St. Anthony Foundation celebrates 75th anniversary Mass
By Catholic San Francisco
More than 150 people filled St. Boniface Church in San Francisco’s Tenderloin neighborhood on June 13 for a Mass commemorating St. Anthony Foundation’s 75 years of compassion and service to the poor. The Mass celebrated by Franciscan Father John Hardin, OFM, included the blessing of a specially commissioned icon of St. Anthony of Padua, the foundation’s inspiration and namesake, on his June 13 feast day.
According to Sally Haims, chief marketing and communications officer, the liturgy began with, “All Are Welcome, All Belong,” a song written and performed by local Catholic singer and songwriter Jesse Manibusan. Haims said that the song was a “perfect reflection of the foundation’s mission of creating a community rooted in welcome, healing, and hope.”
St. Anthony Foundation’s mission is to feed, heal, shelter, clothe, lift the spirits of those in need, and create a society in which all persons flourish. It was founded in 1950 by Father Alfred Boeddeker, OFM, then-pastor of St. Boniface. The Franciscan priest handed out sandwiches to hungry men and women from the back door of the rectory on Golden Gate Ave. but was saddened to see his needy neighbors eating on street corners, often alone. Driven by his Franciscan vow to preserve the human dignity of all people, he resolved to create a place of welcome, where all guests could share a hot meal together. That place became the St. Anthony Foundation, which today feeds more than 1,000 people, seven days a week in its renowned dining room. It also provides essential services including health care, employment services, free clothing, a tech lab, and more, that bring stability to the lives of individuals and families.
According to an earlier story by Catholic San Francisco, the icon blessed at the anniversary Mass will be hung in the foundation’s entryway as a “powerful visual meditation on the saint’s legacy of compassion and service to the poor.” It depicts St. Anthony offering physical and spiritual sustenance, extending his hands in a gesture of hope to those in need. (Learn more about the icon here.)
St. Anthony holds three loaves of bread, each representing one person of the Holy Trinity. The center loaf, which is broken, represents Jesus. St. Anthony’s left hand shares a broken piece, the spiritual food of the Eucharist.
The icon also includes four fish rich with symbolism. They represent guests coming to Christ—those who listened to St. Anthony’s preaching when no one else would—and the movement toward Christ our Savior. The loaves and fish together speak to the scriptural reminder of Christ’s food of grace and “mercy never running out.”
“St. Anthony Foundation has become a model for what it means to provide comprehensive, integrated services that make a measurable impact on the community,” according to its website. “In this milestone 75th year of service, we reflect on the past and plan for the future.”
For more information about St. Anthony Foundation programs and how to serve as either a volunteer or donor, visit stanthonysf.org/75-2/.
Photos by Christina Gray and Br. Chris Garcia