Guardsmen:
‘Early Days’:
‘invaluable’:
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Group’s holiday tree lot supports children in need
Deposed statue an opportunity for reconciliation?
Annual luncheon celebrates retired priests
CATHOLIC SAN FRANCISCO Newspaper of the Archdiocese of San Francisco
Serving San Francisco, Marin & San Mateo Counties
www.catholic-sf.org
November 1, 2018
Pope apologizes to young people who feel ignored by the church
Defend church from those who seek to destroy it, pope says Junno Arocho Esteves Catholic News Service
Carol Glatz Catholic News Service
VATICAN CITY – Speaking on behalf of all adult Catholics, Pope Francis formally closed the Synod of Bishops by asking young people for forgiveness. “Forgive us if often we have not listened to you; if, instead of opening our hearts, we have filled your ears. As Christ’s church, we want to listen to you with love” because young people’s lives are precious in God’s eyes and “in our eyes, too,” the pope said in his homily Oct. 28. The Mass, celebrated in St. Peter’s Basilica, closed a month-long synod on young people, faith and vocational discernment. The pope thanked the 300 synod members, experts, observers and ecumenical delegates for working in communion, with frankness and with the desire to serve God’s people. “May the Lord bless our steps, so that we can see pope, page 10
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(CNS photo/Paul Haring)
Pope Francis holds his pastoral staff as he celebrates the closing Mass of the Synod of Bishops on young people, the faith and vocational discernment in St. Peter’s Basilica at the Vatican Oct. 28.
VATICAN CITY – As the Synod of Bishops finished its work, Pope Francis called on all Catholics to defend the church from those who are influenced by the “great accuser” seeking to destroy it. After thanking the synod members, observers and experts following the vote on the final document Oct. 27, the pope said that although church members are sinful, “our mother (the church) is holy,” but “because of our sins, the great accuser always takes advantage.” While in some parts of the world, Christians suffer persecution because of their faith in Jesus, there is “another type of persecution – continuous accusations – in order to dirty the church. The church cannot be dirtied. The children, yes, we are all dirty, but not the mother. Therefore, this is the time to defend the mother,” he said. “It is a difficult moment,” he continued, “because through us, the great accuser wants to attack the mother. And no one touches the mother!” Before concluding the synod’s final meeting, Iraqi Cardinal Louis Raphael Sako of Bagdad, the Chaldean see synod, page 10
Young missionaries arrive to change the culture Nicholas Wolfram Smith Catholic San Francisco
In the old convent at St. Cecilia Parish in San Francisco, five 20-something Catholics have moved in with a mission to change San Francisco. Part of a group called Culture Project International, the team of recent college graduates give Theology of the Body inspired talks to school students and young adults on respecting human dignity, the importance of marriage and family, and the value of chastity. The Culture Project missionaries were invited to the Archdiocese of San Francisco by the Office of Marriage and Family Life and will also collaborate with the youth and young adult ministry. Their eight-month stay in the archdiocese will build on
(Photo by Nicholas Wolfram Smith/Catholic San Francisco)
Culture Project missionaries Maura Eckels, Genesis Gutierrez, Jesse Orenge, Ally Klekas and Angel Rodriguez. The team has been invited to the archdiocese to give school presentations on human dignity and sexual integrity. a three-month visit another Culture Project missionary team did last
year, when they talked to more than 2,500 students. Missionary Angel
Rodriguez told Catholic San Francisco the team has felt welcomed and have begun filling up their speaking schedule. Culture Project International, founded four years ago, aims to shift people away from what Pope Francis has called a “throwaway culture” toward one that affirms the dignity and worth of every person, especially in sexual relations. By creating a culture of sexual integrity and respect for others, they hope to build a culture of strong marriages and families. Rodriguez said that at the heart of the Culture Project’s message is a simple affirmation: “You are good. You are loved.” The talks offered by Culture Project missionaries are on “Human
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see culture project, page 6
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