Archbishop nears completion of project to visit every parish and school

January 25, 2018
Valerie Schmalz

ARCHBISHOP SALVATORE J. CORDILEONE HAS VISITED 44 CATHOLIC SCHOOLS AND COUNTING AS PART OF HIS COMMITMENT TO VISIT ALL 91 PARISHES IN THE ARCHDIOCESE OF SAN FRANCISCO. SIXTEEN MORE PARISHES INCLUDING FOUR MORE SCHOOLS REMAIN TO BE VISITED. HE IS SHOWN HERE WITH THE THIRD GRADE CLASS AT ST. CATHERINE OF SIENA SCHOOL IN BURLINGAME DEC. 15. (PHOTO BY VALERIE SCHMALZ/CATHOLIC SAN FRANCISCO)


Did you know the bishop’s miter is inspired by the Ten Commandments and a version was worn by the priests of the Old Testament? If you were one of the students who attended Mass with Archbishop Salvatore J. Cordileone during any of the 44 official school visits during the past five years, you would also know the tall pointed white hat symbolizes the bishop’s role in teaching God’s law.

The miter points upward, symbolizing that the law came from God, not from man, and is worn by the archbishop when he addresses the people during liturgies but “when he is talking to God, the miter is off,” Archbishop Cordileone tells the children in the homily he has honed during five years of school and parish visits.

Approximately a year after his installation Oct 4, 2012, Archbishop Cordileone began official parish and school visitations with a visit to St. Hilary Parish and school in Tiburon. Most recently, in December, the archbishop visited Our Lady of Angels and St. Catherine of Siena in Burlingame.

Visiting the schools is one of his favorite parts of the job of archbishop, Archbishop Cordileone frequently tells the students during the question and answer sessions in the classrooms. Each visit begins with a school Mass, and is followed by tours of the classrooms, conversations with children and teachers, and one on one time with the principal. “These visits are uplifting,” he said.

By the end of 2018 Archbishop Cordileone will either have visited or be close to having visited every one of the 91 parishes as well as all the parish schools. As of December 2017, Archbishop Cordileone had visited 44 schools, with just four more schools and 16 parishes remaining. In many if not most cases, the archbishop has already visited the school and the parish for confirmations, pastor installations or other events – such as the St. Anne Novena – but he has not yet conducted the official formal visit.

“When a parish has a Catholic school, I make it a point to stay an extra day, celebrate Mass for the children, and then visit all of the classes, concluding with a lunch with the faculty and staff,” Archbishop Cordileone said. “Which parishes do I visit first? I go first where I am invited!”

ST. CATHERINE OF SIENA PASTOR FATHER JOHN RYAN AND THE ARCHBISHOP CHAT WITH FOURTH GRADERS DURING A SCHOOL VISIT. (PHOTO BY VALERIE SCHMALZ/CATHOLIC SAN FRANCISCO)