On the night of Friday, June 19, vandals in San Francisco went on a rampage, toppling and defacing statues in the city’s Golden Gate Park. The statues defaced and/or toppled were: President and General of the Army Ulysses S. Grant; Francis Scott Key, composer of the Star Spangled Banner, America’s national anthem; Miguel de Cervantes, the greatest of all Hispanic authors; and Saint Junipero Serra, the great missionary to California.
On Sunday, June 21, Fr. Joseph Illo, whose parish, Star of the Sea, is one of the closest to where the vandalism occurred, led a group to pray a Rosary of reparation at the statue. At least 50 Catholics participated.
One of the lay organizers, Clarisse Siu, told attendees: “Thank you for bravely praying at St. Junipero Serra’s statue yesterday! It turns out the Park Ranger parked behind us was there to make sure we were able to pray without harassment; this Catholic man had tears in his eyes at the witness of faith. Even the man who angrily shouted at us seemed to soften after a few of us genuinely engaged him in dialogue. Prayer brings true peace. We must continue to pray for healing and peace.”
Fr. Illo told CalCatholic: “During the first Great War, Our Lady told the children that only prayer–especially the rosary–can bring peace between nations. After praying the rosary at the scene of violence, we were all at peace. Only then were we prepared to speak with the angry man who had come to shout at us. This man became peaceful because we were peaceful, thanks to our prayer. Politics and social media, by themselves, only worsen misunderstandings among people. During COVID-19 our parish began praying the rosary (and live streaming it) every day at 5pm, and that daily family prayer will be one of the pandemic’s lasting fruits for our community. Look for ways to pray the holy rosary together!”
Dolores Meehan, another attendee, said: “Thuggery is not new to San Francisco; it started with the Barbary Coast, where St. Junipero Serra brought the peace of Jesus Christ. The current violence against life, law and order and Christian society is a long overdue outward manifestation of 47 years of legally sanctioned violence against the innocent child in the womb from the scourge of abortion. As Mother Teresa said, ‘if you can kill the child in the womb, what can keep me from killing you and you from killing me?’ All lives matter. How fitting we gathered at this site of desecration and prayed to Our Lady Queen of Peace for the sanctification of the City of St Francis.”
Star of the Sea’s public Rosary is becoming a regular event. On June 7, the parish hosted a Rosary Walk at and around Saint Mary’s Cathedral. That procession also passed the nearby Consulate of Communist China.
California Catholic Daily exclusive by Gibbons Cooney.
Thanks to everyone who participated.
May I ask your prayers for the safe return of the tabernacle and our Lord to St. Elizabeth of the Hill Country in Boone, NC.
Their prayers of reparation for the desecration are on their website.
https://www.saintecc.org/
This parish is a great blessing to the people of San Francisco. Right response Fr. Illo!
Me and my family are blessed to have Star of the Sea Church is as my home, refuge, school, hope, ilusión, stagnth and love. Thank you Father Josep Illo.
A sign of normalcy having dear Father Illo praying the Rosary in reparation for the heathens that toppled St. Junípero Serra. Once we had the privilege of having this wonderful priest visit our home in Southern California. He did not leave until he had my wife and I praying one whole rosary. I argued that we did not pray it, that we had never gone through a complete rosary, that it would only make sense unless in our native Spanish (or Latin in which it is much shorter). Well, Father Illo proved more eager and we did pray a rosary Spanish and donated some nice set-up funds for Star of the Sea Adoration Chapel. What a blessed man! He writes a very interesting blog at Frillo.com. Very worth reading.
Perhaps the Tabernacle & our Lord will bring some peace & calming to those who took it & make them see the error of their ways. Keep up the prayers. I will keep you all in mine.
Will do.
Thank you.
so very sad what has happened to Star of the Sea Parish – my families home Parish for 50 years, where all five of us kids went to Grammar School and all three girls went to the high school. I have a welcoming, spiritual Parish now but it’s sad that none of my family can attend Mass at Star – we used to leave our regular Parishes a couple times a year to meet for the Eucharist at Star but Father Illo’s radical fundamentalism drove us and so many others away. Peace & Blessings to you all. I pray for you