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Archdiocese of San Francisco
Homily, Memorial of Our Lady of The Rosary Mass of the Americas at the Basilica Shrine of Our Lady of Guadalupe in Mexico City LEA
Homily for the Rosary Rally Mass on the Solemnity of St. Francis of Assisi October 4, 2025; St. Mary’s Cathedral LEA AQUÍ LA HOMILÍA EN
Event aims to renew local Catholic divorce ministry * Featured Image: Donna Haas Nathanson, pictured in the pews of St. Mary’s Cathedral, has organized an
Legislation that completes hard-fought efforts to make it a felony to purchase a minor for sex was signed July 30 by Gov. Gavin Newsom. “This sends a clear message that human beings are not for sale!” said Mollie Sheahan, Associate Director for Healthy Families at the California Catholic Conference.
The latest fight to protect religious freedom in California does not look like it has anything to do with religion – but AB 84 is designed to “strangle” charter schools and take away parents’ rights to educate their children, a leader in citizen advocacy and religious freedom in California told a packed room at St. Raymond Parish Hall Tuesday evening.
“God shows us once again that he never fails to be full of surprises,” Archbishop Salvatore J. Cordileone said in the introduction to his homily at Sunday’s Mass for the 36th annual Archdiocesan Respect Life Essay Contest. About 300 parents and students were in attendance for the ceremony on April 27.
“I get out in 10 days, and I don’t have a job,” said one of the men incarcerated at San Quentin who visited the Archdiocese of San Francisco’s first In-Custody Reentry Fair at the state prison Saturday. “I need to be able to work and I am not sure who will hire me.”
More than 100 immigrants with uncertain legal status lined up in the school yard at St. Peter Catholic School to speak with University of San Francisco law students and attorneys about their options to stay in the U.S.
Is there a chance that California’s physician assisted suicide law will be declared unconstitutional and in violation of the Americans with Disabilities Act?
A bill that would prioritize abortion as an emergency room treatment for women experiencing pregnancy complications unsurprisingly passed unanimously out of the California Assembly Health Committee today in Sacramento.
At 6’9” people ask Ted Hahs if he plays basketball. The answer, still at age 50, is yes. Hahs spoke at the Restorative Justice Leadership Summit March 19 in San Francisco.
A high school student from Turlock summed it up: “I am here to prevent abortion.” Elizabeth, a mother from Milipitas, said it a different way: “We want all babies to have a future.”
With the ribbon-cutting for the largest Planned Parenthood in the U.S. just days away in Oakland, prolife advocates led by Black American pastor Walter Hoye rallied for life in front of City Hall and then walked through downtown calling for an end to abortion.
The parishes of St. Raphael in San Rafael and St. Peter in San Francisco are hosting resource fairs for immigrants in this new year.
Sometimes as we read the headlines and news stories about Lebanon, Gaza, Israel, Iraq, Iran and now Syria – we are confused and overwhelmed by the tragedy, loss of life and conflict. We wonder: What can we do?
This Advent, the Archdiocese of San Francisco is blessed to award $21,000 in grants to help Marin, San Mateo and San Francisco parishes feed the hungry.
Twenty federal probation officers and support staff joined the Archdiocese of San Francisco’s Restorative Justice Ministry today to write cards and pack bags of holiday treats for the 1,200 inmates in the San Francisco County jails in San Bruno and San Francisco.
Contemplative of St. Joseph Father Vito Perrone offered a Memorial Mass and Healing Liturgy for Miscarriage and Infant Loss on All Souls Day, bringing comfort to the women and men who carried sorrows old and new from the deaths of their children. “The most innocent ones are the ones in the womb,” Father Vito told the several dozen gathered at Mater Dolorosa Church in South San Francisco Nov. 2, reminding all those present that “Jesus called God Father for all of us. “
The night was just a tad cool, but the warmth of the Archbishop’s words made up for any autumn chill at the annual White Mass for Catholic Medical Professionals at Mater Dolorosa Church in South San Francisco.
The Bay Area Rosary Rally on Oct. 12 united local Catholics from nearly a dozen ethnic cultures in a day dedicated to “Our Lady Who Unites All Peoples.”
Every year the question arises – what exactly can the Catholic Church do when it comes to elections, candidates and issues?
Under IRS rules, the Catholic Church may take a position on legislation, such as ballot propositions. The Catholic Church may not support or oppose individual candidates or parties.
‘Having babies is at the heart of reproductive health care!’ – EN ESPAÑOL: “El tener bebes es la esencia del cuidado de salud reproductivo”
Two experts in Catholic social teaching on immigration tackled the issue for a webinar hosted by the Archdiocese of San Francisco’s Office of Human Life & Dignity on Sept. 18.
Three bills that promote abortion are advancing in the California legislature, and all three have a strong likelihood of becoming law.
Twenty-five immigrants attended the first in a series of Know Your Rights workshops at St. Francis of Assisi Parish on Sunday, as the Archdiocese launches a new initiative to support our immigrant community.
Standing on a hilltop in Dolores Park, the skyline of San Francisco’s downtown in the distance, San Francisco’s archbishop prayed for the soul of 19-year-old Luis Arguello-Inglis, blessed his family and led those gathered in prayer for an end to violence.
Legislation that would make it a felony to purchase a child for sex survived a key test in Sacramento on Thursday. SB 1414 passed the state Senate Appropriations Committee unanimously and was sent to the full Senate for a vote.
The California Catholic Conference is asking Catholics to lobby for a bill that would make child sex trafficking a felony, as well as other bills aimed at nurturing and preserving human dignity.
“Adoption is many things, but above all, it is a gift to everyone involved.”
This sentence from a winning essay crystalized the theme of the 35th annual Archdiocesan Respect Life Essay Contest.
Jesus is waiting to meet the women who come on the June 14-16 Women’s Retreat for Healing After Abortion, says Father Vito Perrone, leader of Project Rachel Ministry.
Educators, political advocates, and national experts gathered this month in Oakland to brainstorm how to bring educational choice to all California families.
San Francisco Archbishop Salvatore J. Cordileone stood outside a neatly painted single story home in a quiet San Mateo neighborhood this morning and led a short prayer service for the family of four who died in an apparent murder-suicide earlier this month.
Undaunted by rain and the dismal political outlook in California, tens of thousands of prolife supporters turned out for the 20th annual Walk for Life West Coast on Jan. 20 in San Francisco.
Being chosen out of 2,000 other girls to be a member of the popular girl band the Pussycat Dolls seemed like a dream come true to teen-aged Kaya Jones. But it had a dark underside.
Archbishop Cordileone joined the Christmas Angels party, a beloved tradition of the Restorative Justice Ministry.
Archdiocese of San Francisco Restorative Justice Ministry coordinator Julio Escobar and his team delivered Thanksgiving meals, blessing and fellowship to all the 1,100 men and women incarcerated in the City and County of San Francisco’s jails at the Hall of Justice on Bryant Street in San Francisco and in San Bruno.
Women, babies and families lost an advocate on earth on Oct. 18, but those who loved and respected Mary Ann Schwab believe they have gained an advocate in the hereafter. Her obituary linked below and the following tribute by Sally Brien Holper of Bella Primary Care, a new Catholic healthcare clinic Mary Ann, provide a bit about someone whose life cannot be summed up in a few words — but who truly made a difference.
Calling their work “a sacred calling,” San Francisco Archbishop Salvatore J. Cordileone addressed Catholic medical professionals gathered for the traditional White Mass for Medical Professionals at Mater Dolorosa Church in South San Francisco.
Governor Gavin Newsom has vetoed legislation that would have “put a thumb on the scale” for parents supporting transgender “affirmation” in custody battles.
The powerful pro-abortion lobby continued to exhibit its clout, as the California Legislature approved a bill that would empower physician assistants to perform aspiration abortions and greenlit legislation to expand Medicaid coverage of the abortion pill to 13 weeks. But some positive legislation for mothers and families was also approved.
A record 900-plus people attended the Sept. 8 Archdiocese of San Francisco’s 11th annual Reentry Conference, Resource and Job Fair, aimed at helping those recently released from prison or jail, the families of those incarcerated, and crime victims and homicide survivors.
When California lawmakers return for the final session of the state legislature there will be several bills dangerous for children and families on the docket, as well as affordable housing legislation supported by the California bishops’ conference.
Presented by the Holy See to all persons, institutions and authorities concerned with the mission of the family in today’s world October 22, 1983. <https://www.vatican.va/roman_curia/pontifical_councils/family/documents/rc_pc_family_doc_19831022_family-rights_en.html>
By Ryan Mayer, Director Catholic Identity Assessment & Formation, Archdiocese of San Francisco Selected Quotations “The fecundity of conjugal love cannot be reduced solely to
Parental rights over the education of their children are a matter of religious freedom, social justice and protected by the U.S. Constitution, said two experts who spoke during Religious Freedom Week at Mater Dolorosa Parish.
Archbishop Cordileone singled out parents particularly for praise at the annual Respect Life Essay Contest awards. “You are the ones forming them in faith,” he said.
The month of May will see Catholics making appointments at California lawmakers’ offices, phoning and sending emails to lobby for and against four pieces of legislation prioritized by the California Catholic Conference.
Archbishop Salvatore J. Cordileone commissioned a special prolife Mass from composer Chris Mueller, believing it would bring notes of beauty and hope to the looming 50th anniversary of Roe v. Wade at the Walk for Life West Coast Mass Jan. 21.
The first Walk for Life West Coast since the June 24 U.S. Supreme Court ruling overturning Roe v. Wade drew tens of thousands of prolife supporters to San Francisco in a turnout that rivaled crowds before COVID-19.
This year’s Walk for Life West Coast Mass will feature something special: a newly-composed choral setting of the Mass, written to showcase the clear voices of the St. Brigid School Choir, following in the tradition of Gregorian chant but with a contemporary and Renaissance flair.
The executive director of the public policy arm of the California bishops today offered a blistering statement criticizing Gov. Gavin Newsom’s decision to sign a raft of bills prioritizing abortion while at the same time vetoing legislation that would have supported poor women and families.
There are at least four more bills awaiting the signature of Gov. Gavin Newsom that would further endanger women and kill babies through abortion, increasing access and funding toward the governor’s declared goal of making California an “abortion sanctuary.”
Uniformed police, firefighters and sheriff’s deputies stood saluting in silent tribute of their comrades who had died, as the haunting notes of ‘Taps’ filled the Cathedral of St. Mary of the Assumption at the annual San Francisco Police-Fire-Sheriff Memorial Mass. “You, my dear brothers and sisters are the force of order in our city,” Archbishop Salvatore J. Cordileone said.
August is National Make a Will Month, and for Catholics it can also be a time to take stock of what is important — and to provide for those we love and to make sure we are making the best use of our gifts. Even when we are gone.
“Are you guys Padres fans?”
“We’re actual padres. We’re the real deal.”
An amendment to a California abortion bill ensuring it would not protect cases of infanticide is just one of many possible amendments that would improve
The first time I took my kids out to hand-feed wild birds, it didn’t go well.. I had hit upon the activity out of desperation at the beginning of spring vacation. The kids were so bored, but I had COVID and was much too tired and contagious for outings. We had long since exhausted the charms of reading books via FaceTime, with and without silly filters, and even the kids were tired of TV.
What is a retreat? The dictionary defines the verb as “the act of going backward or of withdrawing.” The noun of retreat is “a quiet, private or secure place.” A retreat center, like Vallombrosa, is that quiet spot to which one can withdraw. When I am talking to people about our retreat center, I emphasize the quiet that characterizes our life at Vallombrosa; it is essential to everything we do.
San Francisco Archbishop Salvatore J. Cordileone joined with three other Catholic bishops on behalf of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops to condemn the July 4 mass shooting at Highland Park, Illinois, and to call for more action against gun violence.
It’s a couple of hours after midnight at an airport in Munich, with workers vacuuming the concourse. Sixty-five pilgrims from St. Patrick’s Seminary & University are trying to sleep as we wait for our flights later today. On our way to Bosnia-Herzegovina, we were stranded at an airport because of severe winds and mechanical problems with our flight.
Seven lay women pray for one priest or bishop for one hour each week as part of the Seven Sisters Apostolate. At stake, they say, is the Church itself.
7 Ways to practice rest and leisure this summer By Ryan Mayer In Book VIII of his “Politics,” Aristotle observes, “The first principle of all
We complete this series on the Mass by providing the second part of our reflection on the Liturgy of the Eucharist, examining the basic structure of the very heart of the Mass, which is the Eucharistic prayer.
Blessed Luigi and Maria Beltrame Quattrocchi are the official patrons of the 10th World Meeting of Families taking place in Rome on June 22-26. The Italian couple was married for 45 years, enduring two world wars together and nurturing their four children’s vocations in service of the Church amid unprecedented difficulties facing Europe.
Pope Francis said Wednesday that Catholic marriage is a gift, not just a formality or rule. “Marriage is not a formality to be fulfilled. You don’t get married to be Catholic ‘with the label,’ to obey a rule, or because the Church says so, or to throw a party,” the pope said at the opening event of the World Meeting of Families on June 22.
Responding to the invitation of Pope Francis, the Archdiocese of San Francisco reached out to the people of God for their thoughts in advance of the upcoming 2023 Synod of Bishops on Synodality.
Aside from the hot sun beating down and a cold glass of lemonade, few images evoke the sweet season of summer better than the dim lights of a movie theater with popcorn in hand.
This year has seen the release of a wide variety of great films, from family-friendly heartwarmers to raucous summer blockbusters. There’s even been a couple of spiritual films that powerfully portray the love of God and the beauty of the Christian faith.
Generations of St. Peter School students gathered at St. Peter Church June 5 for a Mass of Appreciation for longtime teacher Cyndi Gonzalez who is retiring after 48 years with the Mission District school.
Catholic statesman, lawyer and friend and adviser to the king St. Thomas More was a fierce defender of the faith against the Protestant Reformation in Europe.
As members of the Body of Christ we belong to a universal Church, a worldwide Catholic family; this gives us the chance to reevaluate ourselves as a nation, as a people, as an archdiocese, as a parish, as a family and, finally, as individuals. Renewal is possible. But where do we start?
WASHINGTON — After multiple mass shootings in recent weeks, four bishop chairmen joined in a letter to Congress expressing their grief over these incomprehensible tragedies. Their letter calls on members of Congress to, “unite in our humanity to stop the massacres of innocent lives.”
The religious women of the Archdiocese of San Francisco Council of Religious have crafted a statement in response to the May 24 shooting in Uvalde,
Deacon Jerald Geronimo & Deacon Gerardo Vazquez The two men who are to be ordained on June 4 at the Cathedral of St. Mary of
Longtime director of music and cathedral choir director Christoph Tietze arranged a special Jubilee Concert April 3 to commemorate five decades of sacred music at St. Mary’s Cathedral.
With 15 Masses offered each week in four languages — English, Spanish, Vietnamese and Portuguese — St. Raphael Church in San Rafael is a beautiful example of the kind of multicultural parish that has become increasingly representative of Catholic life in the U.S.
In a letter to the local church community at Smyrna penned in the year before his death, the early second-century martyr St. Ignatius of Antioch writes, “Wherever the bishop shall appear, there let the multitude (of the people) also be; even as, wherever Jesus Christ is, there is the Catholic Church.”
Father Arturo Albano’s responsibilities as rector of St. Mary’s Cathedral seem as towering as the holy dwelling for which he was chosen caretaker.
Luke the Evangelist tells us that young Mary of Nazareth gave her fiat without reserve when she learned from an angelic messenger that God intended to favor her as the mother of the Messiah. But as she “pondered what sort of greeting this might be,” the angel added some welcome family news: “Elizabeth, your relative, has also conceived a son, in her old age,” he said, “for nothing is impossible with God.”
Cathedral architect Pietro Belluschi visualized his San Farncisco project as an all-encompassing work of faith, integrating the fine arts and architectural elements to achieve a unifying and uplifting structure of contemporary splendor. Architectural Digest magazine recognized this in 2017 by naming the Cathedral of St. Mary of the Assumption one of the 10 most beautiful churches in America.
Standing in the charred ruins of the church in which he had recently been installed as the fifth archbishop of San Francisco on the morning of Sept. 8, 1962, Joseph T. McGucken announced that we would build a new cathedral. The moment was providential. There was a spirit of confident optimism in the air.
Looking up into the modern “rafters” of St. Mary’s Cathedral 50 years after it was dedicated, San Francisco Archbishop Salvatore J. Cordileone marveled at the structure designed and constructed by chance in the years following the meeting of the Second Vatican Council from 1962-65. “It’s bold, it’s imaginative and it perfectly expresses what the Church has been discerning for a long time now, since the world moved into this modern era,” the archbishop said.
Like many great cathedrals throughout the world, San Francisco’s was built to honor Mary’s unique role in God’s plan for human salvation. Her model of discipleship as expressed in Scripture offers inspiration to all Christians and is the unifying theme of the seven Marian shrines of St. Mary’s Cathedral.
In the lifespan of an average person, 50 years would be well along life’s journey, but still well within what we call “middle age.” At this age, those who live life well have been able to learn from their life experiences and yet still have much of life ahead of them to benefit from these lessons. In Church time, though, 50 years is quite young, almost comparable to a newborn baby!
The state of California had by far the largest delegation as 400 enthusiastic leaders of Hispanic ministry met to illuminate the needs of the community and discern a path forward at the Raices y Alas (Roots and Wings) Congress April 26-30.
The Archdiocese of San Francisco is accepting cryptocurrency – joining a growing but still relatively small group of nonprofits and church organizations who can process donations in the digital currency.
What is the Dobbs case?
The case of Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization is before the U.S Supreme Court in its current term. A ruling is expected by the end of June by the latest and states are gearing up across the country to either enshrine abortion even more or to restrict it.
Learning about different kinds of spiritual gifts and discerning which of them she might possess has been a complete revelation – and a relief – to Cecile Sabater.
Archbishop Cordileone praised young contestants in the Archdiocesan Respect Life Essay Contest as “an inspiring witness … of the compassionate love so needed in the world today.”
As we continue our series on the Mass, we provide the first of a two-part reflection on the Liturgy of the Eucharist. In order to understand more deeply the meaning of the Eucharist it is helpful to recall a miraculous event recorded in the Gospel of John that took place during a wedding feast at Cana in Galilee.
A trio of twenty-something young adults and their dog Laika walked more than 800 miles in the footsteps of St. Junipero Serra on a Lenten pilgrimage to pray for California that spanned the 46 days from Ash Wednesday to Easter Vigil.
For the first 1,000 years of Christianity, the Church remained essentially united throughout the Eastern and Western parts of the Roman Empire. However, by the middle of the 11th century, for reasons as much cultural/political as theological, the sees (particular churches) of Rome and Constantinople were no longer in full communion. What a tragedy!
The beauty of the universality of the Church is that people around the world celebrate the holiest days of the year with rich traditions that stem from a society steeped in Catholic faith. Centuries of fusing Holy Week and Easter customs to local resources and cultural traditions have produced a patchwork of unique liturgical traditions, blessings, art, recipes and more.
Easter is the celebration of the resurrection of Jesus from the dead. It is the principal Christian celebration. It can be easy to over sentimentalize.
It would be a mistake to write off all movies that deal with the biblical story of salvation and related narratives as unwatchable rubbish. In doing so, you’d actually be depriving yourself of some rather uplifting and powerful films that are well worth your time; some even rival the staying power of Mel Gibson’s masterpiece “The Passion of the Christ” (which is one film that should certainly be watched every year on Good Friday).
The windows of St. Isabella Catholic Church in Terra Linda in Marin County form a series of meditations from Palm Sunday to the Ascension.
Juliette Totah, now 93 and living at St. Anne’s Home in San Francisco, was born in the Palestinian West Bank city of Ramallah. Like other Arab-speaking Catholics, her Easter memories and traditions remain rooted in the Holy Land.
This is not a piece about the ethics of aborted-fetal-cell-derived vaccines. You’ve no doubt read enough of those. It’s not a piece about COVID-19 vaccines or vaccines in general. Again, those too, are ubiquitous. This is not even a piece intended primarily for Catholic readers. This is about something that every rational person of good will.
The parking lot of Our Lady of Mercy Parish in Daly City is now something of a permanent gallery for the artwork of priest-in-residence Father Rey Culaba.
Once upon a time, many years ago, I experienced making a private retreat at the Camaldolese hermitage in Big Sur. I was only a couple of years ordained at the time, so it was a very long time ago! Nonetheless, the memory of it is still vivid in my mind.
Students who attend religious education classes or participate in any parish youth activities will not be required to wear masks, according to an FAQ sent out by the archdiocesan Department of Religious Education.
BELMONT _ The annual Ecumenical Service of Salutations to the Holy Cross is frequently a joyous coming together of the Greek Orthodox and Roman Catholic communities of the San Francisco Bay Area. This year, however, it was “tinged with a certain somber tone and sense of urgency, as we are following with horror of the war being waged on our brother and sister Christians in Ukraine,” Archbishop Salvatore J. Cordileone said in his homily at the joint service hosted by San Francisco Greek Orthodox Metropolitan Gerasimos on the evening of March 10.
Ukraine’s Latin Rite Catholic bishops have asked Pope Francis to consecrate Ukraine and Russia to the Immaculate Heart of Mary.
SAN FRANCISCO, March 2 _ The Archdiocese of San Francisco today reported to the FBI an apparent cyberattack during an online “Rosary for Peace in
Today, the Newsom Administration announced the state’s requirement for masking in schools will expire on Friday, March 11, allowing students, regardless of vaccination status, to be without a face mask at school beginning Monday, March 14.
St. Mark parishioners filled the hall at the Belmont parish as the parish hosted the first of monthly breakfasts to support the Restorative Justice Ministry scholarship program for students who are on probation or parole.
If you ask Ashanti Branch, a mask can be invisible yet desired to combat the fear of being vulnerable or misunderstood. This metaphorical mask cripples many from finding their true selves.
Archbishop Salvatore J. Cordileone in a memo to priests dated Feb. 15 said that masks are no longer mandated for church although signs recommending masks should be posted at the entrance to church.
Twenty years ago, Peter Jackson wowed moviegoers around the world with his adaptation of the first installment of J.R.R. Tolkien’s beloved Lord of the Rings trilogy, “The Fellowship of the Ring.”
Proclaiming “What do we want? Peace and justice!”, an intensely committed group of Catholics and community members walked two miles from mid-town to St. Agnes Church in the Haight-Ashbury, carrying white crosses to honor those who died by violence last year.
The sprawling asphalt playgrounds and parking lots of four San Francisco parish school campuses will be retrofitted soon to reduce the volume of stormwater runoff that occurs in “hardscaped” urban areas with little natural drainage.
We are living in a world where there are tremendous advances in medicine. But with the advances come what feels like a tsunami of moral and ethical dilemmas for the Catholic and Christian health care professional, challenges that the trauma of the pandemic have intensified.
Superintendent of Schools Pamela Lyons talked with Catholic San Francisco about the educational challenges of the past two years and how looking at our faith story has helped administrators, teachers and students navigate them with grit and grace.
If there is anything that the past year and a half has shown us, it’s that human beings desire to be present to one another.
Deadline for entries is January 31 Our Lady of Guadalupe is the patroness of the Americas, while also holding the titles of patroness of the
On a beautiful Friday evening in January, while the city of San Francisco was abuzz with weekends beginning, groups of young Catholics and Walk for Life pilgrims joyfully headed to North Beach to pray.
Focusing on the impending U.S. Supreme Court case which may finally overturn the notorious Roe v. Wade decision, an estimated 15,000-20,000 pro-lifers from as far away as Oregon, Idaho and San Diego gathered in Civic Center Plaza at the 18th annual Walk for Life West Coast in San Francisco.
The approaching 49th anniversary of Roe v. Wade comes at a historic moment. The nation stands on the precipice of potentially overturning Roe v. Wade. At the same time, the Governor and state legislators have issued calls to make California a “sanctuary” destination for women seeking abortions from in and out of state.
St. Paul of the Shipwreck Parish celebrated the birthday of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. with an annual Solidarity Gospel Mass on Jan. 17.
Little Bennett Gong is being called a “mini-Vinnie” for turning the occasion of his 8th birthday into a successful St. Vincent de Paul food drive and fundraiser for the homeless and poor.
“Dreams are messages from the deep.” These words are bellowed (albeit not in the English tongue) and thus open Frank Herbert’s seminal science fiction novel, “Dune.”
Here’s how Catholic Vote begins its post: “Today more than ever we need courageous leaders; men and women who stand up in the face of the extraordinary pressures we all feel. Their example gives the rest of us the moral courage to persevere.”
The celebration of Christmas is unique. For the Nativity of the Lord, the Church gives us four different Masses to celebrate: the vigil Mass and the three traditional Masses of Christmas Day – “Mass during the night,” “Mass at dawn” and “Mass during the day.”
The Knights of Columbus teamed up with the Missionaries of Charity to bring warmth during this Advent season, distributing coats and hot meals at Immaculate Conception Chapel in the Mission District of San Francisco.
A glance back at Christmas one year ago, and a careful scrutiny of where we are now in dealing with the COVID-19 pandemic – this is the atmosphere in which we find ourselves this month. Things continue to “open up” and life is more normal than one year ago, but we are cautioned to be prudent and maintain our vigilance. We are all like people walking on a frozen lake, gingerly touching the surface at each step before putting our full weight down. We long for less “virtual” encounters, more human, three-dimensional interactions. And yet we must keep our guard up.
You don’t have to be especially fare-minded to notice that the story of human salvation more or less begins and ends with a meal. From the forbidden bite of an apple in the Garden of Eden, to the central role of bread and wine at the Last Supper, Christianity and food have an intrinsic link.
The list of artists who have performed the most powerful of the Christmas hymns, “O Holy Night,” is extensive. Go down the YouTube rabbit hole, and you’ll find there’s even a heavy metal version, not to mention countless other artists who have dared to take it on, to varying results.
Kayla Crenshaw gained entrance to a tightly secured, city-run tent encampment not because she looks like she could be one of its homeless residents — she doesn’t —but in part, because she used to sleep on the surrounding streets herself.
Advent is my favorite liturgical season. Everything hinges on Easter, I know, for as St. Paul says, “if Christ has not been raised, our faith is in vain” (1 Cor 5:17) – but I do love Advent. The season of Advent, which begins the church’s liturgical year (not Jan. 1), sometimes get lost in the sprint between holidays. It seems like the Halloween and All Saints’ costumes have just gone away when Mariah Carey emerges from her summertime slumber and Christmas music, shopping and bright decorations dominate our senses until Christmas Day. One sympathizes with the Grinch – “oh the noise, noise, noise, noise!” It’s exhausting.
The Christmas season can intensify the lows of our emotional and spiritual struggles. So, how do we navigate if we are experiencing anxiety and despair in our lives? How can we move from feeling helpless to hopeful?
On the return flight from Greece, Pope Francis said that a second meeting with Patriarch Kirill of Moscow, the head of the Russian Orthodox Church, is being organized.
“A meeting with Patriarch Kirill is not far on the horizon,” the pope said during a press conference aboard the papal plane on Dec. 6, the saint’s day of St. Nicholas.
The U.S. Supreme Court will hear oral arguments Dec. 1 on a major abortion case that could lead to the overturning of Roe v. Wade by next summer. If the court rules to overturn Roe, 26 states would instantly ban abortion.
For California, the Guttmacher Institute predicts a 3,000 percent increase in out-of-state women seeking abortions.
Miscarriage is a loss that until recently was ignored, often happening before anyone knew the mother was pregnant. But as those who have lost children in pregnancy can recount, it is a grief. Therefore, the Archdiocese of San Francisco Respect Life Ministry has begun an annual Memorial Mass & Healing Service for Miscarriage & Infant Loss.
Archbishop Riordan High School held an all-school assembly earlier this school year featuring pro-life activist Megan Almon. During the assembly, a number of students walked out in protest of the event. Archbishop Cordileone went to Riordan High School to meet with student leaders in small groups on November 8. What follows is the letter he sent to all students in preparation for these meetings.
As the liturgical calendar nears its end, three feasts coincide in November to remind us of our own final end: All Saints’ Day, All Souls’ Day and the solemnity of Christ the King. These interconnected feasts are well illustrated in the stained-glass window of Christ in Glory in St. Dominic’s Church in San Francisco.
Father Moises Agudo was recognized by San Francisco Mayor London Breed as one of nine “unsung heroes” in the city’s successful COVID-19 response, all serving populations in underserved areas of the city.
“These people represent the heartbeat of the city,” Breed said in a ceremony on the steps of City Hall Nov. 15.
Pierre Smit is unofficially San Francisco’s ‘Turkey Guy.’ After almost a decade of collecting frozen turkeys from neighbors to donate to St. Anthony’s Dining Room, he deserves the title.
Archbishop Salvatore J. Cordileone brought San Francisco’s faith, civic and social service communities together at St. Mary’s Cathedral to pray for the souls of the homeless dead in a Requiem Mass for the Homeless Nov. 6.
In a wide-ranging talk on racial inequality and new social justice movements in America, Archbishop José H. Gomez of Los Angeles cautioned against the rise of what he described as new political religions. “With the breakdown of the Judeo-Christian worldview and the rise of secularism, political belief systems based on social justice or personal identity have come to fill the space that Christian belief and practice once occupied,” Gomez said in an address delivered via video ahead of congress on Catholics and public life being held in Madrid later this month.
It’s the bottom of the ninth. Bases are loaded; the game is tied. As the batter walks up to the plate, anticipation builds. The stands are silent. The pitch goes out; then, a crack. The ball rises, high into the air, going, going … gone. The silence dissipates, replaced by the rumbling cheers of wild fans. The stadium surges; this is what baseball is all about.
Ando Perlas was on his knees after Mass at Our Lady of Perpetual Help Parish one Sunday in 1984 when he felt a tap on the shoulder. A stranger asked him if he wanted to join the Daly City parish’s Legion of Mary. “I had gone to Catholic school all my life but had never heard of the Legion of Mary,” said Perlas. When the woman approached him again some months later in the same spot, he was praying for his infant daughter, born with a serious heart defect. Her prognosis was not good. Perlas said he made a silent covenant with the Blessed Mother that day, and with Virgilia “Bebs” de los Santos, the persistent legionary, now deceased.
The Vatican announced that it will give dioceses around the world more time to complete local consultations ahead of the 2023 Synod on Synodality. The announcement is likely to be welcome at dioceses around the world as an opportunity to have more time to solicit more input from “all the baptized.”
The communion of saints is a teaching of the Catholic faith that we profess in every recitation of the Creed at Mass. Pope St. Paul VI describes the dogma well in his 1968 “Credo of the People of God”: “We believe in the communion of all the faithful of Christ, those who are pilgrims on earth, the dead who are attaining their purification and the blessed in heaven, all together forming one church; and we believe that in this communion the merciful love of God and his saints is ever listening to our prayers.”
Hong Kong is famous for having long been one of the most densely populated urban areas in the world. It is one of the last places on earth one would expect to find a giraffe.
The leader of San Francisco Catholic Charities is leaving to accept a position in the cabinet of Washington State Gov. Jay Inlsee. She will lead the Washington State Department of Social and Health Services, serving between 2-3 million people annually, according to an announcement.
There will be no COVID-19 vaccine mandate for Catholic school students this school year, Archdiocesan Catholic Schools Superintendent Pamela Lyons announced in a letter to parents this week. The letter came in response to Gov. Gavin Newsom’s announcement earlier this month that he would add COVID-19 vaccines to those required for school children.
Excitement is building for World Youth Day now that the new dates are official. World Youth Day will be Aug. 1-6, 2023, in Lisbon, Portugal, the Vatican announced earlier this month.
By Mary Powers The St. Thomas More Society honored San Francisco attorney Matthew F. Graham with its signature St. Thomas More Award, presented to someone
By Catholic News Agency Pope Francis formally launched the two-year global consultation process leading to the 2023 Synod on Synodality with a call to “look
Archbishop Salvatore J. Cordileone will celebrate a solemn new Requiem Mass for the Homeless at 10 a.m. Nov. 6 at the Cathedral of St. Mary
By Kevin Jones, Catholic News Service Former U.S. Sen. Joe Donnelly of Indiana is President Joe Biden’s nominee for U.S. Ambassador to the Holy See,
By Joshua McKeown, Catholic News Agency California Governor Gavin Newsom signed Senate Bill 380, a law that loosens several safeguarding requirements surrounding assisted suicide. The
By Mary Powers The 10th Annual San Francisco Rosary Rally was held on Saturday, Oct. 2, a week shy of the 60th anniversary of Father
The Marvel Cinematic Universe is ever-expanding, and the latest offering about everyone’s favorite Norse god of mischief, Loki, is getting all kinds of time-traveling buzz, and for good reason.
Zoom is a not a word Msgr. Michael Harriman would have connected to his retirement after 53 years as a priest of the Archdiocese of San Francisco. Not as a verb or a noun.
God’s revelation in Jesus Christ is the foundation of all Christian faith. As followers of His, He calls us to be “Church,” that is, a people assembled to worship Him and give Him honor and glory. The distress of the restrictions on worship all throughout the COVID-19 pandemic made it more evident than ever just how important this aspect of our faith is in our lives.
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