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Archbishop Cordileone and 11 other priests held concurrent outdoor Masses at St. Mary's Cathedral on Aug. 22, with attendance conforming to city public health restrictions. (Photo by Dennis Callahan)
Updated Aug. 25, 2020, 7:45 a.m.
Aug. 23, 2020
Lorena Rojas
Catholic San FranciscoSt. Mary’s Cathedral in San Francisco held 12 concurrent outdoor Masses at 9 a.m, on Saturday, Aug. 22, celebrating the feast of Queenship of the Blessed Virgin Mary and the Immaculate Heart of Mary, patron saint of the Missionaries of Charity.
The Masses took place in the square in front of the cathedral, with 11 other priests presiding at portable altars arranged at the sides and center of the plaza and a single homily preached by Archbishop Salvatore J. Cordileone.
The services brought together more than 100 faithful in groups of 12 at each Mass, including the priest.
Catholic churches in San Francisco have been limited to outdoor gatherings no more than 12 people, under San Francisco Department of Public Health restrictions to prevent spread of the coronavirus. The Masses on the plaza were separate, physically distant events and all participants were masked.
"We're doing the best we can" to provide Masses and the sacraments to the people of the archdiocese," the archbishop said in a video message, inviting all to attend future 9 a.m. Sunday Masses on the cathedral plaza.
"San Francisco is very restrictive, only allowing twelve at any sort of outdoor gathering," Archbishop Cordileone said in an Aug. 15 video message. "We have a very large plaza in front of the cathedral, so there's plenty of room to have multiple Masses at the same time."
The archbishop led his homily on the legacy of Mother Teresa, founder of the order Missionaries of Charity, on her service for the poorest of the poor and on her devotion to the Immaculate Heart of Mary.
He said that celebrating the Mass in this way is a difficult experience but he will presiding outdoors Sundays at 9 a.m. and offering the sacraments in the best possible way by following public health rules.
Alfredo Abarca, a parishioner of St. Charles Borromeo Parish in San Francisco, attended with his wife Juana Sofía Abarca and their daughter, Ana María Abarca.
He told Catholic San Francisco that "it was necessary for the archbishop to make this decision because the church and the sacraments cannot be hidden, now more than ever, in the face of the pandemic, the world needs faith."
Abarca, a nurse, said the church is following coronavirus hygiene measures. "Here, the rules requested by health authorities are being respected," he said.
Juana Sofía, Alfredo’s wife, said she was "very happy and grateful to the archbishop" for leading the outdoor Masses.
Shawn Sylvia, a parishioner of St. Hilary in Tiburon, came to Mass in the square and will continue to attend "because he is working so hard for us, the Catholics."
She thanked all the priests who celebrated the Masses, especially those who approached the faithful on the sidewalk in front of the cathedral to bring them the Communion. Some faithful were denied access to the plaza the services were at full capacity.
San Mateo and Marin counties have allowed outdoor public Masses with larger groups.
The 12 Masses on the cathedral plaza celebrated the solemnity of the Immaculate Heart of Mary, to whom the Missionaries of Charity have consecrated their lives.
A group of 44 nuns from the congregation came from Pacifica, Richmond, San Francisco and Sacramento for the Masses. The congregation observes the solemnity of the Immaculate Heart of Mary on Aug, 22, said Sister Paula Mary, the regional superior of the Missionaries of Charity.
Sister Paula Mary praised the archbishop's gesture of organizing the Masses in the plaza and inviting them to join him. "We feel very supported and motivated by him," she said.
One of the priests who celebrated Mass was Father Shouraiah Pudota, parochial vicar in St. Veronica Church in South San Francisco. Father Pudota is originally from India, where the Missionaries of Charity was founded.
He said that the celebration with the Missionaries of Charity was important for faith and for vocations, especially for young people. He said it was significant for him as the only priest participating.
“For all we are going through in the city of San Francisco during this pandemic, I think the archbishop has had an inspiration from the Holy Spirit to summon all the sisters and priests to celebrate Masses in this way," he said. "He is a great example for the entire city."
A parishioner of the Star of the Sea in San Francisco, Mary Preetha Conley, also from India, joined the faithful in the cathedral square.
“I think the archbishop should continue celebrating Masses outside, because more people can attend," she said. "In these times of the pandemic there are many people suffering loneliness and depression and they need faith to improve their mood. It is not fair to take away the worship and faith of these people."
Archbishop Cordileone said the idea of concurrent Masses came to him as he realized how many priests were available at the cathedral and at the chancery. Attendees at the outdoor Masses were asked to wear masks.
"I envisioned many people on the plaza, and even if they cannot be at the same Mass worshipping together, they can worship together in smaller groups...we do what we can under the circumstances in which we find ourselves, as the church has always done throughout our history
The archbishop thanked Knights of Columbus volunteers for helping out with the outdoor Masses. Knights participating represented the group's St. Augustine, Cathedral of St. Mary of the Assumption, Mater Dolorosa and Star of the Sea parish councils. John Paes from St. Augustine Council 9714 got the word out to help make the day a success.
"Please know how much we love and appreciate you," the archbishop said in a video message.
The city of San Francisco has been closely monitoring Catholic churches in the city and has repeatedly issued warnings to the archdiocese for apparent health order violations.
The archdiocese told Catholic News Agency in July that it had made a good-faith effort to comply with the city’s public health guidelines, despite some occasional confusion and last-minute changes to the city’s public health orders.
“Our intention has always been to conform to what we understand to be the City orders and timelines,” the archdiocese said July 2, noting that the city’s orders have been changing throughout the pandemic, sometimes on short notice.
Catholic News Agency contributed.