12 times as a call to prayer.

CELAM, as the Latin American and Caribbean bishops’ conference is known, said a Mass would be followed by the rosary and act of consecration for an end to COVID-19. The ceremony will include a presentation of a floral wreath in the same place where, in 2016, Pope Francis prayed silently to Our Lady of Guadalupe for the whole world.

“We trust that as we contemplate the mother of the true God, through whom we live, we will strengthen our faith, nourish our hopes and commit ourselves with solidarity and love to those who are experiencing illness, pain, poverty, loneliness, fear and worry,” read the statement,

(CNS PHOTO/COURTESY ARCHDIOCESE OF LOS ANGELES)

This painting by artist Lalo Garcia, seen Nov. 20, 2019, is part of an exhibit in honor of Our Lady of Guadalupe at the Cathedral of Our Lady of the Angels in Los Angeles.

signed by Archbishop Miguel Cabrejos Vidarte of Trujillo, Peru, president of CELAM, and its secretary-general, Auxiliary Bishop Juan Carlos Cardenas Toro of Cali, Colombia.

“This present time demands of us as pastors to see and listen to the afflictions of our peoples, generating hope and turning our sights toward our mother in heaven,” the CELAM statement said.

The COVID-19 pandemic reached Latin America and the Caribbean later than other parts of the world but has resulted in a rising number of infections, along with quarantines and closed borders. Churches throughout the region have suspended public celebrations of Mass, along with parish services, although priests and religious are mobilizing responses to the many often-poor communities enduring orders to shelter in place.

Past popes have declared Our Lady of Guadalupe “patroness” and “empress” of the Americas.

She also has been turned to in times of pandemic dating back to the 1700s, according to Rodolfo Soriano-Nunez, a sociologist studying the Catholic Church in Mexico.

The consecration, he said, “is a way to renew the relationship (with Our Lady of Guadalupe) and seek her protection. ... It is a way to entrust the continent to the Virgin Mary’s protection.”

Nicaraguan officials stop church program to prevent COVID-19 DAVID AGREN CATHOLIC NEWS SERVICE

MEXICO CITY – Health officials in Nicaragua have stopped a church program to prevent COVID-19 in the Central American country, where the government has downplayed the pandemic’s potential impact and encouraged the population to go about their business as usual.

Bishop Rolando Alvarez Lagos of Matagalpa, Nicaragua, tweeted April 5 that the health ministry told him he “could not carry out the medical prevention centers project and not even the call center,” which would have provided medical advice.

“I want to say for the record, before the people, that we as a diocese wanted to work for the health of our communities, and they have not allowed us to do so.”

In an earlier tweet, Bishop Alvarez said the project included six medical centers and a call center “to inform, orient and attend to the population in the face of COVID-19, to the best of our ability.”

Central American countries have closed borders and imposed quarantines in response to the pandemic.

But Nicaraguan President Daniel Ortega and his wife, first lady Rosario Murillo, have downplayed the disease’s dangers, convening a march promoting “Love in the times of COVID-19,” according to local media. They have not encouraged prevention measures such as social distancing.

“It’s total disinformation,” said Msgr. Carlos Aviles, spokesman for the Archdiocese of Managua.

“They’ve made calls for summer

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“The church has taken the initiative for prevention,” Msgr. Aviles LAND PILGRIMAGES

said. “People are lacking official information, and private initiatives are blocked.”

The country has recorded six COVID-19 cases and one death, according to Murillo, who claims health officials are spreading information door-to-door.

Catholic churches have celebrated Mass behind closed doors and canceled processions for Holy Week.

The church’s attempts at promoting prevention have put priests in a position of again appearing to oppose the government – which, in the past two years, has repressed protests and persecuted institutions such as churches that lent support to protesting students and families of political prisoners.

“Admiration for my brother Bishop Rolando Alvarez. ... The Samaritan spirit of the church is evident. What a pity that there are dark forces that are preventing people from doing good!” tweeted Auxiliary Bishop Silvio Jose Baez of Managua.

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WORLD 17

CATHOLIC SAN FRANCISCO | APRIL 9, 2020

Prisoners reflect on crime in pope’s Good Friday meditations JUNNO AROCHO ESTEVES CATHOLIC NEWS SERVICE

VATICAN CITY – While Pope Francis’ Way of the Cross service on Good Friday has been transferred to the Vatican because of the coronavirus pandemic, the meditations focus, as always, on those who share the pain, suffering and heartbreak that characterized Christ’s passion and death.

In a letter published in an Italian newspaper in early March, Pope Francis said he chose the Catholic community of the Due Palazzi prison in Padua so that the meditations would reflect on the lives of those involved in the prison system to illustrate how “the resurrection of a person is never the work of an individual, but of a community walking together.”

The result is a set of meditations on the traditional 14 stations written not only by prisoners, but also by people directly affected by crime, including prisoners’ families, victims and even a priest falsely accused of a crime.

Prison guards, probation officers and volunteers also authored some of the meditations, which were released in Italian April 3 by Libreria Editrice Vaticana, the Vatican publishing house.

The first station, “Jesus is condemned to death,” was written by a prisoner who, along with his father, was condemned to serve a life sentence.

“So many times, in the courts and in the newspapers, that cry resounds: ‘Crucify him, crucify him!’ It’s a cry I’ve also heard about myself,” he wrote. However, after recounting the events in his life that led him to a life of crime, the prisoner said he felt more “like Barabbas, Peter and Judas in one person.”

“When, locked in a cell, I reread the pages of the Passion of Christ and I burst into tears,” he wrote. “After 29 years in prison, I have not yet lost the ability to cry, to feel ashamed of my past, of the evil I have done.”

The reflections on Christ’s death also detail the tragic consequences of those affected directly by crimes. The meditation for the second station, for example, was written by a couple whose daughter was murdered.

“In that horrible summer, our life as parents died along with that of our two daughters,” the parents wrote. “One was killed with her best friend by the blind violence of a man without mercy.

The other, who miraculously survived, was deprived of her smile forever.”

Neither justice nor time, they wrote, eased their suffering as “victims of the worst pain that exists: surviving the death of a daughter.”

Yet in moments of despair, “the Lord comes to meet us” and allows them to not only care for each other as a couple, but also to care for the most vulnerable.

“He invites us to keep the door of our home open to the weakest, to the desperate, to welcome those who knock on our door, even just for a bowl of soup.

Making charity our commandment is a form of salvation for us; we do not want to give in to evil,” the parents wrote.

A priest who was falsely accused of abuse by a former student was chosen to write the meditation for the 11th station, “Jesus is nailed to the cross.”

The accusations made against him, he said, “were made of words as hard as nails” and seeing his name written on a sign outside the courtroom “was the darkest moment” for him.

“In that moment, I realized I was a man forced to prove his innocence,

POPE PRAYS TO EASE CROWDED PRISONS

VATICAN CITY – While countries have enforced social distancing measures to prevent the spread of the coronavirus, Pope Francis warned of serious consequences if the same measures aren’t applied to overcrowded prisons.

During the live broadcast of his morning Mass April 6, the pope said that unless authorities make efforts to solve the problem of overcrowded prisons, “there is a danger that this pandemic will end in a serious calamity.”

“Let us pray for those responsible, for those who have to make decisions at this time, so that they may find just and creative ways to solve this problem,” he said at the start of the Mass. *QUALIFIED MECHANICS TO SERVE YOU

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An image of the Stations of the Cross at the Pope John Paul II Cultural Center in Washington shows the sixth station, “Veronica wipes the face of Jesus.” without being guilty. I was hanging on the cross for 10 years. It was my Way of the Cross populated with folders, suspicions, accusations and insults.

Every time, in the courts, I looked for the crucifix on the wall. I stared at it while the law investigated my story,” he wrote.

During the 10-year criminal investigation against him, the priest said he “never thought of shortening the cross” and found that throughout his ordeal, he was helped along the way by the support of his students and their families who “bore the weight of the

In his homily, the pope reflected on the day’s Gospel reading from St. John in which Mary, the sister of Lazarus, anoints Jesus’ feet with a costly perfume. Judas Iscariot, the Gospel recounted, detests the use of such a perfume and argued that it would have been better to sell the perfume and give the money to the poor.

“There are always people” like Judas who value wealth under the guise of charity, the pope said.

“Let us think of some charitable or humanitarian organizations that have so many employees, that have a very structure full of people and in the end, the poor receive 40% because 60% goes to pay the salary of so many people. It’s a way of taking money from the poor,” he said.

cross with me and wiped away many tears.”

“Together with me, many of them prayed for the boy who accused me,” the priest wrote. “We will never stop doing it. The day I was fully acquitted, I discovered that I was happier than I was 10 years ago. I experienced God’s action in my life. Hanging on the cross, my priesthood was illuminated.”

The Way of the Cross meditations were not just confined to prisoners and victims, but also the families of those imprisoned who share in the grief and loss of a loved one.

The meditation for the eighth station, “Jesus meets the women of Jerusalem,” was written by the daughter of a prisoner serving a life sentence who said that she not only suffered due to her father’s absence but also because she was often asked to answer for his crimes. “’Are you fond of your father? Do you ever think of the pain your father caused to his victims?’” she recalled being asked by people.

While telling them it’s “almost impossible” to not think of her father’s victims, she said she also asks, “’Have you ever thought that of all the victims of my father’s actions, I was the first?’

For 28 years, I’ve been condemned to grow up without a father.”

The meditations close with a contribution from a prison guard who is also a permanent deacon, who said he does everything he can “to defend the hope of people who are resigned, frightened by the thought that one day they will be released and risk being rejected by society again.”

“In prison I remind them that, with God, no sin will ever have the last word.”

The pope recalled visiting a group of families in Buenos Aires, Argentina, who took shelter in an abandoned factory because they couldn’t afford to pay rent in their apartments due “to the injustice of economic or financial organizations.”

In the end, he said, people “will not be judged by our luxury or the trips we make or the social importance we have; we will be judged or our relationship with the poor.”

“If I ignore the poor today, leave them aside and think they are not there, the Lord will ignore me on Judgment Day,” Pope Francis said.

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CATHOLIC SAN FRANCISCO | APRIL 9, 2020

Mensaje de saludo para la Pascua del 2020

“E

n el gran banquete del Cordero cantamos, alabanzas a nuestro Rey victorioso”.

Estas palabras de esta canción clásica de Pascua son uno de los tesoros de la Iglesia. Nos recuerdan la alegría de la Pascua que resuena cada año. Nuestros cuarenta días de penitencia han llegado a su término. Hoy en Pascua, nos regocijamos en la gloria de la Resurrección de Cristo. Después del ayuno, festejamos.

Cristo conquistó el pecado. Él conquistó la muerte. Él nos obtuvo la reconciliación con Dios. A través de su gran sacrificio, hecho presente de nuevo en cada Misa, él se ofrece a sí mismo para que podamos ser SALVATORE J. felices en el cielo con Dios, CORDILEONE eternamente. La eternidad es un tiempo muy largo. No, más bien, la eternidad está más allá del tiempo, fuera del tiempo. Este año, sin embargo, la Pascua nos llega teñida de tristeza, ya que no podemos reunirnos físicamente con los otros creyentes, como hermanos y hermanas en Cristo, para regocijarnos juntos en este día tan sagrado del año. ¿Cómo debemos como cristianos responder a problemas como éste, que todo el país enfrenta ahora?

Podemos empezar a obtener una respuesta a esta pregunta de la homilía que el Papa Francisco dio en la bendición extraordinaria Urbi et Orbi el 27 de marzo. Esta bendición fue “extraordinaria” en

ARZOBISPO DE SAN FRANCISCO

el sentido de que normalmente se da “a la ciudad de Roma [Urbi] y al mundo [Orbi]” sólo el día de Navidad y el domingo de Pascua. Pero él dio una bendición especial y extraordinaria (fuera de esos dos momentos ordinarios) Urbi et Orbi durante el tiempo de Cuaresma con el fin de suplicar que la misericordia de Dios nos salve de esta pandemia actual.

En esta homilía el Santo Padre habló de la falta de confianza de los discípulos cuando la tormenta estalló en el mar y nuestro Señor estaba durmiendo en la barca. Él dijo: “Al igual que a los discípulos del Evangelio, nos sorprendió una tormenta inesperada y furiosa. Nos dimos cuenta de que estábamos en la misma barca, todos frágiles y desorientados; pero, al mismo tiempo, importantes y necesarios, todos llamados a remar juntos, todos necesitados de confortarnos mutuamente”.

Recuerden lo que pasa en esta historia. Pedro y los otros discípulos en la barca se asustan.

Despiertan a Jesús, clamando: “¡Sálvanos, Señor, nos hundimos!”. Jesús se vuelve hacia ellos y les dice: “¿Por qué tienen miedo, hombres de poca fe?”. ¿Por qué Jesús reprendió a los discípulos?

Como dice el Papa Francisco: “Pensaron que Jesús se desinteresaba de ellos, que no les prestaba atención. Entre nosotros, en nuestras familias, lo que más duele es cuando escuchamos decir: ‘¿Es que no te importo?’. Es una frase que lastima y desata tormentas en el corazón”.

Ellos pensaron que en su momento de peligro el Señor no se preocupaba por ellos. Temían por sí mismos, lo que significa que sus corazones estaban centrados en sí mismos. Esta es siempre la orientación básica del pecado: enfocar nuestros pensamientos, energías y acciones en nosotros mismos. En otras palabras, el egoísmo. Ahora,

lo opuesto al egoísmo es el amor: el cuidado y la preocupación por los demás. También es la cura para las ansiedades que nos preocupan ahora y en el futuro.

Podemos profundizar en la respuesta a la pregunta de la tristeza y la angustia que estamos sintiendo en este momento, volviendo a las primeras líneas del último versículo de este canto clásico de Pascua: “Triunfo de Pascua, alegría de Pascua: Sólo el pecado puede destruirlos. Las almas del pecado y de la muerte liberadas, se glorifican en su libertad”.

Un cristiano que confía en Dios no está triste en este momento, porque Cristo ha destruido el pecado. Donde hay pecado, no hay alegría; al destruir el pecado, Cristo ha destruido la tristeza.

El verdadero cristiano, que vive libre de pecado, conoce la alegría permanente que sólo Cristo puede dar, incluso en medio de las penurias y los dolores de la vida. De la misma manera, sólo el cristiano serio es verdaderamente libre, porque la verdadera libertad es la libertad del pecado. Por lo tanto, el verdadero cristiano no se siente encarcelado por quedarse en casa, no mientras no haya pecado en casa. Más bien, el verdadero cristiano ve esta situación actual como una nueva oportunidad para mostrar la caridad, para estar centrado en el otro, para mostrar que se preocupa por el otro con el amor de Cristo: “Sí, me intereso de ti. Sí, me importas”.

Mis hermanos y hermanas, busquemos oportunidades para servir a los demás en este momento de necesidad. Toda esta sabiduría puede ser resumida en una paráfrasis del gran Padre de la Iglesia, San Gregorio Niceno: Si ustedes intentan superarse en la caridad, su vida en la tierra será como la de los ángeles del cielo. ¡Felices Pascuas!

Caída en la venta de flores deja sin empleo a familias enteras en Pescadero LORENA ROJAS SAN FRANCISCO CATÓLICO

El mismo día que Jorge Guzmán cumplió 43 años de trabajar en una finca de flores en Pescadero el 19 de marzo, perdió su trabajo debido a la crisis que ha causado el COVID-19. Su esposa Isabel Guzmán con 42 años en la compañía y todos los trabajadores, en total dieciséis familias quedaron sin empleo.

“La empresa llegó y nos dijo que iban a cerrar porque la marqueta (el mercado donde se vendía las flores) en San Francisco había cerrado también”. Las calas, los lirios del campo (Alstroemerias) y otras variedades de flores que habían recogido del campo no se pudieron vender, compartió Guzmán al San Francisco Católico.

“Cuando nos dijeron que la finca estaba cerrada la gente se miraba triste. Nos metimos en las casas y no nos hemos vuelto a ver”.

Dos semanas después del cierre de la finca, los Guzmán no habían recibido aún salario. La primera semana de cuarentena fueron a la iglesia de Misión San Antonio – donde ambos son catequistas – a recoger comida donada por la Sociedad de San Vicente de Paul.

Después comenzaron a buscar otras fuentes de ingresos para paliar la crisis con la esperanza de que la empresa algún día vuelva a abrir las operaciones.

“Nosotros ya comenzamos a llenar los papeles para solicitar el beneficio del seguro de desempleo.

Pero más de la mitad de las familias que perdieron el trabajo no tienen papeles, ellos no pueden recibir ese beneficio”, lamentó Guzmán.

El comentó que algunas de estas familias están usando los pocos ahorros que tienen, pero no saben por cuánto tiempo les van a alcanzar.

Tres de sus compañeros lograron conseguir unas pocas horas de trabajo una finca de productos orgánicos cercana, pero esta compañía no tiene trabajo para contratar a todo el grupo de desempleados del vivero. “Yo ni lo intenté porque los que ya pasamos de los 60 años tenemos miedo de salir de la casa” compartió Guzmán.

El abastecimiento de comida por ahora no le preocupa tanto a Guzmán, el confía seguir recibiendo la ayuda de San Vicente de Paul y de la organización sin fines de lucro, Puente. Esta agencia está respondiendo a la crisis del COVID-19 también

(FOTO DE LORENA ROJAS/SAN FRANCISCO CATÓLICO)

(FOTO DE CORTESÍA)

Isabel Guzmán recoge flores en el vivero donde trabajó por 42 años en Pescadero, que cerró operaciones desde el 19 de marzo por la crisis del COVID-19. Foto sin fecha.

en las comunidades vecinas de La Honda, Loma Mar y San Gregorio.

Pero Jorge Guzmán ya está pensando cómo solventar otros gastos como los seguros y los servicios de luz, teléfono y cable entre otros. “Un cheque por aquí, y un cheque por allá y la plata se va rápido”, dice.

A él, le preocupa más de donde van a salir los 450 dólares que pagan cada mes por el seguro médico de los dos, y el dinero para el seguro del auto que son los pagos más grandes que tienen los Guzmán, además del alquiler de la vivienda.

Todos los trabajadores de la finca donde trabajan los Guzmán viven en apartamentos que les renta la misma compañía de flores. “Pagamos una renta baja de 650 - 700 dólares al mes por un apartamento de dos dormitorios. Por ahora no nos han dicho nada, y no creo que nos presionen con la renta, confía Guzmán.

A pesar del panorama sombrío, Jorge Guzmán habla como un hombre de fe que es. “Pienso que también hay que ver lo positivo de esta crisis. Se va a limpiar la tierra y la gente está aprendiendo a convivir, a pesar de lo negativo de todo esto que es tanta muerte que está pasando”, dijo.

Belinda Hernández Arriaga, primera en la foto camina frente a la iglesia Nuestra Señora del Pilar en Half Moon Bay, seguida por la hermana Norma Pimentel, directora ejecutiva de Caridades Católicas del Valle del Río Grande en Texas, el 28 de abril del 2019.

Para Belinda Hernández Arriaga, directora ejecutiva de la organización sin fines de lucro en Half Moon Bay, Ayudando Latinos a Soñar, (ALAS) y profesora asociada de la Universidad de San Francisco, las agencias de ayuda a la comunidad le están haciendo frente a esta crisis, pero también necesitan muchas donaciones para reunir los fondos para los programas.

ALAS coordina con otras agencias locales como Coastside Hope y Abundant Grace Coastside Worker para reunir 500 mil dólares lo más pronto posible, con los cuales darían ayuda en este momento de crisis a unas 300 familias.

Los recursos todavía no están. Las tres agencias continúan buscando donaciones. “Por ahora hemos juntado seis mil dólares en seis días para este programa”, dijo al San Francisco Católico. Con estos primeros fondos van a comenzar el programa con las familias más necesitadas en los días de la Semana Santa, mientras van entrando otras donaciones.

VER PESCADERO, PÁGINA 19

SAN FRANCISCO CATÓLICO 19

CATHOLIC SAN FRANCISCO | APRIL 9, 2020

Actores de La Pasión evangelizan en sus iglesias domésticas esta Semana Santa LORENA ROJAS SAN FRANCISCO CATÓLICO

Los tiempos litúrgicos más concurridos por los hispanos son la Cuaresma y el Triduo Pascual. Cada año desde el Miércoles de Ceniza, los templos se abarrotan de fieles en las misas, rezando el viacrucis y durante los servicios de la Semana Santa.

Las dramatizaciones y procesiones han sido tradicionalmente una de las formas de participación activa de los laicos hispanos durante la Semana Santa.

Algunas de las parroquias de la Arquidiócesis de San Francisco con ministerio hispano han representado por mucho tiempo, año tras año La Pasión y el Viacrucis en las liturgias de la Semana Santa como una forma de evangelización a través del arte dramático.

La Semana Santa del 2020 no cuenta con ese modelo de evangelización debido a la pandemia por el coronavirus que obliga a todos a permanecer en sus casas durante los días santos.

Directores y actores de La Pasión en diferentes iglesias de la arquidiócesis comparten como planearon celebrar las liturgias de Semana Santa este año que no pueden representar el mensaje bíblico en el templo el Domingo de Ramos ni el Viernes Santo.

El director de la obra La Pasión de la iglesia Santo Domingo y de Misión Dolores ambas en San Francisco, Jaime Pinto llevaba siete años presentando la obra el Domingo de Ramos en su parroquia Santo Domingo, y unos 15 años haciéndolo en Misión Dolores el Viernes Santo.

“Me siento triste” confiesa Pinto, pero a la vez levanta la voz con fe y con expresión de obediencia y dice “estoy pensando ¿qué es lo que quiere Dios?, si esta cosa (el coronavirus) no nos deja presentar la obra es porque Dios ya tenía sus planes”.

Comenta que este año había más personas interesadas en participar y se habían integrado al elenco de La Pasión diez feligreses más de Santo Domingo.

“Yo estuve en España a principio de este año, acompañando a la familia por la pérdida de la mamá de mi esposa y desde allá estaba motivando a los actores para que estudiaran los libretos. Hasta hace dos semanas, todavía pensaba que la íbamos a presentar el 5 de abril, el Domingo de Ramos, dijo Pinto.

“A lo mejor Dios quiso un año diferente. Antes no había tiempo para nada, ni para hacer una llamada”.

Este Domingo de Ramos, Pinto por primera vez en 15 años no dirige la obra La Pasión. Pero planeó una forma diferente de evangelización para esta Semana Santa que tiene que quedarse en su casa. Está tomando tiempo para leer la Biblia, reflexionar, ver las transmisiones de la misa en vivo y llamar por teléfono a sus familiares y amigos para consolarlos y ayudarlos en lo que se pueda hacer a la distancia.

“Me he encontrado unas palmas benditas que había guardado de años anteriores, y tengo agua

(FOTO DE LORENA ROJAS/SAN FRANCISCO CATÓLICO)

Por primera vez en unos quince años Jaime Pinto no dirige ni actúa en la obra de La Pasión. En la foto se ve actuando el papel de Judas Iscariote el Domingo de Ramos del 2019 en la iglesia Santo Domingo en San Francisco. Derecha, Juan Madriz mira la transmisión de la misa del Domingo de Ramos en vivo en una tableta colocada en un altar en su casa. Los últimos años Madriz había protagonizado el personaje de Jesús de Nazaret en la obra de teatro de La Pasión en Misión Dolores y Santo Domingo.

bendita de Lourdes para bendecir la entrada y la puerta de mi casa. Estos símbolos los voy a utilizar el Domingo de Ramos mientras veo la transmisión de la misa en vivo”, dijo.

Juan Madriz, es parte del elenco de la Pasión en el grupo que dirige Pinto. Él ha protagonizado el personaje de Jesús de Nazaret desde que comenzaron las presentaciones en Misión Dolores y más tarde en Santo Domingo.

“Estoy un poco triste porque que no vamos a poder presentar la obra este año y ya estábamos preparados”, dice Madriz Este Domingo de Ramos en cuarentena por el virus COVID-19, Juan Madriz también planeó ver junto a su familia, la misa en vivo transmitida desde su parroquia San Marcos en Richmond, en la Diócesis de Oakland.

La Semana Santa este año es diferente y especial, es un tiempo para celebrar con la iglesia doméstica, que es la familia. Madriz dice que para él ver la misa del Domingo de Ramos en la privacidad de su hogar le va a permite una reflexión más profunda.

“Voy a poder reflexionar más sobre lo que fue la entrada de Jesús a Jerusalén”.

Comentó que el padre de San Marcos, el padre Rubén Morales les recomendó a sus feligreses tener algún follaje verde durante la celebración de la misa del Domingo de Ramos, y durante la misa virtual daría una bendición de las palmas o follajes que tengan los fieles en sus casas.

PESCADERO: Caída en la venta de flores deja sin empleo a familias enteras DE PÁGINA 18

El programa se enfoca en la asistencia para el pago de la renta de vivienda y tarjetas para comprar comida y le da prioridad a las personas y a las familias que no tienen documentos legales en este país y no van recibir otros beneficios que si pueden tener las personas documentadas.

Hernández Arriaga confía en que San Vicente de Paul continúe con el buen trabajo de mitigar el hambre en este momento tal como lo ha estado haciendo. Y ALAS, aparte del programa en conjunto con las otras agencias, ha estado llevando comida a las casas de las personas que no pueden salir, ya sea

por la edad, por salud o porque no tienen carro para transportarse, dijo.

César Sánchez, un líder del ministerio de Justicia Social de Nuestra Señora del Pilar en Half Moon Bay, dice que la parroquia aún no ha comenzado a dar ayuda directa en asistencia social, debido al decreto de “quedarse en casa”. “Yo no he contactado al padre todavía, él tiene más de 60 años y con esto hay que tener mucho cuidado”, dijo.

En lo que va de la crisis por la pandemia, Sánchez dirige a las personas que soliciten ayuda a la agencia Costside Hope. Pero asegura que cuando las instalaciones de la iglesia se puedan abrir al público, va a haber programas de ayuda, dijo Sánchez.

(FOTO DE CORTESÍA)

“Yo como soy jardinero voy a traer algunas ramas del jardín y a recibir la bendición de las palmas desde la casa, viéndolo por medio del celular”, compartió Madriz.

“Mi fe sigue. Si este es el único medio que tenemos para seguir los servicios de esta Semana Santa, aunque sea a través de un medio electrónico, está bien. Hubiera sido mucho más difícil esta Semana Santa si no tuviéramos esta opción”, dijo Madriz.

También la iglesia San Timoteo en San Mateo siente la ausencia de los actores de La Pasión esta Semana Santa. Enrique Castillo ha dirigido la obra y ha actuado el papel de diferentes personajes en las presentaciones en su parroquia durante varios años.

Este año está usando su creatividad de nuevo para celebrar las liturgias de forma diferente desde su casa.

“Estamos pasando una Semana Santa diferente, pero no deja de ser una Semana Santa. Para vivir la devoción de la liturgia del Triduo Pascual voy a poner un altar con la santa cruz en mi casa para hacer la veneración durante la liturgia del Viernes Santo”, compartió Castillo.

Para el Domingo de Ramos planeó unirse a unos dos miembros del grupo de oración Divina Misericordia de su parroquia para rezar la Coronilla de la Divina Misericordia y conmemorar la entrada del Señor a Jerusalén, dijo Castillo.

SAN FRANCISCO CATÓLICO NOTA DEL EDITOR Catholic San Francisco incluirá una selección de artículos en español de San Francisco Católico, el periódico español de la Arquidiócesis de San Francisco, durante el mandato de refugio en el lugar que ha suspendido las misas públicas. El periódico normalmente se entrega a granel a las iglesias con misas españolas de fin de semana.

Catholic San Francisco will include a selection of articles from San Francisco Católico, the Spanish-language newspaper of the Archdiocese of San Francisco, for the duration of the shelter-in-place mandate that has suspended public Masses. The newspaper is normally delivered in bulk to churches with weekend Spanish Masses.

20 WORLD

CATHOLIC SAN FRANCISCO | APRIL 9, 2020

Wuhan picks up the pieces to crawl back to life ELIZABETH LAM UNION OF CATHOLIC ASIAN NEWS

HONG KONG, China – The Chinese government is relaxing the more than two-month lockdown in Wuhan city, where the COVID-19 pandemic emerged last December, but life will never be the same for most of its 11 million people.

Ever since the novel coronavirus was first reported in the seafood market of this city, the capital of Hubei province in central China, it has officially killed more than 3,300 people across the country.

The city suffered most. About two-thirds of China’s over 82,000 infections were in Wuhan.

Wuhan residents, who have been indoors since Jan. 23 after infections began to kill people, say they have been “adding oil” to others – a Chinese expression for encouraging and supporting others.

Chinese authorities have relaxed controls over Hubei since March 25, but Wuhan will wait until April 8 to open its doors to traffic from outside the city.

Wuhan’s favorite breakfast noodles are back, showing signs of the city coming back to life. But in early March authorities brought in a comprehensive law banning the trade and consumption of wildlife, previously part of the activities at the busy Huanan Seafood Market.

Chinese officials have identified wild animals sold at the market as the source of the coronavirus, which has infected more than 50,000 people in Wuhan, killed more than 53,000 persons worldwide and sent the global economy into meltdown.

Business and food apart, there are other reasons why life will be far from normal for many in Wuhan. Thousands have lost their family members, and most were unable to arrange even a decent funeral or even attend their burial or cremation.

Many say they could not even mourn the deaths as they were busy taking care of themselves or other family members stricken by the killer virus.

Wounded emotions Mary Zhao arrived from Hunan before Chinese New Year to take care of her father, who was bed-

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Volunteers in protective suits disinfect a residential compound Feb. 22, 2020, in Wuhan, China, then the epicenter of the coronavirus outbreak. The central Chinese industrial city, where the coronavirus first emerged in December 2019, partly reopened on March 28 after more than two months of nearly total isolation.

than two months and cause so many deaths. His family had not stocked food items for two months, and money was also tight. They “ate what they could.”

Prices have spiraled during the period. “We had no choice other than buying food at a premium, but I really could not afford it,” he said.

Zhang said he took a walk after authorities relaxed restrictions in Hubei. “Passing through the provincial gate, it felt like the road was empty, like a ghost town,” he said.

He said it is a “blessing from God” that he has no mental problems even after being inside his home for more than two months.

He said he no longer cares about luxuries and non-essential shopping. “It doesn’t matter how much money you have. Safety of family is the most important thing.”

Pain of family members dying alone Teresa Qiu, a clerk in the Hankou area, said she was quarantined from Feb. 1 “because someone in our building tested positive.”

She was afraid to go out or even open the door until there was “really nothing to eat at home. The community workers brought food to the door. But I was scared even to open the door,” she said.

And then, on Feb. 9, she learned the most disheartening news from her father that her mother in Wuchang was infected. The elderly woman was quarantined at home. Qiu could not go and meet her mother because of strict restrictions. The telephone was their only medium to comfort each other.

One day her father called and told her that her mother had just died. They cried loudly.

“It was at home because there were no beds in the hospital. We both were crying. I didn’t know how to comfort dad, and I didn’t know how to comfort myself,” she said.

At the peak of COVID-19 in January and February, Wuhan’s overwhelmed hospitals were forced to ration beds, tests and medical supplies.

Overworked doctors witnessed hospitals crammed with affected patients, exhausted colleagues helpless to save the dying, and bodies lying around for hours before undertakers could remove them.

After the government undertakers took away Qiu’s mother’s body, her dad was isolated at home.

“I didn’t know what to do every day except call Teresa,” he said.

Qiu learned from social media about the thousands of deaths and the need to be quarantined until the epidemic was over.

“What matters is that my dad is still around. And I have a dad,” she said.

She said she would quit her job in Hankou and

ridden because of cancer. Her brother also came to Wuhan to spend the New Year days together with his father.

“On the 10th day of Chinese New Year (Feb. 3), my father died. The government funeral home took his body away,” she said. There was not even a chance to mourn for the departed soul.

“I’m a Catholic but I could not conduct funeral prayers for my father because of the epidemic. My heart is still heavy. I cannot let go of the feeling that I failed to conduct a proper funeral and burial for my father,” Zhao said.

The authorities rushed the cremation and asked her to collect the ashes when the pandemic is over.

Zhao said hundreds of people whose relatives died of COVID-19 are in the same boat of not having an opportunity to conduct proper funerals and mourning to get over their losses. Some are emotionally wrecked, she said.

Take the case of Zhao’s classmate whose husband and son died of COVID-19. Her friends and relatives comforted her through phone calls and social media. But those efforts did nothing to help the deeply depressed woman.

“She now sits at home alone. Every day. Does nothing or does not want to do anything. Her whole life looks ruined,” Zhao said.

Zhang Xiaohua, who runs a hardware store in central Wuhan, said he suffered a heavy loss from the city’s lockdown. His monthly rent was more than 10,000 yuan (US$1,400) and he had a housing loan to pay.

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CATHOLIC SAN FRANCISCO | APRIL 9, 2020

CLASSIFIEDS TO ADVERTISE IN CATHOLIC SAN FRANCISCO CALL (415) 614-5644

VISIT

www.catholic-sf.org

Prayer to the Blessed Virgin never known to fail.

Most beautiful flower of Mt. Carmel Blessed Mother of the Son of God, assist me in my need. Help me and show me you are my mother.

Oh Holy Mary, Mother of God, Queen of Heaven and earth. I humbly beseech you from the bottom of my heart to help me in this need.

Oh Mary, conceived without sin. Pray for us (3X).

Holy Mary, I place this cause in your hands (3X).

Say prayers 3 days. M.L.C.

Prayer to the Blessed Mother

OPERATIONS SUPPORT ASSISTANT

HOLY CROSS CATHOLIC CEMETERY is currently seeking

Please send a cover letter and resume to Lisa Rosenlund at 29 Rockaway Avenue, San Francisco, CA 94127, or lisa@stbrendanparish.org.

St. Brendan Church and School does not unlawfully discriminate against any applicant for employment on the basis of age, sex, disability, race, color and national and/or ethnic origin. Qualified applicants with criminal histories will be considered.

Regular updates of local, national and world news at our award-winning website, catholicsf.org. Look for more of favorite commentators like Father Ron Rolheiser and George Weigel, as well as new voices.

Caretaker performs jobs requiring mainly manual skills and physical strength such as cleaning and clearing cemetery grounds of debris, weeding, mulching, using power trimmers, shovels, rakes, blowers, etc.

St. John of God Parish in San Francisco is looking for a part-time Principal Musician with keyboard and vocal skills. Responsible for leading and/ or accompanying the community for weekend services (Saturday evening and Sunday morning), Holy Days of Obligation, and other services. Required are the ability to work independently in a self-motivated and self-directed manner, working collaboratively with the Director of Parish Music.

St. Brendan Catholic Church in San Francisco, California has an immediate opening for an Operations Support Assistant, who will assist the Operations Manager in a wide variety of production and administrative functions, including word processing, basic accounting, database and sacramental records management, facilities scheduling, as well as technical support for weekend Masses.

A successful candidate will have previous office experience, proficiency in Word and Excel, and significant experience using office-related web-based applications. In addition, the person in this position must be well-organized, have strong communication skills, a friendly and welcoming demeanor, and share a passion for the mission of the Church.

This benefited position is a minimum of 30 hours per week (Sunday through Thursday) and reports directly to the Operations Manager. Sunday work is required. Wages are commensurate with experience and education.

INTERNET:

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St. John of God, San Francisco

ST. BRENDAN CHURCH

If you receive the print paper or if you don’t, we invite you to connect in these alternate ways.

applications for Temporary Cemetery Caretakers to provide seasonal work assistance during Spring and Summer.

Principal Keyboard Musician

POSITION AVAILABLE

ACCESS CSF

Temporary Cemetery Caretaker, Colma, CA

Oh, most beautiful flower of Mt. Carmel, Fruitful vine, splendor of Heaven, blessed Mother of the Son of God, Immaculate Virgin, assist me in my necessity. O Star of the Sea, help me and show me, here. You are my Mother, Oh, Holy Mary, Mother of God, Queen of Heaven and Earth, I humbly beseech you from the bottom of my heart to succor me in this necessity. (Make request.) There are none that can withstand your power. O, Mary, conceived without sin, pray for us who have recourse to thee (3 x). Holy Mother, I place this cause in your hands (3 x).

Say this prayer 3 consecutive days and publish it.

D.O.

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Qualifications:

• Valid California Driver’s License with an insurable driving record • Must be able to follow written and verbal instructions.

Please send resume to: Fr. Kabipi, akabipi@yahoo.com

Applications available at: Holy Cross Cemetery,

All employees of the Archdiocese of San Francisco shall be employed without regard to race, color, sex, ethnic or national origin.

Qualified applicants with criminal histories will be considered.

1500 Mission Road, Colma, CA 94014 Or email: kbonillas@holycrosscemeteries.com

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CATHOLIC SAN FRANCISCO | APRIL 9, 2020

‘LOVE YOUR NEIGHBOR’: Initiative helps needy with groceries FROM PAGE 6

coordinator will contact the group closest to the person who needs help and share the information with the group’s contact person. The contact person for the group will mobilize one or more people in the group to obtain groceries and deliver them to the person. In cases other than emergency, this can be done within 24-48 hours.

Once the groceries are picked up (from the grocery store, the parish food pantry, or SF Marin Food Bank pop-up food pantry or other resource), the volunteer will contact the person being assisted by phone or text. They will drop off the groceries at the person’s door. If the person being assisted can

reimburse for groceries, he or she will leave the money or check in an envelope at the door. There should be no direct contact. CDC guidelines for hand-washing and social distancing will be followed by volunteers.

The volunteer will notify the hotline that the groceries were delivered and share any information that he or she feels is important.

To protect volunteers and those we will be helping, volunteers delivering groceries must be 18-60 years old, with a valid driver’s license and insurance. Volunteers are expected to follow CDC protocols on safe distancing.

Young adult groups, parish Society of St. Vincent De Paul conferences, Knights of Columbus councils

and others are invited to join. A pastor’s approval is required.

For those who want to volunteer staffing the hotline, anyone over 18 can volunteer – there is no upper age limit as they will be able to answer the hotline from their phone at home.

Parish groups which commit to this grocery delivery ministry will receive an initial grant of $1,000 allocated through their parish. The group must have been approved by the pastor and commit to a minimum of 15 hours of work (as a group, not individually).

For more information, email lifeanddignity@sfarch.org or call (415) 614-5571.

SZCZYGIEL: Easter hope for the pandemic of suffering after all. There is salvation. Whether this salvation to the pandemic comes suddenly or subtly, let us be like “the other disciple … who arrived at the tomb first”: Let us believe (John 20:9).

they had another surprise to contend with: an empty tomb. So, too, is it with us now. For many of us, this time of social distancing and quarantining is one of chronic stress – whether we are worried for our elderly parents, family members who are medical personnel and other essential workers, or whether we are struggling with anxiety, depression or family strife that is amplified in close quarters. It is in these troubled times that we must remember that there is hope at the end

FROM PAGE 15

confused. It was the unnamed disciple – the one who “saw and believed” – who made the first leap of faith toward the truth of the resurrection (John 20:8). The others, however, “did not yet understand the Scripture that he had to rise from the dead” (John 20:9).

This is understandable. The disciples just lived through a series of traumatic events, and now

VERONICA SZCZYGIEL, PH.D., is the assistant director of online learning at Fordham University’s Graduate School of Education and a contributor to The Tablet, the official newspaper of the Diocese of Brooklyn. www. veronicaszczygiel.com

WUHAN: Picks up the pieces to crawl back to life FROM PAGE 20

return to live with her father in Wuchang.

‘It is not yet over’ Ah Piao was a part of a volunteer group delivering medical supplies to medical staff by car at the beginning of the epidemic. “It was a tiring time, but it was fulfilling and more exciting than when I used to work for money,” he said.

After the strict lockdown was imposed, Ah Piao stayed at home, gathering information from the internet with his wife and helping out whenever he could.

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“A doctor friend told us to keep inside our home as long as possible, even if the government relaxes restrictions, because there are still a lot of people infected. Hospitals are not confirming infections as COVID-19,” Ah Piao said.

Zhang Xiaohua in Wuhan said his friend’s father died of COVID-19. Later his friend was also infected. But doctors at the hospital will not confirm his case as COVID-19.

“It looks like the government is still hiding the truth, waiting for all the infected to die,” Zhang said.

He believes that even if many of the restrictions are lifted, “we will not have full freedom and will have to go out with medical credentials.”

Ah Piao’s advertising company was shut for two months. He said he suffered economically but pays his employees on time from his savings. “It’s not easy,” he said.

Wuhan authorities have reported that there are no more new coronavirus cases in the city. But Ah Piao said it was “deceptive” because cases cannot be reported when there is no medical testing for patients.

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CATHOLIC SAN FRANCISCO | APRIL 9, 2020

Surgical masks, social distancing: Palm Sunday in Jerusalem’s Old City JUDITH SUDILOVSKY CATHOLIC NEWS SERVICE

(CNS PHOTO/DEBBIE HILL)

A member of the Missionaries of Charity gives an olive branch to a Palestinian Catholic man holding a child outside his home in Jerusalem’s Old City on Palm Sunday, April 5, 2020. The traditional Palm Sunday procession from the Mount of Olives to the Old City was canceled because of the coronavirus pandemic.

Palm Sunday, so we could have the blessed olive branch in our houses,” she said.

Father Sabbara said it was the first time in the 28 years of his priesthood that he could not hold the traditional Palm Sunday celebration and Mass.

“It was sad but at the same time it was full of hope,” he said. Though he celebrated Mass for the Franciscans at St. Saviour Church, he missed seeing the faces of the young children with their palm fronds, he said.

“When I got to the (Old City) quarters and I saw the little boys and girls taking the branches, I (felt like) crying. I understand more my vocation,” he said.

Moses Soufan, 36, left his work as a hotel security guard briefly to come with his 1-year-old niece to receive the branches and readings for him and his parents, with whom he lives.

Although the hotel where he works is closed, he is part of the skeleton staff providing security for the building. The tourist sector in both the Palestin-

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JERUSALEM – Nadine Bitar wore a surgical mask and waited 109 yards from her home in the Old City – as permitted by the Israeli Ministry of Health – to receive a blessed olive branch from Franciscan Father Amjad Sabbara of St. Saviour Parish.

Father Sabbara wound his way around the narrowest of alleyways of his parish in the Old City Palm Sunday, April 5. When he and several assistants arrived to give Bitar the branch and pray with her, she took several branches and Mass booklets, then distributed them among her extended family and neighbors, some of whom are elderly and were unable to come down to receive the branches.

With the booklets, they were able to follow the Palm Sunday Mass celebrated by Archbishop Pierbattista Pizzaballa, apostolic administrator of Jerusalem, and livestreamed from the Church of the Holy Sepulcher, which has been closed since March 25.

For the Christian residents of the Old City, Holy Week and Easter are like a family celebration, said Bitar.

“It is heartbreaking we can’t participate in the church service and the public Mass on Palm Sunday, but we have faith this pain we are living into Holy Week is also giving us hope of the resurrection,” she said. “It is a lesson for us to take some time for God and actually know the word of God.” Due to the global pandemic of the COVID-19 virus, all religious gatherings have been prohibited, and all places of worship have been closed by both the Israeli and Palestinian ministries of health to prevent the further spreading of the disease. In his March 26 Pastoral Guidelines for Holy Week following the issuing of the restrictions, Archbishop Pizzaballa suggested priests distribute previously blessed olive branches and holy water to their parishioners in adherence with government directives.

“Usually we go to the priest for him to bless our olive branches; this time he came to us. It was a very heartwarming gesture. He did this so we could feel

ian territories – whose economy depends largely on tourism – and in Israel has been decimated as international travel has come to a halt because of COVID-19.

“Unfortunately, this year there are no pilgrims coming to the country to be able to celebrate (Easter) as usual,” said Soufan.

Though they could follow the Palm Sunday Mass through the livestream, it is not the same as the shared experience of the festive gathering on the Mount of Olives and walking down in the procession to the Old City, he said.

“It is sad; since I was a little boy I have been going to the Mount of Olives, walking all the way down celebrating,” he said. “It breaks my heart not to be able to be at the Church of the Holy Sepulcher on this day or on Holy Saturday or on Easter. When I got the news I couldn’t believe it. I have been (going) ... every year; I have never missed a year.”

“My intentions with my prayers today, like everyone else, are for this to be over, and maybe on Holy Saturday it will be over,” added Soufan.

In his Palm Sunday Message, Archbishop Pizzaballa reminded the faithful that, although in fearful and uncertain times, people want to have “faith in a God who gives us certainties and security. Christian faith is based on hope and love, not on certainty.” “(God) won’t solve all our problems, he won’t give us all the certainties that our human nature needs, but he won’t leave us alone,” said Archbishop Pizzaballa. “We know he loves us.”

After the Mass, Bitar went out to the balcony of the home she shares with her two brothers and their families and her mother to look out at the view of the Mount of Olives. Usually, she said, on Palm Sunday she can see thousands of people coming down the hill.

“Now it is empty and that is heartbreaking,” she said. “But that is OK. The stones of the Old City of Jerusalem are the witnesses of our voices and the voices of our ancestors. This is a message of hope for the whole world during this Easter season; we can come closer to God and see his glory as he is removing this virus from the world.”

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