Father Joseph Illo, pastor of star of the Sea parish in San Francisco, gave an 11-minute homily on Sunday, July 19.
Father described a bicycle ride he took down to the Marina through parks and saw hundreds of people gathered at the parks at Fort Mason and at the Marina. He told of going to a Greek restaurant with friends, where customers sat 12 inches apart.
Go to the 7 minute 46 second marker of the video:
“Wouldn’t it be nice if the government would allow public Masses to open in San Francisco. We promise to wear masks and keep six feet apart – more distance than they do at the parks and the restaurants. The virus is real and we must be very careful, but religion is real too.”
Thank you Fr. Illo but now I am waiting for the Bishops and Archbishops of California to get off their duffs and tell Newsom that they are going to re-open all Catholic Churches in this state and allow Mass to be celebrated INSIDE those church buildings. In the interest of self preservation, I will not hold my breath.
Father Illo needs to take some biology lessons before he opines about biology.
That’s rich, coming from someone who ignores basic biology concerning sexual differentiation, complementarity, reproduction and nature. Homosexual acts and unions are contrary to human biological nature, and it doesn’t take much study to figure that out.
Perfectly said Chris,,, YFC cannot answer that one…
YFC, maybe you need to take some political science lessons. Fr. Illo is opining about politics that permits people to sit closer to together for a longer period of time at restaurants than at places of worship. I’ve seen “outdoor” dining in tents, with walls and a roof (normally the definition of a building.)
(Even though he was born in the Bronx, Fr. Illo is quite the outdoorsman and likely knows a little about nature.)
I wear a mask, I’m for masking, social distancing and other health precautions, based on biological theories of disease transmission. That is an issue that is related to, but not the same as, the lock down. I am a senior citizen with a compromised immune system. I’ll take extra precautions. But, why can’t I stay home and let my neighbors prudently attend church or synagogue.
Would you answer a question? Do you think the current lcck down will stop COVID-19 (in light of the fact that 4-1/2 months have not)?
Dear Qustions for YFC: You are completely incorrect. In San Francisco, where Father Illo is pastor, there are NO indoor restaurants. NONE! Question answered.
I actually have a degree in the biological sciences.
And what does the gay have anything to do with this conversation anyway?
IMHO, Fr Illio wea highly irrespomsible eating in a restaurant with customers seated 12 inches apart.
Thank you, Fr. Illo! Finally a priest who speaks up against this craziness of not allowing us to attend Mass. Our Archbishops, Bishops, and priests are cowards. There is no reason why we can’t attend Mass INSIDE the church wearing a mask and staying 6 feet apart. The governor’s allowance of 12 worshipers in a huge church is insane, so much so that pastors see no reason to have Mass for 12 people. It seems that the politicians are actually trying to do away with our worship of God.
The science says we should not congregate inside, or outside unless we are six feet apart. It says we should wear a mask when we leave the house. To me that says that we should not have inside service at a restaurant or outside service without proper distancing. It says to me that people in a park should wear a mask when they near or approach other people. To use the argument that we should be able to have worshop services inside the church because restaurants and stores can crowd people in is the wrong argument. We need to take action against the restaurants and stores that don’t follow the rules. The first lockdown didn’t work because it wasn’t universal across the country. We have blown it with the worst results in the world because we could not or would not sacrifice a little for a couple of months for the good of the people of our homeland.
Bob One will not be happy until all non-complying businesses are go under… we must all bow to the State
Bob One, are you one of those who would require people driving in their cars alone to wear a mask? If so, anything you say or suggest can have no significance for serious readers of the CCD.
Larry, there is no municipality or state that requires the wearing of a masks inside a car while riding with people living in your own household. Just FYI.
Bob One, same question as for YFC, regardless of how/why we got “here,” do you think the current lcck down will stop COVID-19 (in light of the fact that 4-1/2 months have not)?
Masks, social distancing and other health precautions are NOT the same as shutting down the economy and education (with attendant job losses, health declines and suicides) and prohibiting worship. And why are daycares (with children less likely to wear masks and social distance) still operating?
I can’t get my local officials to answer my question, but, Bob One, will you?
Do you think the current lcck down will stop COVID-19 (in light of the fact that 4-1/2 months have not)?
Dear “Question for YFC and Bob One”.
Cute name!
Do I personally think the current lcck down will stop COVID-19
No, I do not think the current lcck down will stop COVID-19. It was never strong enough. We still had boba shops and pot shops and Targets completely open without masking and without any fever screening, and without enough testing to measure hot-spots when they arise. ANd that was in San Francisco, where we had some of the toughest “lockdowns” in the country.
Kids are spreading this virus intentionally. We have bars still open in several states. We have people congregating as though nothing has ever happenned. So no – the current lock down, a completely leaky and ineffective lockdown – will never stop COVID-19. And many hundreds of thousands of people will die as a result.
Today in the US, we had at least 531 people reported to have died TODAY of this virus, and nearly 60,000 people became infected, at the least. In total, more than 3.9 million Americans are known to have had this virus and more than 142,000 people are known to have died of it.
No, our “lockdowns” have been a joke. Had our lockdowns and our testing been serious, we could have saved tens of tousands of lives.
Thank you, YFC, for answering that.
I agree with you that the lock down will not stop COVID-19.
I hope that government on the local and state levels will start prudently removing restrictions. We should practice health precautions and be able to again worship and return to work in relatively safe ways. Those with underlying health conditions, like me and some I love, may need to practice additional precautions and not return to church or work yet.
There are no guarantees in life. While masked up with washed hands, I could get hit by a car while out walking today. I choose to not let fear dominate my life. I want to spend time with friends and loved ones. We can trust the Lord.
These numbers do not justify the term pandemic nor do they justify lockdowns of any sort. 500,000 people have died since March. 151,000 died on average each day in 2017. Governor Newsom, YFC, and Bob One are totalitarians not scientists or caring human beings.
I love it when people roll out insults like “totalitarians” and not concerned with caring for human beings. It just kind of shows how ridiculous people can be. Women certainly believe that men who legislate against abortion are behaving in a totalitarian fashion, but I’m sure you wouldn’t say that Republicans are really totalitarians, would you?
BTW, Lucas A. your stat for average daily deaths is completely bogus. Average daily deaths in the US in 2018 were 7,800 deaths per day. COVID-19 deaths per day are now up to over 1,000 deaths per day and we are trying to keep it from becoming 2 or 3 or 4 thousand deaths per day. But if you think that trying to prevent thousands of deaths per day makes me a totalitarian, fine. I can live with myself for saving lives. Can you live with yoursel for being so callous about lives?
Please YFC, you want the economy shut down to make sure Trump loses it has zero to do with saving lives.
Can you be so callous about the economic and psychological impact of these SIP? These are unseen effects until far after, but they must taken into account and none of the so called doctors are. Btw my stats are worldwide, and deaths are decreasing worldwide.
What is the point of earning an economic impact if you are dead?
We ought to have had a complete and total shutdown in March, through the middle of April, nationwide. Had we done that, we’d be all over this by now and Trumpw would have been back on the road to reelection.
Instead, today, alone, we’ve had over 1,100 people die of the virus, just about 70,000 new cases. In total, we have topped FOUR MILLION CASES and ONE HUNDRED FORTY THREE THOUSAND DEATHS in the US alone.
So when you say this isn’t about deaths but about Trump, what exactly do you mean? Maybe if Trump had ordered a bigger shutdown, ordered companies to produce masks and hand sanitizer, and taken this virus seriously, we’d be over these deaths by now, the economy would be in recovery, and he would be on his way to re-election.
And to those who quote worldwide statistics. The world is not governed by Trump. For the most part, it did shut down, unlike the US, which can’t wait to get back to partying and merry-making, and “economics”. And worldwide, there have been over 15 MILLION cases, more than SIX HUNDRED THOUSAND deaths. And by the way, the worldwide deaths per ay have been increasing since June. https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2020/world/coronavirus-maps.html#cases
And you have the nerve to say that my position has zero to do with saving lives. What is your concern for saving lives, mister?
May God bless, strengthen, and protect Fr. Illo. He is one of the finest priests I have even known. Decades ago he would say a private mass for homeschoolers near Stockton – his homilies then were so supportive. A good shepherd and truly persona Christi!