Catholic san Francisco Northern California’s Weekly Catholic Newspaper
Packed crowd for St. Patrick’s Day Mass By Jack Smith eavy rain dampened turnout at the 154th Annual Saint Patrick’s Day Parade in San Francisco March 12, but it was standing room only at the 9 a.m. pre-parade Mass at St. Patrick Church on Mission Street. The Mass and parade were sponsored by the United Irish Societies of San Francisco (UISSF). Leaders in the Irish community, from both near and far, organized and took parts in the liturgy. Patrick O’Keeffe, Minister of State for the Environment representing the Republic of Ireland, read the second reading, and Úna Fannon, Vice-Consul General of Ireland assisted at the offertory. San Francisco Police Officers served as ushers, and children from St. Philip, St. Cecelia and St. Stephen parishes served as acolytes. Father Gerard O’Rourke, emeritus director of ecumenical and interfaith affairs for the archdiocese was celebrant and homilist. Father Brendan McBride, National Consultant for the Irish Apostolate and chaplain to the Irish community in San Francisco concelebrated, as did St. Gabriel pastor and UISSF chaplain Father John Ryan and St. Patrick’s pastor, Monsignor Fred Bitanga. The service, like the congregation, was both Irish and American. The national anthems of both countries were sung. The flags of the United States, Republic of Ireland, and County flags of Ireland were hung, and songs and prayer were offered in English and Gaelic. But Patrick is not just for the Irish, a fact demonstrated by the celebration of the feast of this co-patron of the Archdiocese of San Francisco in what is now a largely Filipino parish. The apostle to Ireland has become an apostle to every corner of the world through the faith of countless Irish priests, sisters and laity for nearly 1600 years, Father O’Rourke explained in his homily. The people celebrating St. Patrick in San Francisco join “huge numbers of people all across the world in thousands of cathedrals, churches, seminaries and mission chapels named after Saint Patrick,” he said. Fr. O’Rourke recounted his astonishment when the Irish native arrived in this country in 1950 to find that “every 20 miles from Chicago to the West Coast . . .
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(PHOTO BY JACK SMITH)
The students of Saint Timothy School in San Mateo and Saint Veronica School in South San Francisco joined to perform in a combined band along Market Street for the 154th Annual Saint Patrick’s Day Parade.
Rite of Election Homily ‘You have not chosen me, I have chosen you’ By Archbishop George H. Niederauer The following homily was given by Archbishop George H. Niederauer on the First Sunday of Lent, Mar. 5, at the Cathedral of Saint Mary of the Assumption. Lent is a season of forty days during which Catholics prepare to celebrate Easter, the great feast of our salvation in Jesus Christ the Lord. The Church has two purposes in the season of Lent: the first purpose is to prepare the catechumens, the adults who will be baptized, confirmed, and receive First Eucharist at the Easter Vigil Mass, and to prepare the candidates as well, that is, those who have been baptized but now will be fully initiated in Confirmation and First Eucharist at the Vigil; the second
purpose is to prepare all the baptized to be renewed in their faith, hope and love by means of prayer, fasting, and almsgiving. On this first Sunday of Lent each year all the catechumens and candi-
dates from around the Archdiocese gather here in the Cathedral for this Rite of Election. Now we Americans use the word “election” to refer to voting for civil office, but there will be no exit polls or projected winners here today. The word “election” as we use it in “Rite of Election” is a literal translation of the Latin word for “chosen.” We find our clue to what the Church means by “the elect” in the beautiful gospel passage that was just proclaimed. Even though this is only the first Sunday in Lent, in the gospel reading we look ahead to the very end of Lent, to Holy Thursday, in the story of the Last Supper as told by St. John in his Gospel. Jesus said so many beautiful and important things at the Last Supper, but RITE OF ELECTION, page 6
ST. PATRICK’S MASS, page 7
INSIDE THIS WEEK’S EDITION Jewish-Catholic cooperation. 3 News-in-brief. . . . . . . . . . 4-5 Novato to Rome . . . . . . . . . 8
‘Jesus Decoded’
Katrina update . . . . . . . . . 11 Editorial and letters . . . . . . 12
~ Page 9 ~ Third Sunday of Lent ~ March 19 ~ March 17, 2006
‘The Three Burials of Melquiades Estrada’ ~ Page 18 ~
SIXTY CENTS
Scripture and reflection . . . 14 Classified ads . . . . . . . . . . 17
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