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Jesuit Father Greg Bonfiglio celebrates Palm Sunday Mass on April 5, 2020, at St. Ignatius Church in San Francisco before images of people who have participated in Masses online since stay-at-home orders were imposed. Faithful from throughout the Bay Area, from many other states and from many other countries, responded to his request to send their photos. (Photo by Maggie Warner, St. Ignatius Parish)
April 8, 2020
Catholic San Francisco
When the word went out that churches were to be closed and services held online, Jesuit Father Greg Bonfiglio, pastor of St. Ignatius Parish in San Francisco, invited those participating in Sunday Mass to send him a photo.
He got the idea from a pastor at a small church in Italy, parishioner Annette Lomont shared with Catholic San Francisco.
“In Father Greg's words, the photos will fill an empty church until we can join together in person,” Lomont said.
So far, he has received hundreds of photos, representing more than 1,300 people from across the U.S. and the world.
“As I have participated in Mass I have noticed people joining from Australia, Brazil, France, Spain, Germany and in this country, Connecticut, New York, Arizona, Wisconsin, Texas, Oregon and Washington, plus the nine counties in the San Francisco Bay Area,” Lomont said.
On Palm Sunday, 1,350 people participated in Mass at St. Ignatius.
The photos have been printed and posted on the pews in the church, and they’re still coming in.
“We anticipate that by Easter Sunday the photos will represent 1,500 people, which means that St. Ignatius will be virtually full,” Lomont said. “That is the capacity of the church.”
Lomont said the parish staff “has made an extraordinary effort to keep parishioners spiritually connected while being physically apart.”
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They have gathered spiritual resources at https://www.stignatiussf.org/overview/digital-spiritual-resources.