St. James 125th Anniversary - San Francisco

During the Year of Faith Catholics have been called to find a deeper knowledge of our universal faith. We can do this in numerous ways including reading religious books, attending  daily Mass and by seeking the Holy Spirit in the world around us. These are all pretty straight forward ideas to help someone increase their understanding of what it means to be Christian. I prepared for the Year of Faith by ordering a slew of books about Catholicism and I did read them and soon placed them on a shelf next to other religious works in my book collection. And there the books stayed while I congratulated myself for participating in the Year of Faith.

Not long after reading all these books I developed a nagging feeling that the Year of Faith didn't end when I shut the cover of that final work of the many books I had recently pored over. My Year of Faith was only just beginning and these books served as the prelude.

It took a sermon about "living the faith" to make me wonder just how other Catholics are doing this. So I set out the following Sunday on a pilgrimage to discover how Detroit lives the Christian faith. During this pilgrimage I have been blessed not with answers but with something better. I have been blessed with time for reflection and meditation and the understanding of just how much the Holy Spirit dwells in each person within the walls of churches I visit.

On April 28th, 2013 I attended the 125th anniversary

Mass and celebration for St. James Catholic Church in San Francisco. This was my parish while living in San Francisco and in many ways it is still my parish. Saint James was there to welcome me after so many years spent away from the Church. St. James is where my faith was reborn and I was so happy to celebrate this anniversary with the parishioners past and present.

Like many churches, St. James was built by an immigrant community that was determined to build a house that glowed with the glory of God. After 125 years of serving the Mission district community in San Francisco it is an honor preserving and celebrating what those before us built and entrusted to us.