CATHOLIC SAN FRANCISCO, MAY 27, 2005

On the Street Where You Live

By Tom Burke

A biodegradable ticker-tape salute to John Ahlbach, a ten-year faculty member at Archbishop Riordan High School, but for this laud moderator of the school’s environmental club. The Green Team earns a coupla’ grand a year for Riordan with a “comprehensive bottle and can recycling program,” said longtime admissions director Dion Sabalvaro, now getting his feet wet for additional duties as ARHS public relations person. Congrats also to students for their cooperation with ecology-minded Green Team efforts including “composting lunch leftovers.” John’s son Conner, an 8th grader at Good Shepherd Elementary School in Pacifica will be a Riordan freshman in the fall….While we’re at it let’s raise an environmental cheer for Jim McGarry, a 4-year member of the faculty at Mercy High School, San Francisco and counsel to its earth-friendly programs and the students who make them go. Mercy’s recycling rate is at a very respectable 79% and events such as No Waste Day, where students bring lunch in reusable, recyclable or compostable containers, are making the 19th Ave. site a “truly green campus,” the school said….

Hats off to seniors at San Domenico Upper School who were recently named to Life Membership in the California Scholarship Federation including Katie Bartunek, Lindsay Bochner, Rebecca Busch, Jaime Castner, Frances Chen, Charlotte Chou, Isobel Crittenden, Katherine Edwards, Angela Huang, Daniella McCahey, Jazzmina Moore, and Meg Smith. Additional hats off to the more than 60 students at the school who have made the federation’s spring list for their excellent academic performance….

Prayers please for Father Warren Woods who is battling cancer. Father Woods was pastor for almost 20 years at the now closed Blessed Sacrament Parish in San Rafael and is retired pastor of St. Monica Parish in San Francisco. His message continues to be “Spread joy.” Father Woods is currently, and for the last half dozen or so years, resident chaplain at Nazareth House, 245 Albion Way, San Rafael, 94903….

“Break a leg” as they say to Bartlett Sher, a 1977 graduate of St. Ignatius College Prep and a 2005 Tony nominee as best director for the new musical “The Light in the Piazza.” Bart also directed a coupla’ shows at SI in the early 80s including “Ten Little Indians” and the musical “Working”. He holds a graduate degree from the Yale School of Drama and has most recently served as director for Seattle’s Intiman Theater. Fillin’ in for him at Intiman while he’s busy with Broadway is Jonathon Moscone, an ’82 SI alum as well as artistic director for California Shakespeare Theater. Had fun jawin’ with SI’s Paul Totah about the show biz tradition at SI and others it has birthed including Richard Egan ‘39 of A Summer Place and other film fame, Peter Casey ’68, creator of TV’s Frasier, and Kevin Sullivan, director of the recent hit film, Guess Who? “We are very proud of Bart for his accomplishment and wish him the best,” Paul said. “We’re rooting for him to bring home the Tony.”…Happy 50th Anniversary to Marco and Antonietta Bet, married on May 21, 1955 and longtime parishioners of St. Matthew Parish in San Mateo. Friends and family gathered to honor the couple at the Italian-American Social Club….

Sts. Peter and Paul Parish says, “Congratulations” to Marc Bruno, prez of its St. Vincent de Paul Society conference. Marc was honored recently “for all the work he has done with the poor,” a bulletin said….

Holy Angels Parish is proud of Religious Education teacher Cheryl Simon recently recognized with a Pius X Award for her 15 years in the program. She continues a Simon family tradition that includes her late father-in-law, Bob Simon’s, 45 years teaching Religious Education, her mom-in-law, Virginia, who has taught for 48 years and her husband, Donald, a Holy Angels and SI alum who teaches in the parish Confirmation program….

Remember this is an empty space without ya’!! The email address for Street is burket@sfarchdiocese.org. Mailed items should be sent to “Street,” One Peter Yorke Way, SF 94109. Pix should be hard copy or electronic jpeg at 300 dpi. Don’t forget to include a follow-up phone number. You can reach me at (415) 614-5634.

Oakland Diocese breaks ground for Cathedral of Christ the Light

By Monica Clark

Oakland Bishop Allen Vigneron and Bishop Emeritus John Cummins led a groundbreaking ceremony May 21 for the new Oakland Cathedral of Christ the Light. The planned 21,600 square-foot worship space and adjacent buildings will replace St. Francis de Sales Cathedral which was razed after being irreparably damaged in the 1989 Loma Prieta earthquake.

At the groundbreaking, Bishop Vigneron said the new cathedral “will be a masterpiece of architecture and a magnificent symbol of our faith.” He promised that the Cathedral of Christ the Light would be “a witness to the presence of Christ . . . and a welcoming gathering place for all who want to do good.”

The new cathedral, with a seating capacity of 1,500, will be built at the northwestern tip of Lake Merritt at the intersection of Grand Avenue and Harrison Street. The 100,000-square-foot site, currently a parking lot, will also contain offices and a multi-purpose hall for the cathedral parish, offices for diocesan staff, a conference center, rectories for the bishop and parish priests, a library, café, shop, public plaza, and underground parking for 200 cars.

The design, which has already been awarded the prestigious San Francisco AIA Design Award, is the inspiration of San Francisco architect Craig Hartman, whose other accomplishments include the international terminal at San Francisco Airport and the newly completed U.S. Embassy in Beijing. He is associated with Skidmore, Owings& Merrill.

Hartman said his intent is “to create a 21st century architecture that would ennoble and inspire through the use of light, material and form, and convey an inclusive statement of welcome and openness.”

Hartman plans to use light, which he calls a “sacred phenomenon,” to elevate the use of such modest materials as laminated douglas fir, concrete and glass into a dynamic structure that rises more than 140 feet.

The cathedral’s curved shape will be formed by 26 110-foot-high laminated douglas fir vaults conjoined by a compression ring of high-tension steel. These vaults will be connected by 768 horizontal louvers, also made of douglas fir. These fixed louvers will contain sound-absorbing material that will modulate both light and sound within the building.

Natural light will illuminate the cathedral during the day with the early morning light directed by ocular panels toward the altar. At night, soft artificial light will shine through the louvered panels, creating a lantern-like quality on the exterior. Some of the wooden panels will have acoustically absorptive materials and others will be acoustically reflective so that the spoken word and music can be heard without amplification.

The cathedral’s wooden interior structure creates the building’s strength. A veil of ceramic-frit-coated glass will cover the outside of the cathedral structure, protecting it from wind, rain and other natural elements.

The two are interconnected by lightweight steel tension rods and elongated, tapered wooden compression struts. The outside glass will be made to withstand the wear of centuries, say cathedral engineers. A motorized standard ground rig platform will be installed to allow for washing of the glass.

Hartman said the cathedral plan is founded on the liturgical principles articulated by Vatican II with the emphasis on the celebration of Eucharist. The altar will be the central focus with the congregation encircling it. This contrasts with the linear, hierarchical structure of early cathedrals. The altar will be inscribed within a circle of glass in the floor that will visually connect it with the mausoleum altar directly below. “This configuration symbolizes the Catholic metaphor of the communion of saints, the light uniting the saints who came before, the saints of the present day, and the saints of the future,” Hartman said. Atop the cathedral will be aluminum finials, making the building seem to be reaching to heaven. A circular baptismal font will be placed directly inside the cathedral’s front door on axis with the altar. It will have what Hartman called an “infinity edge,” allowing water to continuously envelop the top and sides.

Father Ron Schmit, pastor of St. Anne Parish in Byron, is chairing the cathedral’s sacred art and design committee, responsible for cathedral aesthetics and insuring that all elements of the design conform to Church norms.

The committee will be recommending materials for the cathedral furnishings including the pews and the devotional areas. These will take into consideration the history of the area and the cultural diversity in the diocese, cathedral officials said. They will also select the interior artwork, insuring that it represents the devotions and spirituality of various Catholic ethnicities. Bishop Allen Vigneron said the cathedral will be “rich with Catholic metaphors and symbols.”

The $131 million construction project is expected to begin immediately with excavation of the entire site, followed by installation of the concrete foundations and the 2.5-acre podium for all the buildings adjacent to the cathedral itself. The cathedral is expected to open for Epiphany 2008.

More than 1,500 trades persons are expected to be involved in the construction project, according to Lee Nordlund, cathedral spokesperson. He said all contractors and subcontractors must employ union workers and will be required to meet not only EEOC fair-hiring requirements but also diversity goals set by diocesan officials.

Three components of the initial plan for the cathedral center— a daily chapel with seating for 150 people, a bell tower and a conference center – have been postponed because of budget constraints, Nordlund said.

To date, $86 million has been pledged or contributed by individuals, foundations and companies, he said. The diocese plans to sell several pieces of property, including the site of the former St. Francis de Sales Cathedral, to raise at least $15 million. The remaining millions still must be raised, he said, to meet the $131 million goal.

When the cathedral center is completed, the St. Francis de Sales Cathedral Parish, which merged with St. Mary Parish after the earthquake and became St. Mary-St. Francis de Sales Parish will move to the new cathedral with Father Quang Dong as rector. The parish will continue its outreach ministries, including services to the poor, Nordlund said.

Monica Clark is editor of The Catholic Voice in the Diocese of Oakland. Catholic San Francisco staff contributed to the story.

Speaker provides insight to human trafficking at public policy event

By Jack Smith

Human trafficking — named by the United Nations as the greatest violation of human rights in the 21st century — was the topic for the Annual Public Policy Breakfast May 17 at St. Mary’s Cathedral in San Francisco.

Salvatorian Sister Sheila Novak gave the keynote address. The Salvatorian Sisters have made human trafficking a central concern for the mission of their congregation, and Sister Sheila speaks nationwide on the subject.

George Wesolek, director of the Office of Public Policy and Social Concerns for the Archdiocese of San Francisco, said he was pleased by the broad representation of interest among attendees. In addition to priests, religious men and women, and Catholic social justice advocates, the event attracted government officials including San Francisco Supervisor Fiona Ma, and representatives from the offices of Assemblymen Leland Yee (D – San Francisco) and Gene Mullin (D – San Mateo), the Mayor’s office, and the District Attorney’s office.

“The solution to human trafficking needs to be something we devise across the constituencies we have here today,” Wesolek said.

Paraphrasing Russian Nobel laureate Alexander Solzhenitsyn, Sister Sheila said people tend to find sympathy for tragedy occurring near home, but have a harder time identifying with tragedy far away. The graphic images of the recent South Asia Tsunami tragedy changed that dynamic and “stirred our passion.” Sister Sheila hopes to raise similar concern through her talks for human trafficking which she called the “greatest tragedy of our time.”

“Twenty-seven million people are enslaved in our world,” Sister said, a number 35-times greater than the population of San Francisco.

The term “trafficking” indicates a significant difference from precious forms of slavery, she explained. While slaves in the past were forcibly brought to this country and generally stayed put as valuable property to their owners, “slaves of today are cheaper to obtain and are very expendable to their owners,” Sister said. Moving trafficking victims around is an intentional strategy to “keep them disoriented and dependent on their captors,” she said.

Traffickers use a “wide range of coercive means to obtain the consent of a trafficked person,” Sister said. These can include trickery, promises, threat or use of force, the abuse of power or position of vulnerability.

There is “hardly a single country” which is not a place of origin, transit or destination for trafficked persons, she said. Various government agencies estimate between two and four million people, mostly women and children, are trafficked annually. The financial profits from human trafficking exceed $13 billion per year, Sister said, “an amount greater than the gross domestic product of some countries from where they come.” A young woman can be purchased from Moldova or Ukraine for approximately $4,000 and make her owner nearly $1 million in her first year of prostitution.

Sister Sheila told a “typical” story of the coercion used by traffickers.

Lynn Lee was 16 years old when well-dressed traffickers from China visited her village. They were recruiting girls to be trained as cooks to work at well paid jobs in high-class Chinese hotels. After three months training, the girls were promised at least a full-year contract. Lynn and nine other girls from her village joined, signing contracts neither they nor their parents read, and were given visas and airline tickets to China. As soon as they got off the plane, their passports were burned. “There was no job - only a brothel,” Sister said.

One of the women who defied her captors was beaten and raped in front of the others and the young women were brought to a morgue to see the bodies of two girls who had tried to escape. The captors told the women they could not leave until they had paid back all of their expenses, but the captors kept all their earnings from prostitution.

Lynn’s brothel was eventually raided by police and she was deported. “You may think I am lucky,” she said, “I am not. I am dirty now. I am filthy inside and my soul is empty. One day they will come back and if I don’t go they will kill me or my family.” In Lynn’s case it was a stranger who sold her to slavery, but often it can be friends or even family Sister Sheila said.

Confiscating papers is one of the “big leverages,” Sister said. Captors will not return papers until the “debt” a victim owes is paid in full. “The debt they owe never decreases, but increases to ensure continued bondage,” she said.

The sex trade is the largest consumer and producer of human trafficking. People trafficked for sex can be used in prostitution, “massage parlors,” strip establishments, pornography and sex tourism. Children as young as six service customers in the Thai sex tourism trade.

Victims have been trafficked for the sex trade to the United States from 49 countries Sister said. One-third of them are under 17. Those recruited to prostitution may serve as many as 25 customers a day, keeping just pennies on the dollar of their earnings.

The second largest area of trafficking is for forced or indentured labor. This is widespread, Sister said, in agricultural, meat packing, hospitality, and even nanny industries. A significant amount of the world’s coffee production and much of the world’s cocoa supply results from the labor of trafficked persons.

The Archdiocese of San Francisco Office of Public Policy and Social Concerns will be facilitating a local response to increase education and promote local coordinated action on human trafficking. Those interested in participating can call 415-614-5570.

Dr. Mary Davenport to discuss abortion’s long term effects

Dr. Mary Davenport, a noted pro-life obstetrician-gynecologist from the East Bay, will discuss the long term effects of abortion on women’s physical and emotional health, and on society June 7 at Sts. Peter and Paul Church. The free event begins at 7:00 p.m. and is sponsored by Catholics for the Common Good.

Dr. Davenport will discuss recent large scale scientific and sociological studies demonstrating abortion can cause profound psychological, medical and economic damage to women and their families. Dr. Davenport says this is important and credible information the “pro-choice” movement has worked hard to discredit and cover-up.

Dr. Davenport graduated from Smith College, Tufts University School of Medicine and completed her residency at UC San Diego. In 1984 she stopped performing abortions in her medical practice, fully embracing the Church’s teaching on life by 1998. Visit website www.catholicsforthecommongood.org for more information.

St. Thomas More School breaks ground on $5.8 million addition

By Tom Burke

St. Thomas More Elementary School in San Francisco broke ground on a new and long anticipated building addition May 20. The school community has saved and planned for the addition of classrooms, gym and accessory rooms for 15 years. St. Thomas More celebrated its 50th anniversary in 2004.

“To continue to meet the needs of our school families we are beginning an expansion to the current school building with the addition of new classrooms and a gymnasium,” said Joe Elsbernd, St. Thomas More principal since 1986. The new building will also provide a permanent facility for kindergarten students, Elsbernd said, as well as space for a pre-school, a library/media center and a science/art instruction area. It is also equipped with a full kitchen and multi-purpose meeting area.

“This is a dream come true for the St. Thomas More school community,” said Maureen Huntington, Superintendent of Catholic Schools for the Archdiocese of San Francisco.

She added, “Today, parents expect more from their child’s school. The basics are not enough - every school offers the basics. Parents want and students need a full curriculum. This includes art, music, physical education, an after school sports program, fine arts opportunities, after school activities and after school care for working parents. This new facility will provide additional space that will enhance the quality of the program offered at St. Thomas More.”

“Everybody is excited about this new building, whether your interest is science or sports, there will be something there for everyone,” said Linda Kilmartin Shah, a 1966 alumna of St. Thomas More and president of its alumni association. “We look forward to reunions in the new building. We’ve already talked about making the first one a “sock hop” - don’t want to damage the new gym floor.” Shah’s son, Jay, is a 1995 graduate of St. Thomas More and today coaches the junior high baseball team at the school. The building, scheduled to begin construction in June and be completed by March 2006, is part of a bright St. Thomas More future, Joe Elsbernd said. “St. Thomas More School offers a traditional, value-centered course of studies to an ethnically diverse student body from middle class families,” he said. “As our school community continues to grow and our curriculum expands to include additional new areas, we need to enhance our current facilities to meet the needs of our students and their families” “The budget for the complete building is $5.8 million,” Elsbernd said. “Thus far, the school staff, together with the supportive and active community of parents and friends of the school, has now raised $3,300,000.” The total also includes funding from several local private foundations including a $300,000 grant from The Herbst Foundation and grants from the Carl Gellert and Celia Berta Gellert Foundation and The Callison Foundation.

Funding also includes a $1.5 million loan from the Archdiocese of San Francisco, Elsbernd said, as applications for grants from several other local and national foundations continue. Speakers at the groundbreaking in addition to the principal and superintendent of schools included State Assemblyman Leland Yee, San Francisco Supervisor and principal’s son, Sean Elsbernd, Noelle Walker of NBC-11 news, school parent and Daly City Councilman, Sal Torres, and project building committee members Ron Graham and Mike Mihelich.

Football coach is Professional and Business Club speaker Bob Ladouceur, who coached Concord’s De La Salle High School football team to the nation’s longest winning streak, is the featured speaker at the Catholic Professional and Business Club’s monthly breakfast meeting June 8 at St. Mary’s Cathedral. Coach Ladouceur’s topic, not surprisingly, is Excellence as a Process. “If you are fascinated by excellence not only as a product but as a process, this speaker’s story will both entertain and inspire,” said the club’s Mary Jansen. St Mary’s Cathedral is at Gough St. and Geary Blvd in San Francisco with ample free parking. “This is a great opportunity to connect with other Catholic professionals growing together in Christian values for the workplace,” Ms. Jansen added. Register for breakfast at www.cpbc-sf.org or (415) 614-5580. Doors open at 6:45 a.m. Tickets - $20 for members and $27 for non-members – include breakfast.

Daughter of Charity Sister Andrea Vaughan

Sister Andrea (Frances Josephine) Vaughan, D.C., 84, died May 20 at Seton Residence in Evansville, Indiana. Born in Nashville, Tennessee in 1920, Sister Andrea entered the Daughters of Charity in 1941. After her initial formation period, she was sent to San Francisco to teach at St. Patrick School. She received a bachelor’s degree from the University of San Francisco in 1951, and served three years at St. Joseph School in New Orleans. She returned to San Francisco in 1954 to serve as a group mother at Mt. St. Joseph for six years.

In 1960, Sister Andrea went to St. Vincent Group Home in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, where she opened the area’s first treatment center for disturbed adolescent girls. After completing a Master’s Program in Social Work in 1968, she was sent to New Orleans, where she served as the Assistant Director of Community Mental Health at DePaul Hospital.

From 1969-1977, Sister Andrea was the Administrator of St. Vincent de Paul Center, the largest day care center in the state of Illinois. She spent the next nine years as the Director of Catholic Charities in Nashville, Tennessee. In 1986, Sister Andrea came to Evansville for three years as the Administrator of Seton Manor. She returned to Nashville in 1989 and served at St. Thomas Hospital in a variety of ministries until 2002.

Sister Anne Russell, OP

Sister Anne Russell, formerly known as Sister Anne Raphael Russell, died May 20 at age 71 at the Dominican Center in Adrian, Michigan. Born in San Francisco, she held a Master of Education Degree in Education from the University of San Francisco and a Doctor of Ministry Degree in Theology from the Jesuit School of Theology in Berkeley, California.

Sister Anne served in various capacities in three states. She served in education for 22 years in the Bay Area including three years (1962-65) at St. Brendan School in San Francisco. She also taught in the East Bay in Hayward at All Saints Elementary School (1953-62) and Moreau High School (1969-74) where she was Administrator (1974-75). For nearly two decades (1975-94), she served at the Campus Ministry Center in Hayward.

Letters to the Editor

Separation sometimes
In response to your May 13th story on the Migden bill to seize St. Brigid’s Church, it seems that Senator Migden and the San Francisco Board of Supervisors have reached a new low in hypocrisy in pushing this legislation.

These are the same politicians who scream like a stuck pig when the Catholic Church has the temerity to speak out on public and civic issues, claiming this violates the “separation of church and state.” Yet they seem to have no problem injecting themselves into church affairs, trying to forcibly seize church property to do with as they please regardless of the adverse impact it may have on the archdiocese.

It seems that Senator Migden and a majority on the Board of Supervisors, while they may claim to be prophets of tolerance and guardians of “rights,” seem to have no problem trampling on the rights of others when it’s in their politically correct interest to do so. To paraphrase an old quote, “How long must we suffer these fools?” San Francisco deserves better.
E.F. Sullivan- San Francisco

Ticket to heaven
I shake my head and wonder at what passes for theology among Catholics today. Fr. Rolheiser (The danger of riches – May 20) seems to think we can buy our way into heaven by giving to the poor, assuming we receive the appropriate letter of recommendation. If he wants to make the point that giving to the poor is good, fine, but let’s not change two thousand years of Christian theology in the process.

I suppose he could rewrite John 3:16-18. Perhaps it should read: “Whoever believes in him will not be condemned, (assuming of course he has given sufficiently to the poor), but whoever does not believe has already been condemned, (unless of course he has been sufficiently charitable) because he has not believed in the name of the only Son of God.”

The truth is we don’t earn our way to heaven, not even by giving to the poor. We get there by accepting Christ’s gift at the foot of the cross. Once we accept Christ into our lives, a change in how we see the world, including the poor, will occur. We give then because it’s what God expects of us, not to buy a “ticket” into the kingdom. As regards riches, the danger is not that it separates us from the poor, but instead that the love of riches separates us from God. Why submit to an all-powerful God when riches make us think we are God.

The story of Lazarus is not that the rich man never saw him, but that once judgment comes it is too late to go back and correct things. That’s why the alms-giving Pharisees probably didn’t make it. Let’s get our theology straight while there’s still time.
Albert Serrato- Millbrae

For further reading
I enjoyed George Weigel’s column “The greats make a come-back” (CSF – May 20) naming authors and their works. The goal to read eight books of substance a year is a great plan.

My problem is a consistent one - which books do I want to invest my time in reading? I was fortunate to stumble across a delightful find, in answer to my dilemma, called “The Catholic Lifetime Reading Plan” (updated version 1998, Grotto Press, MI) by eminent theologian Father John A. Hardon, S.J. This book is a wonderful and insightful guide to more than 100 major Catholic authors and their works giving about a two-page summary of each author’s personal life and background in preface to a recommended reading list of their works. Just reading the summaries alone is in of itself a wealth of enlightenment.

Fr. Hardon’s choice of authors for his compilation had to meet certain criteria one of which was the writers “relevance for our age.” Issues and ideas that are being raised and challenged today both in and outside the Catholic Church have been already explored by some of the greatest minds of history. Fr. Hardon expresses how these authors’ insights can help us to endure the upheavals of our modern society and help us to weather the storms and become stronger.

From saints, philosophers, priests, converts to Catholicism, spanning from the age of persecution to the modern age - these writers’ works offer what Fr. Hardon considers as “basic” to a balanced understanding of the Catholic faith as lived out for two millennia of Christian history. He adds that the insights expressed by these writers are just the sort of nourishment for the mind that the world so desperately needs today.
Finola Glassmoyer- Redwood City

Diverging faiths
I am writing to express my sadness and disappointment in the resignation of Fr. Thomas Reese, who was recently forced to resign his position as editor of America Magazine. According to reports, Fr. Reese resigned, after years of pressure from the Vatican, rather than allow the magazine to have its content regulated by a board of censors.

Fr. Reese used the pages of America to discuss, in a thoughtful way, the many issues facing the Catholic Church today. At all points, he presented the many diverging opinions within Catholicism in a sympathetic manner. He respected the differences within the faith, and provided an outlet for the kind of thoughtful discourse the Church needs to heal itself. He offered a model for the kind of “shared responsibility” the Church needs, and in losing his leadership at America, we are losing an important voice.

I am extremely disappointed that this action has taken place, and worry about the ramifications for the Catholic Church. Christ promised the Holy Spirit to the entire body of Christ, the church, and that Spirit may be found in the lived experiences, struggles and concerns of all of those Christ calls his own. I wonder if our church is able to be a listening church, a dialoguing church.
Lisa Striebing- Burlingame

Editorial

Building up the Church

In witnessing the groundbreaking ceremony for the Cathedral of Christ the Light in Oakland, we are able to share an inspirational moment with our sisters and brothers in the Diocese of Oakland. This is a moment of great joy for the local Church of the Oakland Diocese, which is composed of a diverse Catholic population numbering more than 500,000 in Alameda and Contra Costa Counties.

In his homily at the May 21 ceremony, Oakland Bishop Allen Vigneron said, “We have chosen a motto to give voice to our vision for the building of this Cathedral: ‘Gather Good Together.’ Today we see already that God has begun to fulfill the prayerful hopes expressed in that motto. Look around and see: God has gathered together here from all parts of our local Church people of every language, culture and background. And in gathering us here he reinforces and heightens the gift of each by joining them to the talents and graces of all. In this way we have already begun to fulfill the mission of the Cathedral of Christ the Light: That it be a witness to the presence of Christ in the East Bay and a welcoming gathering place for all people who want to do good.

“The Sacred Scripture which we just heard is a word from God reminding us that Christ himself is the foundation stone of this new Cathedral: He, though once rejected, ‘has become the cornerstone’ through the victory of his resurrection from the dead (Acts 4:11). The risen Christ is the cornerstone of our building this Cathedral, and he will be foundation and capstone of all we strive to accomplish when in his name we are gathered together in this sacred place. It is in his name that we will gather here, in order to gather together all good and, thereby bring it to its perfect consummation according to the will of the Father.

“As the gospel parable instructs us, it is the hearing of Christ’s word and the celebrating of his message of redemptive love in the sacraments – especially the Most Holy Eucharist — within this Cathedral and then going forth to act on that word, which establishes for the Cathedral of Christ the Light a foundation that will endure (cf. Lk: 6: 47-48).

“The mission of the Cathedral of Christ the Light is to be a place for the Holy Spirit to give us, formed into the living temple of God, new energy for our mission: to witness to Christ by lives of holiness and virtue and unstinting service of God and neighbor.”

As excavation and construction of the Cathedral of Christ the Light begins in Oakland, the faithful of the Archdiocese of San Francisco look across San Francisco Bay and see the witness of God’s presence in our lives – the people of the Diocese of Oakland at work in building up the Church and working to fulfill the mission entrusted to us.

MEH

Surprised by joy

By Lynn Smith

We attended a First Communion ceremony last Sunday for our friends’ daughter. They were having a celebration party afterwards and I realized that we should bring a gift. I couldn’t decide what to get though. Should it be something religious or should I just buy her clothes, or something else that I thought she would really like.

I really couldn’t decide so I asked my husband about it. “How about a book on Pope John Paul II and a rosary?” he suggested. “Well…. okay,” I said doubtfully. In my mind I was thinking, what little girl the in world would get excited about those gifts? He picked out a (admittedly beautiful hard cover) book, with large glossy pictures of Pope John Paul. And he picked out a (again, admittedly, very pretty and colorful) rosary. I wrapped up the presents and put them in a pretty bag.

When we got to our friends’ house after the First Communion I saw that there was a table covered with gifts, and I rather half-heartedly put the bag with the other gifts. When we were leaving my friend said that she wanted her daughter to open her gift in front of us. “Oh, no, really that’s okay,” I said, “she can open it later; she really doesn’t need to open it in front of us.” But my friend politely but firmly led me over to her daughter with the gift and handed it to her.

She was sitting on the floor with a small group of her friends, all girls, and I must admit I felt a bit embarrassed as she began to open the book. As she pulled off the wrapping paper I was absolutely astonished to hear her yell, excitedly, “Pope John Paul!” And her friends, equally excited, gathered around her to look at the pictures as she turned the pages. I was stunned, still thinking this little girl must have the best manners in the world to be pretending she liked this book so much. She couldn’t really be that excited about a book with pictures of our late Pope . . . could she?

That night her mom called me and said after the party, her daughter came up to her holding two things, and she said to her mom, “These are my favorite presents.” One of them was the book on Pope John Paul. I forget what the other one was, but the book was picked from a large assortment of both religious and non-religious gifts. It wasn’t until then that I realized that her daughter really had loved her book.

The unaffected and unembarrassed joy she expressed had really surprised me. The joyful and innocent delight in her words “Pope John Paul!” will stay with me for a long time. I feel like I am the one who received a gift.

Lynn Smith is a parishioner at St. Monica Parish and is mother of a five year old boy.

Scripture Commentary

By Father James Garcia

Did you ever travel to Paris and walk along Le Champs Elysee? Surveying the green tree-lined boulevard, my eye was almost magnetically drawn forward until it rested on the distant, milk-white Triumphal Arch of Napoleon. I remember standing under its shade and reading the endless list of city names which cover its surface. The cities are Bonapart’s trophies; conquests for “The Glory” of France. It is said that a few months before Napoleon suffered the defeat of Waterloo, a Continental journalist - thinking no doubt in political terms - asked the Little Frenchman what he considered the greatest day in his life. “Was it your victory, Sir, at Berlin? or at Warsaw?or at St. Petersburg? or Vienna?or Austerlitz?” Napoleon left the interviewer speechless with his retort? “The greatest day in my life, Sir, was the day of my first Holy Communion.” A powerful admission from a man who was not the greatest of Catholics. What about us? Would you be ready to agree with Napoleon that your next worthy Holy Communion is also going to be “the greatest day” of your life? If you are unsure about the answer, here are two reasons from the scripture of “The Feast of the Body and Blood of the Lord” that should help you.

First, all of us are on a journey, just like our Hebrew ancestors. Only we are not traveling from Egypt to the Land of Promise (1st reading), a relatively short three hundred miles. Instead, our destination is literally “out of this world.” Now the mana got our ancestors successfully through the desert. But we New Testament travelers need different nourishment, one adapted to our new enterprise. We need a food which contains the antidote against the sting of everlasting death . . . a food which contains within it eternal life (3rd reading). “Cibus viatorum,” St. Thomas Aquinas calls it, “Food of wayfarers; . . . and Panis angelicus, Bread of angels” (Sequence). Such a food is Jesus Himself; He is the “Bread come down from Heaven” precisely to be the sacramental nourishment which successfully takes us back to Heaven.

There is a second reason why your next worthy Holy Communion is going to be the “greatest day” of your life. St. Augustine liked to say that in ordinary life, what we eat is digested and becomes part of us. A silly example. The kids may enjoy McDonalds, but they don’t become cheeseburgers! Instead the Happy Meal becomes part of who little Johnny or Suzie is. But when it comes to the sacramental food which God apportions to us from the altar, the transformation passes in the opposite direction. Augustine simply urges his listeners, “Christians, become what you eat.” To eat the bread which is his Body is to become Jesus. This heavenly Food absorbs us. To drink the wine which is his Blood is to be incorporated into Christ (2nd reading). The Spirit in his Blood breaks us down and reconstitutes us as Christ. The recipient of Holy Communion becomes what he eats . . . a living member of the victorious Lord.

There are many ways of defining greatness. At one point in his life, Napoleon identified it with Holy Communion. He was right. None of us are ever more successful or fulfilled as persons than when we are transformed into Christ and thus, already possess our future destiny.

Fr. James Garcia is pastor of St. Anthony Parish in Menlo Park.

DATEBOOK

Feast of Body and Blood of Christ / May 29

Mass commemorating Feast of Corpus Christi at Corpus Christi Monastery, 215 Oak Grove Ave., Menlo Park at 10 a.m. “Every year we invite the public to join us for Mass followed by procession and Benediction of the Blessed Sacrament,” the Dominican Sisters said. The Sisters remind that “during this Year of the Eucharist a Plenary Indulgence has been granted for Catholics who participate in veneration of the Blessed Sacrament.”

Corpus Christi procession from Star of the Sea Church, 9th Ave. and Geary to St. Anne’s Home – the happiest address on Lake Street - at 3 p.m.

Following the 1:00 PM Mass, Saints Peter and Paul Church, 666 Filbert Street, will be having a procession from the church down Columbus Avenue to St. Francis of Assisi Church. Bishop John Wester will preside the lead the procession. Members of any parish are invited and welcome! Pope Benedict suggested that this year “the solemnity of Corpus Domini” be “celebrated with particular prominence.”

St. Mary’s Cathedral

The following events are taking place at or are coordinated by the cathedral of the Archdiocese located at Gough and Geary St. in San Francisco. Call (415) 567-2020 for more information.

June 3: Exposition of the Most Blessed Sacrament every First Friday after the 8:00 a.m. Mass Friday and continuing throughout the day and night until 7:45 a.m. Saturday with Morning Prayer and Benediction. (Exposition is suspended during scheduled Masses at 12:10 noon, 7:00 p.m. and 6:45 a.m. according to liturgical norms.) Join us as we pray for world peace, a culture of life, priests and the special intentions commended to our prayers. For more information or to volunteer please call (415) 567-2020 x224. Cathedral Autumn Group: All people 55 and over are cordially invited. Call (415) 567-2020, ext. 218. June 16: Tour of Alma Via San Francisco, Catholic Senior Residence, One Thomas More Way, San Francisco. Reservations Required to (415) 567-2020 ext. 218.

Food & Fun

May 27, 28, 29: St. Anselm School Carnival, 40 Bella Ave., San Anselmo. “Fun for the whole family,” the school said. “Admission is free. Plenty of free parking.” Features super carnival rides, games and great food – awesome bbq chicken, hot dogs and more. Call (415) 454-8667.

May 29: Mass commemorating Feast of Corpus Christi at Corpus Christi Monastery, 215 Oak Grove Ave., Menlo Park at 10 a.m. “Every year we invite the public to join us for Mass followed by procession and Benediction of the Blessed Sacrament,” the Dominican Sisters said. The Sisters remind that “during this Year of the Eucharist a Plenary Indulgence has been granted for Catholics who participate in veneration of the Blessed Sacrament.”

June 3: Friends of City firefighter, John Voelker, are holding a fundraiser for their injured comrade at Bimbo’s 365 Club, 8 p.m. – midnight. The Church of the Visitacion parishioner, well known for his work and generous heart as head of SFFD’s Christmas toy program, was seriously injured in a recent motorcycle accident. Tickets are $25 per person. Contact Steve Smith at (415) 495-9473 or Sally at (415) 777-0440. For updates on his condition go to www.supportcircle.com and input John Voelker.

June 3, 4, 5: St. Pius Parish Festival featuring “many old favorites and some new ones too.” Live entertainment offered all weekend. The new gym is site for Saturday’s Live Auction. Don’t miss the silent auction, games, and special kids’ attractions. Raffle to with grand prize of $10,000. The parish compound at 1100 Woodside Rd. is where it all takes place. Fri: 6 – 10 p.m.; Sat: 12:30 – 10 p.m.; Sun: 12:30 – 9 p.m. Call (650) 361-1411.

June 3: Catholic Marin Breakfast Club gathers for Mass at 7 a.m. in St. Sebastian Church, Bon Air Rd. and Sir Francis Drake Blvd., Kentfield. Breakfast and presentation follow in parish hall. Today’s speaker is St. Sebastian pastor, Father Ken Westray, who will speak about his recent trip to France, Monaco and Italy. Father Westray was present in St. Peter’s Square for the announcement of new Pope Benedict the XVI. Members Breakfast: $7. Visitors Breakfast: $10 . Call 461-0704 between 9 a.m. and 4 p.m. or contact Sugaremy@aol.com! No meetings in July & August.

June 5: 10th Annual Afternoon in the Garden hosted by Jesuit Father Tom Weston and benefiting the Jesuit Volunteer Corps: Southwest. Special guest is Bay Area author, Anne Lamott, who will read and discuss her works. Takes place from 1 to 4 p.m. at the O’Malley Residence 485 Ellita Avenue, on Lake Merritt, Oakland. Tickets $50 per person. Enjoy raffle and silent auction plus delectable desserts, savories and refreshments. RSVP to http://www.jesuitvolunteers.org/southwest/rsvp.html or by calling (415) 522-1599.

June 10, 11, 12: It’s Nativity Parish’s 25th Annual Spring Carnival! Experience 13 thrilling rides, Kiddy-land, terrific games and prizes. Super Silly Pie-Eating Contest! Live music: Great bands play jazz, salsa, and rock n roll. Silent auction and a raffle with grand prize of 2005 Toyota MR2 Spyder. Serving tasty tri-tip and pasta dinners, plus Sunday Pancake Breakfast. “It’s great wholesome fun for the whole family,” said parishioner, Lisa Izzi Come to Nativity School compound at Oak Grove and Laurel in Menlo Park: Fri: 5-11 p.m., Sat: noon-11 p.m., Sun: noon-6 p.m. Free admission and parking. Info: 650-323-7914 or www.nativityschool.com/carnival/

Shows/Entertainment

Sundays: Concerts at St. Mary’s Cathedral, Gough and Geary St., SF at 3:30 p.m. Call (415) 567-2020 ext. 213. Open to the public. Admission free.

Sundays: Concerts at 4 p. m. at National Shrine of St. Francis of Assisi, Vallejo and Columbus, SF. Call (415) 983-0405 or www.shrinesf.org. Open to the public. Admission free.

Golden Gate Boys Choir and Bellringers will be in Rome and singing for the new Pope Benedict XVI December 26th – January 7th. “Boys joining the choir program at this time may still be eligible for the tour group,” said Steven Meyer, director. For membership information about the GGBC, their August summer music camp, or the Rome Congress/Italian Tour, please call (510) 887-4311 or (415) 431-1137.

TV/Radio

Sunday 6 a.m., WB Channel 20/Cable 13 and KTSF Channel 26/Cable 8: TV Mass with Msgr. Harry Schlitt presiding.

1st Sun, 5 a.m., CBS Channel 5: Mosaic, featuring conversations on current Catholic issues.

3rd Sun, 5:30 a.m., KRON Channel 4: For Heaven’s Sake, featuring conversations about Catholic spirituality.

Reunions

June 11: Class of ’85, Star of the Sea Academy in Star of the Sea elementary school auditorium, 360 9th Ave., SF at 7 p.m. Contact Debra Stashuk at ssa_classof85@yahoo.com.

June 25: Immaculate Conception Academy, class or ’50 at Grosvenor Hotel in South San Francisco. Classmates should contact Mary Ahern Schroer at (415) 282-2180.

June 25: The St. Agnes School All-Class Reunion will be held at 5:30pm in St. Agnes Gym, 1563 Page Street, SF. The evening includes Hors d’ Oeuvres and Desserts. Tickets $35 per person before May 15, $40 before June 15, $45 before June 24 and $50 at the door, pending availability. No refunds. For more information, please contact Sam Coffey at (415) 398-6390 or coffey@eesclaw.com Sept. 17: St. Paul’s Grammar School reunion for class of 1960, 6 p.m. at Irish Cultural Center, San Francisco. Call Liz Hinds Hannan at (650) 342-1759.

Oct. 29: Class of ’55, Immaculate Conception Academy at Embassy Suites in Burlingame. Contact Anne Nolan Dowd at (650) 359-2601 or andown@aol.com.

Class of ’65, Our Lady of Mercy, Daly City, reunion. “We are in the process of planning our 40th reunion and are looking for lost classmates,” said Michael Thompson. The reunion will be in September 2005. Contact Pat Lucido Davisson at (415) 457-6544. Email is patdavisson@ctt.com.

Class of ’75 from St. John Ursuline High School is planning a 30th reunion for this fall! Classmates should contact Kathy Grimley at (650) 342-7633 or kathygbnp@aol.com. Archbishop Riordan High School is in search of alumni moms! Call (415) 586-8200, ext. 217.

SF/East Bay Chapter of Kappa Gamma Pi is seeking members with whom it’s lost touch. Call Betty at (925) 284-2028.

We are on a Star Search for graduates of Star of the Sea Academy, Class of ‘55. A 50th Reunion is in the planning stage. Let us know where you are. Contact Patricia Lawless Sack at 415-472-5732.You won’t want to miss this one!

Young Adults

Office of Young Adult Ministry and Campus Ministry: Connecting late teens, 20s and 30s, single and married to the Catholic Church. Contact Mary Jansen, 415-614-5596, jansenm@sfarchdiocese.org. Check out our Web site for a list of events around the Bay Area and download our Newsletter at www.sfyam.org. We publish a quarterly newsletter to connect college students and young adults to the Catholic Church.

May 31: Theology on On Tap, Christian Themes in Rock Music with Professor of Moral Theology from the Jesuit School of Theology at Berkeley, 4092 Piedmont Ave., 7:30 p.m. Contact www.churchofstleothegreat.org for details.

June 4: Pro-Life Ministry, praying for the unborn and healing of mothers and fathers after an abortion, 815 Eddy St. Contact Tony Vallecillo at tonyvll@yahoo.com for details.

June 6: Martinis and Jazz benefiting HIV/AIDS at Shanghai 1930 Restaurant, 133 Steuart St., 5:30 - 8:25 p.m. Call (415) 972-1239.

June 18: Young Adult Spring Dance, Lucie Stern Center, 1305 Middlefield Road, Palo Alto from 3:30 - 9:30 p.m. Tickets $40 in advance only. Contact Donna Kashat at dkashat@stanfordalumni.org.