The Solemnity of the Immaculate Conception at Fisherman's Wharf


Window of the angel Gabriel visiting Mary at St. Peter and Paul in San Francisco.

St. Peter and Paul Church is really in the North Beach section of San Francisco. But it's very close to Fishermen's Wharf. I returned to church for  9 am Mass, December 8, the holy day and also the 55th birthday of my brother Jim. I offered my Mass for him.


Just like at home at St. Mark's, it was a children's Mass. The students reminded me of Marksmen. The priest was Chinese and did an amazing magic trick as part of his homily. His message to us was that we need to pay attention in life. He encouraged the children to pay attention to their parents and teachers. His second theme was that of reconciliation. We need to be reconciled with God after we sin. Even though we know we will sin again. Being reconciled with God through confession means that we will more likely do better.


I hadn't been to Fisherman's Wharf yet, so I went there for a lunch that included clam chowder and some delicious sour dough bread.


Then I rented a bike again and set out for a shorter ride to Lucasfilms.


There was only one space for tourists on this campus, a kind of lobby area that had replicas of Star Wars characters.


I was never really into Star Wars, though I do like the idea of the Force. Fr. Daniel Gifford explained the theory behind the movies (and probably other movies and books, also) in a homily at St. Mark's. I'm paraphrasing from memory but it went something like this: Act I- hero achieves something great, Act II- hero loses everything, Act III-hero gains it back and even more, is transformed. We Christians believe something similar: Jesus is born, fully human and fully divine. Jesus is murdered in a horrible way; our God-King is dead. Jesus rises from the dead and conquers death and sin for all time.


On the way back, I cycled by the beautiful Palace of Fine Arts, with its Roman and Greek influences.





Here's the palace from the Bay.

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Hidden Sidewalks: Walk # 37, Hollywood Bowl & Hightower Loop

Image
The second of Charles Fleming's Secret Stairs walks that I took led me through "the back side of the Hollywood Bowl, into one of the city's few walk-street communities, with no access to cars." The contextual information I share below comes from his book. Above is High Tower, which contains an elevator. Look familiar? More on this below. First I passed by Highland Towers where William Faulkner lived and possibly wrote the screenplay adaptations for "To Have and Have Not," and "The Big Sleep." Heading up into the hills. The first 103 steps. An accidental action photo. It really does seem sometimes like you are walking through people's property. I saw very few folks, whether residents or fellow tourists, on my walks. Above and below is the Frank Lloyd Wright designed Samuel Freeman House , constructed in 1924. I actually did get a little bit lost here beca...
Read more

Greatest Photo Hits

Image
In December 2017, I took a two-week trip to California. I started up north at the redwoods, and traveled down to San Francisco, onto Big Sur, and ended up in Los Angeles, where I went to college in the early 80's. You can read all about it in this blog. But if you'd like a fly by, here are some photos that summarize the trip.  In Tiburon after riding a bike over the Golden Gate Bridge. The mighty redwoods. The other San Francisco bridge. Along Highway 1 California, not Ireland. More redwoods. WPA mural inside Coit Tower. View from Coit Tower. Coit Tower Getting ready to ride over the Golden Gate.  San Francisco skyline at night. Coit Tower on the left and below. Santa Con in San Francisco! Kirby Cove . Thanks to Duncan Smith and friends. Big Sur Was fortunate to go on a silent retreat at New Camaldoli Hermitage. The Star in the Family, Uncle Wrig...
Read more

Hidden Sidewalks: Walk #34, Beachwood Canyon

Image
When I was researching fun activities in southern California, I came across the book Secret Stairs: A Walking Guide to the Historic Staircases of Los Angeles by Charles Fleming. Believe it or not, at one time LA was not the freeway-strewn, drivers' paradise (!) that it is today. People who lived up in the hills needed a way to get down to schools, grocery stores, and the transit lines--trolleys, streetcars, buses, etc.--that then existed in Los Angeles. These staircases served that purpose, and though they are little used or known about today (my friends who live in SoCal hadn't heard of them), they are public property and are there for our walking pleasure. My hat is off to Charles Fleming for all of his research and impeccable descriptions. He has put together 42 walks comprising more than 275 staircases. On this trip, I did two of the walks. I liked them immensely, and hope to do others on return trips. Mr. Fleming is so precise in his directions that this frequently l...
Read more