Archbishop Family Support Day Picnic!

Wow! What a joy-filled expression of support for Archbishop Cordileone! Our article about the picnic is over at Catholic World Report, and here are a selection of pictures from Lisa Hamrick, the Latin Mass Society of San Francisco, and Catholic San Francisco. First, here's some shots of the Mass at the Shrine of St. Francis of Assisi:

The picnic began at 11:30. Lots of kids, families, religious, and all-around faithful Catholics:

 

San Francisco's beloved Bishop Emeritus Ignatius Wang goes for cookies:

Fearless Fr. Joseph Fessio of Ignatius Press gives a blessing:

 All generations were there:

 

Giants fans, too!

Meeka from Saints Peter and Paul with Tough Guy. Tough Guy's wearing blue in solidarity!

Me with the Saints Peter and Paul banner.

Entertainment provided by the Mariachi Juvenil de San pablo:

When the Archbishop arrived, he was immediatly surrounded by supporters.
 Eva Muntean, the Picnic organizer said "He's like a rock start!"

His Excellency enjoyed the Mariachis, too

 

With pro-life hero the Rev. Walter Hoye:

 Everybody wanted pictures!

 Many generations: 

Lots of games for the kids. A race is about to start!

Mommy's a Mariachi musician:

Faithful old-timers:

As always, the SFPD did a great job. Here they are getting well-deserved thanks. 

Latin Mass Added to Archbishop Family Support Day!

More Games, Excitement at Family Picnic

On Saturday May 16 Catholics from all over the Archdiocese of San Francisco will gather at the city’s Sue Bierman Park to express support for their fighting Archbishop Salvatore Cordileone. The archbishop has come under fire from politicians, media, LGBT activists, and teachers and students at Catholic Schools for his insistence that the high schools of the Archdiocese of San Francisco be faithful to the entire teaching of the church. The commonsensical insistence ran afoul of LGBT activist in and out of the church, to whom Catholic teaching on marriage, sexuality, and sodomy is unacceptable.

Support for the Archbishop, and the event, has grown beyond the picnic itself. Last week it was announced that the picnic will be preceded by a Latin Mass in the Extraordinary Form at San Francisco’s namesake church, the Shrine of St. Francis of Assisi, at Columbus and Vallejo Street. The Mass will be celebrated at 9:30 AM by Canon Olivier Meney of the Institute of Christ the King Sovereign Priest. The Shrine of St. Francis is a 15 minute walk from the picnic site.

As support for the Family Support Picnic has grown, necessitating a move to Sue Bierman Park to accommodate the existing crowds, organizers have increased the attractions—especially for kids. There will be balloons emblazoned with the head of a lion and the Archbishop’s name “Cordileone” which translates as “heart of a lion.” Games for the kids with prizes, include sack races, three-legged races, hula hoops, egg and spoon races, and bean bag tossing. Organizers are also bringing 400 rosaries to be given out, along with instruction books in English and Spanish on how to pray the rosary.

The picnic will begin at 11:00 AM. Attendees must bring their own food, or patronize the food vendors that surround Sue Bierman Park, but non-alcoholic drinks will be provided as supplies last. Entertainment will be provided by a mariachi band.

To learn more, download flyers in English, Spanish, and Chinese, or to sign a petition supporting the Archbishop visit: http://www.sfcatholics.org/

“For Love Alone” Documentary to Screen in SF & LA May 15 & 16

“An invaluable resource in promoting vocations”

In the months of May and June there will be a traveling screening throughout the United States and Canada of the documentary film For Love Alone. For Love Alone, a joint production of the Conference of Major Superiors of Women Religious and Grassroots Films “highlights the lives of women religious throughout the United States and emphasizes the great rewards and trials of dedicating one’s life to God.”

As of this writing, For Love Alone has screened at the Wake Up the World Rally in Toronto, Canada on May 3: At St. Charles Borromeo Seminary in Philadelphia on May 4, at St. Vincent de Paul Regional Seminary, in Boynton Beach, FL on May 5; at Texas A&M in College Station, TX on May 6; and at St. John Vianney Seminary in Denver, CO on May 7.

The film has met with an enthusiastic response, and if it is anything like Grassroots Films’ acclaimed priestly vocations video Fishers of Men, that is not surprising:

After seeing the film at Toronto’s Wake Up the World Rally, Anishka S. said: "Many of us have not grown up or ever met nuns. This film gave us the perfect exposure to what the consecrated life is like. What a beautiful insight!"

Following the Boynton Beach screening, Msgr. David Toups, the Rector of St. Vincent DePaul Regional Seminary said "For me this film speaks to the complementarity of our vocations as priests and religious. Our calls are meant to be mutually inspiring...this film makes me want to be a better priest." 

First year theology student Anthony Cavaliere, of the Diocese of Tallahassee, agreed: "I feel that this film captured the essence of consecrated life here in own back yard. I was very impressed by the honesty of the film, and the ways that is showed the beautiful simplicity that the sisters embody in their daily life and ministry. I know that this film will be an invaluable resource in promoting vocations. The joy that this film brings is very contagious."

Upcoming screenings will be at Catholic Underground in New York on Saturday, May 9; at the University of St. Thomas in St. Paul, MN on May 11; at the Archdiocesan Office of the Archdiocese of Vancouver, Canada on May 12; at the Archdiocese of Portland, OR on May 14; at St. Mary’s Cathedral in San Franciscio on May 15; at Catholic Underground of Los Angeles on May 16, and at the Institute for Priestly Formation in Omaha, NE on July 12.

The San Francisco screening will be at the St. Francis Room of St. Mary’s Cathedral on Friday, May 15 at 7:00 PM. The showing will be preceded by Eucharistic Adoration in the Cathedral at 6:00 PM. A number of the Sisters whose orders are profiled in the film will be in attendance to answer questions.

The Los Angeles screening will be on Saturday, May 16 at 7:00 PM at Catholic Underground at 8634 Holloway Dr, West Hollywood, California 90069. The Sisters will also be in attendance at the screening.

The Conference of Major Superiors of Women Religious was founded in 1992. Its history webpage describes its mission “In the spring of 1992, eighty major superiors of women religious from across the United States, under the guidance of Cardinal James Hickey, supported a petition to the Holy Father for the approval of a second conference or council of women religious in the United States. On June 13th the permission was granted and the Council of Major Superiors of Women Religious (CMSWR) was canonically erected.” 

While it is perhaps too strong to say that the CMSWR was founded in opposition to the liberal Leadership Conference of Women Religious, the fact that he eighty major superiors saw a need for a second conference is suggestive, to say the least. What is certain is that many of the fastest growing (and youngest) orders of women religious are affiliated with the CMSWR, attracted by its greater emphasis on prayer, and religious community. Wikipedia writes: “According to the 2009 Study on Recent Vocations by the Center for Applied Research in the Apostolate, the average median age of nuns and sisters in CMSWR institutes was 60, compared with 74 for those in LCWR; among those joining CMSWR institutes only 15% were over 40, compared with 56% for LCWR institutes; 43% of the CMSWR institutes had at least 5 novices, compared with 9% of the LCWR institutes. “

To learn more about the San Francisco screening, visit:

https://www.facebook.com/events/100272480308933

To learn more about the Los Angeles screening, visit:

https://www.facebook.com/events/803085713143728/