Posts Tagged San Francisco
Parents ask San Francisco archdiocese to remove controversial parish priests / National Catholic Reporter
Posted by Voice of the Faithful in Catholic Bishops, church reform, Voice of the Faithful on March 27, 2015
In a packed auditorium at Star of the Sea School in San Francisco on Wednesday (Mar.25), parents told representatives of the archdiocese to remove the parish’s two priests.
“After describing the changes that Fr. Joseph Illo, administrator, has instituted at the school since his arrival and the effects on their children, most of the parents concluded their talks by saying, ‘We respectfully ask that Fr. Illo and Fr. Driscoll be removed from Star of the Sea” …
“About 200 parents and teachers attended the meeting, the majority of them wearing Star of the Sea sweatshirts. Sixteen parents spoke at a dais at the front of the audience that faced the four clergymen. Several started to cry as they spoke.”
By Mandy Erickson, National Catholic Reporter — Click here to read the rest of this story.
Controversial San Francisco handbook to be reviewed, expanded by theology teacher committee
Posted by Voice of the Faithful in Catholic Bishops, Clericalism, Voice of the Faithful on February 26, 2015
A committee of theology teachers from the four high schools administered by the San Francisco archdiocese will be asked to expand and clarify a statement on church teachings and practices developed by Archbishop Salvatore Cordileone and scheduled for inclusion in those schools’ 2015-16 faculty handbooks.
“In an open letter to teachers dated Feb. 24 as well as during an hour-long meeting with the editorial board of the San Francisco Chronicle on Tuesday (Feb. 24), Cordileone said he has been surprised by the uproar generated by the Feb. 3 release of the handbook insertion, ‘Statement of the High Schools of the Archdiocese of San Francisco Regarding the Teachings and Practice of the Catholic Church.’
“An archdiocesan ‘media advisory’ issued late Tuesday appeared to counter a Chronicle characterization of the committee’s formation and the newspaper’s meeting with Cordileone as the archbishop backing down.”
By Dan Morris-Young, National Catholic Reporter — Click here to read the rest of this story.
Banning girl altar servers takes Catholic Church backyard / San Francisco Chronicle
Posted by Voice of the Faithful in church reform, Voice of the Faithful, Women in Catholic Church on January 30, 2015
By Sally Vance-Trembath, Santa Clara University ecclesiologist and former Voice of the Faithful® vice president
The pastor of Star of the Sea parish in San Francisco, the Rev. Joseph Illo, recently decided to stop training girls as altar servers, reserving the role for boys. He explained that, among other things, serving at Mass is a preparation for priesthood — a male-only vocation.
“The decision to phase out girls is not only out of step with current Catholic teaching, it also risks triggering painful memories for many Catholic women, just as they were beginning to feel hopeful about their status in the church.”
Click here to read the rest of this commentary.
San Francisco priest bars altar girls, sparks another controversy / Religion News Service
Posted by Voice of the Faithful in Voice of the Faithful, Women in Catholic Church on January 28, 2015
A Catholic priest who recently took charge of a San Francisco parish has said only boys can be altar servers, a move that is sparking both criticism and praise and comes amid a wider debate over conservative concerns that the Catholic Church has become too ‘feminized.’
“As media coverage of the controversy at Star of the Sea Roman Catholic Church began to build in recent days, the Rev. Joseph Illo defended his decision in a statement issued Monday (Jan. 26), saying he decided to make the change in November, a few months after he became pastor. Illo cited two main reasons for the switch.”
By David Gibson, Religion News Service, on Cruxnow.com — Click here to read the rest of this story.