The following reflection comes from the St. Dominic church bulletin for Palm Sunday. We share it with you for this blessed season.
By Father Michael Hurley, OP
Pastor's Corner
St. Pius Parish Returns Cautiously As Restrictions Ease
By Father Tom Martin
When the United States Supreme Court ruled affirmatively that places of worship be accorded the same consideration as retail venues related to in-person capacity, I was overjoyed. When our staff gathered together the next Monday, we were unanimous in wanting to proceed with caution, ensuring that we continue to maintain strict adherence to both San Mateo County health directives and archdiocesan protocols for the celebration of Mass and reception of the sacraments. We recognize that we have a solemn obligation both to offer the Mass and sacraments to our people while keeping safe. These goals are not mutually exclusive.
As is the case in our other parishes, great efforts have been made to stay connected with our parishioners and be creative in reaching out to them. We have been blessed to have live-streamed Masses daily in addition to reflections offered by our priests and lay faithful. We will continue with a series of talks by lay members of our parish this Lent. There will be a Rosary at 5:30 p.m. for vocations followed with Confessions attended by both Fr. Edgardo Rodriquez and myself. We have posted outdoor Stations of the Cross as well. As of January 6th, we have an Adoration Chapel which is open daily from 9:00 a.m. to 9:00 p.m. Fr. Edgardo and I have continued to visit the sick and check in with parishioners, especially seniors, who have felt particularly alone and isolated during this pandemic.
The Gospel reading for the Second Sunday in Lent is Mark’s account of the Transfiguration. Peter, James and John see Jesus in his glory; first fear, then peace overtakes them. Peter says, “Lord, it is good for us to be here!” Alas, Jesus foretells his passion and death which is necessary for the ultimate triumph of the Resurrection. The Transfiguration is an excellent source of prayer as we consider the cost of discipleship, of which suffering is a part but not the final say!
As we enter into this holy and privileged season of Lent, we do so with the easing of restrictions related to Covid-19. Over this past year, we have truly been pilgrims along the Via Dolorosa. Many of us have lost close friends and family members, a grief compounded by the fact that we could not mourn their passing as we ordinarily do. Despite these necessary losses, we have seen much evidence of “grace upon grace.” I wasn’t quite sure whether parishioners and others would attend Mass on Ash Wednesday, the day we at St. Pius once again opened the church for public worship. I celebrated the 6:30 a.m. Mass and I counted at least 150 people. At 6:30 in the morning! It was like this at our other Masses, culminating with our 6:30 p.m. Spanish Mass which was also quite full. I could not help but reflect upon the words of St. Paul to the Romans: “Brothers and sisters, if God is for us, who can be against us?” Jesus Christ, who exemplifies for us surrender in suffering, does indeed intercede for us!
Father Tom Martin is the pastor of St. Pius the X Parish in Redwood City, California. Visit the parish website at www.pius.org
By Gibbons Cooney
An almost unendurable reality is that right here, right now, in our city, defenseless and innocent children are being killed, quite legally, and for profit. Yet this is the reality. It is really happening. The fundamental right not to be killed has been denied to an entire group of people, based solely on their age. As a Catholic, as an American, as a human being I’m faced with the question: what should I do?
By the standards of the world the situation seems hopeless. The government supports this killing. The media supports this killing. In San Francisco, most of our neighbors support this killing. Further, if a woman is truly determined to kill her unborn child I cannot stop her, even if Planned Parenthood goes out of business tomorrow.
But 40 Days for Life has shown me: I don’t need the standards of the world. What I need, what we need, what our world needs, is hope! Where is our hope? Our hope is in the power of prayer and love to change the hearts and minds of those who work in the abortion business and of the mother contemplating abortion.
And 40 Days for Life has shown me more: that hope dies in solitude but grows in community. At 40 Days for Life I am part of a local community and that community is part of a group of state communities, of national communities and finally of a worldwide community. And the 40 Days community has manifested that hope, has spread that hope, and, now by witnessing to that hope in 61 countries and all 50 states, has made that hope a reality for all to see. Because that hope really and truly has caused abortion workers to reconsider their actions, and really and truly has given frightened mothers the courage to bear and raise their children. 40 Days for Life has shown us, over and over again, the tangible results of our hope: lives saved, lives changed, and lives enriched. Maybe not today, and maybe not on Valencia Street, but yes, somewhere in this worldwide community a life is being saved, changed, enriched.
I am grateful to play a tiny part in this.
To sign up to pray with 40 Days for Life this Lent, go here to sign up for San Francisco and here to sign up for Redwood City.
Gibbons Cooney is a native San Franciscan and parish manager at Saints Peter and Paul Parish. (Photo outside Bush Street soon-to-open flagship Planned Parenthood is by Dennis Callahan/Archdiocese of San Francisco Office of Human Life & Dignity)
(Photo of Jan. 23 Walk for Life West Coast rally at Civic Center / Dennis Callahan/Archdiocese of San Francisco)
San Francisco Archbishop Salvatore J. Cordileone celebrated an early morning Mass at the Cathedral of St. Mary of the Assumption and then led about 100 people from the cathedral to the site of the new -- not yet opened -- flagship Planned Parenthood clinic at 1522 Bush Street. In his homily, the Archbishop thanked the 120 people who attended the 8 a.m. Mass Jan. 9, including about 20 Missionaries of Charity professed nuns and novices. "Thank you for being a light in the midst of this darkness; a light being a witness to the sanctity of life,"rchbishop Cordileone said in his homily. "Thank you for being advocates, and as we should say, activists for the Culture of Life." And, he said, "We need the power of prayer and fasting to defeat the powers of darkness." Later, at the Bush Street clinic, the Archbishop sprinkled the front of the clinic with exorcised holy water and urged those present to continue praying and fasting. He asked that they come every Saturday and as often as possible during the week to pray the rosary and say the St. Michael prayer. The Mass and procession was the first of the monthly events that will be held on the First Saturday going forward. During her July 13, 1917 appearance to the children of Fatima, the Blessed Mother asked us to attend Mass and pray particularly for intercession to her Immaculate Heart on the First Saturday of the month in reparation for the sins of the world. (Photo by Dennis Callahan/Catholic San Francisco)
By Melissa Vlach
As with everything in 2020, the Interfaith Winter Shelter looks a little different this year, but the faith communities of San Francisco have worked hard to make sure it can still happen. This includes the Cathedral of St. Mary of the Assumption, which is the location of the shelter this year.
The Winter Shelter, which is in its 32nd year, opened on November 30. It usually rotates between a number of different facilities over the course of a season. However, this year it will be hosted by the cathedral every night, as the cathedral has the space to accommodate physical distancing protocols for the guests, all of whom are also required to wear masks.
The food offered has changed as well. In past years various congregations would come in to cook and serve the meals to those staying in the shelter. These many volunteers earned the program a reputation for having the best food around. This year, Episcopal Community Services of San Francisco will try to meet those expectations as they deliver boxed meals in order to limit the number of people entering the location.
The shelter is not taking walk-in clients, but will be receiving referrals from partner organizations. It can accept up to 67 individuals at a time, and is scheduled to go through January 31, 2021. The situation will be monitored to see what develops after that date.
“We are grateful to the Cathedral of St. Mary of the Assumption for generously offering their site as an extended stay location,” said Michael Pappas, Executive Director of the San Francisco Interfaith Council, in a press release.
Those who are experiencing homelessness are encouraged to visit a Coordinated Entry Access Point through the City and County of San Francisco to be directed to available resources.
Learn more about the Cathedral at http://smcsf.org/
SF Coordinated Entry Access Points
Melissa Vlach is Office of Human Life & Dignity social action/digital media coordinator.
Social Action coordinator Martin Ford had the privilege of spending a few hours with Pastor Walter B. Hoye II, author of "Black and Pro-Life In America." Hoye is a powerful voice against racism and for life, who first came to widespread media attention in 2008. The interview is linked below.
In 2008, Hoye was arrested and eventually jailed for holding a sign outside an Oakland abortion clinic that read, "Jesus loves you and your baby. Let us help you!" He was sentenced to jail in 2009 under the city's "bubble ordinance" barring protesters from coming within 8 feet of anyone entering an abortion clinic. The law was eventually ruled unconstitional.
Hoye states: "Abortion is a form of discrimination. Just as Black Americans were both enslaved and disqualified from constitutionally protected Personhood because of their skin color. Just as Jews were legally put to death and disqualified from constitutionally protected personhood because of their ethnicity. Today, the pre-born child is disqualified from constitutionally protected personhood in the United States of America, because of his or her physical size, level of biological development, environment and/or dependency."
Pastor Walter Hoye is both Founder and President of the Issues4Life Foundation, the California Civil Rights Foundation, Founder of the Frederick Douglass Foundation of California, and an Executive Member of the National Black Pro-Life Coalition. Walter, an ordained minister, and his wife, Lori, are leaders in the black pro-life movement.
The following interview was based on his book, Black and Pro-life in America. Walter Hoye recounts the story of his being arrested for peacefully praying in front of an abortion clinic in Oakland, being sent to jail, his ministry in jail, about his friendship with Archbishop Salvatore Cordileone, and even a bonus question on his role as chaplain for the Golden State Warriors!
The rapid pace of federal death penalty executions is alarming.
In July 2019, the federal government reinstated the death penalty, after a 17-year hiatus. U.S. Attorney General William Barr said the goal was to bring "justice to victims of the most horrific crimes." Since then eight federal inmates have been put to death this year and five more are scheduled to be executed before Jan. 20.
Yes, the Catholic Church opposes the death penalty, and numerous bishops and popes have spoken out against it. In 2018, Pope Francis revised the Catechism of the Catholic Church to say “the death penalty is inadmissible.” Just Nov. 18, the heads of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops Committee on Domestic Justice and Human Development and the Committee on Pro-Life Activities said in a statement, "We ask President (Donald) Trump and Attorney General (William) Barr, as an act of witness to the dignity of all human life: stop these executions.”
Yet, for many it is not as important an issue as it should be, says Deacon Dan Rosen, a pastoral associate at St. Dominic Parish in San Francisco.
By Deacon Dan Rosen
Under President Donald Trump, the government has carried out the highest number of federal executions ever in a single year, with statistics dating back to the Great Depression, according to Robert Dunham, executive director of the nonpartisan Death Penalty Information Center.
Lisa Montgomery’s case stands out. Montgomery, 52, is scheduled on Dec. 31 to be the first woman in nearly 70 years to receive the federal death penalty. Her punishment is being carried out on an unusually fast timeline — all amid a pandemic. For like us, Lisa was born with our original sin; like us she was flawed and sinful; and made serious bad choices. I think for many Catholics who support the death penalty, she seems to have forfeited her right to life. Even though a closer read of the Catechism says: “The death penalty is inadmissible because it is an attack on the inviolability and dignity of the person” – Catechism of the Catholic Church, no. 2267.
We hear little about these executions. They go unnoticed. They are just accepted.
Yet, as Sister Helen Prejean says: “I realize that I cannot stand by silently as my government executes its citizens. If I do not speak out and resist, I am an accomplice.”
But someone reminds us that they should not be unnoticed and accepted. The next time you enter church and stare up at the Crucifix, remember that Jesus was executed by federal Roman authorities. And his response was “Father forgive them!” Perhaps in our world today we could do with a healthy dose of forgiveness rather than another spoonful of vengeance.
Deacon Dan Rosen is a pastoral associate at St. Dominic Parish, San Francisco. He can be reached at deacondan@stdominics.org
For Archdiocesan resources on the death penalty, go here.
For the past few years, generous donors have contributed thousands of dollars so the archdiocesan restorative justice ministry can provide a special Thanksgiving meal to those incarcerated in the San Francisco County jails. This year, about 800 meals were prepared by a catering service staffed by formerly incarcerated people, and operated by Vocational Services of San Mateo County. The meals were to be served over three days (Nov. 18-20) in the San Francisco jail at the Hall of Justice and in the SF jails in San Bruno. Because of COVID-19 precautions, the volunteers were not able to directly serve the meals but could pray with the chaplains and restorative justice coordinator Julio Escobar for the food and those who would enjoy it. Members of the daily evening telephone rosary rally with restorative justice joined in prayer by telephone.
(Photos by Dennis Callahan/Archdiocese of San Francisco Office of Human Life & Dignity)
[photo by Dennis Callahan, Catholic San Francisco]
This is the year when distancing-learning came home--literally! Parents who would never have considered home-schooling are forming 'pods' with friends, and parents--whether they have to leave for work or are working at home--are baffled about how to oversee their children and their school-work and still make a living. While home-schooling has always seemed a bit off the beaten track to most parents, San Francisco resident Vivian Dudro has a few tips. She and her husband educated four children, with all of them at one point or another home-schooled, while at other times they attended 'regular' school. Here is her take on the advantages of home-schooling.
Can You Homeschool Your Children? Yes, You Can!
By Vivian W. Dudro
As the new academic year fast approaches, recent studies show that many parents across the country are considering homeschooling their children because of uncertainty about the risks of Covid-19 and what schools are doing to address them. Having educated four now-adult children through eighth grade (and one of the four through high school), I have some tips and encouragement to offer parents who are considering homeschooling.
1. First, let me state the obvious: in order to educate a child successfully, parents need to be actively engaged in their child’s learning. But before anyone gets scared off by this prospect, remember that parent involvement is what assures the academic success of any child, whether at home or in a brick-and-mortar school.
2. But what if I don’t have the time? Contrary to what you might expect, homeschooling doesn’t take all day. In fact, grammar school children need to spend only about three hours a day in active instruction to cover all the ground they cover during a school day. Parents are often surprised to hear this because their children spend so many hours at school and often have homework to do afterward. They don’t add up how much time in school is spent on other things besides actual instruction—everything from attendance to recess.
3. Once parents understand that it takes only three hours to cover grade-school academic material each day, they can begin to visualize all the creative ways that teaching or supervising instruction could take place in their family: parents can take turns covering different subjects or parents can join together with other parents to form small learning groups for their children. In these arrangements parents can teach various subjects to the group or they can share the expense of hiring tutors for certain subjects. This latter option is particularly helpful for high school math, science, and foreign language.
4. What about math and science? is another common question. First, there are so many excellent resources out there for children learning at home that there really is no such thing as a mountain too high in this regard. I know of some parents with no more than a high school diploma who successfully educated their children at home.
5. And here is a fun but little-known fact—one of the great things about homeschooling is all the wonderful things you get to learn yourself. So many things I either never learned or learned poorly when I was young I discovered along with my children.
6. For many families, the corona virus pandemic has been opportunity to get back to basics. In the more than 25 years I have been living in San Francisco, I have never seen so many parents playing outdoors with their children. When I see these parents, I feel like approaching them and saying, Cherish this time with your children. The years I spent with my young children--reading books aloud, walking on the beach, visiting museums (which sadly are still closed, but outdoors ones, at least, are open), and celebrating the riches of our Catholic faith— were the most joyful years of my life. Yes, they were challenging too, but the best things in life usually are.
Vivian Dudro is a senior editor at Ignatius Press. Over the years she has contributed articles to National Catholic Register, Catholic World Report, and Catholic San Francisco on topics related to faith and family life.
Letter from Catholic California Bishops to Gov. Newsom:Throughout the COVID-19 pandemic, the Catholic Church in California has supported and cooperated with public officials’ efforts to contain the spread of this deadly disease, including closing our schools and suspending public worship. We took these steps, not because the government issued orders, but because our God is love and he calls us to love for our neighbors. That means working for the common good and protecting the sanctity and dignity of human life, taking special care for the poor and elderly, the sick and vulnerable.
In the wake of the coronavirus lockdowns, our schools made a remarkable transition to distance learning. Within days, all of our state’s Catholic schools were up and running teaching students online.
On Friday, the 17th of July, Governor Gavin Newsom announced that all TK-12 schools in California will be held to new requirements for resuming in-person instruction. As a result, schools in 33 counties across the state of California will begin the new school year with only distance learning.
Catholic schools are not just a concern for Catholics and it is not accurate to describe our schools as “private.” Our schools serve an irreplaceable public good in giving young people the chance to realize the American dream, especially young people from racial minority and low-income families. Across California, our schools serve mostly racial minority students, and more than half of our schools are located in urban or inner-city neighborhoods. Many of the children we serve are not Catholics.
We understand that the threat of the coronavirus is real and ongoing in our state. And we understand the legitimate concerns that teachers, parents, and elected officials have about the safety of returning to the classrooms this fall. At the same time, we are deeply concerned about the broader health and development issues for our children if the state presumes to rely only on distance learning until a vaccine is developed.
In-person learning, especially at the lower grades, provides emotional and social skills and supports that are crucial to early childhood development and the overall wellbeing of children which simply cannot be replaced.
What our children will lose by “virtual” education — in terms of emotional development, skills and learning and achievement — will have a significant impact. In the name of protecting their health in the short-term, we may very likely be risking their long-term growth and potential.
Our Catholic schools across the state have been diligently implementing the Centers for Disease Control guidance for schools and the recommendations of local health authorities in preparing to return to the classrooms. As many businesses, organizations, and government offices around the country are doing, we are making accommodations to adapt to the new realities caused by this pandemic.
The public-health science suggests that elementary-age students can return with low risk of infection or transmission of the virus among students or between students and teachers. So, we are urging Governor Newsom to continue the dialogue on this crucial question of how to reopen our schools safely.
We urge the Governor to expedite issuing regulations that will enable local health authorities to grant waivers for pre-K, primary, and secondary schools to open for in-person instruction.
Fast action by the Governor will allow decisions to be made on a case-by-case basis at the local level, by those public officials, along with educators, who are in the best position to evaluate safety concerns in individual schools.
We stand ready to work with the Governor and our neighbors on this matter of vital concern to our great state and especially to its poor and minority peoples.
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