Following is an excerpt of a story that ran on June 25 in the Oakland diocese paper, the Catholic Voice.
Officials of the Diocese of Oakland and representatives for the Casa Vincentia women’s shelter have signed an agreement concerning their differences over a building owned by the diocese and occupied by the women’s shelter.
According to the agreement signed June 11, Casa Vincentia will leave the building, a former convent at St. Cyril Parish. An engineering study by the diocese indicated there were seismic safety issues with the building; and the diocese could not afford the repairs.
Diocesan and Casa Vincentia representatives met last September and Casa Vincentia agreed it would find a new home in 90 days. Casa Vincentia, which is not a diocesan operation, also had not paid rent since 2007. After several attempts at a meeting, the diocese initiated eviction proceedings, which culminated in the June 11 agreement.
As part of that agreement, the shelter program, which has provided a haven to homeless, pregnant women for some 25 years, has until Oct. 24 to find a new home.
“We were concerned about these young women and their safety, that’s why we embarked on this,” said Rev. George Mockel, vicar general. “We’ve tried for over a year to work out a solution.”
“It is our fervent hope that the move take place long before Oct. 24,” said Mike Brown, diocesan spokesman. “We don’t want the women to be there in unsafe conditions.”
Barbara Jackson, executive director at Casa Vincentia, said while “October seems like a long way away it really isn’t.” In addition to packing boxes there are confidential documents to shred, furniture to give away and a myriad of other chores.
All offers of volunteer help will be accepted during this moving process, Jackson said, adding she is starting a volunteer list for anyone who wants to help. “We still have bills to pay,” she said. To inquire about volunteer opportunities phone 510-729-0316.
To read entire story, click here.
Looks like the San Francisco Archdiocese is beginning to realize that its actions and or inactions can have a direct effect on the safety of people. While it is good that they realize that a small building might collapse and kill or maime people, there is yet a long ways to go in its realization that their responsibilities might have a direct effect on the entire city of SF being swept out to sea if they don’t start getting themselves holied up, as the Pope has ordered them (the bishops) to do. Oops, bad possibility that they might opt to evict the population of SF and move it into safer regions … hopefully not close by here.
oh, JLS, you really gotta look at a map – oakland is not san francisco, any more than los angeles is sacramento. (p.s., yes, the disaster plan is to have the entire population of san francisco move in with YOU should danger strike…)
they have not paid their rent since 2007? the diocese of oakland has been very generous in letting them continue to use the property, but one of our califiornia realities is earthqueake stuff, which seems like it was the last straw. if someone got hurt, they would have sued the diocese, of cfourse. i wish them well on their quest for a new location.
max, I hate to have to break it to you, but San Francisco includes all the region west of Vallejo, south of Sonoma County, and north of Half Moon Bay.. It may be the “mother of all tsunamis” that does the Frisco cleansing, but sooner or later time will end …maybe all at once for everyone, or maybe in steps.
JLS, the article concerned the Diocese of Oakland, not the Archdiocese of Sad Francisco! They are two separate Canonical entities.
God bless, yours in Their Hearts,
Kenneth M. Fisher
JLS, listen to KENNETH. he knows the difference between the archdiocese of san frnacisco, the diocese of oakland, the diocese of santa rosa, etc. we really must take up a second collection and buy you an ecclesiastical map or something…
INSTEAD of squabbling about when the LORD GOD ALMIGHTY is going to wash san francisoc into the sea for its homosexuals, democrats, vegans, homeless people, and annoying fog, why not “google” casa vincentia and send some money their way – thus proving we really care about life, pregnant women and the babies they carry? i mysefl just found JLS’ check book and am sending a hefty donation…
Okay, Okay, mea culpa. The Diocese of Oakland, then, excepted from the general region. Maybe Bishop Cordileone will succeed in kicking out the homosexual riff raff.
I can envision it now, everything except the Oakland Diocese swept into the sea. That alone standing as an island in the midst of chaos.
JLS, please do not despair. Even the Diocese of Oakland might be swept into the ocean for your viewing pleasure, if for no other reason than the architecture of its new cathedral, which some here find an abomination against God’s officially preferred style (i.e., Gothic). Why not rent the movie “2012” and sit back with a nice bottle of beer, anticipating the disasters to come? And do keep your eyes open for the Queen, with her beloved Corgis, being ushered into one of the “arks” meant to save the treasured few.
That was a sick comment MacDonald! Nothing to laugh about! Viewing pleasure? It’s no joke when people are choosing hell!
Abeca, you are writing in a very silly way. No one in their right mind would CHOOSE hell. They make choices, some bad and some good, but no one WANTS to end up in hell; they have been misled to think that __ is ‘okay’ and realize their mistakes only when it is far too late.
As for JLS and his description of sitting back and watching San Francisco slide into the sea, this is not hell, but geography, which are really two quite different things.
sorry to break it to you, macdonald, but lots of people chose to live in hell. in fact, i just searched the internet and found hell, california; hell, michigan; hell, norway; and lots more.
By the way, it seems odd that an article about an organization which helps pregnant women has led to discussions that completely ignore the organization in question, and instead focus on how God might best destroy California for its many sins. At least the people involved in running Casa Vincentia seems to be trying to do something quite un-sinny and pleasing to God.
I never thought I would see the day that a Catholic Church would evict pregnant, homeless women and babies, and not assist in relocation for them. God will smite us for our cruelty and ignorance of His Word. Now I have seen everything. Perhaps some of the diocese should be made homeless for a time, just as a warning. Doesn’t the bible say something about widows and orphans and those more in need?
Sasa, because the building was deemed unsafe a court ordered that no new clients could be accepted. I think the diocese is supposed to be helping them find a new building. They have let them use that building for 5 years. Hopefully they will find a new site for their ministry.