The archdiocese of San Francisco held its second annual Mass for the Homeless Dead on Nov. 23 at Church of the Visitacion.
In 2018, the San Francisco medical examiner recorded the deaths of 135 homeless people. In 2019, San Francisco counted 8,011 homeless individuals on a single evening in shelters and on the streets. A different city database that records access to health care and other city services counted 17,595 homeless people in 2019.
Archbishop Salvatore Cordileone celebrated the Mass at 11 a.m. In his homily, the archbishop said praying for the dead was a “spiritual work of mercy,” especially when praying for strangers.
Poverty and homelessness are so widespread that people die on the streets in the city, the archbishop said. Worse than the material poverty, though, is the “the loss of the sacred, the loss of human dignity,” treating the homeless “as if they didn’t exist,” he said….
Because of Christ’s death and resurrection, the archbishop continued, Christians understand their “true and lasting home” is with God, not on earth.
“For the true believer, this world is a foreign land. The true believer is homeless here,” he said….
The above comes from an article by Nicholas Wolfram Smith in Catholic San Francisco. Photo by Debra Greenblat.
This is a good thing. In my diocese we have a mass for the forgotten
Many who die have no one to pray for them. Let us remember to pray for them.
Several years ago, under Archbishop Cordileone, the sprinklers near the doorways of the Cathedral were turned on regularly to prevent the homeless from sleeping or gathering in the doorways.
Being homeless does not give a license to impede the entry or exit or others.
The homeless were not impteding the doorways at all. They were on the other side of the building entirely. Because of the droubt, the Cathedral was ordered to stop the water, which was cold water dropped down from specially installed outlets abuot 30 feet up in the air. It was literally Chinese water torture.
Oh YFC I’m sure they were just so well behaved and never harassed anyone like all the good homeless of San Francisco.
You fool no one, you who call yourself YFC,. We all know why you hate and smear Archbishop Cordileone. He defends marriage and families and discourages perverted sexual behavior. Would you have him encourage brother and sister “marriage” also? Wake up! before it is too, too late. The time is shorter than you think. Get off that bridge to Mordor.
Actually, I know the facts, you who call yourself Anne TE (BTW, you call me YFC, not me!). You want to hate and smear me, even though I deal in the facts of the matter.
With regard to the Archbishop’s current effort, I agree with it. I was simply trying to clairfy incorrect notions regarding the water torture that occured at the Cathedral at the hands of the Auxiliary Bishop who was rector at the time. It took civil proceedings and public outrage to stop them. If you doubt me, I can easily give you photographic evidence and press reports from the time.
William Robert so what, just because you are homeless does not give you the right to block doorways or hinder other peoples access. You are one of those liberals who believe being homeless make you a living saint. In the city where I live homeless commit some of the worst crimes such throwing young children into brick walls, or cutting the throats of passersby.
In past reports some said that the homeless were also defecating on the walkways. Would you like to walk through that? There are two sides to every story. Maybe you should have volunteered to go over there and clean it.
Maybe I was too hard on you William Robert, but I think you were one of the same people who brought this issue up in the past article, and you were informed then of the problem of the walkways being used as toilets. If you were not, I apologize, but if you were you should know better.
William Robert,
I believe it was the Rector of St. Mary’s Cathedral at the time whom was the person responsible for such a mean spirited act!!! NOT the Archbishop!
Having been homeless a number of times, I understand the Archbishop’s sentiments. I was put on the streets by my parents from their Atherton home after being incorrigible. My mother said she understood why people said the mentally ill are possessed. I can still read and write well, but other than praying the rosary and caring for my equine service animal, who is my partner in recovery, my life is in shambles.
What was edited out and may be again is the fact that my mental illness began when sexually abused by a priest. Some of the deceased homeless may well be so because of priest abuse.
So sorry to hear of your suffering. May the Lord bless you on your journey. I was happy to read you are in recovery. At least it sounds like you are taking steps, even though you say your life is in shambles. I know many amazing people who have had extreme challenges who have used those negative experiences to bring good into the world. I think it comes from having a higher level of understand and compassion for others if one knows real pain. I will pray God gives you the strength and discipline to pull yourself out of whatever is holding you back. America still has more opportunities than most other nations for people to turn their lives around. As a Catholic I personally love our Saints. Some of them started out a mess, but with the Lord’s help made changes. You are a unique and wonderful one of a kind. Live with dignity. .
Thank you very much for your kind words, Ann. I was given direction to write by Irish exorcist Father Patrick Collins, so that is what I am doing. May God continue to bless you, too.
William Robert, why such negativity to a positive and beautiful story??
So glad the Archbishop did this. I like him more all the time. He’s such a good Shephard. I am going to start including the homeless in my prayer. Those living and dead. Thanks Archbishop for your leadership and priesthood. May you inspire many young men to give “all” to Christ. And maybe even inspire some of the guys who need inspired to live their priesthood in the culture and be bold like St Paul.
I’m glad that Archbishop Cordielone presided at the Mass. I agree with him that the life of a Christian is a lonely journey, and one might be said to be “spiritually homeless”. But I would have two reactions to that.
First, that is the life we choose. We find joy on the journey towards our ultimate heavenly home. That is what Christ asks of us. We walk that road with joy and fulfillment until the final feast of the Lamb that we read about in Revelations.
Secondly, it would be a mistake to think that that path, which we willingly choose, would make us feel better about ourselves than, or even more superior to, those who endure physical homelessness. There is no basis in Catholic teaching, spirituality or Scripture for that kind of position. I’m not sure that the Archbishop was saying that, but I fear his words might be interepreted that way.
Thirdly, our journey to our ultimate home ought to encourage us to offer sustenance – both physical and spiritual – to those who are on a journey towards a physical home on their way to their ultimate spiritual home. In fact, this was why Christ himself constantly offered aid to those who endured physical challenges. He never ever looked at the poor and said – oh well, you are on a path towards a meal, but I’m on a path towards a heavenly meal. NO! He said, we are on the same journey, and we have to help each other get there together. So for that reason I worry when the Archbishop chooses to say that one journey is worse than another, when we are on the same road together. I think he finds his justification for his remarks when he evokes the lack of dignity – the disdain we have for the poor – as worse than allowing them to remain poor and homeless. I think the answer lies in both/and: We need to SEE the poor, alleviate their poverty, and travel with them in all of their journeys both physical and spiritual.
May we see the great Eucharistic Banquet, which sustains us on our journey as viaticum, give us a foretaste of the Feast to Come!