A Catholic Church That's Actually Doing Something Worthwhile
St. Boniface Catholic Church — "An Oasis in the Tenderloin"
Don’t get me started on religion. Specifically: Christianity, Islam, Judaism — all with their respective gods being the only God.
I’ve come to some conclusions — pretty late in life — about religions in general. Not good.
And why I find what’s going on at a Catholic Church in one of the most problematic neighborhoods in San Francisco so wonderful.
Lesley always told me to never broach my thoughts about religion in public — because it would stir up a mess of unpleasant feedback.
So I won’t go into a thorough discussion of my multi-textured thoughts on these three religions and their effect on the world through the ages, but save this for some time when I’m ready for some heavy artillery feedback.
My friend Joe — fellow native San Franciscan —kept telling me I should see the St. Boniface Catholic Church in San Francisco, called the Oasis in the Tenderloin, in its words:
“…opening its doors to all who seek solace or comfort in the beauty of its Baroque nave or sleep in its Romanesque shadows.”
So we took a Waymo (which is like space travel!) after a couple of Irish coffees at The Buena Vista Cafe, and walked to the church – about 11:30 AM last Friday (after my Friday morning swim in the Bay).
It’s very ornate, with paintings and sculptures and statues and stained glass and vaults everywhere. I felt instant good vibes when we stepped inside. Uniquely enough, there were maybe 15 people sleeping (lying on their sides) in the pews, with a kind of pleasant sound of soft snoring.
(Turn your sound up on the videos to hear the light snoring. Also, click the full screen icon — the 4 triangles at the bottom— once they’re playing).
There was a peacefulness, a rightfullness in the church. Gemütlicheit. Comfortable. Nicely warmed by the old-fashioned radiators.
“St. Boniface Church, run by the Franciscans since 1887, is the oldest German Catholic Church in San Francisco, established in 1860, with antecedents back to 1852.
The church was long a mainstay of San Francisco's large early German community. It is one of the few reminders of that community's former prominence in the downtown.
The present Romanesque Revival building is a reconstruction of the third building in the history of the church, following the 1906 Earthquake and Fire.”
Turns out that the church allows people to sleep there during the day, as well as take showers. It’s very copacetic.
“No one is turned away.; all are welcome at our table.”
Nearby is the St. Anthony’s soup kitchen, which feeds 2-300 people a day.
The Tenderloin also has some of the worst city druggies wandering around in semi-conscious states of mind and body, and lots of other stuff — good and bad — going on in the hood.
Inside the church:
“Franciscan theology conforms to broader doctrine with the Catholic Church, but involves several unique emphases. Franciscan theologians view creation, the natural world, as good and joyous, and avoid dwelling on the "stain of original sin." Francis expressed great affection towards animals and inanimate natural objects as fellow inhabitants of God's creation, in his work Canticle of the Creatures (Laudes Creaturarum, also known as the Canticle of the Sun).”
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Franciscans
Insider Report: I put together these posts the same way I do books: gathering a bunch of material, looking at the photos in Bridge, editing them in Photoshop, and then piecing it together — writing text, placing photos and videos, researching, and adding quotes as I go along.
It’s always a surprise to see it when it’s done.
I don’t plan anything in advance. Things (hopefully) fall in place. Following my M.O. of:
Start and you’ll figure it out as you go along. I don’t recommend this for people with analytical minds, but rather for us of the not-so-organized, play-it-somewhat-by-ear persuasion. Just start.
Fun read! Beautiful pictures! I do have to share a correction regarding your first sentence. Hinduism is henotheistic - meaning they worship their God but do not deny the existence or possible existence of other deities, nor assert that theirs is the correct/only one
I find this super interesting and important at a crucial time in our country that has foregone the separation of Church and State. As a lapsed Catholic, my reason for leaving (and there’s many) is mainly to do with the hypocrisy and dissonance between what the teachings could lead to (socialism, community and human rights) and what it actually has become (power, political badge, and shame-inducer).