By Christina Gray
Father Mario Paul Farana was laid to rest after his unexpected death on Aug. 5. The pastor of St. Paul Parish in San Francisco was remembered by a fellow priest and a longtime parishioner for his sage guidance, humble and easygoing manner, and devotion to his parish and the local Church.
“When I was a Jesuit seminarian, Father Mario encouraged me to rethink where I could best serve the Church,” Father Tom Martin, pastor of St. Pius Parish in Redwood City. “As the vocations director at that time, he felt strongly that serving my hometown, and home archdiocese, with the many priest friends of the Martin family, would make me most happy.”
Father Martin was ordained as a priest of the Archdiocese of San Francisco in 2013.
Father Farana passed away unexpectedly on Aug. 5 at the St. Paul rectory. His funeral Mass was held Aug. 16 at the parish where he spent 32 years of his 54-year vocation as a Catholic priest. His obituary noted that Father Farana, still an active priest at 80, “died with his boots on.” His committal services were held Aug. 18 at Gate of Heaven Cemetery in Los Altos.
Father Farana was still a deacon at St. Kevin Parish when Father Martin first met him at a dinner with other priests at the Martin family home. He attended Father Farana’s ordination on May 29, 1971 — the very first in the new St. Mary’s Cathedral — according to Father Martin. The easy going “relatable” priest became a lifelong friend of the family, he said.
“It was Father Mario who invited me and my three younger siblings to attend St. Paul School when he served as assistant pastor,” said Father Martin. “I graduated from there and consider it one of the great blessings of my life.”
Father Farana also served briefly as chaplain of Sacred Heart High School when Father Martin was a student. “He was beloved by the entire community,” he said. People were very comfortable around him. “We would often discuss the latest (San Francisco) Giants and Forty-Niner standings.”
Father Farana was assigned to St. Paul’s Parish in 1993. At the time, the church was one of many that were on a list for closure. Through his passion, determination and fortitude, he succeeded in making St. Paul’s the only parish on that list that did not close.
Longtime parishioner Franco Cerelli told Catholic San Francisco that “Father Mario” was a devoted servant of God, who “led, embraced, and inspired” his flock throughout his long tenure with heartfelt devotion, unwavering commitment and a common touch. “We miss him as a pastor, as a man of God, as a human being, and as a fellow 49ers fan.”
Full obituary for Father Mario P. Farana is here.
Photo: Joseph Heinen
