By Catholic San Francsico
The Cathedral’s “Triduum” of events in celebration of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary took place from Friday, August 15 to Sunday, August 17.
On Friday, August 15, Archbishop Salvatore J. Cordileone celebrated Mass for the solemnity of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary. In his homily, he spoke on the mysteries of Our Lady’s life that mirror those in Jesus’ life.
On Saturday, August 16, the parish celebrated its feast day in a new, historic way. Father Jerald Geronimo, the Cathedral’s parochial vicar, and deacons Christoph Sandoval and Juan Michel, organized a pilgrimage in honor of their patroness and the Jubilee Year of Hope with the help of a Cathedral committee of 20 people. More than 200 pilgrims from across the Bay Area on four buses traveled to Mission Santa Clara, Our Lady of Peace Shrine, and finally Mission San Juan Bautista.
The day began with Mass at St. Mary’s Cathedral. Many were excited as they started off the event with the granting of a plenary indulgence. This special grace can be received by those with no attachment to sin who receive sacramental confession, Holy Communion and offer vocal prayers for the intentions of the Pope. The Cathedral is an officially designated place of pilgrimage in this Jubilee Year of Hope. At the Mass, Father Geronimo read a letter written by Archbishop Cordileone expressing his best wishes and blessings to all the pilgrims. The letter included the following:
“May this pilgrimage not only deepen your personal faith but also build up the bonds of our parish communities and inspire renewed missionary zeal. In the words of St. Junípero Serra, ‘Siempre adelante, nunca atrás! (always forward, never backward!).’”
With those words in their hearts, the pilgrims made their way to Mission Santa Clara where they prayed a litany to St. Clare. The pilgrims look forward to the time next year when her relics will be displayed for veneration at St. Mary’s Cathedral. The organizers also chose Mission Santa Clara as a place of pilgrimage because St. Clare was a disciple of the patron saint of our Archdiocese, St. Francis of Assisi.
The pilgrims then traveled to the Shrine of Our Lady of Peace where they had a bilingual Rosary procession around the 32-foot statue of Our Lady. They also enjoyed a free lunch by generous benefactors on the beautiful grounds of the Shrine.
Finally, the pilgrims traveled to Mission San Juan Bautista, where they were given a tour by a Mission docent. The tour ended with all pilgrims being invested in the Miraculous Medal of Our Lady, along with a blessing of their religious articles and souvenirs.
“We chose this pilgrimage site dedicated to St. John the Baptist, martyr of the faith, because the times we live in today call for all Catholics to embrace his example of sacrifice, and thus live a life where we must decrease and the Lord must increase,” said Fr. Geronimo.
The pilgrimage was a time of deep spiritual renewal for the sons and daughters of St. Mary of the Assumption as they gathered together in prayer, solidarity and hope. The pilgrimage group was a microcosm of the universal Church, comprising all different cultures. They even had one Muslim gentleman who joined the pilgrimage, and he is now considering converting to the Catholic faith. Even with differences in culture, language and race, the pilgrims all were united in fellowship under the mantle of Our Mother.
On Sunday, August 17, the parish concluded its festivities with a bilingual Mass at the Cathedral celebrated by pastor and rector Father Kevin Kennedy.
In his homily, Fr. Kennedy emphasized the maternal presence of Our Lady in our lives, especially as we each carry our respective crosses. Following the Marian Mass, pilgrims processed to the Shrine of St. Mary of the Assumption,to incense her image, which had been decorated by parishioners.
“Cloths used to dress the statue were all handmade and stitched together by the parishioners out of love for Mary,” said Fr. Geronimo. “The thought of dressing the statue came from a tradition seen at St. Peter’s Basilica, where the statue of St. Peter on his feast day would be clothed in priestly vestments.”
The parish then hosted a festival for families that included multicultural food and dance in St. Francis Hall.
