Recent News

Update on First Steps for Reopening for Public Mass

An Update to the People of God from Archbishop Cordileone

May 12, 2020 
Full Text PDF English   |   Spanish

You are my shelter; you guard me from distress; with joyful shouts of deliverance you surround me (Ps 32:7).
 
As we continue to take shelter in our homes to help stem the spread of the coronavirus, this prayer of the psalmist reminds us that our only true refuge is the Lord alone.  We ask God to shelter all those suffering from physical and economic distress as a result of this pandemic.  I am also well aware of the spiritual distress that so many of our people are experiencing due to the unavailability of attending Mass in person.  I therefore wish to send you this communication to update you on steps we are taking to reopen for public Mass here in the Archdiocese of San Francisco.
 
For these last several weeks I have been joining my brother bishops in California for our weekly videoconference meetings to discuss the current situation and strategize how to begin safely to reopen for public Masses.  We all agree that we should do this in sync with government regulations for sound safety protocols, and to that end have initiated a conversation with government leaders in Sacramento on this topic.  I myself have been in touch with local government leaders here, as well as consulted with top experts in the fields of health care and epidemiology.  I have also been in contact with Metropolitan Gerasimos of the Greek Orthodox Church, who has shared with me the similar concerns of the bishops of the various Orthodox jurisdictions in California.  The next two weeks will be the critical test: San Francisco has “flattened the curve,” and if this trend continues for these next two weeks, it will be safer to loosen some of the current restrictions on day-to-day activities.
 
In any event, I wish to inform you that I have formed a committee of pastors and lay people to draft safety protocols, in keeping with current government regulations, that will enable us to begin accommodating our people for public Mass.  Clearly, it will be different from what we are accustomed to, since numbers will have to be limited in order to observe the required physical distance and other safety measures.  However, working with this committee, I look to find a way to accommodate the greatest number of people possible for Mass while in no way compromising the safety restrictions necessary to protect our people from contracting and spreading the virus.
 
The dispensation to attend Sunday Mass will remain in place, and so those who fear becoming infected may remain at home in good conscience.  The usual advisories also remain in place for those who should remain at home and avoid exposure to any public gathering, including worship: the elderly, those with pre-existing health conditions making them especially vulnerable to infection, those who have recently had contact with someone tested to be COVID-19 positive, etc.  Sunday, of course, is still the Christian Sabbath and so must be kept holy, even if in-person attendance at Mass is not possible.  You may attend any livestreamed Mass in the Archdiocese remotely via the Archdiocesan website.  You will also find there an Act of Spiritual Communion and other resources (sfarch.org/keeping-the-sabbath).
 
God is our shelter, and God delivers from distress all those who remain true to Him.  Let us therefore persevere in faith, hope and charity, trusting that in God’s time and in God’s way, God will surround us with joyful shouts of deliverance.
 
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Archbishop Cordileone Addresses the Faithful on Coronavirus

March 17, 2020
Full Text PDF (English)
Full Text PDF (Spanish)

Archbishop Salvatore Cordileone has written to the Faithful of the Archdiocese concerning the Coronavirus epidemic. Read the full text at the link above. Portions are excerpted below.

"We are living in extraordinary times, unprecedented in the lives of most of us.  Six Bay Area counties (San Francisco, Marin, San Mateo, Santa Clara, Alameda and Contra Costa) are now under a “shelter in place” order for the purpose of containing the spread of the coronavirus.  It is of the utmost importance that we all do our part to comply with this order, so that we might “flatten the curve,” that is, extend the period of time in which people will get sick, so that our health care institutions will not be overwhelmed.  Otherwise, some people will inevitably not get the health care they need and, in all likelihood, some of these will end up dying.  Even those who are willing to risk their own health in not complying with this order must realize that they may be endangering the health, and even lives, of others, since it is possible for one to have the virus for days, and perhaps even weeks, before the symptoms manifest themselves.  Hence, one could be infecting others without even realizing it.
        
"Extraordinary times require extraordinary measures.  I have recently sent a memo to our priests, outlining the measures we will take to comply with what the counties are asking us to do, while at the same time continuing to provide for the spiritual care of our people.  
        
"Pastors (or a priest they designate) will celebrate Mass every day in their parish churches with only one altar server in attendance.  Due to the “stay at home” order, no one else can be present in the church during the celebration of Mass, only the priest and one altar server.  This means that for the time being, and until further notice, there will be no public celebration of Mass.
        
"That does not mean, though, that our people cannot attend Mass remotely, and so parishes that have the technology to do so will livestream these Masses celebrated in private. Information on livestreamed parish Masses can be found here: sfarch.org/livestreams.
        
Since the celebration of Mass in public is not available, the faithful are not bound by the obligation of Sunday Mass attendance.  To be more precise: to “keep the Lord’s Day holy” is the precept of the third Commandment of the Decalogue, direct from God, to which we are always bound and can never be dispensed; however, at this time, our people are excused from keeping the Lord’s Day holy by attending Sunday Mass.  This means that our people must keep the Lord’s Day holy in other ways, at home.
        
To the extent possible, churches will remain open during the day so that our people may have the solace of prayer in a sacred space, especially before the Blessed Sacrament, during this distressing time.  Priests will continue to visit the sick, and celebrate the sacrament of Anointing of the Sick for them, in accordance with special sanitary measures I have indicated to them.
        
In parishes where posted hours for regularly hearing confessions in the parish church might possibly draw even a small crowd of people together, confessions will have to be scheduled by appointment.  Confessions must be heard in an open space, or spacious room, where the six-feet distance rule can be observed and confidentiality respected.
        
Weddings and funerals should be postponed to the extent possible.  Parents presenting their children for baptism should arrange with their pastor how best to accommodate the celebration of this life-giving sacrament.
 
The unavailability of public Mass at this time truly saddens all of us.  I would encourage us, though, to take this as an opportunity to be creative in finding ways to keep holy the Sabbath at home.  For ideas on how to do this, please see the resource, “Keeping the Lord’s Day Holy at Home”   |   "Santificar el Día del Señor en casa."

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Announcement from Archbishop Salvatore J. Cordileone
 September 26, 2019
 
Today I share the sad news that Cardinal Levada died peacefully in his sleep last night in his apartment in Italy. He was 83 years of age.

As is well known, the Cardinal was Archbishop of San Francisco from December 1995 until the spring of 2005 when Pope Benedict XVI asked him to serve as Prefect of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith. He served in that capacity in Rome from 2005 until 2012, and was the highest ranking American in the Roman Curia. I’ve known him ever since he was my seminar moderator in my first year of theology. I always appreciated his guidance and to his commitment to the integrity of the Church’s Faith.

Funeral Services at Saint Mary’s Cathedral in San Francisco are pending. Please join me in praying for the repose of Cardinal Levada’s soul. 

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Archbishop Cordileone Appoints New Leadership
for St. Patrick’s Seminary & University
 

San Francisco, August 13, 2019 - Archbishop Salvatore Cordileone of the Archdiocese of San Francisco announces the appointment of Rev. Daniel B. Donohoo as President-Rector of St. Patrick Seminary & University, and Rev. Anthony Stoeppel as its Vice-Rector. Both appointments are for five-year terms and effective August 15, 2019.

“Fr. Donohoo has served the seminary with dedication for more than six years, most recently as Vice-Rector and Dean of Men. He has a keen understanding of the challenges of diocesan priesthood and the spiritual and human formation required for a successful vocation,” Archbishop Cordileone noted. “Fr. Donohoo is uniquely prepared and qualified to take on the leadership of this important institution at this time.”

Fr. Donohoo’s previous positions at the seminary include terms as Dean of Students and Vice President of Administration. In addition, in his home Archdiocese of Indianapolis he served as a judge in the Metropolitan Tribunal and led a successful program for continuing education for clergy. He also served as pastor of a number of parishes in the Indianapolis Archdiocese, including the Cathedral of Saints Peter and Paul. He was educated at the University of San Diego; Catholic University of Leuven, Belgium; and St. Patrick’s Seminary & University. He holds an MS in Marital and Family Therapy.

Upon being named President-Rector, Fr. Donohoo said, “I am grateful to the Archbishop and Board for their confidence in appointing me to serve in this role for my beloved Alma Mater. I hope, in collaboration with my current colleagues, to help form men of compassionate pastoral presence; men illuminated by sound Theology, inspired by a continued deep personal encounter with Jesus Christ, issuing forth in generous service to all people.”

Fr. Anthony Stoeppel joins St. Patrick’s Seminary as a faculty member and as its new Vice-Rector. He brings significant diocesan experience to the Seminary. He was most recently Vicar General of the Diocese of Tyler and also served as Chairman of the Parish & Mission Assistance Program and President of Bishop Thomas K. Gorman Catholic Schools, as well as pastor of Our Lady of Victory Catholic Church, a largely Spanish-speaking parish in the Diocese of Tyler. Fr. Stoeppel attended Holy Apostles Seminary in Cromwell, Connecticut, and holds a Doctorate of Sacred Theology in the field of bioethics from Pontifical University of the Holy Cross in Rome.

These appointments became necessary upon the untimely passing of Most Reverend Robert F. Christian, O.P., in July. Bishop Christian was President-Rector of the Seminary from January 14, 2019 until his death.

St. Patrick’s Seminary has been forming priests for the West Coast region of the United States and the Pacific Islands since 1898.  The seminary is committed to a second century of forming priests after Christ’s own heart.

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