The parish is made up of predominantly seniors who bought their homes decades ago.[/caption]
Name of Church St. Sebastian
Address 373 Bon Air Road, Greenbrae, CA 94904-1709
Phone number 415-461-0704
Website http://sebastian94904.com/ .
Mass times Saturday vigil, 5 pm. Sundays, 7, 9 & 11 am. Monday-Friday, 7 am.
Confessions Wednesdays, 7– 8pm, Saturdays, 3:30–4:30 pm or by appointment
Names of priests Father Bill Thornton, pastor. He serves as chaplain of Marin Health Medical Center.
School No, but there are religious education classes for children and adults
Special groups and activities Altar Society, Bible Study, Men’s and Women’s Clubs, St. Vincent de Paul Society, youth ministry, daily adoration from 7 am. Mass to noon, CYO (basketball program for youth), Natural Family Planning.
Fellow parishioners Anglo, mostly seniors, with a few young families. The real estate is expensive; hence, the parish is made up of predominantly seniors who bought their homes decades ago.
Parking There is ample parking around the church.
Cry room No
Additional observations St. Sebastian’s is a parish of the Archdiocese of San Francisco. It is located on the northern end of San Francisco Bay and alongside the well-known Marin Catholic High School (and near the state’s oldest prison, San Quentin).
Let’s check back in ten years to see if this place is still in operation.
It would be so depressing to be in a parish with hardly any young families, like here. My parish is depressing in that way too.
I used to be a parishioner there but don’t see why it is a “church worth driving to”. There certainly wasn’t anything in the write-up stating this.
It implied there are no crying babies.
Well I do see the old high altar and the new dinner table and carpeting covering the once I’m sure beatiful flooring and in the website a priest is offering the TLM yet it is not stated in their website that it offers one, I understand many churches around the country are not allowed to advertise the TLM if they offer it. Does anyone know if they offer it???
One should not call an altar upon which the Sacrifice of the Mass is offered and Jesus Christ comes to us with His Body and Blood a “dinner table.” That’s irreverent, even if it’s not your preferred type of altar.
I understand how you feel, Deacon Anderson. However, on the first Sunday in April, 1969, I, too, was totally in shock at the first Novus Ordo Mass, and the strange priestly vestments, no altar boys, strangely “Protestantized” text of the liturgy, and the strangely “Protestantized,””table” style altar, with the priest facing the people, like a TV show entertainer– not reverently facing God. A totally “ecumenized” Church, stripped of much of our Catholic heritage– supposedly for the hope of achieving Christian unity, someday, is what I thought. The Protestants do not accept the Catholic Holy Sacrifice of the Mass. I think many Protestants view their “Last Supper” liturgies as a sort of communal Christian dinner, simply commemorating the Last Supper of Christ. I don’t think their “church tables” that they set up for “Last Supper” liturgies are considered as altars. And of course, the Protestant “church tables” are not consecrated, nor have altar stones, like Catholic altars. Long ago, I used to help the ladies clean our parish church on certain Saturdays, and as I was tall, I could help them a lot, with a ladder, cleaning very high places, like othe highest places on our beautiful High Altar (etc.). When tge “table altar” was brought in, I kept stubbing my toe on it, and it was hard to put up the ladder, to clean higher places on the High Altar. The new “table altar” left only a few feet of room, by the Tabernacle in the middle. I always wondered how a tall priest could genuflect comfortably, given this situation. We also had to regularly change the liturgical curtain on the gold Tabernacle, too, acording to liturgical colors of the various liturgical seasons.
During that time, long ago we had about six priests living in the rectory, a full schedule of always-packed weekend Masses, a deacon (transitional deacon) assigned to serve his final year in the seminary, and a full Catholic parish school. The once-thriving parish school was sold in 1975, when all the teaching nuns finally abandoned it. The rectory dwindled to one priest– and then, visiting priests– and now, a priest from a nearby town comes for two weekend Masses. An elderly, retired Jesuit priest whom I knew, growing up, (he is very traditional in his views, not like the “wild, liberal Jesuits”) who attended the former parish school, long ago, helps out, too, and is trying to keep the beautiful 100+-years old, English Gothic-style church, now a very beautiful, designated historical landmark, from being sold off by the Diocese. He helped raise funds to clean and restore the original beauty of the exquisite, extraordiarily beautiful stained glass windows, and fix various problems with the building. It used to look so pretty, when it snowed, in the winter! The few devout Catholics left in the area have been praying for good solutions, too. All of this was predicted right after Vatican II ended, and we all listened– helpless. First, a severe priest shortage was predicted– and so on. Etc. Also, as one would expect– demographic changes affected the area too, and people moved away to obtain better jobs. Time marches on!
I “hear” the experience you had and am not denying that. Yet, Jesus Christ our Lord, Savior and God does not fail to come to that altar in Greenbrae or similar altars. No altar upon which the Lord descends should be called a “dinner table.” I serve at the altar and am acutely aware that what appears to be bread and wine become the Body and Blood of our Lord, Jesus Christ. I handle those precious Gifts with a certain fear of the Lord.
When I serve at the altar, it is infinitely different than a “dinner table” in a parish hall where I might help the Knights of Columbus serve pancakes. And, I can assure you, the clergy and staff do not eat dinner around that altar.
It is a matter of reverence for the Lord, including His special Sacramental Presence in the Eucharist.
I agree with you, Deacon Anderson. But I do understand how Romulus Augustus must feel, though he may express it in his own style.
Deacon Anderson, were there any big changes to your ancient, beautiful Byzantine Divine Liturgy, or huge changes to churches (“wreckovations”) in the modern era? Do you now use mostly the modern vernacular languages, in the Divine Liturgy? I know that the Orthodox churches never had the tradition of the Reserved Sacrament. Do the Orthodox priests and deacons bring Holy Communion to the sick, as in the Latin Rite Church? I know that your role as Deacon is different, unique, in the Orthodox church– not sure which branch you belong to. Have there been any big changes in parishioners no longer attending the Divine Liturgy, in today’s era– and church closures? Any priest shortages? I never heard of any big problems– and never heard of even one case of clerical sex abuse, either, in an Orthodox church.
In answer to your questions, the Mass (Latin term)/Divine Liturgy (Greek term) was in Greek for all of us until Pope Damasus changed it to Latin for the Western Church, when Latin was more understandable than Greek in the western part of the empire in the 4th century. The goal was to have our Divine services understood.
When (Greek brothers) Saints Cyril and Methodius evangelized Eastern Europe in the 9th century, they celebrated Divine Liturgy in the vernacular, which resulted in what later became known as Church Slavonic. Saint Cyril gave Slavs their first written alphabet, Cyrillic, still in use in Russia and some other Slavic nations today.
The particular Church to which I belong (the Ruthenian Byzantine Catholic Church of America) worships mostly in English (with some short, familiar prayers in Greek or Slavonic).
Our usual Divine Liturgies, of St. John Chrysostom and St. Basil the Great, go back to the 4th century. Their current forms were mostly settled in the 6th century with relatively minor changes only since then.
And, Eastern Churches, both Catholic and Orthodox, do reserve the Blessed Sacrament and, yes, our priests and deacons then take it to others who cannot attend Divine Liturgy.
Please pray that more men will respond to the call to serve as priests in our Churches. Some of our outreaches and missions could become parishes, yet, we lack a sufficient number of priests to serve them.
I hope that helps you (and others) understand more about your Eastern brothers and sisters.
Thanks so much, Deacon Anderson. Loved reading your reply. What a fabulous, rich, ancient history! So ancient, untouched by the modern world, no modern secularism and “wreckovations” of your sacred liturgy, churches and traditions– beautiful, holy, ancient, unbroken, and highly respected, too. You are richly blessed. All the way back to when Christianity began, and when it became the State religion of the Roman Empire, in the 4th century. Wow! Can you explain more about how you keep the Reserved Sacrament? I was mistakenly told, years ago, that Orthodox churches did not have that tradition, and no Exposition of the Blessed Sacrament and Holy Hours of Adoration, either. Long ago, I knew of some Orthodox older people, who would drop by our church for Adoration, and they said they loved it, but it was not a part of their Orthodox tradition. They wanted no one to tell their Orthodox priests that they went to Adoration at a Catholic church, because their church was not in union with the Pope. Can you explain about this? Thanks very much.
Deacon Anderson, I have one more question. Do the Orthodox genuflect, bow (etc.) before the Blessed Sacrament? Perhaps the Orthodox priests take Communion to the sick. Do the priests also hear their Confessions, and give them the Sacrament of the Annointing of the Sick, or Last Rites, in an Orthodox version, similar to Roman Catholic rites? Any special funeral liturgies and burial rites? And do you ever help with taking Communion to the Sick, as part of a hospital ministry for the Orthodox?
Oh– I just thought of something. The Great Schism of Catholics/Orthodox occured in 1054 A.D. Exposition of the Blessed Sacrament, Eucharistic Adoration and Benediction (etc.) began in the Catholic Church in Avignon, France, in 1226 A.D. The tradition of Perpetual Eucharistic Adoration also began at that time. So this may have only been a part of the tradition of the Roman Catholic Church. Not sure, though. Maybe you can explain this for us. Thanks!
People used to be taught to learn about and respect great historical and religious figures, and their great works, accomplishments, and tremendous contributions to religion and society, in Western Civilization– and in other great civilizations, too. Christianity, and its Divine Founder, Jesus Christ, was highly respected by all. Even Jews and Muslims respected Him, though they did not consider Christ to be the great, Biblically-prophesied Messiah, the Son of God, our great Redeemer, Who died for our sins– the Second Person of the Blessed Trinity. Most Americans, long ago, were in church on Sundays, as well as at Christmas and Easter, with big, beautiful, traditional celebrations. Our excellent, time-honored Traditions were viewed as sacred, passed down to us as great gifts, by our very great and famous, highly-gifted ancestors, all through the ages, who were once highly revered by all, long ago. Notre Dame Cathedral, in Paris, one of the finest examples of French Gothic cathedrals, was started in 1163 and completed in 1345. It was a great work of art, built by very great architects, builders, and artists– great, gifted geniuses– to honor the Blessed Virgin Mary. Thousands of us wept in unbearable grief and shock, when fire ravaged the beautiful cathedral, on April 15, 2019. Now it is set to reopen, later this year. There have been many struggles and disagreements between sensitive, gifted, knowledgeable experts who have worked to preserve Notre Dame’s exquisite heritage, and carefully repair and rebuild her, according to her original, sacred design– and the modernists who are ignorant, sloppy, poorly educated, untalented and insensitive– who don’t understand don’t care– and simply want quick, fast and easy, sloppy “modernist” solutions to rebuild and repair Notre Dame. This type of problem is typical of the modern era. Our sacred heritage, in both the Latin Church and Eastern Orthodox churches, is a tremendous Divine gift, passed down through the ages, which should be highly treasured by all believers. Any type of proposals for “religious reforms” should be (and should have been) very carefully and prayerfully examined and considered– by dedicated, gifted, highly rxperienced and knowledgeable experts– nobody else.
If they do offer it, they shouldn’t. It’s not supposed to be celebrated at parish churches.
is there a death row ministry for san quentin? i’d sign up for that because it would be cool to go inside the prison where few innocent people have been. as long as the bad hombres are kept locked up, i could visit and talk to them about what’s going on in the world that they’re missing. maybe they’d like to see some youtube videos. i don’t think they’re allowed to have phones or computers in the prison.
If it weren’t for Vatican II and the liturgical changes, the church would have even fewer people attending Mass and be near death. The Holy Spirit told the church to reform the liturgy so it would survive modernity.
This is in reply to Deacon Andy. There isn’t a reply button for his post, and it’s so squished in a narrow column that it’s unreadable.
But back then people considered religion to have objective truth.
Nowadays most people regard religion as entirely a matter of sentiment, which makes it wholly subjective and personal. Just believe what you feel is right for you.
I’d wager that the vast majority of Catholics in the pews would fail a basic literacy test about Catholicism. They are there out of habit and sentiment. Many under age 35 have stopped attending Mass because it doesn’t fulfill them emotionally and they have aversion to the Church’s doctrines that conflict with modern sinsibilities about gays and sex and IVF and abortion.