We have a new Archbishop!

[jwinch2]

It was a WONDERFUL Installation Mass on the Feastday of the patron saint of our city! There were a very limited number of tickets for the Mass given to each parish. I felt very blest to have had one. Ten of us from our Russian Greek Catholic parish were there, which is about half the parish, LOL. Not so lucky for larger parishes who got the same number of tickets, in the interest of being fair I suppose. Never enough tickets for such a great celebration.

I was so engrossed in conversation walking past the front of the Cathedral on the way to our entrance I thought we had passed some very quiet and orderly protesters. I learned from my husband later it was in fact a large group of **supporters **of the Archbishop. LOL!

I got to talk briefly with Fr Tom Loya in the reception, but only because he’s so tall and taller still with his kamilavka so we could spot him in the sea of thousands downstairs. In the Mass Abbot Nicholas was seated in the sanctuary with the many bishops. We did not get to see him, sadly, at the reception. Fr Loya thought the Abbot was probably off with the bishops.

His Eminence Metropolitan Gerasimos was seated in the sanctuary opposite the bishops. He had someone with him who may have been Archimandrite Apostolos. Sadly they disappeared before we could get their blessing.

It was a glorious day including the Blue Angels making about 5 passes over the Cathedral during the Mass. (I wonder if we’ve got some faithful Catholics in those cockpits.) It really doesn’t get any better here in the City by the Bay.

I think I’ll be up half the night, I’m still so “high”! I think I said “I love being Catholic” about ten times this afternoon/evening.

P.S. His Facebook has linked to this from his excellent homily delivered in a combination of English and Spanish. I was hoping he would begin to speak in Spanish-- our first Spanish speaking Archbishop-- which he did often as Bishop in Oakland. (It will be interesting to see if any secular press mention his using both languages.)

Great stuff. Thanks for that account!

 

[5Loaves]

The World Over with Raymond Arroyo LIVE - Thursdays 8 PM ET

Encore – Friday 1 AM ET, Sunday 4 PM ET, Monday 10 AM ET & 10 PM ET

ARCHBISHOP SALVATORE CORDILEONE, the newly appointed Archbishop of San Francisco On the challenges he faces in his new post, and how he plans to implement Pope Benedict XVI’s Year of Faith in his Archdiocese.

I heard about half the interview tonight, I was glad Raymond brought up the Archbishop being bi-lingual in Spanish. At the Installation Mass he spoke in both English and Spanish delivering his homily, a fact neglected by both the secular and religious press.