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October 17, 2005 
VOL.
43, NO. 18Oakland,
CA
Concord parish reaches 50-year milestone
Since early
July, St. Francis of Assisi Parish has been in celebration mode to mark
its 50th year.
The festivities began with a picnic marking the parish’s founding
and were soon followed by a multicultural dinner and musical program,
a festival hosted by Latino and Portuguese parishioners, and a multi-lingual
anniversary liturgy on Oct. 2. Next month the parish’s Fil-Am (Filipino
American) community will host a dance and the parish-wide celebration
will culminate in December with a retreat.
These gatherings had added meaning because of the participation of the
various ethnic groups within the faith community, said Father Jerry Brown,
parochial administrator at St. Francis since 2003. “Everybody was
having a good time. Everybody was talking. There was a real strong sense
of having crossed a threshold.”
That threshold appeared about two years ago when the parish welcomed a
large segment of Spanish-speaking Catholics who had been members of Concord
Hispanic Ministry, a pastoral outreach to Latinos in the Concord area.
The diocese dissolved the ministry and encouraged the participants to
make their spiritual homes in local parishes.
St. Francis of Assisi received about 1500 families, two-thirds of the
Latino community that had been worshipping at Casa Hispana. The task that
followed was a major challenge.
Although two Spanish Masses were already being celebrated at St. Francis,
the need for a third Spanish Mass led to changes in the parish’s
entire Mass schedule, which Father Brown described as being “very
tight.” Today the parish, which has between 4,000 and 5,000 families,
offers nine weekend Masses, three in Spanish, one in Portuguese and five
in English.
After expanding the Mass schedule to accommodate its newest members, the
parish, which is about evenly divided between English-speaking and Spanish-speaking
parishioners, has focused on functioning as a single community, without
splintering into language or cultural groups, Father Brown said.
One example of this effort is the “bilingualizing” of programs
like religious education and baptismal preparation. When possible, for
example, lessons are taught to the entire group in English with Spanish
translation.
Then participants break into smaller groups for discussion in either Spanish
or English.
Overcoming the language barrier remains a concern. “Unfortunately
some of us don’t speak Spanish” and a number of the Latino
parishioners don’t speak English, said Betty Favello, a parishioner
for 31 years. But people are making an effort to reach out to one another
nonetheless, she added. The Sept. 18 festival was “a very successful
event,” she said. “Many people in the parish came; it was
a good mixer.”
Therese Caples, a parishioner since 1987, described the parish’s
welcome of Latino Catholics as “wonderful,” crediting Father
Brown for being a bridge-builder between the communities. The priest,
who speaks Spanish, has been actively involved and very supportive of
the Latino community.
Gilberto Tinoco agrees. Since his family registered at the parish two
years ago, Tinoco has seen Father Brown work quietly to increase understanding
between the English and Spanish-speaking communities. During the past
two years the priest has encouraged the English speakers to learn more
about their Latino culture by opening discussions about devotions and
traditions like observance of the feast of Our Lady of Guadalupe and its
importance in the Latino community.
Recently the parish set aside space in the church for the inclusion of
a portrait of Our Lady of Guadalupe. This and other signs of welcome made
a difference for Tinoco and others.
In the past when the Latino community in Concord wanted to come together
to celebrate Christmas or Easter they had to have Mass in a gym or auditorium
because they had no worship space to call their own, Tinoco said. Now
Latino Catholics can gather in church “the way it is supposed to
be,” he said.
He and other Latino Catholics also join with other ethnic groups in the
parish for multicultural liturgies. “Now I feel that at St. Francis
this is my church and that I’m part of this community.”
Parish timeline
1955: San Francisco Archbishop John
Mitty establishes Most Precious Blood Parish in July. The parish is comprised
of 194 families from Queen of All Saints Parish in Concord, 25 from Christ
the King Parish in Pleasant Hill, and 16 from St. Mary Parish in Walnut
Creek. Msgr. Edward Varni is named pastor, a post he holds until 1991.
1965: Most Precious Blood School opens. The Sisters of St. Joseph
of Carondelet staff the school with Sister St. Anne Broham as first principal.
By 1969 all eight grades are in place.
1982: An arsonist sets a fire that destroys the church on Dec.
27.
1984: Msgr. Varni announces that the parish name will be changed
from Most Precious Blood to St. Francis of Assisi because the feast of
the Most Precious Blood has been united with the feast of Corpus Christi
and is no longer celebrated liturgically.
1985: Bishop John Cummins dedicates the new church on Oct. 4,
the feast of St. Francis of Assisi.
1991: Father William Macchi is appointed pastor, succeeding Msgr.
Varni.
2000: Father Fernando Cortez becomes pastor.
2001: Holy Cross Father Phil Sopke is named administrator.
2003: Father Jerry Brown is named administrator.
2005: Bishop Allen Vigneron presides at the parish’s
50th Anniversary Mass on Oct. 2. Concord Mayor Laura Hoffmeister reads
a proclamation from the city during the celebration.
Knights of Columbus raise their hats as Bishop Allen
Vigneron raises the chalice at the Consecration of the anniversary Mass.
The San Damiano Cross above the altar is like the one St. Francis of Assisi
was praying before when he received the commission from the Lord to rebuild
his Church. A number of similar crosses were painted in Umbria in the
12th century.
Parishioners walk past the Shrine of Our Lady of Guadalupe on their way to Communion at the anniversary Mass.
The choir adds their song to the celebration of the 50th
anniversary Mass.
The parish has started a children’s choir for all private and public
school boys and girls in grades 2-6. Special performances are planned
for the Feast of Christ the King, Advent and Christmas.
Beautiful stained glass windows contribute to the worship of parishioners at the church.
GREG TARCZYSNKI PHOTOS
