Walking San Fran

I began my day with Eucharist at Mark’s parish church in San Francisco, the Most Holy Redeemer (MHR) in Diamond Street. Go to http://www.mhr.org/ for an insight into the parish. The pic left is Mark across the street from the unassuming church, and the pic right is the stained glass window of the MHR. The other pic below is of the renovated interior after mass.

This parish was founded in 1900, 30 years younger than St Mary’s at Young. For me it represents the great possibilities and the great successes of the Catholic Church in the western world. This has come about through much pain and suffering and now is a life force for the communities of inner city San Francisco and beyond.

The guest priest today was Rev Thomas P Bonnacci CP (Passionist). He is running a Lenten retreat here next year and is no stranger to the parish. He was excellent. I would even go so far as to say his homily was the best I have heard in the last six months of my sabbatical...and I have heard a few!

The theme he chose for the Feast of Christ the King was twofold: squeeze every drop out of life that we can, and, remember the repentant thief who died with Jesus, in love called Him by name, and did not call Him 'a name'. Excuse the pun, but Fr Bonnacci nailed it! Brilliant and timely, so I had to share.

As Mark is studying I spend the days on my own at the moment, so I went exploring some of the more familiar sights, thus the turning around of the Trolley Car and that crazy winding Lombard Street. We did both manage to get to the “Grease Sing-a Long” in the Castro Theatre which was a hoot. Grease is the ...(other) word!

This page is dedicated to the parish community of the Most Holy Redeemer, San Francisco. “There are no complacent or indifferent people in the pews there. They are committed to a better world and a better Church to serve it.” Fr Steve Meriwether PP.