News - October 2019

In June 2018, Fr. Ray Allender, S.J., pastor of St. Agnes Parish, and I wrote a joint letter to our two parishes. In that letter, we communicated to you the desire of our Provincial, Fr. Scott Santarosa, S.J., to engage in a process of discernment that answered this question: Given the pending retirement of Fr. Allender as pastor, what pastoral and administrative structures are necessary to maintain two distinct, vibrant Jesuit parishes in San Francisco, with one pastor (intended to be me)?

In my homily last weekend, I introduced parishioners to my Sicilian grandmother, Nana, as we called her. The first Sunday each month, she made sure that her and Grandpa’s entire family was around their dining room table for dinner. She would serve us course after course: spaghetti with her homemade tomato sauce and meatballs, Italian sausage, veal cutlets, eggplant and [too!] much more.

I was in New York from October 28th until November 3rd, a week or so ago. Originally, my main purpose for going there was to visit my first cousin (whom I have known since I was 8), Marion Early who lives in Ridge on Long Island. She turned 90 in August but I told her I did not want to be in New York when it is that hot, so I postponed my visit until October.