Rosary Procession Coming to San Francisco

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SAN FRANCISCO (ChurchMilitant.com) - A monthly pro-life Rosary procession is set to debut in the San Francisco archdiocese.

On Saturday, Jan. 9, there will be an 8 a.m. Mass (local time) at St. Mary's Cathedral in San Francisco, followed by a Rosary procession to the "Bush Street Planned Parenthood clinic" — according to a page on the San Francisco archdiocese's website. 

Archbishop Salvatore Cordileone will be leading the march.

The pro-life procession will become a monthly occurrence. From February onward, it will take place on the First Saturday of every month — in connection to the First Saturday devotion to Our Lady.

A Response to Lockdown

This comes amid months of tight government COVID-19 restrictions in California — rules that have been particularly burdensome for the faithful in the archdiocese of San Francisco.

Earlier this month, the archbishop spoke on Fox News about the restrictions.

"We're still not allowed to have indoor services, while indoor retail is allowed to operate," Cordileone told Fox News anchor Sandra Smith Dec. 9.

"The State does not have the authority to intrude into matters of the Church," the archbishop declared. "The State cannot tell the Church not to worship."

Cordileone said he recognizes the need for safety protocols from the government, "but it can't be so severe as to, in effect, ban public worship."

"It's very worrisome to me," he remarked, "that the State is intruding its authority in areas of Church matters, where they have no authority."

Back in August, Abp. Cordileone petitioned local officials to end the tight restrictions on religious services.

"This denial of access to safe, outdoor public worship," Cordileone argued in an Aug. 31 statement, "is a serious deprivation of our rights as Americans under the First Amendment and our spiritual needs as people of faith."

San Francisco, like many major cities, faced civil unrest and vandalism as the Black Lives Matter (BLM) protests were at their peak this summer. In September, the archbishop organized eucharistic processions with the intention of restoring freedom to worship.

Reparation Following Civil Unrest

Back in June, the archbishop said prayers of reparation after BLM protesters toppled a statue of St. Junípero Serra.

On June 27, eight days after rioters toppled the saint's statue and covered it in graffiti, he led a gathering of faithful in the Rosary in San Francisco's Golden Gate Park.

In addition to the Rosary, Abp. Cordileone led the crowd in a number of other prayers and devotions. Cordileone also blessed with holy water the monument and those in attendance.

In a June 20 statement, Cordileone had condemned the destruction, writing:

What is happening to our society? A renewed national movement to heal memories and correct the injustices of racism and police brutality in our country has been hijacked by some into a movement of violence, looting and vandalism. The toppling and defacing of statues in Golden Gate Park, including that of St. Junípero Serra, have become the latest example. The memorialization of historic figures merits an honest and fair discussion as to how and to whom such honor should be given. But here, there was no such rational discussion; it was mob rule, a troubling phenomenon that seems to be repeating itself throughout the country.

He referenced the city's namesake, St. Francis of Assisi, arguing, "But as Christ himself teaches, and St. Francis modeled, love and not rage is the only answer."

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