April 2002 Call to Action News

Working Parish Snapshot (With Liturgy and Justice for All)

Name: St. Mary-St. Francis de Sales Cathedral

Location: Downtown, Oakland, Calif., near city hall and county jail

History: St. Mary parish dates back to 1853. After a 1989 earthquake demolished St. Francis de Sales Cathedral, the cathedral parish was merged with St. Mary¡&hibar;s where Masses and activities have taken place since. Plans are underway for construction of a new cathedral.

Membership: About 750 families with large proportions of five major ethnic or racial groups -- White, Vietnamese, Filipino, African-American, Hispanic. Parishioners are of all ages and economic levels. In recent years the parish has also become a popular worshiping place for students from the University of California/ Berkeley.

Charism: Despite the wide variety of ethnicities, ages and backgrounds, the parish is known for its high morale and the extent of cooperation among its members. Much credit is given to the music director, Lidia Carlos Reines, who shows respect for the musical traditions of every group and insures that quality congregational singing and music is a part of all liturgical celebrations. There are English, Vietnamese and Filipino choirs, and the parish has become a center for the Catholic liturgical music revival in the Oakland area.

Mass: Three most Sundays: 8:45 in Vietnamese with some English; 10:30 in English; 12 in Tagalog with some English. On special occasions the parish holds just one Unity Mass on a Sunday to celebrate its multi-lingual and multi-cultural diversity. The altar has been put forward close to the assembly and great care is given to the readings and homilies. The statues, which once dominated the front of the church, are now prominent in the rear and much used for private devotions.

Outreach: Parish buildings are used for immigration counseling and for a homeless shelter during the winter, staffed by parishioners. The parish has adopted an One of the three choirs that enliven liturgical life at St.Mary-St. Francis de Sales. inner-city school for which it raises funds and supplies tutors and other aides. Staff: Jesuit pastor, laywoman pastoral associate, sister in charge of community apostolate, and music director form the top tier. Several other Jesuits serve as vicars, and laity head a variety of parish organizations.

Quote: "This is a multi- generational, socioeconomically diverse, medium size, relatively laid back, homey, Jesuit-staffed, historic downtown cathedral parish. More than anything, it successfully embodies a post-conciliar vision of Christian faith by calling its extremely diverse members to 'full, active, and conscious participation' in the prayer life of the church community at hand and the larger ones of the diocese of Oakland and the Church Universal. The liturgies of the Word and the Eucharist are some of the most consistently faith-filled celebrations I've ever participated in as a young adult. The liturgical music is nothing less than sacred. In short, SMSFDS is extraordinary in the most ordinary and humble of ways -- the way it should be." Greg Zuschlag, parishioner and university student.

Information: 510 832-5057 or www.sm-sfds.org