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Retired Bishop Ignatius Wang, born in China, feigns good-faith fear for the dancing dragon that was so much a part of the celebration of Lunar New Year 2020, Feb. 1, at St. Mary’s Cathedral. (Photo by Dennis Callahan/Catholic San Francisco)
Feb. 3, 2020
Catholic San Francisco
Exhorting the more than 400 people, mostly Chinese Catholics, assembled for the 2020 Lunar New Year Mass Feb. 1 at St. Mary’s Cathedral to be “joyful and cheerful,” Divine Word Father Peter Zhai also said to “let us become blessings to the victims of the coronavirus by offering our prayers and whatever way we can to help them.”
Father Zhai noted that “it is very meaningful and proper that we celebrate Chinese New Year by remembering God’s mercy and love toward us and offer the sacrifice and prayers for God’s delivering our people from the outbreak of the coronavirus.”
Retired Bishop Ignatius Wang, who was born and ordained to the priesthood in China, was principal celebrant of the Mass joined by concelebrants including retired Santa Rosa Bishop Daniel Walsh and Father Zhai.
The Beatitudes from the day’s Gospel make clear that “Jesus came among us as a blessing,” Father Zhai said, pointing out that God’s love comes to the sinner, the poor, the oppressed, and peacemakers.
“They are blessed because they are God’s children and the kingdom of God belongs to them,” Father Zhai said. “Therefore, let us remember that God is with us with his blessings even in the most difficult time, let us become blessings to the victims of the coronavirus by offering our prayers and whatever way we can to help them.”
Father Zhai is director of Chinese Ministry for the Archdiocese of San Francisco. “It was a great success,” Father Zhai told Catholic San Francisco about the Mass and banquet. “Please keep the victims of the virus in your prayers and pray for the crisis to come to an end.”
After Mass, many of the assembly continued to the cathedral’s downstairs halls to dine on foods special to the day and the Chinese heritage.