2024
“Were not our hearts burning within us while He spoke to us on the way…?”
PUBLISHER
Archbishop Salvatore J. Cordileone
CSF
Fr. Patrick Summerhays Vicar General & Moderator of the Curia Ryan Mayer
Peter Marlow (415) 614-5636
Valerie Schmalz
Life & Dignity
Rod Linhares
While the feast day of the Sacred Heart is typically celebrated 19 days after Pentecost on a Friday, the Catholic Church for centuries has dedicated the entire month of June to the Sacred Heart of Jesus. The U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops offers reminders of this special devotion in its outreach to the faithful, and you can read more about fidelity to the Sacred Heart on page 36.
As the article indicates, the love of the Sacred Heart of Jesus stands in stark contrast to our modern culture, which often replaces God with self, advocating distorted views of human identity and flaunting disordered perceptions of love.
We are called to reach out with compassion to those in need who are blinded by the darkness and confusion of a broken world and boldly proclaim an authentic love centered in the Sacred Heart, the only love that fosters true joy and consolation.
The Sacred Heart represents the will of Jesus. His will is to love you, personally, with an intimacy beyond human relationships. He desires to unite His burning heart of love with your heart through His real presence in the Eucharist. When we receive the Eucharist in the state of grace, this intimacy draws us up to Him, and we refer to this uniting of humanity and divinity as “Holy Communion.”
The Eucharistic Revival taking place across the country is an effort to impress upon our minds the reality of this love. Devotion to the Sacred Heart of Jesus encompasses a human heart with a beauty, goodness and truth that serves as the antidote to a life of anxiety and restlessness.
Family time fosters stability and provides opportunities to share faith experiences. It recognizes the importance of community.”
In the 24th chapter of the Gospel of Luke, we read about the effects of this divine love when two disciples asked themselves after engaging with the resurrected Jesus on the road to Emmaus: “Were not our hearts burning within us while He spoke to us on the way and opened the Scriptures to us?”
Each person is at a different stage in his or her spiritual journey, and those who may be compromised by worldly influences may not yet be prepared to recognize or internalize the reality of God’s love for them. We need to reach them in different ways.
In response to growing secular ideologies, a friend of mine launched last year an initiative in June after a disturbing Wall Street Journal poll revealed a sharp decline in belief in the timeless values of patriotism, religion, family and community. Princeton Professor Robert
George declared the month of June as “Fidelity Month,” a time for us to recenter ourselves on God, spouses and family.
Many of you may have fond memories of family traditions, even beyond those of weddings and funerals, that brought families together on a regular basis. I am certainly in that number! Sunday was always family day for us: church in the morning, Italian-style dinner in the early afternoon, visiting one set or another of extended family in the later afternoon, and then all the aunts, uncles and cousins on my mother’s side of the family gathering at my maternal grandparents’ home in the evening. There, we kids would make up games to play with each other while the adults played poker, with Grandma admonishing us from time to time, “less noise!”
Family time fosters stability and provides opportunities to share faith experiences. It recognizes the importance of community. The Fidelity Month movement strives to ignite in hearts and minds a renewed fidelity to God and family that can heal wounds and divisions and rejuvenate faith.
In this month of June, I pray that you and your family deepen your devotion to the Sacred Heart of Jesus and find new ways to engage in family traditions that serve as positive examples for others to emulate. ■
Together, we can strengthen the values that unite all Americans despite our many differences. Join us in June by celebrating fidelity to God, spouses and families, and our country and communities.
The Ultimate Catholic Quiz by Catholic Answers’ founder, Karl Keating.
Excerpted with permission and available for purchase from
https://ignatius.com/the-ultimate-catholic-quiz-ucqp/
There are no trick questions, but there are questions that will trip you up if you fail to read carefully. An answer is counted as wrong if any part of it — such as a date or name — is wrong. Your goal is not to find the answer that is least wrong, but the one answer that is wholly right, which may be “none of the above.” On average, most informed Catholics score 50%. How well did you do?
1. Mortal sin
a. is nowhere mentioned in Scripture.
b. is a theological construct of the Church of the Middle Ages, and since Vatican II, we recognize that there are only two kinds of sins, venial and serious.
c. is the same as serious sin; only the words are different.
d. makes it impossible for you ever to get to heaven, no matter what you do.
e. none of the above
2. Apologetics means
a. never having to say you’re sorry.
b. the art of apologizing for being a Catholic.
c. a course that seminarians used to have to take but are now exempted from by canon law.
d. giving reasoned explanations and defenses for the faith.
e. none of the above
3. A Mass is invalid
a. if “Kumbaya” is sung.
b. if the priest omits the opening Sign of the Cross and the Nicene Creed.
Ceiling painting of St. Thomas Aquinas Angelic Doctor (Bene Scripsisti De Me Thoma) in the Vatican.
c. if the priest celebrates Mass while he is in a state of mortal sin.
d. If the priest ad-libs any part of the canon.
e. none of the above.
4. Which of these is not one of the five proofs for the existence of God as given by St. Thomas Aquinas?
a. the argument of an unmoved mover
b. the argument of Pascal’s wager
c. the argument of a first cause
d. the argument from contingency
e. none of the above.
5. Which of these sacraments does not forgive mortal sins?
a. anointing of the sick
b. Eucharist
c. baptism
d. extreme unction
e. none of the above.
Answer highlights can be found on page 45.
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ABY CATHOLIC SAN FRANCISCO
bout 350 teachers and administrators from the four archdiocesan high schools gathered at the Cathedral of St. Mary of the Assumption March 1 for their annual Archdiocesan High School Convocation. The annual gathering of teachers from Archbishop Riordan, Junipero Serra, Marin Catholic and Sacred Heart Cathedral high schools is put on each year by the Office of Catholic Identity and the Department of Catholic Schools. It is an opportunity for Catholic educators to pray together and to consider their shared vocation in Catholic schools in the Archdiocese of San Francisco. Inspired by the National Eucharistic Revival and Archbishop Cordileone’s column in the Catholic schools edition of Catholic San Francisco magazine, the theme of the convocation was “Eucharist as Source and Summit of Catholic Education.”
Convocations in 2022 and 2023 saw the teachers reflect on the “Five Essential Marks of Catholic Schools” from a booklet by Vancouver’s Archbishop J. Michael Miller titled “The Holy See’s Teaching on Catholic Schools.” The five marks, Archbishop Miller explains in the booklet, “necessarily belong to a school’s Catholic identity (and) are the principles proposed by the Holy See that justify the Church’s heavy investment in schooling. Moreover, they are measurable benchmarks, forming the backbone and inspiring the mission of every Catholic school.” The 2022 convocation addressed the first three marks
– “inspired by a supernatural vision,” “founded on Christian anthropology, and “animated by communion and community” – with talks by University of Notre Dame professors Christopher Baglow and Timothy O’Malley and Franciscan University of Steubenville professor Theresa Farnan.
In 2023, former Marin Catholic president and theology teacher Bishop Thomas A. Daly and Notre Dame professor Leonard DeLorenzo spoke on mark four- “sustained by Gospel witness.” Bishop Daly currently serves as bishop of Spokane, Washington, and is finishing a three-year term as chairman of the U.S. bishops’ Committee on Catholic Education.
Ryan Mayer, archdiocesan director of Catholic identity, opened this year’s convocation by reminding teachers of the 2019 Pew Research poll that indicated the tragic statistic that only about one-third of Catholics believe in the doctrine of the real presence of Jesus in the Eucharist. “If only onethird of Catholics believe in this central teaching of our faith,” Mayer said, “what does this mean for the students
How can we foster an encounter with Jesus if we are not even convinced He is really, truly present among us?”
RYAN MAYER, archdiocesan director of Catholic identity
we encounter each and every day? How can we foster an encounter with Jesus if we are not even convinced He is really, truly present among us?”
Catholic Answers apologist, speaker and author Joe Heschmeyer gave a keynote address titled “The Eucharistic Heart of Christianity” based on his recent book “The Eucharist is Really Jesus” (Catholic Answers Press). Archbishop Cordileone has endorsed the book, writing, “Author Joe Heschmeyer opens the Scriptures to reveal deep theological and mystical realities anchored in the Eucharist. The shocking new Christian message isn’t that we can now ‘pray to God directly.’ The shocking new Christian message is that our God wants to dwell in us – in our bodies – as He once dwelt in the Temple in Jerusalem.”
Heschmeyer also gave two breakout sessions on “The Eucharist as the Heart of Worship.” Teachers had the opportunity to join four other Eucharistthemed breakout sessions including “Teaching the Eucharist through Literature” with Father Michael Liliedahl, pastor at St. Stephen Parish; “Eucharistic ›
Gianna Alcaraz
Sophia Alterio
Mayralejandra Alvarez Torres
Madison Alves
Alexandra Athanasiadi
Jenna Mari Baptista
Lindsey Barrera
Gabrylle Bautista
Larkin Brewer
Ysabel Cancio
Gina Canepa
Arissa Canites
Victoria Carter
Lily Catalano-Dockins
Haley Chan
Jesse Chan
Vides Chavez
Jessica Coco
Chloe Cox
Kiana Dacanay
Adelina Daher-Tabak
Hayden Damsgaard Hughes
Philomena De Barra
Lindsey Delery
Persia Ehteshami
Layla El-Halees
Tawny Elchuck
Janae Escobar Peleseuma
Coco Faillace
Francesca Falbo
Addison Fine
Juliana Fullmer
Eva Gale
Isabella Gallo
Caitlin Gardner
Krista Glass
Cecilia Gomez
Mia Alejandra Gonzalez
Michelle Guzman
Ava Haga
Caitlin Hampson
Desiree Hansen
Riley Hartman
Matea Houle
Lauryn Jeter
Gabrielle Jison
Aalia Jones
Josie Jung
Clara Keough
Bernadette Khoury
Sierra Klingler
Riley Lask
Isabella Lee
Gianna Lertora
Kaycee Leyson
Emmy Lindley
Parker Lindow
Jenna Manuel
Paolina Marquez
Leiani Martiniano
Julia McCulloch
Quinn McNamara
Reagan McNichol
Amarech Mendez
Karina Monsanto
Jazmine Moran
Nina Morton
Juliana Mufarreh
Ande Northrop
Mia Obando
Isabela Oliveira
Giselle Ortega
Tatiana Palanca
Eva Patel
Caitlin Pearl
Makaila Ranjo
Samira Reddy
Jaylyn Remolona
Maya Reynoso
Marguerite Robison
Audra Rodgers
Emily Rodriguez
Anastasia Roeder
Devyn Rome
Stephanie Ryan
Paloma Sanchez
Catherine Schutzendorf
Rosemary Schwarz
Lillian Shapona
Julia Shatzki
Maria Shelley
Priyana Singh
Julianna Sirhan
Kylie Sok
Angelina Suarez
Virginia Suazo
Sachiko Syler
Sofia Talyamsky
Charlotte Tanner
Madeline Tzifas
Jaiden Verzosa
Jazlyn Villavicencio
Nicole Vo
Lauren Wagonfeld
Kelcey Welch
Cailyn White
Shayla Whitley
Allison Yee
Catholic Answers apologist, speaker and author Joe Heschmeyer presents at the annual Archdiocesan High School Convocation. The Eucharistic Heart of Christianity was the title of his keynote address.
Our schools play a vital role in fostering an encounter with Christ in everything they do.”
Evangelization” with Christina Augustine, a missionary with the Fellowship of Catholic University Students at St. Raymond Parish; and two Dominican Sisters of Mary Mother of the Eucharist, both teachers at Marin Catholic High School.
Sisters Peter Joseph and Maria Suso spoke on “Eucharistic Saints” and “The Eucharist and the Abundant Life.” “The saints love the Eucharist because they have a deep friendship with Jesus Christ. They know He is present there in the Eucharist,” said Sister Peter Joseph during a Q&A session with the teachers.
“I got a lot out of the talks personally,” commented one Marin Catholic teacher. “The more rooted in the Eucharist I am, the better witness I can be to my students.” A Serra High School teacher added that the day left him with “a strengthened overall faith and better understanding of the living Christ in the Eucharist.”
Archbishop Cordileone celebrated Mass with the teachers in the cathedral and reminded them of the importance of their personal witness to the reality of Jesus’ presence in the Eucharist. One Sacred Heart
Cathedral teacher remarked, “The Archbishop did a great job relating his homily to the secondary teachers of the archdiocese. It felt like he was talking to us.” Students from the four high schools were altar servers at the Mass. The Archbishop stopped by during lunch to mingle with and greet the teachers.
Teachers put the theme of the day into practice by concluding the convocation with adoration of the Blessed Sacrament in the cathedral. “One highlight,” said another Sacred Heart Cathedral teacher, “was the invitation at the end of the convocation to visit the Eucharist in the cathedral for adoration. I was moved by the witness of the number of teachers who paid a visit.”
The Eucharist is the “source and summit of the Christian life,” says the Catechism of the Catholic Church.1 Our schools play a vital role in fostering an encounter with Christ in everything they do. May they be places of true encounter with the Eucharistic Jesus. ■
1 Catechism of the Catholic Church, 1324.
BY CHRISTINA GRAY
Lead writer, Catholic San Francisco grayc@sfarch.org
In its first two years, the National Eucharistic Revival has drawn faithful Catholics into a deeper reverence for the sacramental gift of Jesus Christ, who draws us to himself through the gift of His body and blood in the Eucharist.
On Feb. 11, World Marriage Day, the California Conference of Catholic Bishops announced an initiative designed as a practical way to incarnate the grace of the revival into families and communities during the 2024-25 pastoral year.
Starting in July, the conference will begin issuing to parish communities a regular rotation of prayers, reflections and other materials under the banner of “Radiate Love.” The initiative is a marriage and family life enrichment program “modeled on the love of God for his people expressed in the Eucharist,” said Archbishop Salvatore J. Cordileone in a video on the CCC website.
“This theme brings to mind an image that beautifully illuminates how the natural, oneflesh union of husband and wife complements the Eucharist, where Jesus invites us to a supernatural union between our humanity and His divinity,” Archbishop Cordileone explains in the short video. Image is the perfect word, said Archbishop Cordileone, “as both sacraments are about community, which is the very image of God Himself.”
Other Catholic bishops, including Sacramento Bishop Jaime Soto, Fresno Bishop Joseph V. Brennan and San Bernardino Bishop Alberto Rojas also share their thoughts on marriage and family in separate videos.
Under the banner of Radiate Love, the bishops want to help couples renew and deepen their appreciation for “God’s immeasurable gift of the sacrament of marriage, that through it they may be brought more deeply into communion with Christ,” Archbishop Cordileone said.
A Eucharistic marriage starts with us as individuals being fed by Christ in the Eucharist, then going out and feeding one another and the world around us”
GREG SCHUTTE Director of Marriage Works, a department of Elizabeth’s New Life Center, Dayton, Ohio SCAN FOR MORE ABOUT THE
Greg Schutte is the director of Marriage Works, a department of Elizabeth’s New Life Center in Dayton, Ohio. After years of leading marriage enrichment programs as a licensed social worker and therapist, Schutte developed a seven-part video program on building a Eucharistic marriage. It is based on a model for change which connects seven areas for therapeutically strengthening a marriage with seven areas of deepening our relationship with Christ through the Eucharist. ›
A Eucharistic marriage is a marriage centered on Christ. When it’s healthy, your marriage is a beautiful gift to you, your spouse and the people around you.”
GREG SCHUTTE Director of Marriage Works, a department of Elizabeth’s New Life Center, Dayton, Ohio
This course is part of a longer program written by Schutte called “Discovering Our Deepest Desire,” a marriage enrichment program with an imprimatur from the Archdiocese of Cincinnati. Today, the video series is licensed by more than 16 Catholic dioceses or archdioceses in the U.S., including Cleveland, Cincinnati, Columbus, New York, Orange and Atlanta, for use by parishes.
We asked Schutte to describe what a Eucharistic marriage is and why couples should cultivate one.
“Another way to put it is, it is sacramental marriage,” he said. “It flows from the sacrament of marriage together centralized around the sacrament of the Eucharist.”
“A Eucharistic marriage starts with us as individuals being fed by Christ in the Eucharist, then going out and feeding one another and the world around us,” he said.
He describes it to couples by asking them a startling question when they point fingers at one another for the problems in their marriage.
“If I gave you an opportunity to starve each other to death right now, would you do it?,” he will ask. Of course not, they exclaim, I love him or her.
“Well, that’s exactly what’s going on here,” he tells
them. Not a physical starvation, but a spiritual and emotional starvation. “Couples don’t know how to feed each other, the way the Eucharist feeds us.”
Schutte said the U.S. divorce rate has been holding steady at about 50% for years. Catholic couples are not immune to that and are divorcing at pretty much the same rate.
He said that even if that statistic is overblown, and the percentage of failed marriages is more like 25%, “that’s 1 in 4 marriages that are failing.”
Schutte said that while it seems people in our culture are delaying or avoiding marriage, or living together instead (which he says works against the future health of the relationship), he believes it is not that they don’t believe in or want marriage.
“It’s that they don’t want to fail at marriage,” he said. “A Eucharistic marriage is a marriage centered on Christ. When it’s healthy, your marriage is a beautiful gift to you, your spouse and the people around you.” ■
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BY CHRISTINA GRAY Lead writer, Catholic San Francisco grayc@sfarch.org
Deacon David Mees was ordained to the priesthood at the Cathedral of St. Mary of the Assumption on June 15.
Catholic San Francisco talked to the new priest prior to his ordination when he was finishing his seminary studies and serving as weekend deacon at St. Catherine of Siena Parish in Burlingame. Father Mees said he had found himself daydreaming about his first days as a parish priest.
“I thought about how I would tell my parishioners how happy I am to be here, and that I would like to see every single one of them in heaven,” he said. “God wants that even more.”
The thought of preparing those under his pastoral care for eternal life is very moving to him. “We are only here on earth for what time God allows us to be,” said Mees, who was ordained into the transitional diaconate in late September and began serving at St. Catherine of Siena. Preparing others for the eternal life promised to followers of Jesus Christ can’t be overstated, he said.
He referenced a discernment book seminarians often read called “To Save a Thousand Souls,” by Father Brett Brannen.
“The purpose of a priest is to bring Jesus to the people, and the people to Jesus,” he said. “It’s as simple as that.”
As Father David Mees, he will continue to minister to the St. Catherine of Siena parish community in the role of parochial vicar starting
July 1. He will concurrently serve as chaplain for Junipero Serra High School in San Mateo.
“Deacon Dave has been an absolute blessing here at St. Catherine,” said Father John Ryan, pastor, in the months before ordination. His homilies are very down-to-earth and inspiring, he said, and his presence and manner with parishioners is friendly and approachable. “He is at home with them and especially good with the teenagers.”
Father Mees, 59, said his call to the priesthood wasn’t an early or immediate one.
“I didn’t always know that I wanted to be a priest,” he said. The Morgan Hill native grew up in a practicing Catholic home. But he said his faith didn’t “really hit him” until after he graduated from college. Taking a job as a math teacher at De La Salle Catholic High School in Concord, California, sparked a new commitment in his faith life and offered a distant glimmer of a call to the priesthood.
“I had either never heard the call before or I wasn’t listening to it,” said Father Mees.
Still, he left his long teaching career to take a job as a land surveyor for an urban public works department. He dated but did not feel an “inner tug” toward marriage.
His pull toward the priesthood grew too strong to ignore. He signed up for a
Deacon David Mees, pictured outside St. Patrick’s Seminary & University on March 19, 2024, was ordained at St. Mary’s Cathedral on June 15.
discernment retreat where he heard a speaker say that it is “the responsibility of every man and woman to spend time discerning what God has called them to.”
David Mees entered St. Patrick’s Seminary & University in 2017 when he was 50 years old.
Father Mees got “a lot of support” from his sister and brother, both of whom were at the Mass where their brother was ordained. He admits he gets “teary-eyed” thinking about his late mother, Doris, and late father, Joseph, who weren’t there to see him become a priest.
“I had started growing closer to Christ when they were alive,” he said.
Though he is older than most newly ordained priests, Father Mees said age — and the time that goes with that — feels like an asset. He comes to the priesthood with a mature set of professional and administrative skills and the wisdom that only comes with life experience.
“It was not daunting at all,” he said of his ordination day. “I’ve had many years to see what a priest’s life is like. For me, the longer I’ve been here, the more I’m interiorly fulfilled and certain of this calling.” ■
Saturday, September 21, 2024
For more information: email advancement@stpsu.edu or call 650-289-3355
BY CHRISTINA GRAY Lead writer, Catholic San Francisco grayc@sfarch.org
It’s been less than a year since the Capuchin Family Kitchen van first coasted to the curb outside the National Shrine of St. Francis in North Beach. The jaunty vehicle emblazoned with the words, “Let all that you do be done with love,” has rolled through the streets of San Francisco every Saturday morning since, filled with sandwiches, supplies and brown-robed friars ready to ease human suffering wherever they see it.
“How very Franciscan it is!,” said Capuchin Franciscan Father Michael Mahoney, longtime pastor of Our Lady of Angels Parish in Burlingame, of the Capuchin Franciscan mobile ministry his parish supports.
The National Shrine of St. Francis, which is under the stewardship of the local Capuchins, is close to some of the most food-insecure neighborhoods in San Francisco. The van helps the friars distribute food, water, toiletries, clothing, blankets and religious items to these areas, primarily the beleaguered Tenderloin neighborhood.
The Our Lady of Angels parish community, which has been served for nearly 100 years by the friars of the Capuchin Franciscan Western America province (with headquarters a block away), has thrown itself body and soul into support of the Capuchin Family Kitchen van.
When the van was blessed last October after a Mass at Our Lady of Angels celebrated by Auxiliary Bishop Matthew Elshoff of Los Angeles, a Capuchin Franciscan, parishioners helped load more than 500 pairs of socks and toiletries they purchased into the van.
Laura Elmore, parish outreach coordinator, told Catholic San Francisco that parish and school clubs and ministries, as well as students from other local Catholic elementary and high schools, have enthusiastically made the journey to the National Shrine of St. Francis to volunteer on Saturday mornings to make sandwiches. The parish community pays for all the food supplies, but often the volunteers make or bring contributions of their own.
“Some student groups have written letters of hope to be included with ›
Capuchin Franciscan friars and brothers of the Western America province stand outside their Capuchin Family Kitchen van used to deliver food to the poor. From left, Father Christopher Iwancio, Brother Lance Love, Brother Niko Barth and Brother Peter Ciolino, OFM Cap.
Below left, St. Gabriel parishioner Donna Nathanson manages the Capuchin Family Kitchen van program including coordinating parish and school volunteers.
Below right, students from Our Lady of Angels School in Burlingame make sandwiches in a service project.
sandwiches, socks and hygiene items in the brown paper bags that are distributed,” she said.
“I think this is a beautiful project that makes our people in Burlingame, especially our young people, so much more aware that there is another world out there that they sometimes don’t see, the world of the homeless and the poor,” Father Mahoney said.
The seeds and spirit of the Order of Friars Minor Capuchin were planted in 1525 when Matteo da Bascio, an Italian Franciscan priest, became convinced that the Franciscans of his time were not living as practiced by St. Francis, their founder. Father da Bascio wished to return to the original lifestyle of living in solitude and penance, preaching the Gospel and serving people in their material needs. This wasn’t received well initially by his superiors, and for a time, Father da Bascio and his followers lived in seclusion among the Camaldolese monks.
In 1528, the friars received the approval of Pope Clement VII to live by the most literal observance possible of the Rule of St. Francis. The order adopted the hermits’ custom of wearing a hood, or “capuche” on their simple, brown robe, and an untrimmed beard. Today, the Capuchin Franciscan order is one of the largest religious orders in the Catholic Church, numbering more than 10,000 brothers worldwide in over 1,500 houses and friaries.
Capuchin Father Christopher Iwancio is director of campus ministry at St. Francis High School in La Canada, California. It is run by Capuchin Franciscans of the Western America province. Father Iwancio galvanized the effort to bring the Capuchin food truck concept to the Los Angeles area during the pandemic and, more recently, to San Francisco. Partners also supporting the Capuchin Franciscans in this special ministry
We are not just another NGO (non-governmental organization) feeding people. When we take the van out, it’s a witness of our Catholic faith and our acknowledgement of the dignity of each person we serve.”
FATHER CHRISTOPHER IWANCIO
include the Knights of St. Francis, Marin Catholic High School, Our Lady of Angels, St. Ignatius College Prep, and St. Francis High School.
An enthusiastic cook, Father Iwancio and students in the “Culinary Club” had always cooked hot meals for the homeless in the Los Angeles area. During the pandemic, the need increased, but delivery became more complicated.
“The friars, students and lay community all wanted to do more for the homeless and poor,” he said. “But it was difficult.”
After learning about a Capuchin outreach van in the Archdiocese of Denver, Father Iwancio flew there to see it and how the local friars operated. Capuchins in Boston also had a similar outreach. Each had a vehicle and outreach program based on its infrastructure and unique needs.
“We were able to figure out what we wanted to do here in Los Angeles so we could scale up our outreach ministry,” he said. The food truck was purchased with private donations and a grant from the Padre Pio Foundation of America.
Father Iwancio brought the L.A. food truck up to San Francisco last fall on a sort of test run to show it to Burlingame friars. Members of the St. Francis High School lacrosse team traveled with him and linked up with the St. Ignatius High School lacrosse team to make brown-bag sandwich lunches for distribution.
The immediate reaction of our friars was, ‘how can we get one?’ said Elmore. They had long wanted to expand outreach in and around the area of the national shrine.
Supported and encouraged by Archbishop Cordileone and funded in the same way as the Los Angeles truck, a smaller Capuchin Family Kitchen van was purchased for San Francisco.
“We are not just another NGO (nongovernmental organization) feeding people,” said Father Iwancio. He was only half-joking when he pointed out the letters “v-a-n” in the word “evangelization.” ›
“When we take the van out, it’s a witness of our Catholic faith and our acknowledgement of the dignity of each person we serve,” he said.
The fun and funky van, the friendly friars and the personal outreach seem to have particularly captivated young Catholics, according to Elmore.
Catholic high school student athletes from St. Ignatius, Junipero Serra, Sacred Heart Cathedral Prep and Marin Catholic jumped in to volunteer, and many of them continue to.
Donna Nathanson, a St. Gabriel parishioner and retiree, spends her days now as a volunteer coordinator for the entire Capuchin Family Kitchen program (her brother is a Capuchin friar). She said she is intentional in her efforts to create impactful service opportunities, particularly for students.
Capuchin Franciscan Father Bobby Barbato, rector of the National Shrine of St. Francis, blesses the van, the volunteers and the food inside before a delivery on April 20. Capuchin Franciscan Brother Peter Ciolino, foreground, distributes food with other volunteers on the streets of the Tenderloin neighborhood.
“I grew up in a big Catholic family of 14 children,” she said. “We were taught at a very early age about the importance of sharing what you have and giving back by doing things for others.”
When the eighth grade class from Our Lady of Angels came to the national shrine to make sandwiches one Saturday this winter, Nathanson had some bonus learning experiences ready for them.
They received a tour of the adjoining Porziuncola Nuova, an exquisite replica of the chapel where St. Francis began his faith journey 800 years ago in Assisi. Mike Flaherty, a homeless advocate now 24 years sober, gave testimony to his days of addiction and homelessness.
“You may not always be ready to hear what God is asking you,” he told the students. “But God patiently waits in the wings for when you are ready to come to him.” Capuchin Brother Nikolas Barth offered a
reflection on the domino impact one person can have on another.
On Saturday mornings at 8:30 a.m., volunteers of all stripes meet in the national shrine’s basement hall. Within a two-hour window, young and old, friars and laypersons work happily, shoulderto-shoulder. They make sandwiches and pack hundreds of brown paper bags for delivery to people living in homeless encampments, doorways and alleyways in San Francisco.
Before the van departs for its run, Capuchin Father Robert “Bobby” Barbato, rector of the national shrine, blesses the friars, the volunteers, the van’s cargo and the human lives that will be touched by it all. ■
SCAN TO DONATE TO THE CAPUCHIN FAMILY KITCHEN VAN MINISTRY OR SIGN UP TO VOLUNTEER at capuchinswest. org/foodtruck/.
BY ROSEMARY ALVA
“There are not enough words to express the positive experience my 90-year-old mother-inlaw had with Bella Primary Care and Dr. Tammy Mahaney,” raved Marina. “It’s heartening to know that Dr. Tammy demonstrated exceptional care, taking the time and effort to ensure my mother-in-law’s well-being. The personal touch, such as calling on her way home to ensure my husband picked up a walker the doctor ordered, reflects a truly compassionate approach to health care. It was the first time my mother-in-law did not want to leave the medical office nor was she rushed.” Marina and her family are patients at Bella Primary Care, Northern California’s first Catholic health care clinic since 2015.
Located at 2000 Van Ness Avenue in San Francisco, Bella opened in 2022 and has since received a permanent primary care license from the California Department of Public Health, staffed several medical providers and implemented insurance coverage. Bella provides family medicine, pediatric and adolescent health, women’s health, men’s health, geriatric wellness and intravenous infusion
services. When asked why she works at Bella, Dr. Mahaney said, “Bella is truly unique because the doctors and nurse practitioners care about their patients and want to bring value and listen to what your health concerns are.”
At a time when many smaller medical clinics have been acquired by larger corporate initiatives, Bella serves as a reminder of personal medical care where meeting patient quotas and short appointment times are not part of the program. “I went in for a physical and was very surprised, based on my previous experience with medical office visits,” explained Daniel, a student at UC Berkeley. “They treated me like a real person, not just a number or a profile.
There was no hurry to move me in and out.” Another patient, Jen, shares a similar experience. “I have nine children and my last medical provider was part of a really large facility,” she explains. “It was always a fight for me to get life-affirming care.”
Physicians also seek out Bella’s approach to patient care. Bella’s pediatrician, Victoria Schneider, learned of the clinic and contacted it immediately. “I went into pediatrics to provide compassionate and excellent care to children,” explains Dr. Schneider. “The staff at Bella gives me the occasion to work in a clinic where I take care of patients in an environment that truly partners with parents to make sure their children can live safely and thrive. Additionally, in larger practices and in some of my past experiences, a physician can feel as if on an assembly line, seeing five or six patients an hour, all day long. There is no time to develop a relationship or go very deep in understanding their needs. At Bella, patient appointments are longer, which improves quality of care.” Tessa, mother of four young children, affirms this quality of care. “With our previous providers, there was a real lack of humanity. Everything seemed very clinical and, even with little kids, there wasn’t a warmth you would naturally have with a child or you would hope a provider would have with a child. It was just: What’s wrong, what kind of medications do you need, what vaccines do you need, we’ll get you in and out. When we came to Bella, it was a completely different experience.”
Quality of care resonates highly with patients. “Most of our new patients come by referral,” explains Bella office manager Sally Brien Holper. “People are so happy with the care they receive, they tell their family and friends. It’s very common for a new patient to come and, after a visit or two, their family members make appointments.”
What’s the secret behind this quality of care? Catholic values. Bella provides life-affirming, lifelong care for any patient, in any walk of life, whether insured, underinsured or self-pay. Thus, to serve all, the clinic model relies on the generosity of time, talent and donations (via grants and private donors) to keep the doors open, lights on and patients scheduled. With Archbishop Cordileone and career professionals on the board of directors and staff, boosted by hundreds of supporters and volunteers behind the scenes, the clinic ›
The God-given dignity of every patient is acknowledged and affirmed, the value of life is upheld and hope is given to the young mother, the infertile couple, the elderly father and everyone in between.”
stays on-focus and open for opportunities not only to see patients who make regular appointments, but also to collaborate with organizations such as United for Life, 40 Days for Life, Project Rachel and the Gabriel Project, to fill a much needed gap in licensed medical care for all communities. The outcome? The God-given dignity of every patient is acknowledged and affirmed, the value of life is upheld and hope is given to the young mother, the infertile couple, the elderly father and everyone in between.
With an unwavering commitment to life, Bella is a beacon of hope for many new parents. “We hear more and more that patients are pressured to not have more children,” Bella’s executive director, Dolores Meehan, explains. “They are pressured to do prenatal testing. And if there’s some abnormality from the prenatal testing, they are pressured to abort. At Bella, we don’t put that kind of pressure on patients. We encourage them to embrace life and accompany them on that journey.” This is a journey that begins in natural conception and continues to natural death.
When patients require varied levels of care, Bella provides the foundation: primary care physicians who support patient values. “Bella is a primary care medical clinic and a place where patients can have a personal relationship with their physician,” Meehan said. “Because your primary care physician is the gatekeeper for all other medical care, it’s important to establish trust and guarantee shared values with this provider in particular. Everything in a patient’s health care comes back to the primary care physician.” When Amy, a caregiver for her disabled older brother, was concerned he was not receiving complete
We encourage them to embrace life and accompany them on that journey.”
care in the hospital, she contacted a Bella provider for medical advocacy. “My brother was admitted to the ICU with varied complications but alert and with signs of hope. The attending physician made assumptions and comments about his quality of life, commented he will ‘never improve’ and even phoned me in the middle of the night to pressure me to sign a Do Not Resuscitate agreement. We wanted good medical care but instead these behaviors caused us to feel bullied and concerned about the quality of care. I spoke with a Bella provider who advised me by phone and helped us so much with sound medical advice. She valued his life and gave us a feeling of not being alone. We had a second wind to approach the next steps in his care. We also had a sense of peace and an advocate when we needed one. We are so grateful.” Meehan added, “Every patient that comes to us is a medical advocacy patient, because every patient coming to us is coming for life-affirming care.”
“When I found Bella, I thought: Finally! Finally, someone is here to actually ask the questions I want to be asked and to actually take care of me and my family in a way that I want as a parent,” Tessa said. “I recommend it to anyone who is dissatisfied with your current health care or seeking a more deserving medical experience and encourage you to go in and check it out.”
Marina gratefully concludes, “We feel so fortunate to have found Bella Primary Care.” ■
SCAN FOR MORE INFORMATION ABOUT BELLA PRIMARY CARE OR TO MAKE A DONATION to provide dignified care for underfunded patients, visit BellaPrimaryCare.org.
BY REV. JEROME A. MAGAT, STHD
St. Patrick’s Seminary & University
Visitors to the Vatican are often surprised to learn that several important structures have stood on the very spot where St. Peter’s Basilica currently stands. These structures tell the story of how the most famous Catholic church in the world came to be.
Prior to the martyrdom of St. Peter at the base of the hill known as Vaticanus—which lies across the Tiber River from what is today downtown Rome— the emperor Caligula (A.D. 37-41) had constructed a circus (arena) where he hosted various games and public spectacles. It was known as the Circus Caligula or Circus Vaticanus. Later, the emperor Nero renamed it after himself. It was in this circus that St. Peter was crucified upside down in approximately A.D. 67, having been found to be the leader of a seditious group known as the Christians, whom Nero had blamed for setting a massive fire that destroyed most of the Eternal City—a fire he most likely instigated. At the time of Peter’s execution, the circus contained an obelisk, which had been taken from Heliopolis, Egypt. The obelisk, which now stands in St. Peter’s Square, dates back to the time of the Exodus. It is remarkable to think that the very obelisk that Peter saw before he died was among the monuments that Moses and the Hebrews gazed upon before their liberation from slavery in 1450 B.C.!
Peter was buried outside the arena in a Christian cemetery a few hundred yards from the arena. Fellow believers found it desirable to be buried near
Current St. Peter’s Basilica
Constantine Era
St. Peter’s Basilica
Nero’s Circus
Vatican Cemetery
Peter’s grave, where eventually a small monument was built. This sprawling necropolis was spread over Vatican hill, and parts of it now feature in the famous Scavi tour (Italian for “excavations,” which occurred during the pontificate of Pius XII).
Nearly 250 years after St. Peter’s burial, the emperor Constantine, who had legalized Christianity, chose to build a larger church in honor of the first pope. It was Peter’s God, the God of the Christian religion, who Constantine believed secured his victory in A.D. 312 at the Milvian Bridge, about 1.5 miles north of the Vatican. In order to construct this first basilica, however, Constantine had to enact a major civil engineering project: leveling Vatican hill to create a flat surface upon which to build the church. This required the desecration of tombs in and around the cemetery ›
This longitudinal, east-west cross section of St. Peter’s Basilica shows [gold] the basilica above ground; [black] the underground Vatican Grottoes, which include chapels and papal tombs; and [blue] the Vatican Necropolis from the pre-Constantinian era.
A whole series of architects contributed to the work, including Raphael (1514-1520), Michelangelo Buonarotti (1546-1564), Giacomo della Porta, Domenico Fontana, Gian Lorenzo Bernini (1629-1667), Carlo Maderno and others.”
—something that, per Roman law, only the emperor possessed authority to do. Constantine took advantage of this provision of law.
Naturally, the basilica became a place of pilgrimage, as did the city of Rome. Although the popes resided at the Lateran complex on the other side of Rome, the Constantinian basilica was considered the most sumptuous of the major basilicas. It was 400 feet long and looked much like the Basilica of St. Paul Outside the Walls. It was entered by 35 gently sloping steps, anticipated by a portico courtyard, and lavishly decorated with rare marble, mosaics, draperies, tapestries and precious stones. The floor of the basilica was ornamented with silver and gold.
During the slow but steady decline of the Western Roman Empire, the city and basilica
began a process of deterioration. Virtually all the treasures of the basilica were stolen by the Visigoths (410), Vandals (455), Saracens (846) and Normans (1084). The 846 raid was particularly brutal, with nearly 10,000 Saracen pirates sacking the city and basilica. By 1309, the Vatican complex was in disrepair. With the pope in Avignon, France, the population of Rome itself dwindled to about 17,000 inhabitants. Rome was in decay. With the return of the pope to Rome in 1377, however, St. Peter’s Basilica saw a revival. Pope Julius II, who also created the Vatican Museums, at first attempted to renovate and restore the Constantinian version of the basilica. It proved futile. St. Peter’s needed a fresh start. Pope Julius II laid the cornerstone in 1506. The original plan, proposed by Donato Bramante, was for a building in the form of a Greek Cross (whose four extensions are all of equal length). Eventually, the plan was altered to its present form of a Latin Cross. A whole series of architects contributed to the work, including Raffaello Sanzio (1514-1520), Michelangelo Buonarotti (1546-1564), Giacomo della Porta, Domenico Fontana, Gian Lorenzo Bernini (1629-1667), Carlo Maderno and others. Notably, Maderno constructed the façade, and Bernini constructed St. Peter’s Square and the famed bronze baldocchino over the main altar. By the Great Jubilee of 1600, pilgrims would have seen the new dome of the basilica rising over the Roman skyline. The new basilica was consecrated on Nov. 18, 1626—1,300 years after the first consecration (of the Constantinian basilica) and 120 years after construction on the new basilica began. ■
Peter Adduci Jr.
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BY VALERIE SCHMALZ Director, Office of Human Life & Dignity
‘Adoption is many things, but above all, it is a gift to everyone involved.’
This sentence from the essay by Jeremiah Daniels, student at Sacred Heart Cathedral Preparatory, was one of the 43 winning entries in the 2023-24 Archdiocesan Respect Life Essay Contest.
Jeremiah, who was the high school grand prize winner, in that one sentence crystalized the sense of the essays and pictures submitted in response to the 2024 theme “Adoption as a Concrete Way of Love.” The 35th annual ›
archdiocesan essay contest was open to all students who live in or attend school in the three counties of the Archdiocese of San Francisco.
“Our goal was to show the powerful good of adoption for society as a whole and how it demonstrates the great love of all involved, both from the birth parents and the adoptive parents, and the extreme good for the children as a result,” said Maria Martinez-Mont, coordinator of the archdiocesan Respect Life and Gabriel Project ministries. The lives of the saints and popular figures including Apple founder Steve Jobs and South Africa’s Nelson Mandela were also used to highlight the positive impact adoption can have on society as a whole, said MartinezMont.
Nearly 1,500 students entered the contest, and the judges had a very hard time picking the winners and the honorable mentions, said Martinez-Mont. Many of the winning entries were written by children who are adopted. Cash prizes
… what I learned from being adopted is that I am right where I’m supposed to be.”
EMILY VELLA, St. Isabella School grand prize winner for 8th grade
Grand prize winner Holy Name School 2nd grader Chloe Tan. Right, grand prize winner Jeremiah Daniels with Archbishop Cordileone.
were donated by United for Life of Northern California.
For instance, St. Isabella student Emily Vella, grand prize winner for eighth grade, wrote about her open adoption:
“The morning I was born, my parents flew to New York to pick me up. They had to stay in New York for 10 days to complete the paperwork, and
while they were there, they got to know Christina and her parents got to know us. My parents never tried to hide the fact that I was adopted. They chose me, and luckily Christina chose them. When I was 8 years old, I told my mom and dad what I wanted for my birthday. I wanted them to take me to meet my birth mom, and they did! I had a good time meeting them but the main thing I got out of it and what I learned from being adopted is that I am right where I’m supposed to be.”
Sacred Heart Cathedral Preparatory first place winner for high school, Sam Meraw, wrote in response to watching a video ›
JEREMIAH DANIELS
Sacred Heart Cathedral Preparatory grand prize winner for high school
Archbishop Cordileone and Maria Martinez-Mont, coordinator of the archdiocesan Respect Life and Gabriel Project ministries, at the ceremony.
feature about adoption that included a child named David:
“Like David, I am adopted, and I feel grateful to my parents every day for deciding to love me, provide me with quality education and ensure my wellbeing and safety. Like David, I do not resent either of my parents, but rather I hold love and gratitude for their courage to take care of me and their dedication to my life. I felt their love for me when I was 6 years old on the first day of kindergarten, when I was 14 during my graduation, and now at 17 years old when they show up to my concerts, make delicious meals for me and support all my achievements.”
Reflecting on the same video featuring the challenges and joys associated with adoption, St. Isabella eighth grader Roya Ghilotti wrote that a birth mother’s sorrow for deciding to put a child up for adoption also brings her joy knowing that “she made
a selfless decision, an act of love, which protected an innocent life.” Through adoption, her child “is alive and being loved.”
Archbishop Salvatore Cordileone celebrated the 11 a.m. Mass and presided over the awards ceremony on Sunday, April 28, at the Cathedral of St. Mary of the Assumption.
The archbishop noted how happy he was to see so many young Catholics and their parents. “Stay strong. You will get some blowback at some point in your life,” as people who “stand for truth in a society that doesn’t accept truth. That’s how you build character. That’s how you become a person of integrity, someone that others will respect.”
“Your charity, along with your conviction and your integrity, will bring souls to Christ,” the archbishop told the children. ■
SCAN THE QR CODE TO LEARN MORE ABOUT THE WINNING ENTRIES! or visit https://sfarchdiocese.org/respectlife-essay-contest-highlights-thepower-of-adoption-to-change-lives-for-good/
TK-8th Grade
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OLPH is a school dedicated to the success of your child. Our close attention to students and their interests and needs has allowed our students and their families success for over 80 years. We offer small class sizes, personalized instruction and a loving caring environment for all.
BY AARON LAMBERT
Writer from Denver
While the month of June has been claimed by a prideful modern culture to celebrate falsified love and distorted identity, it’s important for Catholics to remember that June belonged to the Church first.
Each June, the Church dedicates the entire month to the Sacred Heart of Jesus, where it offers special prayers and gives special attention to the Sacred Heart devotion. The reason for this is because the feast of the Sacred Heart, celebrated June 7 this year, usually falls at the beginning of June. Since the 17th century, the month of June has been connected to the Sacred Heart. It began to be recognized as the month of the Sacred Heart of Jesus as early as 1790 and continued to develop through the 18th and 19th centuries.
The Sacred Heart devotion is practiced and beloved by many all around the world, and in dedicating the month of June to it, the Church places great trust in this devotion. Writing in his 1956 encyclical “Haurietis Aquas” (On Devotion to the Sacred Heart), Pope Pius XII said, “The Church has always valued, and still does, the devotion to the most Sacred Heart of Jesus so highly that she provides for the spread of it among Christian peoples everywhere and by every means” (No. 8).
Even though June has taken on a different, more secular meaning, there has been in recent years a renewed call within the Church to “reclaim the month” of June. Just last year, podcaster Matt Fradd of the popular “Pints With
Aquinas” podcast used his platform to promote a “reclaim the month” T-shirt, and the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops went viral by tweeting a reminder that June is dedicated to the Sacred Heart.
In order to properly “reclaim the month,” however, some basic history and education on the Sacred Heart devotion – and more importantly, the promises Jesus made to those who practice the devotion – is in order.
As with many of the pious and popular devotions in the Church, the Sacred Heart devotion began as a private revelation that gradually became more known and grew in popularity over the years. The origins of the devotion can be traced back as early as the 11th and 12th centuries to various monasteries that practiced an early form of it. However, the devotion in its modern form began on Dec. 27, 1673, with a nun named Sister Margaret Mary Alacoque, who lived at a monastery in eastern France. Jesus appeared to her in a series of apparitions and visions over the course of 18 months in which He revealed the mystery of His Sacred Heart to her.
Sister Margaret Mary reported that Jesus told her: “Behold the heart which has so loved men that it has spared nothing, even to exhausting and consuming itself, in order to testify its love. … I promise you that my heart shall expand itself to shed in abundance the influence of its divine love upon those who shall thus honor it, and cause it to be honored.”
Among the revelations Jesus shared with Sister Mary Margaret were specific acts of piety to venerate His
Sacred Heart. These included a Thursday holy hour, the creation of the feast of the Sacred Heart following the feast of Corpus Christi, and what has become known as the First Friday devotion, where devotees receive the Eucharist on the first Friday of each month.
In addition to these pious acts, Jesus also revealed 12 promises to Sister Mary Margaret for those who practice devotion to His Sacred Heart:
saints have had a deep devotion to the Sacred Heart, including St. Alphonsus Liguori, St. John Bosco, St. Frances Cabrini and St. Maximillian Kolbe. These saints and many others who are devoted to the Sacred Heart have attested that this devotion is one of the best ways to grow in holiness.
Behold the heart which has so loved men that it has spared nothing, even to exhausting and consuming itself, in order to testify its love.”
I will give them all the graces necessary in their state of life.
I will establish peace in their homes.
I will comfort them in all their afflictions.
I will be their secure refuge during life, and above all, in death.
I will bestow abundant blessings upon all their undertakings.
Sinners will find in my heart the source and infinite ocean of mercy.
Lukewarm souls shall become fervent.
Fervent souls shall quickly mount to high perfection.
I will bless every place in which an image of my heart is exposed and honored.
I will give to priests the gift of touching the most hardened hearts.
Those who shall promote this devotion shall have their names written in my heart.
I promise you in the excessive mercy of my heart that my all-powerful love will grant to all those who receive holy Communion on the first Fridays in nine consecutive months the grace of final perseverance; they shall not die in my disgrace, nor without receiving their sacraments. My divine heart shall be their safe refuge in this last moment.
Many were skeptical of Sister Mary Margaret’s visions and her claims of what Jesus revealed to her. Although she died in 1690, her testimony successfully laid the ground for the devotion to grow and flourish. As time passed and the devotion became more popular in France, the Vatican eventually granted the feast of the Sacred Heart to France in 1765, nearly 100 years after the original apparitions. Then, in 1856, after persistent appeals by the French bishops at the time, Pope Pius IX established the feast of the Sacred Heart for the universal Church, to be celebrated following the octave of Corpus Christi. Sister Mary Margaret was eventually canonized in 1920.
In the years that have followed, devotion to the Sacred Heart has grown to be one of the most popular and powerful forms of devotion in the Church. Many
In describing the devotion, Pope Pius XI, in his 1928 encyclical “Miserentissimus Redemptor” (On Reparation to the Sacred Heart), summed it up when he wrote: “For is not the sum of all religion, and therefore the pattern of more perfect life, contained in that most auspicious sign and in the form of piety that follows from it inasmuch as it more readily leads the minds of men to an intimate knowledge of Christ Our Lord, and more efficaciously moves their hearts to love Him more vehemently and to imitate Him more closely?” (No. 3).
The Sacred Heart of Jesus contains within it a richness and vibrancy that also, as it were, reveals the heart of the Christian faith. After all, if the heart itself is a symbol of both the true depths of love and the very core of a person, then it follows that to know and love Jesus’ heart is to deeply know Him and experience the depths of His love – an inexhaustible, ever-flowing stream of love which perpetually pours forth from His Sacred Heart for all of creation.
The love of the Sacred Heart of Jesus stands in stark contrast to the false version of love that the secular culture celebrates in June. It is that mysterious and perfect love of Christ that the Church honors instead, and the one that the world needs more witnesses to, especially in June. May the body of Christ reclaim the month of June for the Sacred Heart of Jesus; for it is there in His Sacred Heart that the fulfillment of true love lies and we find our deepest identity as loved children of God, where our restless souls can find true rest. ■
Editor’s Note: The following is taken from Eucharistic Revival preacher Father Jonathan Meyer’s presentation at a Catholic men’s conference. This is one of many Eucharistic reflections that will be published by Catholic San Francisco magazine as part of the U.S. Catholic Church’s Eucharistic Revival (eucharisticrevival.org) that began on June 19, 2022, on the feast of Corpus Christi, and continues through Pentecost 2025.
This is part two of Father Meyer’s presentation; part 1 was featured in the March issue of Catholic San Francisco magazine.
THE EIGHTH STATION: ST. JOHN THE BAPTIST.
This is key. St. John the Baptist is standing at the river Jordan. I want you to realize this: His cousin comes walking by. John the Baptist could have said anything. He could have said, “Hey there’s Emmanuel.” He could have said, “Hey there’s the King of Kings.” He could have said, “Hey there’s the Lord of lords.” He could have said, hey that’s my cousin. That’s what I would have said! But he didn’t say any of those things. What is the one thing that John the Baptist said to point out the Savior, the Messiah of the world? He says, “Behold the Lamb of God.” (Jn 1:29) The only sacrifice that will be accepted. The Lamb of God. The replacement sacrifice for you and me. The Lamb of God, whose body and blood we must consume. The Lamb of God. Every single faithful Jew who had been to Jerusalem had brought a lamb and killed it at Passover and ate its flesh and blood. Every time that there was a sin, every time their child was born, they brought more lambs, and they killed them. Now, John the Baptist is saying, behold the Lamb of God. Everyone would have looked at Jesus and said, “He’s going to die He’s going to replace us. We have to eat Him.” How quickly we’ve forgotten what the Mass is!
THE NINTH STATION:
THE WEDDING FEAST AT CANA.
Jesus at the age of 30 goes to a wedding. The Blessed Virgin Mary looks at her son, Jesus, and she begs Him to turn water into wine. She says to the servers, “Do whatever He tells you” (Jn 2:5). Why is it so hard for people to understand that Jesus can turn wine into His blood? There isn’t a Christian in the world who would believe that the first miracle
that took place didn’t happen. Every Protestant in the world believes that Jesus turned water into wine. Why would the all- powerful God out of love not also be able to turn wine into His blood for you and me to consume to wash away our sins? Well, “He can, and its a metaphysical miracle.”
THE TENTH STATION: THE MULTIPLICATION OF LOAVES AND FISHES.
Not only does our God have the ability to change substance, but He also has the ability to multiply substance. He was able to feed a crowd of 5,000 men. Let’s be honest. If there were 5,000 men, there were probably 20,000 people there. Look at your churches on Sunday. When you go to Mass, look at the ratio of men to women. Five loaves and two fish to feed all those people. Now Jesus feeds the whole entire world with bread and wine that are brought forward. He multiplies Himself to be our food. No longer does He feed the world bread and fish; He feeds the world His very self.
THE ELEVENTH STATION: JOHN CHAPTER 6, THE BREAD OF LIFE DISCOURSE.
If there is a Bible passage that you should memorize, it should be John Chapter 6. I don’t believe in tattoos. I don’t think you should get tattoos, but if there’s a tattoo you want to get, get a tattoo that says, “This is my body given up for you.” (Lk 22: 19) John Chapter 6 unlocks the truth of who Jesus is and how much He loves you and how He wants you to consume Him. He wants you to become one with Him so you can go out and change the world, so that you can go out to the peripheries, you can go out and serve in the name of Jesus with Jesus in your very body.
THE TWELFTH STATION: JESUS TRULY IS THE LAMB OF GOD.
This is how you killed a lamb in the Old Testament. You took a knife and you slit its throat. The first thing you had to do was pour out all its blood. There was a gutter system in the temple in Jerusalem to take all the blood from the thousands of lambs that were slaughtered. The gutter system was only for blood because the sacrifice required the separating of the blood from the body. What happens at Mass? Does a
“Feeding of Five Thousand” by Hendrick de Clerck.
priest or a bishop take the bread and take the chalice together at the same time and say this is my body and my blood given up for you? No, he doesn’t say that. That’s not how it happens. Jesus took bread and He said, this is my body given up for you. That bread becomes Jesus. The priest holds it up and the thurible is swung, and bells are rung, and we adore the body of Jesus. Then the priest takes a chalice and separately says, this is the chalice of my blood. What do you have? The separation of the body and blood. What do you have? The sacrifice. Why did Jesus do this on the night that He was betrayed? Jesus made it evidently clear that He was giving us access to the one perfect sacrifice that He would offer the following day when He would offer His body and His blood on the cross for you and for me–when He would be the Lamb of God. He is now the lamb whose body and blood has been separated, and we are able to enter into it with a priest who offers bread and wine in the name of Jesus and the power of the Holy Spirit. And it’s not just the fact that we go to Mass to eat His body and blood. His presence is there. It actually is the same redeeming one perfect sacrifice. There is only one perfect sacrifice, and He gives us access to enter it. That’s why we go to Mass, and if it is true that every single ›
Behold the Lamb of God. The only sacrifice that will be accepted. The Lamb of God. The replacement sacrifice for you and me. The Lamb of God, whose body and blood we must consume. The Lamb of God.”
Mass is the re-presentation of Calvary, then bring out music, bring out preaching, bring out a beautiful church. Dear Lord, I want to receive You because I want to be one with You on the cross. I want to stand with Mary and John at the foot of the cross. I want to see the blood pouring from Your body and fall on my face because we’re there, because it’s real.
THE THIRTEENTH STATION: THE ROAD TO EMMAUS.
If you don’t know this story, you should. It’s Easter night. Two of Jesus’ disciples–many theologians believe this is a husband and a wife–are turning their backs on Jerusalem. They’re walking away. They encounter Jesus. He begins to talk to them, but He’s disguised. They don’t recognize Him. He begins going through the Scriptures. Now, what Scripture is He going through? You have it right here. The Bible says that He begins to reveal to them who He is. Who is He? He’s the sacrifice of Abel. He’s Melchizedek. He’s the replacement sacrifice of Abraham. He’s the Jewish Passover. What is He revealing? The plan of salvation. They urged Him to stay with them. When they were at table, Jesus took bread and He broke it, and then they recognized Him. Where did they recognize Him? They recognized Him in the breaking of the bread. At every single Mass, bread is consecrated separately from the wine as a sacramental representation of the death of our Lord. When is the host broken?
After the Our Father. The priest takes the host in his hands. He takes the host and he breaks it, and then he takes a piece of that host and he breaks it off and he puts it into the chalice. What do you have now? You have body and blood coming back together. As we recognize the resurrected Lord in the breaking of the bread, what do we happen to be chanting?
“Lamb of God, You take away the sins of the world, have mercy on us.” Fulfillment of the lamb of Abel, You take away the sins of the world…fulfillment of the lamb of Abraham…fulfillment of the lamb of the Passover…fulfillment of the Lamb of God that John spoke of…fulfillment of the resurrected Lamb of God who showed up at Emmaus. And what do we have right there? The Lamb of God who takes away the sins of the world. What does the priest then do? He takes the host in his hands, he holds it up, and he says, behold the Lamb of God, behold Him who takes
away the sins of the world. Blessed are those called to the supper of the Lamb.
THE FOURTEENTH STATION:
THE WEDDING FEAST OF THE LAMB.
The entire Book of Revelation is showing you and showing me that God ultimately wants to espouse His Church. He wants to marry His Church. He wants to become one with His Church. It is the triumphant Lamb, the resurrected Lamb who is still slain, but is resurrected. When He appears in the upper room on Easter night, He still has the wounds in His hands. The Lamb who is slain wants to marry you and me.
There are many men in this Church who have a lot of white hair. Many of you may have buried your wives. Some of you have buried your children. The majority of us are parents. What is our hope for them? That they are in the wedding feast of the Lamb; that they see God face to face. Why do we have Masses offered for them? No one ever has come to my office and said, “Hey Father, can I have a choir intention? I’d like to pay $10, and before they begin their choir practice this week, could they offer their choir practice for my deceased grandma?” I’ve never had someone come to the parish office say, “Hey Father, you know you got that small group that meets on Saturday morning. I’ll give you $10 if they would pray for my grandma.” But, I’ll tell you this, I can’t get the people
out of my office who want Masses offered, who want the eternal sacrifice of Christ, the representation of Calvary offered for their soul, for the souls of their deceased relatives, for peace in our world, for an end to abortion, for an end to human trafficking, because the Mass is Calvary. While Calvary was given to us once, Jesus gives us access at every Mass. Michael J. Fox in “Back to the Future”? He’s got nothing. I can go to Mass every single day, and I am with Mary, I am with John, and I am at Calvary.
What is the problem in our Church right now? It’s not that 70% of people don’t believe in the truth of the Eucharist. It’s that more than 90% have no idea what the Mass even is. But now, who does know? You do. What are you going to do about it? I don’t know you, but I can look into every single one of your eyes, and I know that your life is hard. I know that you have sacrifice, suffering, and that you have trials. Some of you were abused as children. Some of you were neglected. Some of you have been through terrible divorces. You’ve been mistreated at work. You’re financially struggling. Your friends have abandoned the faith. Your wife is an alcoholic. You’re an alcoholic. Where is the only place to go? To Mass. But if we don’t understand that the Mass is a sacrifice, where are we supposed to take our sacrifices? If we don’t understand that the Mass is the re-presentation of Calvary, where do we go? But if what I shared about the Mass is true, then that’s where we go. We take our wounds, we take our pain, and we bring it to the cross, we bring it to Jesus who is our only hope. I don’t know what cross you have today, but what I do know is that there’s a Mass right now in this world being offered at this very moment, and you can unite that sacrifice in that pain and that wound to that cross which is your salvation. In just a few moments, your own bishop is going to offer the holy sacrifice of the Mass, the re-presentation of Calvary, and you will be at Calvary itself. You will be at the resurrection itself as all time and eternity comes right here. And you are not alone. Behold, I am with you always until the end of the age (Mt. 28:20). If you like community and Scripture, if you like preaching, if you like music, if you like to receive our Lord and Holy Communion, that’s wonderful. But my hope is that you love the Mass, that you want the Mass, that you’re hungry for the Mass. Let’s pray to have our minds transformed, our lives transformed to the power and the glory of the Mass. Amen. ■
TO ALL CATHOLICS FROM FATHER JONATHAN MEYER or visit sfarch.org/what-is-the-mass/. For a copy of the 14 stations of the Eucharist, email servantsofgodfj@gmail.com.
“Were not our hearts burning within us … ?”
BY MARY POWERS
Assistant
director
of communications and media relations. Office of Communications, Archdiocese of San Francisco
As two of Jesus’ disciples sat down for supper after a daylong walk with a newfound friend, the stranger broke the bread and blessed it before them. Immediately their eyes were opened and they realized that their new friend was actually their Master, their Savior, Jesus. He vanished before their eyes. Astounded, they said to each other, “Were not our hearts burning (within us) while He spoke to us on the way and opened the Scriptures to us?” (Lk 24: 32)
Surely the thousands of people who traveled to San Francisco for the launch of the St. Junipero Serra Route of the National Eucharistic Revival felt the same way those disciples felt, coming away renewed, energized and saying to one another, “Were not our hearts burning within us?”
SATURDAY, MAY 18
Mission Dolores Basilica hosted solemn vespers and a Eucharistic holy hour with Oakland Bishop Michael C. Barber as the celebrant and homilist. The liturgy also included a special blessing of the Perpetual Pilgrims.
SUNDAY, MAY 19
On Pentecost Sunday, more than 2,600 people joined San Francisco Archbishop Salvatore J. Cordileone at the Cathedral of St. Mary of the ›
SATURDAY, MAY 18
MONDAY, MAY 20
Assumption for a Mass infused with a new musical setting by Benedict XVI’s composer-in-residence, Frank La Rocca, “Pange Lingua: A Mass for Eucharistic Renaissance.”
Following a small Eucharistic procession to St. Dominic’s Catholic Church, between 3,000-5,000 people joined Archbishop Cordileone in processing across the Golden Gate Bridge.
The archbishop then led a rosary at H. Dana Bowers Rest Area & Vista Point before blessing the cities of Oakland and San Francisco and the thousands of people present.
MONDAY, MAY 20
The second day of the St. Junipero Serra Route took the pilgrims through Marin County. The day began with a private Mass with St. Patrick School in Larkspur which was followed by a Eucharistic procession around campus. Middle school students then processed to St. Sebastian Catholic Church with a brief stop to pray and bless health care workers and patients outside MarinHealth Medical Center. A Eucharistic holy hour was held at St. Sebastian’s for the sick. From St. Sebastian’s the pilgrimage continued to San Rafael where it met up with students from St. Raphael School and parishioners from St. Raphael Catholic Church. More than 1,000 people processed from Albert Park in San Rafael to St. Raphael’s for Eucharistic adoration and the rosary. Later, Santa Rosa Bishop Robert Vasa presided at Solemn Vespers and a Eucharistic holy hour. A dinner celebration followed for all attendees. ■
SCAN FOR MORE INFORMATION or visit https://sfarchdiocese. org/eucharistic-revival/
OPEN THIS QR CODE FOR COMPREHENSIVE ANSWERS or or visit https://sfarchdiocese. org/june-2024-catholic-quiz/
1. Mortal sin
C is correct. Serious sin is exactly the same as mortal sin. Only the words differ.
2. Apologetics means
D is correct. Need one say more?
3. A Mass is invalid
E is correct, because all the other possible answers are wrong.
4. Which of these is not one of the five proofs for the existence of God as given by St. Thomas Aquinas?
B is correct. Pascal’s wager—
that it is more reasonable to presume God’s existence and to act as though He exists than to presume His nonexistence and be unpleasantly surprised in the afterlife—was made by, of course, Blaise Pascal (16231662), who lived long after Thomas Aquinas (1225-1274).
5. Which of these sacraments does not forgive mortal sins?
B is the correct answer. During the Mass, venial sins can be forgiven either during the penitential rite or through the reception of Holy Communion, but mortal sins cannot be forgiven in those ways.
(415) 614-5506 This number is answered by Rocio Rodriguez, LMFT, Archdiocesan Pastoral Outreach Coordinator. This is a secured line and is answered only by Rocio Rodriguez.
(415) 614-5503 If you wish to speak to a non-archdiocesan employee please call this number. This is also a secured line and is answered only by a victim survivor.
(800) 276-1562 Report sexual abuse by a bishop or a bishop’s interference in a sexual abuse investigation to a confidential third party. www.reportbishopabuse.org
Archbishop Cordileone blessed a new chapel at Vallombrosa Retreat Center on May 10. The refurbished chapel included pieces from the now closed Mercy High School in San Francisco and Church of the Nativity in Menlo Park.
Photo by Mary Powers
Father John Coleman died peacefully on Feb. 27, at the age of 98, after a fruitful and beautiful life. He was born in 1926 in San Francisco to John Raymond Coleman and Mary Ellen (Fenton) Coleman. After graduating from St. James grammar school, he attended St. Joseph’s Seminary and was ordained a priest in 1950.
His beloved family includes his late siblings Jackie and Robert, as well as Dominican Sister Mary Noreen, Noel (Delores) and Noreen (Phil). He also was a loving uncle to numerous nieces and nephews.
Father Coleman leaves behind hundreds of friends and parishioners, not only from St.
Francis of Assisi, but from past parishes in San Francisco, Richmond, Alviso, Mountain View, San Jose and Gilroy. He had a deep devotion to Our Lady of Perpetual Help.
During his decades of service, he was recognized by his peers as a priest’s priest.
And, although 98 years old, Father Coleman continued to work in his parish up until the time of his death.
Father Coleman was known and appreciated for his selflessness, generosity, humility and compassion for the poor and underserved communities. He had a great love of family, music, sports and thrift shops, and was master deliverer of corny jokes. He was also a gifted artist and musician.
Father Coleman requested that any donations you wish to contribute may go to St. Vincent de Paul Society. ■
Rev. Guillermo Rodriguez passed away peacefully at 93 years of age on April 24.
Father Rodriguez was ordained as a Catholic priest in Cuba on July 15, 1958, and served the Archdiocese from 1955 to 1983. His ministries included St. Patrick’s Parish San Jose and St. Philip the Apostle Parish San Francisco.
Father Rodriguez continued to be very active beyond his retirement at the
Monastery of the Perpetual Adoration, St. Brendan’s Church, and as a chaplain at St. Mary’s Hospital. He extended the hand of Jesus to the needy throughout San Francisco until his passing.
As a master artist and painter, Father Rodriguez spoke six languages, loved the opera and was an accomplished concert pianist. His work and sense of humor will be remembered by many, as well as the motto he lived by, “The
greatest sin of all is wasting time.”
Father Rodriguez is survived by his nephew and niece, Steve and Francis Cajote; grandnephew, Christopher Cajote; grandniece, Wendy Kennedy; and niece-in-Iaw, Betty Cajote. In lieu of flowers, a donation to the Monastery of Perpetual Adoration is sincerely appreciated, at 771 Ashbury St., San Francisco, CA 94117; (415) 5662743. ■
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SCAN TO SEE THE COMPREHENSIVE CALENDAR OF EVENTS or visit sfarch.org/events
June 21 - 22:
St. Dominic’s Retreat with Immaculée Ilibagiza
St. Dominic’s Catholic Church will host Immaculée Ilibagiza for a series of talks on Our Lady of Kibeho and Immaculée’s miraculous story from the Rwandan genocide. The retreat will take place June 21 - 22. More information can be found at: https://stdominics.org/retreatwith-immaculee
June 22-29: Religious Freedom Week
Religious freedom allows the Church, and all religious communities, to live out their faith in public and to serve the good of all. Beginning June 22, the feast of Sts. Thomas More and John Fisher, the USCCB invites Catholics to pray, reflect, and act to promote religious freedom.
https://www.usccb.org/ committees/religious-liberty/ religious-freedom-week
June 24: National Day of Fasting for Fidelity Month
June is “Fidelity Month”-a month
dedicated to the importance of fidelity to God, spouses and families, and our country and communities. There will be a national day of fasting for our country’s return to the virtues of religion, family, and community on June 24.
More information: www. fidelitymonth.com
June 28-29: Northern California Renewal Coalition’s (NCRC) Catholic Charismatic Renewal Conference
The NCRC’s annual Charismatic Renewal Conference will take place at the Cathedral of St. Mary
of the Assumption on June 28 and 29. The conference will include Mass and talks in English, Spanish and Vietnamese as well as a youth program.
More information can be found at: https://ncrcspirit.org/#
July 17 - 21:
National Eucharistic Congress
The National Eucharistic Congress, sponsored by the U.S. Catholic Conference of Bishops, will be held in Indianapolis from July 17 -21. This is the first Eucharistic Congress in 83 years.
More information can be found at: https://www.eucharisticcongress. org/
Almighty and merciful Lord, we praise You and thank You for all You have given us in Your great and unmerited generosity. Please help us to remember who we are, and Whose we are. Grant us the grace to unite as one people in turning back to You with all of our hearts, with all of our souls, and with all of our minds. Cleanse us of all that separates us from You, and help us to cultivate the virtues we need this day and always, so that we may grow in fidelity to You – Who are always faithful – and to our spouses and families, and to our communities and country, and thereby live in accordance with Your holy will. In Your boundless mercy and loving kindness, Lord, please heal and restore our land.
Amen.
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