THANKSGIVING SCHEDULE
Thursday, November 22
Shrine historic church OPEN from 10AM-1PM
Confession: 11AM-12PM
Mass: 12:15PM
Doors close immediately after Mass
Porziuncola chapel and Shrine office will be CLOSED
Friday, November 23
The Shrine church, Porziuncola, and office will be CLOSED.
The Church prays for, and remembers, the faithful departed throughout the entire year. However, All Souls, November 2, is the general, solemn, day of commemoration, when the Church remembers, prays for, and offers masses for the faithful departed. Christians have been praying for their departed brothers and sisters since the earliest days of Christianity.
Early liturgies and inscriptions on catacomb walls attest to the ancientness of prayers for the dead, even if the Church needed more time to develop a substantial theology behind the practice. Praying for the dead is actually borrowed from Judaism, as indicated in 2 Maccabees 12:41-42.
In the New Testament, St Paul prays for mercy for his departed friend Onesiphorus (2 Timothy 1:18). Early Christian writers Tertullian and St. Cyprian testify to the regular practice of praying for the souls of the departed. This demonstrates that Christians believed that their prayers could somehow have a positive effect on the souls of departed believers.
NASPA Conference
The Shrine staff was in Alabama from November 5th-8th to meet with other U.S. Catholic shrines for the NASPA conference. In addition to information sessions and business meetings were trips to tour the EWTN studio in Irondale, and the Shrine of the Most Blessed Sacrament in Hanceville (Rodney Esperanza and Fr. John, pictured abpve left.)
Above right: Fr. Mark Mary, MFVA; of EWTN with Fr. John in the Shrine gift shop. Solid initiatives and business relationships were cultivated in the three days of meetings. Please pray for the fruits of the work of NASPA!
Above: Fr. John concelebrated Mass with fellow shrine rectors and clergy in the Cathedral of St. Paul, the seat of the Diocese of Birmingham-Alabama.
ENCOUNTER THE SACRED
"Pilgrimages can help a renewal in prayer. Shrines are special places for Christian prayer." - The Catechism of the Catholic Church: 2691 Shrines help reorient us to God. They have rich and varied histories. Many are dedicated to particular saints who exemplify Christian living and intercede for those who ask. Shrines supplement the good work of your local parish, providing opportunities for faith enrichment and peaceful reflection. Each shrine has a unique character, special offerings, and specific schedules, so be sure to call ahead or visit the shrine's website before you visit. All visitors at every shrine are offered a place to encounter the sacred. Visit some of our nation's beautiful shrines! In addition to the National Shrine of St. Francis, the other NASPA-registered shrines in Northern California are:
• Shrine of Our Lady of Peace, Santa Clara, www.olopshrine.org
• Shrine of Saint Junipero Serra, Carmel, CarmelMission.org
Welcome to the National Shrine of Saint Francis of Assisi and the namesake of our city, San Francisco. The National Shrine is the property of the Archdiocese of San Francisco, and it consists of our historic Church built in 1849 and our beautiful Chapel (La Porziuncola Nuova, or Little Portion) built in 2008.
The National Shrine is not only located in the heart of San Francisco where Italian North Beach and Chinatown meet, it is "The Heart of San Francisco" in a singular way where Heaven and Earth meet like no other place in our city.
One of the reasons this Shrine is unique is its very urban location in the second most densely populated city in the country. But in the midst of an often rowdy, noisy, bawdy, and chaotic neighborhood (a bronze marker in the sidewalk reminds us that this was once "The Barbary Coast"), the Shrine's Church and the Porziuncola offer an oasis of peace, quiet, serenity, and refreshment to the thirsty spirit.
Saint Francis was very aware that all of God's creation is holy and that it reflects his beauty, truth, and goodness. But Francis appreciated churches, especially, because he knew that in these sacred spaces people could find and recognize the presence of God's spirit more easily than "in the world." That is why the Little Poor Man of Assisi dedicated a good portion of his life to rebuilding old abandoned churches, like San Damiano (where he had heard the voice of Jesus Christ) and Saint Mary of the Angels Porziuncola (or Little Portion).
We hope during your online visit to The National Shrine of Saint Francis of Assisi you will experience something of the reverence, tranquility, and blessings people find when they enter our actual doors. Thus, we invite you to take the virtual tours, light a candle, ask for our prayers, and to return to this site as often as you like, while allowing "The Heart of San Francisco" to become a place where your own heart can find a haven of rest. Yes, leave your heart in San Francisco!
We also invite you to take the opportunity to participate in the mission of The National Shrine of Saint Francis of Assisi by sharing with us your financial support, either by making a donation or by shopping at our online store. But even if you're unable to give anything at this time, please know that you are always welcome to visit us and to support our work with your prayers. We sincerely appreciate and thank you for your generosity of spirit.
The National Shrine of Saint Francis of Assisi, as with The Archdiocese of San Francisco, has a mission that is rooted in the Gospels and the social teachings of the Roman Catholic Church. Central to that teaching is the inherent dignity and sacredness of each human being.
We educate and advocate on this dignity in relation to the unborn child, the prisoner on death row, the homeless and hungry person on our streets, the elderly, the ill and disabled faced with the threat of assisted suicide, the stranger in our midst, and the poor and marginalized in our society and throughout the world. We are neither right nor left, Republican nor Democrat, but we formulate our agenda by the standard of human dignity that is reflected in our faith tradition.
- It is the purpose of the National Shrine of Saint Francis of Assisi to provide more abundant means of salvation, through the rich liturgical and devotional life of the Roman Catholic Church for the Christian faithful, including those who come as pilgrims from around the world to the City of San Francisco and the greater San Francisco Bay Area, who seek to encounter the living God through religious worship and special devotion to St. Francis of Assisi and the Franciscan saints.
- It is the further purpose of the National Shrine to welcome, share and extend this same spiritual experience and devotion to St. Francis of Assisi and the Franciscan saints to pilgrims and visitors of all faiths, religions, denominations, and nationalities.
- The Capuchin Franciscan Friars (OFM Cap.) and Staff of the National Shrine, therefore, provide a pastoral (i.e., welcoming and prayerful) environment with the hope that in the spirit of St. Francis of Assisi, spiritual nourishment healing and reconciliation will be found by all who visit the Shrine.
