CSF February 2023

Your word is a lamp for my feet, a light for my path.

The lives you impact through your support of the Archdiocesan Annual Appeal

Dear Friends in Christ:

One of the many blessings of being Catholic is the great richness and diversity of the heritage of our faith tradition: 2,000 years of saints and scholars, theologians and scientists, missionaries and pastors, educators and health care workers, producers of masterpieces of beauty in art, music, architecture and literature – the list is endless. What is more, we are all called – each of us, with our own unique gifts and endowments from God – to be a part of this great legacy.

As wise and generous stewards of the gifts with which God has blessed us, we each make our own unique contribution to the cause of spreading His love. We do this, as Catholics, by using our gifts and talents to serve others, and it is in serving and loving others that love is returned to us. This includes sharing our gifts of time and treasure as well as our talents. I want to take this occasion to thank each of you for the concrete ways you support the growth of our Catholic faith through generously sharing your time, talent and treasure.

One of the primary ways we demonstrate our love through stewardship of treasure in the Archdiocese of San Francisco is by participation in the Archdiocesan Annual Appeal. The AAA provides Catholics in the three counties of our Archdiocese (San Francisco, San Mateo and Marin) a unique opportunity to come together: through the appeal, the 90 parishes of our Archdiocese unite as one body in mission and ministry.

I would like to extend my deepest thanks to the thousands of parishioners who have so generously supported the annual appeal throughout the years. You have a tremendous

impact on many lives. Through the annual appeal, we support retired priests, seminarians, social justice initiatives, our schools, youth and young adult ministry, and ministries to the poor, to name just a few examples. We also support archdiocesan departments such as finance and human resources that through some centralization of services ably support our parishes in an efficient and cost-effective manner.

The theme for this year’s annual appeal is “Your word is a lamp for my feet, a light for my path.” By following Christ’s word, we pursue the path on which we demonstrate our faith – and we do so in countless ways. In this magazine, you’ll see examples of how we demonstrate our faith, and you’ll read about people whose lives you impact through the annual appeal.

Second grade Faith Formation students in prayer at St. Augustine parish, South San Francisco, preparing to receive Holy Communion in May.

A few examples of ministries you support through the AAA are:

Our Chaplain ministry, offered in hospitals and prisons to support individuals during some of their moments of greatest need.

The Rotational Learning Initiative, our program that increases the proficiency of elementary school students who are below grade level in reading and math via software programs and tools that provide personalized learning. You are helping change the trajectory of young lives!

The Gabriel Project, our person-toperson outreach to women who are in crisis pregnancies. Through the appeal, you help these

women who have chosen to give birth in difficult circumstances.

Restorative Justice, our ministry involving crime victims and their families, offenders and their families, and the incarcerated. An example: a young man with no family in the U.S. was killed inside a San Mateo County jail. The county contacted the Archdiocese because the deceased was associated with Catholic Charities. Julio Escobar, who heads our Restorative Justice program, went to the young man’s former neighborhood and learned the name of a relative in his country of origin. Julio contacted the family, broke the news about the death, and helped return the young man’s body to his native country.

I encourage you to think about your impact on the people in need of our chaplain ministry, … think about those schoolchildren who benefit from the Rotational Learning Initiative, … think about pregnant women in need, and often with few places to go, … think about the young man killed in the county jail.

Now imagine the consequences if support from the AAA weren’t there. Would the people in need of our chaplain ministry receive the Holy Sacraments? Would they find comfort and peace of mind? Would the schoolchildren in need of additional, more personalized instruction realize their academic gifts? What about the family of the young man killed in jail? On behalf of these individuals, their families and the many others who benefit from the Archdiocesan Annual Appeal, I thank you for your generosity and your commitment to our faith. You inspire me in my ministry.

Our mission as a Church and people of the Catholic faith continues, so I invite you to participate in this year’s annual appeal. Your contribution is a tangible expression of your commitment to bringing Christ to others, and it enhances our ability to spread and celebrate our faith. Your gift makes a real difference.

With my prayerful best wishes, I am, Sincerely yours in Christ,

Most Reverend Salvatore J. Cordileone Archbishop of San Francisco

Photo by Nerissa Broas

LET’S SUPPORT THE AAA

A self-addressed AAA donation brochure is enclosed for your convenience. Only you can decide what gift amount is right for you in light of your circumstances and the blessings God has given you. You may make your contribution over the course of the year. Please see the table below.

ONLINE AT SFARCH.ORG/AAA

(by credit card or checking account): Please note that you can take full advantage of the benefits offered by your credit card, such as bonus points and airline miles.

USING THE ENCLOSED BROCHURE (by credit card, check, or cash): Please make checks payable to “Archdiocesan Annual Appeal 2023.” You may send your completed donation brochure directly to the Archdiocese (the address is pre-printed on the form).

STOCKS, BONDS OR MUTUAL FUNDS: Donations of stock offer a way to make a charitable gift without having to utilize cash funds. In addition, a stock donor may benefit from capital gains tax savings. For more information on how to donate stocks, bonds or mutual funds, contact the Office of Mission Advancement: (415) 614-5580, development@sfarch.org.

MATCHING GIFTS: Many employers have matching gift programs that provide employees with the opportunity to enhance their charitable contributions. Please contact your company’s Human Resource professional to find out whether your company has a matching gift program.

SUGGESTED GIFT PLANS

Some of our readers may not be familiar with using QR codes. It’s simple. If you know how to use the camera on your smart phone, you’re all set! Just turn on your camera phone and point it at the QR code.

Make sure you allow the camera to focus on the QR code’s black and white square icon. When your phone clearly captures the QR code, you will see a prompt on your phone’s screen that will allow you to open a new window to access the content. That’s it! For those without a smartphone, we added the URL link. We hope you enjoy these new magazine features, and we look forward to your active participation!

We want to hear from you!

Please send your story ideas and faith-based or general questions to catholicsf@sfarch.org.

Your voice matters as we continue to explore new ways to engage with our readers!

How well do you know the Catholic Faith?

The Ultimate Catholic Quiz by Catholic Answers’ founder, Karl Keating.

Excerpted with permission and available for purchase from

https://ignatius.com/the-ultimate-catholic-quiz-ucqp/

There are no trick questions, but there are questions that will trip you up if you fail to read carefully. An answer is counted as wrong if any part of it – such as a date or name – is wrong. Your goal is not to find the answer that is least wrong, but the one answer that is wholly right, which may be “none of the above.” On average, most informed Catholics score 50%. How well did you do?

1. Holy Communion may be received by

a. anyone at all, so long as his conscience tells him it is the right thing to do.

b. any Christian who wishes to manifest the unity that Christ willed for His Church.

c. Catholics in the state of grace, but not by most Protestants, even if they are in the state of grace.

d. Catholics who have committed mortal sins and are sorry for them, even if they have not confessed them yet in confession.

e. none of the above.

2. Creation means

a. God made everything out of nothing.

b. God made everything out of unformed plasmatic matter.

c. God made everything out of empty space.

d. God set the universe in motion and then withdrew.

e. none of the above.

3. Ecumenical councils

a. are always held at the Vatican.

b. have their acts ratified by the Pope—that’s what makes them ecumenical.

c. are invalid unless attended by an absolute majority of the world’s bishops.

d. Have been held 16 times, the latest being Vatican II.

e. none of the above.

4. The Bible is divinely inspired, which means

a. the sacred writers had visions and wrote down what they saw.

b. the sacred writers were given extraordinary literary skills by God, and this is why the Bible is so beautifully written.

c. God moved the sacred writers so that they wrote only and whatever He wanted them to write.

d. the Bible is the most inspiring book in the world.

e. none of the above

5. Persons with same-sex attraction

a. will go to hell unless they become heterosexuals first.

b. are not responsible for their condition, so homosexual acts are not sinful for them.

c. cannot be baptized.

d. are under the same obligation of chastity as are unmarried heterosexuals.

e. none of the above.

Volunteers, staff help others in their faith journeys

BY RYAN MAYER Director of Office of Catholic Identity Formation & Assessment, Archdiocese of San Francisco

We often hear it said that “Jesus meets us where we are.” Of course, Jesus doesn’t just leave us where we are but calls us to fullness of life, to somewhere greater than where we were before. God is always the one who takes the initiative and calls us to respond. Sister Celeste Arbuckle, SSS, is the director of the Office of Faith Formation for the Archdiocese of San Francisco. She, her staff and parish catechetical leaders and catechists are finding new and creative ways to meet people where they are and to ensure they receive the formation they need on their lifelong faith journey. Each parish does this in its own unique way depending on the needs of the families, their cultural expression and parish life.

One of the greatest challenges for families in faith formation is time. Families are busy, and many families struggle to just be present for faith formation sessions. One way to make parent or youth sessions more available is to offer them twice or through hybrid programs. Offering options enables a person to attend a live session or access a taped session at a more convenient time.

“Sometimes, 11 p.m. is the only time a working parent can participate, once the children are sleeping,” said Sister Celeste. “We want them to be able to participate whether it be at midnight or 5 a.m.”

RECOGNIZING FAITH FORMATION SERVICE

Time is, of course, also a consideration for those who lead faith formation. Parish catechetical leaders are very generous with their time and talent, with approximately half of them serving in a full-time capacity, 30%

Photo by Debra Greenblat

part-time and the remainder as volunteers. Catechists serve on a volunteer basis. Catechists are recognized by parishes at a commissioning Mass on Catechetical Sunday in the fall as well as in May at the Pius X awards ceremony hosted by Archbishop Salvatore Cordileone. Recognition awards are presented to those with five years or more of service as well as those who have gone through training as new parish catechetical leaders or master catechists. Special recognition is offered to the youth who serve as volunteers. During the awards event, Sister Celeste presents the “Director’s Award” to people who have significantly helped in the archdiocesan office.

… new and creative ways to meet people where they are and to ensure they receive the formation they need on their faith journey. Each parish does this in its own unique way depending on the needs of the families, their cultural expression and parish life.”

MEETING PARTICULAR NEEDS

Some formation takes on a different look. Programs, such as one at St. Veronica Parish in South San Francisco, offer sacramental preparation for students with special needs. The center for sacramental preparation has been a formation center for many years and is sponsored by the Archdiocesan Annual Appeal, the Office of Faith Formation and the Knights of Columbus. Sacramental preparation kits were developed by a young boy who wanted to help his brother who had special learning needs. These kits, as well as other supplies, are offered to parents and teachers. The program also hosts an annual Christmas party.

In addition, St. Veronica’s is collaborating with the Office of Faith Formation to host a “Saints retreat” on March 19 for those with special learning needs and their parents. The event includes prayer, activities, lunch and sessions for both children and parents. ›

WHAT’S NEXT FOR FAITH FORMATION

Sister Celeste plans to hold a catechetical summit in the spring to take an inventory of current faith formation needs in the Archdiocese. “We will review where we were before the pandemic,” she said. “We will assess how well we connected with families, how many students we served, and which programs were effective. We need to consider what was working well and what we might trim.”

In January, master catechists in the Archdiocese met to consider how to encourage more certification and formation opportunities that can strengthen the ministry of catechesis. “The New Directory for Catechesis calls us to see the mentoring of catechists as vital to their ministry,” said Sister Celeste. “It also requires that evangelization be woven into all our endeavors. Paragraph 139 says that the catechist is formed to become a witness of faith and a keeper of the memory of God. Our goal is to constantly reinforce this into our archdiocesan programs.

“Adult faith formation is a lifelong process that strives to meet the needs of people in every age group, whether they be in a parish or even in prison,” she added.. “We have RCIA as a part of prison ministry for the incarcerated, and the Archbishop even celebrated Christmas Eve Mass on Christmas Eve for the incarcerated.”

Sister Celeste and her team of parish directors, master catechists and volunteers work to ensure that everyone has opportunities for knowing Jesus, loving the Church and becoming a true missionary disciple. Whether it be time constraints, language considerations or individual learning needs, faith formation in the Archdiocese of San Francisco is meeting God’s people where they are as true witnesses of the Word. ■

Photo by Debra Greenblat

Photo by Debra Greenblat

Photo by Mary Powers

Photo by Debra Greenblat

What Does God Want From YOU?

What Does God Want From

First steps and leaps of faith. Whispered hopes and daring dreams. New beginnings and familiar comfort. This is life. This is home.

Jesuit Institute for Family Life Marriage Counseling Family Counseling Individual Counseling

Is your marriage what you want it to be? Are you struggling to express your need for your spouse? Are your children suffering from lack of communication with your partner? Has your spouse left you emotionally? Have you tried to solve problems like these and found you could not do it alone? This need has given rise to the Jesuit Institute for Family Life; a staff of competently prepared and professionally skilled marriage counselors who are Catholic in religious orientation perceiving marriage as a sacrament and whose training and interest is in dealing with the above questions and areas of growth in family living. The Jesuit Institute for Family Life provides marriage counseling, individual and couples, family counseling, and group counseling for married couples as a means to meet the need within families to value the presence of individual family members and to improve the quality of intra-family relationships. To want to value one’s spouse and family members is often quite different from actually performing in a way that effectually expresses such value. We find that new skills are often needed and old obstacles to growth must be understood and worked through before effective human relating can be realized. When we do this we relate to Christ as He said, “In you give to these brothers and sisters of mine you give to Me.” (Matthew 25:40)

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LIFE-GIVING WOUNDS FAMILY

New ministry explores stories of hurt and healing from adult children of divorce

BY CHRISTINA GRAY Lead writer, Catholic San Francisco grayc@sfarch.org

The rupture of a family through divorce or separation is a destabilizing event for everyone, but it is children who often carry their wounds into adulthood. This appears to be true no matter what the circumstances of the divorce, no matter your age at the time of the divorce, and indeed, no matter whether you are a monarch or movie star.

Prince Harry, the youngest son of the late Princess of Wales Lady Diana and King Charles, who divorced in 1996, and his wife Meghan Markle, whose parents also divorced, acknowledged this recently on national television. Markle read a poem she wrote at age 12 while a student at Immaculate Heart School in Los Angeles. It acknowledges the fractured sense of self, the shattered dream of an intact family, and fears of failure so familiar to children of divorce:

“Two houses, two homes, two kitchens, two phones, Two couches where I lay, two places that I stay. Moving, moving here and there, from Monday to Friday I’m everywhere, Don’t get me wrong, it’s not that bad, But often times it makes me sad.

I want to live that nuclear life, With a happy dad and his loving wife. A picket fence, a shaggy dog, A fireplace with a burning log. But it’s not real, it’s just a dream, I cannot cry or even scream.”

Until recently, very few dioceses, parishes or college campuses have had a ministry dedicated to this large and diverse population even though half of all children born into married families today statistically will likely see the divorce of their parents. In many real ways, the unhealed wounds of children of divorced parents strike at the heart of our faith — marriage and family life. Nationally, nearly half of the children of divorced parents statistically are likely to get divorced themselves. Many don’t get married at all and struggle in relationships, with marital and familial commitment, and even with their faith.

LIFE-GIVING WOUNDS: A CATHOLIC PATH TO HEALING

In 2021, the Archdiocese of San Francisco’s Office of Marriage and Family Life launched a San Francisco chapter of Life-Giving Wounds. The new, Marylandbased ministry co-founded by Dr. Daniel Meola and his wife Bethany offers a Catholic path to spiritual healing for adult children of divorced and separated parents. The first three-day retreat was held at Vallombrosa Retreat Center in March 2022 and another in November. Two more retreats are planned for 2023, with past retreat participants now serving on the chapter’s retreat team.

Here, three retreat participants, including a priest, share their stories: ›

“Let the Children of Divorce Come to Me,” a painting by artist Michael Corsini, was commissioned by Dr. Daniel Meola, co-founder of of the Life-Giving Wounds ministry. It is the first-ever Christian sacred art meant specifically for the healing of children from divorced, separated, or broken families.

For Stanford University graduate and solutions architect Antonio Aguilar, validation came in the form of academic achievement, romantic conquest, athletic prowess and perfectionism.

“Lacking the secure foundation of a twoparent family loving me together, you start staking your identity and worth in other things,” said Aguilar, 27. “I needed to do this to prove that I was lovable.”

Born in Costa Rica into a non-religious home, his parents separated when he was 9 years old. He said his “emotionally distant” mother moved out soon after the birth of his younger brother, leaving his father to raise his sons alone.

Aguilar believes that the trauma of divorce can be so profound for divorcing couples that there is “not enough attention to go around.” Children can feel “on their own” to cope, like he did. “Happy” divorce talk, he said, such as comments about how lucky he was that he could have two Christmases, taught him to suck it up in silence.

“I made it work, largely, or I thought I had,” he said. “I believed I had stitched this wound up by myself.”

At 14, he was drawn to Catholicism. It was in the Catholic community in Costa Rica that his self-described “mother wound” brought him to the feet of Mary.

“I was praying in this chapel, and I told Mary that I needed her to be my mom,” said Aguilar. He struggled to fully respond to what he heard as her tender “yes.”

“I think it’s really hard to accept love,” he said. “You have to open up your defenses a little and change when that happens. It’s easier to stay in your world of coping mechanisms.”

He moved to California in 2014 to attend Stanford University but said his faith “hadn’t grown that much.”

A Catholic friend and retreat leader suggested he attend the Life-Giving Wounds retreat at Vallombrosa.

“As adult children of divorce, we are comfortable going to all these other places for validation that are not of God,” said Aguilar. “Sometimes we try the real thing and see, wow, this is really different.”

Antonio Aguilar, 27, High-tech consultant, San Francisco

I made it work, largely, or I thought I had. I believed I had stitched this wound up by myself.”

Photo by Christina Gray

The retreat did help him grieve the loss of “two parents loving me together.”

“In learning who God is and how he loves you, it is important to have the love of your mother, the love of your father and the love of them together,” he said. “One of the beautiful things about Life-Giving Wounds is that you go to a place where everybody knows what it’s like to have that taken away.”

Today, Aguilar lives a simple communal life with other Catholic men in the old convent for St. Philip the Apostle Church in Noe Valley while he explores a vocation with the Dominican order. ›

One of the beautiful things about Life-Giving Wounds is that you go to a place where everybody knows what it’s like to have that taken away.”

Katherine Ambrose, 33, Occupational therapist, San Francisco

“Ihave only one or two crystal-clear memories of when my parents were actually together,” said occupational therapist Katherine Ambrose.

Ambrose, the fifth of six children, grew up in what she described as a “culturally Catholic” home in Maine. Her parents divorced when she was 5 years old, and they had their marriage annulled shortly thereafter.

“Annulment carries its own special wounds,” she added. She doesn’t recall feeling great angst as a child, but said she always knew there was an impact.

A full awareness of that didn’t surface until after

Photo courtesy of Katherine Ambrose

college in her mid-20s, a period that coincided with her return to the Church after a brief estrangement.

In dating relationships, she said she saw some “really ugly things come up in myself” in the irrational ways she reacted to people. “I thought to myself, ‘there is really something here to look at.’”

She began seeing a therapist but found that it could only go so far and she could only go so deep. “I knew there was something else, but I didn’t know what it was or where to find it,” she said.

Ambrose learned about Life-Giving Wounds through a Catholic friend who knew her background. Her friend said the new ministry was looking for retreat team leaders and he thought of her.

One of her greatest takeaways from the retreat was a “massive sense of relief.”

“I thought it was part of my personality, like maybe I am just an anxious or fearful or angry person,” she

said. “No, this is just how I reacted to the things that happened in my life.”

In the retreat, she heard others speak about “foreboding joy.”

“I’d always had this deep sense within me that if I feel joy, I can’t trust it,” she said. “Like if it’s good, it’s going to go away and something bad is going to happen,” she said.

She said the beauty of the peer-led Life-Giving Wounds retreat is that it is all “Holy Spirit-driven.” Everything is optional, every Mass, every talk, every small group discussion, Adoration, confession, all of it.

“Healing can feel like this daunting, huge task, like I have to do everything at once, and it’s going to be messy and ugly,” she said. “That’s not what God really wants for us. It’s much more of a gentle process than we can conceive of. I think that is what the retreat does so well. With the Holy Spirit at the center, we are being guided to where we need to heal.” ›

FIVE DAY CONVERSION RETREAT AT VALLOMBROSA

Letting the Blessed Mother Change Your Soul

Are you ready for a renewal and improvement of your spiritual life that might have fallen into routine? Or maybe you are ready for the kick start that your soul is yearning for. In our fast-paced digital age when texts, email, phone calls, hyperlinks, and pop ups demand our attention, the old saying is proved: “If the devil can’t make you bad, he makes you busy!” Here is the perfect start to correct that.

Our Blessed Mother appeared to Marte Robin in the 20th Century. She was totally paralyzed, unable to eat or sleep, and survived with only the Eucharist as food for 53 years. Mary asked her to open a retreat house! She said that retreats needed to be silent, led by a priest, and five days because three days “... was not enough to change a soul.”

Here is the challenge: are you willing to devote five days of silence (except for conferences and prayer). Participants have said that it was after three days, when they would normally be leaving, when the anxiety of missing noise left and so they could totally grow spiritually in the last days. Seems that Mary knows how to change a soul!

The retreat begins on a Sunday night with dinner and gathering. Then there is total silence until Saturday morning at the breakfast/sharing. This is five full days. The cost is $450.00, which is half-price due to a generous donor. Additional scholarships are available. It includes a single room (couples are separated), three meals each day. Confessions, counseling and Mass are also available.

Our next retreat will be at the Vallombrosa Retreat Center, Menlo Park from May 7-13.

I’d always had this deep sense within me that if I feel joy, I can’t trust it. Like if it’s good, it’s going to go away and something bad is going to happen.”

Franciscan Father Luke Joseph Leighton, 40, Chaplain to SF Chapter of LifeGiving Wounds

“I remember the day very well when my parents told me they were going to separate,” said Father Luke Leighton, a priest of the Franciscan Fathers of the Renewal order. He can still picture details in the room of his New Jersey home where his dad stood on one side of him, his mother on the other. “My legs gave out, and I fell to the ground.”

He was 7 years old.

Luke was raised in neither the faith of his Ukrainian/Irish Catholic mother nor his German Jewish father.

By the time he was in high school, his parents had divorced each other and remarried. He dated, but irrational fears of rejection sidelined him.

When his mother began attending a local Catholic church with her new husband, Luke started going with them. Just before his 16th birthday, he was baptized.

One Sunday after Mass, one of the ladies asked if he had ever thought about being a priest.

“I was like, ‘what? No!’ I had thought about opening a surfboard shop. All I knew about priests was that they didn’t get married, and they were close to Jesus.”

He made a quick getaway to a nearby park bench where he saw a vision of a priest before the tabernacle. “My heart was filled with desire in that moment,” he said.

He was a surfer, a snowboarder and a wrestler who liked listening to punk and ska music. But in that moment, it “all felt like bandages around an empty shell,” Father Leighton said.

Before he made his final vows, one of his sisters asked him why he thought he could make such a lifelong commitment to religious life considering his parents divorced.

“Religious formation itself, living in community, all of it draws out your weaknesses and issues,” said Father Leighton, who participated in his first Life-Giving Wounds retreat in Washington after years of selfexamination.

“When you go to see a secular psychologist, they very often put your religious life on a shelf, like it’s a separate thing,” he said. You may get a few useful tools, “but you may never acknowledge the deep wound and how it affects the very place of our origins and our identity and how we see ourselves as people.”

… you may never acknowledge the deep wound and how it affects the very place of our origins and our identity and how we see ourselves as people.”

Photo by Christina Gray

After relocating to San Junipero Serra Friary in Oakland in 2021, Father Leighton met Ed Hopfner, director of the Archdiocese’s Office of Marriage and Family Life among the crowds at Walk for Life West Coast. He enthusiastically agreed to become chaplain for the new local chapter of Life-Giving Wounds that Hopfner was shepherding.

The retreat can have a reinvigorating effect on the faith of Catholics, said Father Leighton.

The sacraments “have a place to land,” according to Father Leighton, after retreat participants have spent the weekend acknowledging and grieving their wounds.

“When we take our wounds and press them up against His wounds, all of our pain can go to Him,” he said. ■

SCAN THIS CODE TO HEAR WHAT OTHERS HAVE TO SAY ABOUT LIFEGIVING WOUNDS RETREATS or visit https://youtube.com/ watch?v=BsWYffJw0hA&si=EnSIkaIECMiOmarE

2023 dates are March 17-19 and Nov. 17-19.

YOUR GIFTS CHANGE LIVES

Your gift to the Archdiocesan Annual Appeal allows us to provide ministries, programs and services that benefit parishes and people throughout the Archdiocese of San Francisco. The Annual Appeal is an opportunity for all in the Archdiocese to come together as one community to support one another and everyone we serve.

“For almost a quarter of a millennium, the Church in San Francisco has been a beacon of hope, spreading the light of Christ to all in our community. I ask you to be generous with your prayers and with your material support for the mission of the Church here in our Archdiocese.”

Archbishop Salvatore Cordileone

“Your word is a lamp for my feet, a light for my path.”

Clergy Support

Clergy Support helps those who care for us. It supports priests, deacons, and seminarians in their ministry. This ministry includes: Council of Priests, Vicar General, Vicar for Clergy, Clergy Education, Priests’ Education Fund, Permanent Diaconate, Diaconate Formation, Office of Consecrated Life, Office of Vocations, Priests’ Retirement Fund, Serra Clergy House and Priests’ Elder Care.

Diaconate Formation

Priests’ Retirement Fund

Active Priests’ Support

Seminarian Formation

Priests’ Education Fund

Social Ministry

Through its variety of social ministries, the Archdiocese is able to thoughtfully engage with its diverse communities. Supported offices and ministries include: Hospital Chaplains, the Tribunal, Youth and Young Adult Ministries, Human Life & Dignity, Prison Ministry, Ethnic Ministry, Chinese Ministry, Ministry for the Spanish Speaking, Filipino Ministry, Ecumenical and Interreligious Programs.

Hospital & Prison Chaplains

Office of Youth & Young Adult Ministries

Respect Life

Restorative Justice

Ecumenical & Interreligious Programs

Ministry Support in 22 Languages

Parish Ministry & Schools

The Archdiocese provides additional funding for its parish schools, varied educational programs and financial aid. Supported offices and ministries include: Department of Pastoral Ministry, Faith Formation, Youth & Young Adult, Office of Worship, Marriage and Family Life, Teacher Incentive Grants, Alliance for Mission District Schools and Child and Youth Protection.

21,923 Catholic School Students

2,576 Teachers & Staff

70 Teacher Incentive Grants

Premarital & Marriage Support

Office of Faith Formation

Office of Worship

Universal Church & Communications

The Universal Church supports the larger work of the California Conference of Bishops, the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops and the Holy See. The Office of Communications provides internal constituent communications and external communications that fund media relations, public information and special projects.

The Holy See

Catholic San Francisco

San Francisco Católico

SFArchdiocese.org & Social Media

California Catholic Conference of Bishops

U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops

Teaming with possibility

Archdiocesan ministry helps the formerly incarcerated build new lives

BY CHRISTINA GRAY Lead writer, Catholic San Francisco grayc@sfarch.org

Her role as communications director for the Sisters of the Presentation in San Francisco keeps Jan Potts’ schedule tight.

But hers was an “easy yes” when invited to share her professional capabilities as a volunteer with Excell Network. Excell Network helps formerly incarcerated men and women rebuild productive, meaningful lives outside prison walls through educational scholarships, personal development, mentorship and community and peer support. The program was conceived two years ago by Julio Escobar, Restorative Justice coordinator for the Archdiocese’s Office of Human Life & Dignity.

“It’s a compelling story,” said Potts, one of six core volunteers of the program currently helping Escobar restore the dignity and selfdetermination of adults on parole or probation.

The success of Excell Network is made possible by each volunteer who offers distinct

professional expertise to the program and its students. “The volunteers are basically our staff,” said Escobar. “If we had to pay for a graphic designer, for instance, or for other services, we would not have this project.”

Currently, there are 25 students in various stages of Excell Network program navigating a path to post-prison success.

Potts was assistant director of communications for the Archdiocese of San Francisco when she was invited by Escobar two years ago to serve as a volunteer in a communications capacity. She proofs every issue of Excell Network magazine, a compilation of student success stories produced three times a year and sent to supporter-subscribers. She also offers general communications counsel to Escobar and attends the monthly breakfasts held at St. Agnes Parish in San Francisco and St. Mark’s in Belmont that serve as a networking and fundraising platform for Excell Network.

Julio Escobar, restorative justice coordinator for the Archdiocese’s Office of Human Life & Dignity, right, introduces a student with Excell Network, left, at one the organization’s monthly breakfasts held at local parishes.

Photo courtesy of Excell Network

Escobar said volunteers are the wind beneath the wings of the program. Their value comes not just from the services they provide, but from their personal calling to serve this population.

“It’s a matter of introducing volunteers to the work and letting them see what we are doing,” he said. “It’s almost a given that the reason they are here is that they connect with the mission of the project.”

Potts is vocal in her support for the principles of restorative justice.

“It is what we are called to do as Christians,” she said. It also produces more effective outcomes, she believes, than punitive justice.

“To help perpetrators of crime in any way, some people just can’t really understand that,” she said. “It's because it is countercultural; but our faith is countercultural.”

A $22,500 annual grant from the U.S. bishops’ Catholic Campaign for Human Development funds the scholarships offered to Excell Network students. Staff and infrastructure are funded through the Archdiocesan Annual Appeal.

Escobar said that at least twice that amount is needed each year, however, and is raised through the monthly breakfasts, Excell Network merchandise and personal donations. “If a student needs a suit for an interview or they are short on their rent, or gas, or they need money for food, we are able to do that through fundraising,” he said.

Eduardo Banos is a full-time webmaster for the Archdiocese’s communications department and also has skills as a graphic designer. He learned about the Excell Network by designing flyers for restorative justice programs.

Escobar approached Banos with the idea for a magazine for Excell Network but said he could not afford a graphic designer. “He asked me to help, and I said yes, let’s do it,” said Banos. On his own time, he lays out the content written by another volunteer, Deacon Dana Perrigan.

The success stories inside, Banos says, are “very impressive.”

“From my point of view, all these young people are getting a second chance,” he said. “Everyone deserves a second chance. We are a faith of redemption.”

Melissa Vlach, social action and digital media coordinator working full time for the Office of Human Life & Dignity, is a key team member whose involvement is funded by the appeal. She is a bootson-the-ground organizer of the monthly breakfasts and produces video profiles of the students who share their stories. She also tracks the scholarship ›

Above, Jan Potts.

Right, Vicky Salgado.

Below, Melissa Vlach.

recipients’ academics and interfaces with the archdiocesan finance department, which disperses the students’ stipends.

The stories told there are often “very difficult to hear,” she said.

It’s a revelation, she said, to see the individuals not just for the crimes they committed, but as human beings capable of change.

“It is rewarding to see that and see their growth,” said Vlach. “It can also be difficult to see when some of them have setbacks. It’s not always a clear journey forward.”

Volunteers have limited interaction with the students themselves. One of two exceptions is Frances Holmes, a volunteer who offers students free classes in personal health and nutrition each year.

Another exception is Vicky Salgado, Archdiocesan director of human resources. Several times a year, she offers Excell students classes on time management and goal setting.

Salgado’s rich background mentoring at-risk youth in her hometown of San Jose was wellknown to Escobar, who approached her early to serve as an Excell Network volunteer.

Her father’s longtime work as a volunteer

with Kairos, a Catholic prison ministry, has also helped her see the redemptive possibilities of those who have been incarcerated – and her own blessings.

“I had my own room, I went to Catholic schools, I had everything given to me,” she said.

“I am so grateful for all of the gifts God has bestowed on me,” said Salgado. “We all complain about what we don’t have. Some of these kids have been living in a room with 15 people.”

As a volunteer for the Excell Network, she feels able to return with gratitude what she has been given and uphold the Catholic belief in the value of every single human life.

“There is possibility in every person,” she said. “When you believe in someone, when you give them a chance, and you trust in the fact that they can do it, anything is possible.” ■

Eduardo Banos, full-time webmaster for the Archdiocese’s communications department, is a volunteer graphic designer and production artist for Excell Network.

Photo by Christina Gray

SCAN TO LEARN MORE ABOUT THE EXCELL NETWORK or visit www.sfarch. org/rjministry

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Epiphany Center presents the

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26TH BENEFIT PARTY & SHOW

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March 2, 2023, 6pm The Family

March 2, 2023, 6pm The Family

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The Epiphany League and Party Captains, Erin Doyle Ebeling and Sheila Kelly, invite you to Epiphany Center’s annual fundraising gala benefitting San Francisco’s marginalized women and children. Epiphany Center has delivered its life-saving programs for over 170 years and your support ensures the organization can continue to help the over 200 at-risk families it serves each year.

The Epiphany League and Party Captains, Erin Doyle Ebeling and Sheila Kelly, invite you to Epiphany Center’s annual fundraising gala benefitting San Francisco’s marginalized women and children. Epiphany Center has delivered its life-saving programs for over 170 years and your support ensures the organization can continue to help the over 200 at-risk families it serves each year.

For tickets, please visit www.theepiphanycenter.org

For tickets, please visit www.theepiphanycenter.org

Roots of suffering seen in reality of evil

BY SIMONE RIZKALLAH Director of Program Growth at Endow Groups

This is the second in a series of seven meditations examining the Christian meaning of suffering according to the thought of Pope St. John Paul II in his 1984 apostolic letter, “Salvifici Doloris.”

The Holy Father, Pope Saint John Paul II, ends this second part of his letter with sobering words: “One thinks, finally, of war” (Paragraph 8, “Salvifici Doloris”). And we know he was no stranger to war. He was born only two years after the end of the First World War and survived the Second World War when many of his fellow clandestine seminarians, as well as Polish clerics, were murdered.

Papal biographer George Weigel has often noted in his lectures a letter that John Paul II wrote to theologian Henri de Lubac in which the Holy Father observed that the “pulverization of the human person” in the 20th century was caused by what he called “an anthropological mess.” In other words, the root of the problem of evil, which took form in the atrocities committed by the Nazis and communists, was a philosophical one. Their flawed understanding of the human person (that man is not intrinsically valuable) is what gave them license to dispose of “undesirables” at will.

But what causes suffering?

John Paul II writes, “Man suffers on account of evil, which is a certain lack, limitation or distortion of good” (Paragraph 7, “Salvifici Doloris”). Christian tradition has always defined evil as a negative

reality, meaning that evil cannot “stand alone” without its relationship to the good because it is always in some way an absence or a dismantling of the good which ought to be present.

Interestingly, the Old Testament doesn’t have two different Hebrew words for “suffering” and “evil.” The same word is used to signify both the reality of evil and of suffering. But there is a distinction between the two which is evident in the Greek New Testament. In the Greek, the verb “suffer” is understood as I experience, I am affected, etc., which more clearly shows us the distinction between the cause (which is the evil) and the experience of it, the lack of the desired good (which is the suffering). Therefore the answer to the question, “Why do we suffer?” is a difficult yet simple one. We suffer because of the reality and experience of evil.

And yet, for the Christian, “the world of suffering possesses as it were its own solidarity.” It is in the context of this solidarity, this shared “trial,” this “need for understanding and care” that we can continue the most noble of human efforts: to continue grappling with “the persistent question of the meaning of suffering” (Paragraph 8, “Salvifici Doloris”). ■

Endow is a nonprofit organization that connects like-minded women and helps them access with ease the rich theological inheritance of the Catholic Church for the cultivation of the feminine genius through 8- to 12-week study groups based on important documents of the Catholic Church. For more information, please visit www.endowgroups.org.

Consider studying John Paul II’s apostolic letter “Salvifici Doloris” by hosting an 8-, 10or 12-week session Endow Group.

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Perspectives from Catholic School students on topics of faith

Marin Catholic: Bringing people ‘into the deep’

BY ROBERT HADSELL

This year, Marin Catholic High School has gone through the process of rewriting the school motto and has adopted “Duc in Altum,” Latin for “cast into the deep.” This change comes with a new focus not only on academics, but on bringing students into a deeper relationship with God. Over the past 63 years, Marin Catholic has brought thousands of students “into the deep.” Although I have only been at Marin Catholic for one year, I have already felt its impact on my relationship with God and faith, especially through liturgy, campus ministry and athletic teams.

The Mass, or liturgy, is one of the most important and powerful prayers in the Catholic Church. In it, we reflect on the word of God through Scripture readings and receiving the Word made flesh, Christ, in the Eucharist.

Marin Catholic offers daily morning Mass to any student who wants to attend in the St. Francis Chapel. Chapel, as it is called, sets the tone for one’s day and allows one to receive Christ as many times a week as one would like. By going to Chapel, I have been able to experience God and grow closer to Him. My faith has increased by knowing that on our school campus, Christ is always present. Additionally, we are given the chance to come together and celebrate the Mass as a whole community once a month. This opportunity displays the incredible beauty of the

Mass and how it brings people together. As we pray together, we grow closer to God and to one another.

Moreover, the campus ministry department at Marin Catholic has deepened my faith and has given my classmates and me opportunities to share our faith with others. Marin Catholic has an outstanding campus ministry team that only wants the best for its students and for the community as a whole. Being a campus ministry leader is one of the staples of the Marin Catholic experience. Campus Ministry is known for being able to bring students deeper into relationship with God.

At the beginning and end of summer break, the campus ministry team took the time to plan and lead a retreat to help train campus ministry leaders and help them reflect on their faith life. Over these two leadership retreats, I have been able to more closely explore how God has worked and will continue to work in my life. It gave me an opportunity to look back over the past year and reflect on the wonderful experiences that God has put into my life. In addition, campus ministry organizes retreats for each class level. Retreats bring everyone closer to God and help form lifelong friendships. I am grateful for the many experiences that the campus ministry department offers Marin Catholic students.

Finally, the Marin Catholic community has helped

Marin Catholic High School, ‘25

Photo by Haley Skinner, Marin Catholic Magazine

Robert Hadsell serves at the all-school Mass at Marin Catholic.

me to deepen my faith and relationship with God through athletic teams. I am fortunate enough to be able to participate in both a fall and spring sport — cross country and track and field. The athletic teams at Marin Catholic include incredible individuals who are always there supporting one another during good and bad moments. Although cross country and track and field are typically viewed as individual sports, teammates are always on the sidelines cheering and showing support to all who participate. Their applause energizes the team and gives everyone the motivation to do their best. This camaraderie and teamwork reinforces and deepens my faith in God, as I watch teammates support, motivate and celebrate each other’s achievements.

Before every meet, the team prays together as one. We huddle together in a circle and ask God to bless and protect us as we run the race. We are all nervous and excited for the race to start, but first, we calm and center ourselves with prayer, reminding ourselves that we are always in the presence of God. I have been fortunate enough to have led prayer a few times before races and to feel the power of that prayer when we pray as a team. That experience has further opened my eyes to the power of prayer and has allowed me to share my relationship with God with my teammates. Through athletic teams, I have been able to grow in my faith and friendships and deepen my understanding of the beauty of God.

Last year, Marin Catholic helped me to expand my faith and grow closer to God to a point greater than I ever knew was possible. Through receiving the Eucharist, attending retreats in campus ministry and supporting classmates and teammates, I have had the opportunity to go deeper as a Marin Catholic student, and I look forward to my own spiritual growth. ■

I have been able to more closely explore how God has worked and will continue to work in my life.”

TO LEARN MORE ABOUT THE SPIRITUAL LIFE AT MARIN CATHOLIC

Nothing is more important than participating in Mass

Editor’s Note: The following excerpt from a presentation on the Mass and the Eucharist is one of many articles that will be published by Catholic San Francisco Magazine as part of the U.S. Catholic Church’s Eucharistic Revival (eucharisticrevival.org) that began on June 19, 2022, the feast of Corpus Christi, and continues through Pentecost 2025.

The most wonderful thing I ever do in my life is celebrate Mass. From the time I was a little child, that’s all I ever wanted to do. Ever since Sister Dolores in first grade asked us to draw a picture of what we wanted to be when we grew up, I drew a priest with his hands held up in the air holding up the Eucharist. I believe it’s because of my mother. I was born

March 26, 1960, and I was baptized on April 17, 1960, which was my mother’s birthday. It was also Easter Sunday. Right after I was baptized, my mother, who was 18, went over to the image of the Blessed Mother, lifted me up and she gave me away. I believe that day, Mary grabbed me and prayed for me that throughout my life, which in high school wasn’t very good, she would keep drawing me back to the reality that I was called to be a priest.

So, at 17, I came to know the call of the priesthood and entered the seminary. The most important thing I do in my life now is offer the Mass. The reality is, every day of my priesthood, I’ve offered the Mass; even when I was sick in the hospital, I would say Mass every day in my

FATHER LARRY RICHARDS

Pastor, St. Joseph’s Church Bread of Life Community in Erie, Pennsylvania

Photo by Debra Greenblat

Contemplative of St. Joseph Father Vito Perrone raises the Eucharist in the chapel of the Archdiocesan order’s monastery at Mater Dolores Parish.

bed because there’s nothing more important in my life or in any of our lives than to participate in the Mass. Why? Every time at Mass, the God of the universe, Jesus Christ, that which universe cannot contain, humbles Himself before us and makes Himself present under the appearances of bread and wine, and He feeds us with Himself. What’s more important than that?

If I was going to give away a million dollars at church, people would come from all around the world to get the million dollars. They would say, “Father Larry’s going to give away a million dollars!” Yet, what we get at every Mass is worth more than a million dollars. It’s the God of the universe! God gives us His very self, and yet some people say they’re bored at Mass. They say, “I don’t go to Mass, Father, because it’s boring.” If you don’t go to Mass because it’s boring, then you don’t realize that God died for you, and that this death is made present for you at Mass. God is giving everything for the love of us, and right from the very beginning, since the creation of time, since the fall of man, God has always been preparing us for this great sacrament.

If we go back to the story of Abraham in Genesis, we see the testing of Abraham. God looks at Abraham and says, “Abraham, I want you to take your son, your only one whom you love, and give him to me.” Abraham says, “yes God, I’ll do that.” Now, some people get crazy over that. How could God ask for someone’s son? Remember, his son, Isaac, is the son of promise. Everything depends on him. Abraham’s future depends on Isaac, and he’s willing to give him up because he knows God can do anything. And so, Abraham takes his son Isaac and gives him the wood for the sacrifice to carry on his back. Isaac looks at his father and says, “Father, here is the wood and here is the fire, but where is the lamb for sacrifice?” Abraham says, “God Himself will provide the lamb for sacrifice.” So, Abraham is uttering a prophecy. He then he goes to the top of the mountain, he takes his son, ties him up and he gets ready to kill him. God stops Abraham and says, “Don’t you dare hurt your son.” God says, “Abraham, don’t you give up your son to prove your love for me; Abraham, I’ll give up my Son to prove my love for you.”

Fast-forward 2,000 years and you see John the Baptist. And John the Baptist sees Jesus walking

toward him, and he says, “Behold the Lamb of God.” God Himself provides the Lamb. You see, God provides the Lamb. That’s why at Mass we cry out, “Lamb of God … Lamb of God … Lamb of God!” This is what it cost God. To give us the Mass, it cost God His Son’s life. From the very beginning with Abraham, the father of our faith, God is preparing us for the Mass.

Some people tell me, “Well, Father, I can pray at home, can’t I?” Well, sure you can. But you’re ignoring the fact that Jesus makes His passion and death sacramentally present for you at the Mass, and He gives us His own body and blood, and that’s what we need to survive. But still, some people say their time is more important than what Jesus is doing for me. They ditch God when they say that Mass isn’t important and that not going is no big deal. Well, it was a very big deal to God to give his only boy! Why isn’t it a big deal for us to receive what His boy did for us? Whatever we do in our lives, there’s nothing more important than the Mass. The Second Vatican Council says the Mass is the source and summit of our life! Is it the source and summit of your life? Or is it just something you go through because you want to be a good person, or because you don’t want to go hell. Many people use Mass as a type of insurance. They say, “I go to Mass on Sunday because it’s a mortal sin to miss Mass. I don’t want to go to hell. I don’t like it, but I’ll go.” That attitude is all about me, and what’s going to save me, instead of recognizing what it cost God. We need to have our hearts purified. It’s not about an obligation; it’s about being in relationship with God. If we jump to the New Testament, Luke, chapter 22 verse 15, we see Jesus getting ready to celebrate the Passover with His apostles. The first Mass was a Passover supper. Jesus sits with his apostles, and He says, “I have greatly desired to eat this Passover with you before I suffer.” Jesus greatly desires you at every Mass. Do you greatly desire Him? Jesus greatly desires to suffer for us. He knows it’s going to cost Him everything, but He gladly gives everything. Do you desire Him at every Mass you go to or is it just something you’ve got to do? He desires you. Do you desire Him? Before He suffers, He takes the bread, and then in verse 19 He says, this is my body given for you. Do this in remembrance of Me. When ›

To give us the Mass, it cost God His Son’s life. From the very beginning with Abraham, the father of our faith, God is preparing us for the Mass.”

He says, do this, this is a command. It isn’t an option. To this day, I can’t believe how people don’t have the Eucharist or the Mass at the center of their lives. Jesus didn’t say, “Hey, if you get around to it, I suggest you come together every once in a while, and, you know, remember this.” No. He said, do it! It’s a command. We must do it because God commands it of us. It’s one of His last requests of us: Do this in remembrance of Me. He says, “This is my body.” He didn’t say, “This is a symbol of me.” He didn’t say, “This is to remind you of me.” He said, “This is me.” What we get at every Mass is the God of the universe — body, blood, soul and divinity of Jesus, who humbles Himself before us and gives us His own body and blood. But again, that doesn’t register with many people.

I watch people when they go to Communion on Sunday. Some receive Holy Communion and go walking out the door. Someone should stop them and say, “Excuse me! Do you know what just happened? God just made His death sacramentally present for you at the Mass, gave you His own

resurrected body and blood, and you’re walking out of here like it’s no big deal? You better fall on your face and realize that God just gave His Body and Blood to you. If Jesus came walking in this church right now and he stood here, what would you do?

I would imagine that you would fall on your face before Him.”

It became real for me years ago. I went to Rome with a classmate to attend a diaconate ordination for a childhood friend. My classmate had done a lot for Mother Teresa’s order when he was studying in Rome. He’d often say Mass for her and suggested we go and spend time with the sisters. I said, “Oh, I’d love to do that.” So, we got there very early in the morning and rang the doorbell. Mother comes out, and she’s smiling from ear to ear at 6 a.m. I’m thinking, “Mother can’t be right if she’s smiling from ear to ear at 6 in the morning,” you know, because I’m not a morning person. I believe in the Lord’s Supper not the Lord’s breakfast! But anyway, that’s all beside the point. So, she takes us into this room, and she says, “Father, wait for us; we’ll come and get you in a few minutes.” As we get ready to offer Mass, we notice that everyone takes off their shoes because they understand that they are entering holy

Photo by Michael Callopy

Eucharistic Adoration at the Missionaries of Charity’s Gift of Love Shelter in Pacifica.

ground. It is an interesting thing to say Mass with no shoes on when you’re so used to saying Mass with your shoes. Anyway, there are nuns from all over the world, all smiling from ear-to-ear. Earlier in the morning, they were chopping wood, filling their big buckets of water and doing all this hard work. As they kneel on the wood floor, they are all smiling. We go into the sacristy and there is a little sign that says: “Oh, priests of God, say this Mass as if it was your first Mass. Say this Mass as if it was your last Mass. Say this Mass as if it was your only Mass.”

That’s how we should all approach Mass. People of God, pray this Mass as if it was your first Mass. Pray this Mass as if it was your last Mass, because it could be. Pray this Mass as if it was your only Mass. If we all just entered Mass that way!

So, we start the Mass, and these nuns, again, are very happy, singing and kneeling throughout the whole Mass. My classmate was giving the homily, and he’s picking on me, and these nuns are laughing hysterically. Laughing is a true sign that someone’s a follower of Christ. If you have no joy — I don’t care if you go to daily Mass — if you don’t have joy in your heart, you don’t know Jesus Christ, who said to us: “I have told you this so that my joy may be in you and your joy may be complete.” (Jn 15:11)

If I’m a follower of Jesus Christ, I better be a person of love to everybody, whether I like them or not. The joy of these nuns was contagious; you smile just by looking at them. So, we continue the Mass and take the bread and say, “This is my body,” and we hold up the God of the universe. Do you know what the nuns did? They fell on their faces. They knew who that was — God. These nuns worshipped Jesus. Then, after returning to a kneeling position, we said, “This is my blood.” Once again, they fell on their faces.

Do we fall on our faces? Every time we go to Mass, spiritually, does our heart bow before the God of the universe? That’s what matters. Mass is about worshipping Him, and these nuns knew it.

But that’s not only what it’s about. After that Mass, we went to this little room where the nuns asked us to stay for breakfast. They served us excessively, like we were royalty. In this little room was a plaque of Mother Teresa, and the plaque says, “The fruit of silence is prayer. The fruit of prayer is faith. The fruit of faith is love. The fruit of love is service. The fruit of service is peace.”

These nuns knew what the Mass was all about. The Mass is to make us more loving. If the Mass

doesn’t make us more loving, we’re wasting time. If you want to know Jesus, you got to spend time with Him in the breaking of the bread. At our church, we are blessed to have 24-hour adoration seven days a week. People come and spend an hour a week so that at least two people are always with Jesus 24 hours a day seven days a week. Why? Because He’s alive there, and you come to know Him in the reality of His presence. Do you know Jesus? Do you really know Jesus? Do you know Him like you know your mother, your father, your best friend, your girlfriend, your boyfriend, your son or your daughter? The only way you ever come to know Jesus is by spending time with Him. I promise you, if you spend time with Jesus in the Eucharistic bread, you will come to know Him, and that’s the only thing that matters. There is no way to fall in love with somebody unless you spend time with them. People are constantly saying, “Oh, I want to know Jesus more.” Well, do you ever spend time with Him? The only way to fall in love with someone is by spending time with them. The only way to truly love Jesus is to spend time with Him. At Mass through the Eucharist, God takes up residence inside of us, and we must leave every Mass and serve, bringing Jesus to the world, bringing others to the knowledge of His love. ■

Father Larry Richards is the pastor of St. Joseph’s Church Bread of Life Community in Erie, Pennsylvania. He is a captivating teacher, preacher and retreat master and speaks from experience as the pastor of an inner-city parish. A former high school chaplain of eight years, a counselor and an evangelist, Father Larry has directed hundreds of retreats for young and old alike as well as numerous parish missions and conferences. His inspirational talks and presentations have changed the hearts and minds of thousands of listeners worldwide.

Excerpts from a conference talk, printed with permission from Lighthouse Catholic Media.

visit www.lighthousecatholicmedia. org/store/title/the-mass-explained#

SCAN TO LISTEN TO THE MASS EXPLAINED BY FR. LARRY RICHARDS or

What we get at every Mass is the God of the universe — body, blood, soul and divinity of Jesus, who humbles Himself before us and gives us His own body and blood.”

St. Patrick Catholic Church continues mission of its namesake

BY MARY POWERS Assistant Director of Communications and Media Relations. Office of

Alight in darkness, bringing Christ to the pagan world of Ireland, St. Patrick courageously fought for the souls of the Irish people. For that reason, he is revered as their patron saint and a co-patron of the Archdiocese of San Francisco.

Throughout the Irish diaspora, St. Patrick’s vocational call to evangelize was carried on by millions of Irish faithful.

San Francisco was one such place to which the Irish brought their love of faith, family, culture and country. The Archdiocese of San Francisco, from its earliest days, has been blessed by the work and service of both Irish priests and sisters and hardworking men and women fleeing famine, persecution and poverty. One location stands alone in exemplifying the Irish spirit in San Francisco: St. Patrick Catholic Church.

To this day, it is close to the hearts of the city’s Irish Catholics. Each year, the annual St. Patrick’s Day Mass is held at the church before the St. Patrick’s Day parade. The church predates the establishment of the Archdiocese and is the No. 4 landmark in the city. St. Patrick’s began on June 9, 1851, and from there the parish rapidly developed. In 1872, it was estimated that the parish had close to 30,000 parishioners.

In 1906, the church was destroyed. The parish delayed reconstruction and turned its efforts to serving those displaced by the earthquake. “(Serving) human beings was now the more urgent need,” wrote Mill Hill Missionary Father John Daly in a 1976 history of the

parish. This effort also launched the many social works and outreach at the parish including the St. Patrick’s Men’s Shelter.

When the church was rebuilt, it was a testament to the history of Catholicism in Ireland. Above the altar, St. Patrick is portrayed in Tiffany glass with the symbol of Ireland, the harp, above him. Four stainedglass windows depicting scenes from his life, including the founding of the diocese in Armagh and the fire on the Hill of Slane, are found in the front and rear of the church. Saints of Ireland are displayed around the perimeter with each of the counties of Ireland represented.

St. Patrick’s has been home to many in San Francisco. According to the parish, the shifts in parishioners reflect the population changes of the South of Market neighborhood over the years. The Irish faithful transitioned to the Spanish community, which then, in turn, gave way to the Filipino community. ■

Communications, Archdiocese of San Francisco

Photo by Mary Powers Window depicting St. Patrick lighting the Easter fire on the Hill of Slane.

Santo Nino Fiesta honors

Infant

Jesus and

beginning of Christianity in the Philippines

On Jan. 14, the Filipino Ministry hosted the annual Santo Niño Fiesta honoring the infant Jesus and the beginning of Christianity in the Philippines. The celebration included Mass celebrated by Father Eduardo Dura, parochial

vicar at St. Augustine Church in South San Francisco.

The love of Christ was expressed through joyful song, dancing and prayer. Many brought their own statues of Santo Niño to be blessed by the priests at the end of Mass. ■

Catholic Medical Professionals

Please join fellow Catholic medical professionals as the San Francisco Guild of the Catholic Medical Association initiates its quarterly meetings for 2023 at Star of the Sea Parish. Meetings are scheduled on Saturdays—April 15, July 15, and October 14—and begin with 8:30 a.m. Mass. Each meeting includes

a speaker or educational offering and time for networking and socializing.

Membership in the national Catholic Medical Association is encouraged, but not required. For further information, contact Stephen A. McCurdy, MD MPH, Guild President, at samccurdy@ ucdavis.edu. ■

Walk for Life West Coast draws tens of thousands

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. Among those walking were young people from local schools such as Marin Catholic, and from as far away as Southern California, Arizona and Oklahoma. The day began with a special pro-life Mass newly commissioned by Archbishop Salvatore J. Cordileone. At the Walk for Life West Coast Mass, the light voices of the St. Brigid School Choir, led by choir director and cathedral music director Christoph Tietze, in counterpoint with the resonant voices of adult choir members, filled the Cathedral of St. Mary of the Assumption. ■

Photo by Dennis Callahan

Pope Benedict XVI, 1927-2022

The passing of Pope Benedict XVI marks the loss of one of the world’s greatest theologians and pastors of souls of the 20th and early 21st centuries. Many generations to come will benefit from the breadth and depth of his understanding of our faith tradition and ability to communicate it clearly and effectively, and for those of us who have had the great blessing of interacting with him on a personal level, we will always be inspired by his gentleness, kindness, wit and ability to listen with respect and compassion.

Thank you, God, for Pope Benedict XVI. May he rest in peace.”

Cardinal George Pell, 1941-2023

Australian Cardinal George Pell, prefect emeritus of the Vatican Secretariat for the Economy, passed away at the age 81 on Jan. 10 in Rome. Born in 1941 in Ballarat, a town in Victoria, he was ordained in 1966. Cardinal Pell served for many years as Archbishop of Melbourne and then Sydney before Pope Francis appointed him as a member of the Council of Cardinals and then to lead the Vatican Secretariat for the Economy.

Cardinal

and St. Patrick’s Seminary twice recently, once in Dec. 2021, where he spoke at the Seminary and Star of the Sea Catholic Church in San Francisco and again in June of 2022 for a sacred liturgy conference hosted by St. Patrick’s Seminary. His body laid in state in Rome at the Church of Santo Stefano degli Abissini inside the Vatican, and a funeral Mass was celebrated for him at St. Peter’s Basilica on Jan. 14. He then had a funeral at St. Mary’s Cathedral in Sydney, Australia, and was laid to rest on Feb. 2. ■

ARCHBISHOP SALVATORE JOSEPH CORDILEONE

Pope Benedict XVI is pictured during Mass at Yankee Stadium in New York in 2008.

CNS PHOTO/CNS PHOTO/NANCY PHELAN WIECHEC

Pell visited the Archdiocese of San Francisco

Photo courtesy of St. Patrick’s Seminary and University Cardinal George Pell at St. Patrick Seminary & University, standing between Father Mark Doherty, rector, and Archbishop Salvatore J. Cordileone.

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18 Abbr. for two OT books

21 Commandment word

23 “…a chosen race, a ___ priesthood” (1 Pet 2:9)

24 Nun’s wear

26 Breaks the eighth commandment

29 One of two epistles (abbr.)

30 Papal

33 “Jesus of Nazareth, King of the Jews” (abbr.)

35 “The arrogant have set a trap for me; they have spread ropes for a ___” (Ps 140:6)

37 Mary is referred to as the “new ___”

38 Catholic actor Guinness

40 James was mending these when Jesus called him

41 This “On the Waterfront” character is based on reallife priest, Fr. Corridan

42 “Let us build the ___ of God…”

Blessed Sacrament

6 Birds of the air don’t do this

7 Split in the Church

8 Lectern

9 20’s US Catholic politician

10 “___ wide the doors to Christ”

11 “…on this ___ I will build my church…” (Mt 16:18)

15 He traveled with Abraham

16 Altar linen

19 Husband of Queen Jezebel

20 ___ of many colors

21 Monk’s hood

22 Bad habit

23 Genesis weather

24 Second of IHS

25 Language of Palestine during the life of Christ

27 Church toppers

28 “I am the ___, you are the branches.” (Jn 15:5)

29 Refer to a biblical passage

31 Simon’s mother-in-law was cured of this

ACROSS

1 “…he suffered, ___ and was buried.”

4 Catholic newsman and “Hardball” host Matthews

7 The ___ of Confession

9 ___ Domini

10 Start of the Lord’s Prayer

12 “Ora ___ nobis”

13 Sacred image

14 Castel Gandolfo has two of these

17 There is a parable about a prodigal one

DOWN

2 There was no room here

3 Geographical area of the Church

5 There are forty in the special Devotion of continuous prayer made before the

32 Mary ___ Killop, saintly founder of the Sisters of St. Joseph

34 Holy ___ Society

36 Governor Bush, convert to Catholicism

39 “Take and ___; this is my body.” (Mt 26:26)

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STATEMENT OF NON-DISCRIMINATION

All employees of the Archdiocese of San Francisco shall be employed without regard to race, color, sex, ethnic or national origin and pursuant to the San Francisco Fair Chance Ordinance, will consider for employment qualified applicants with criminal history.

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HELP WANTED CATHOLIC ELEMENTARY PRINCIPALS SOUGHT FOR ARCHDIOCESAN SCHOOLS

The Department of Catholic Schools of the Archdiocese of San Francisco, is seeking elementary principal candidates for the 2023-2024 school year. Candidates must be a practicing Roman Catholic in good standing with the church, possess a valid California Standard Teaching Credential or the equivalent from another state, a Master’s Degree in an educational field and/ or California administrative credential or the Certificate in Catholic School Administration from Loyola Marymount University *, be certified as a catechist at the basic level** and have five years of experience in teaching and/or in administration with Catholic school experience.

*Principals who are not in possession of both educational qualifications, must complete the requirement within a three year period of time from date of hire.

** Principals who are not in possession of basic certification in religion at the time of hire must complete the process before they start their position.

Application materials may be downloaded from the official DCS website by visiting: www.sfarch.org/employment.

The requested material plus a letter of interest should be submitted before Feb. 28 to:

HELPLINES FOR CLERGY/CHURCH SEXUAL ABUSE VICTIMS

(415) 614-5506 This number is answered by Rocio Rodriguez, LMFT, Archdiocesan Pastoral Outreach Coordinator. This is a secured line and is answered only by Rocio Rodriguez.

(415) 614-5503 If you wish to speak to a non-archdiocesan employee please call this number. This is also a secured line and is answered only by a victim survivor.

(800) 276-1562 Report sexual abuse by a bishop or a bishop’s interference in a sexual abuse investigation to a confidential third party. www.reportbishopabuse.org

Christine Escobar, Human Resources Manager

Department of Catholic Schools

One Peter Yorke Way San Francisco, CA 94109

Salary will be determined according to archdiocesan guidelines based upon experience as a teacher or administrator and graduate education. Medical, dental, and retirement benefits are included.

ARCHDIOCESAN STATEMENT OF NON-DISCRIMINATION

The Archdiocese of San Francisco adheres to the following policy: “All school staff of Catholic schools of the Archdiocese of San Francisco shall be employed without regard to race, color, sex, ethnic or national origin and will consider for employment, qualified applicants with criminal histories.” (Administrative Handbook #4111.4)

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NOVENA

PRAYER TO THE BLESSED VIRGIN NEVER KNOWN TO FAIL Most beautiful flower of Mt. Carmel Blessed Mother of the Son of God, assist me in my need. Help me and show me you are my mother.

Oh Holy Mary, Mother of God, Queen of Heaven and earth. I humbly beseech you from the bottom of my heart to help me in this need. Oh Mary, conceived without sin. Pray for us (3X). Holy Mary, I place this cause in your hands (3X). Say prayers 3 days. CO

TRAVEL

September 27-October 14: Turkey & Egypt: Following the Footsteps of St. Paul and visiting the 7 churches of the Book Revelation

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April 17-30: Malta and Morocco

May 20-June 3: Balkan Adventure: Croatia, Montenegro, Albania

July 26-August 6: Alaskan Cruise with visit to Vancouver, B.C.

September 2-13: Holy Land Pilgrimage

Contact Fr. Mario at: (312) 888-1331 or mmdicicco@gmail.com FrMarioTours.weebly.com

to see the comprehensive calendar of events,

February 22: Ash Wednesday

February 25: Archdiocesan Men’s Conference

The Office of Marriage and Family Life will host its annual Men’s Conference on March 25, from 8:30 a.m. – 3:30 p.m. at St. Pius Catholic Church. Confirmed speakers include Tim Glemkowski of the 2024 National Eucharistic Congress and Father Kevin Lixey, former head of the “Church and Sport” section of the Pontifical Council for Laity at the Vatican. Archbishop Cordileone will offer the Mass.

February 26: First Sunday of Lent, Rite of Election

The Rite of Election at the Cathedral of St. Mary of the Assumption at 4 p.m. marks the final phase for those receiving the sacraments of initiation at the Easter Vigil.

March 7-11: Eucharistic Revival Lenten Preaching Series

Join the Archdiocesan Eucharistic Revival Lenten Preaching Series for

COME OUT AND JOIN US!

evenings of prayer and reflection. sfarch.org/eucharistic-revival.

March 11: Annual Mass in honor of St. Patrick St. Patrick Catholic Church (basement), San Francisco, 9 a.m.

March 16: Salutations of the Holy Cross

Join Archbishop Cordileone and Greek Orthodox Metropolitan Gerasimos for an Ecumentical Service of Salutations and Veneration of the Holy Cross on March 16, at 7 p.m. at Holy Cross Greek Orthodox Church in Belmont.

March 17: Solemnity of St. Patrick, Co-Patron, Archdiocese of San Francisco

March 19: Solemnity of St. Joseph, Co-Patron, Archdiocese of San Francisco

March 25: Solemnity of the Assumption

March 30: Chrism Mass

Each year, Archbishop Cordileone blesses the oil of catechumens, the oil of the infirm, and holy chrism for the administration of sacraments in each parish. Join us for Mass at 5 p.m. at the Cathedral of St. Mary of the Assumption. ■

MARK YOUR CALENDAR FOR THE ARCHDIOCESAN EUCHARISTIC CONGRESS!

SAVE THE DATE: JUNE 10, 2023

“My flesh for the life of the world.”

The Most Rev. Salvatore J. Cordileone invites you to the Archdiocese of San Francisco’s Eucharistic Congress

Keynote Speaker: The Most Rev. J. Peter Sartain, Archbishop Emeritus of Seattle Cathedral of St. Mary of the Assumption www.sfarch.org/ eucharistic-revival

SCAN FOR MORE INFORMATION or visit www. sfarch.org/ eucharisticrevival/

SCAN QR CODE OR VISIT SFARCH.ORG/ EVENTS,

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