Letter from retired priests, dated March 2, 1015

Archbishop Salvatore Cordileone

Dear Archbishop,
With respect, we, the undersigned retired priests of the Archdiocese of San
Francisco, write this letter to you. We wish to share a pastoral concern that
has arisen among us and to offer you our best wisdom based on our
experience of ministering these many years in the Archdiocese.
We have been blessed during our priesthood to witness the development of
collegiality in response to the challenge of the Second Vatican Council. Both
priests and lay people, with different backgrounds and experiences,
accepted that challenge enthusiastically. They were willing to spend time
discussing issues, weighing various viewpoints, pooling different insights.
The process was time-consuming, not always easy, nor was unanimity
always present. Still what emerged in our Archdiocese were a strong Priests'
Council, Pastoral Council. and other consultative boards. Members of these
various organizations were willing to serve because they felt, by offering
their time and expertise, that they were fulfilling their baptismal
commitment as members of the Church and were contributing to the spread
of the Gospel in this locale.
We feel that this process of consultation and collegiality, deeply rooted in our
local church, has not been followed in your initiative regarding the teachers
of the Catholic High Schools of the Archdiocese. Most initiatives and actions
elicit both positive and negative reactions. By far, the majority of responses
we have heard have been negative. They do not challenge that Catholic
doctrine should be part of a Catholic high school's curriculum, nor that
teachers should respect the school's Catholic identity. The objections focus
mainly on the lack of sufficient consultation, on the manner of presentation,
on the wording, and on the question of the need for such a document.
We feel that it is our duty, as collaborators in ministry in the Archdiocese, to
bring this matter to your attention. We would be doing you a disservice if we
kept quiet. We are willing to engage in personal dialogue with you on this
and on other matters. If you so wish, please contact our representatives on
the Priests' Council:
Respectfully,
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Letter from Union Executive Board to Gary Cannon, principal of Sacred Heart
Cathedral Preparatory in San Francisco:
Dear Mr. Cannon,
On behalf of union membership, we wish to make clear to you with great regret our
concerns stemming from your recent distribution to all faculty members of the annual letters
of intent to return. Because of the turmoil resulting from the archbishops proposed changes
to the handbook and the CBA, many faculty members are in great distress about their
futures in the archdiocesan school system. Almost without exception, the archbishops
proposals have caused significant division, discontent, doubt and fear amongst school
personnel. Many of our colleagues are considering other career options; some are actively
pursuing these options.
Because we sympathize with your difficult position reconciling your role as archdiocesan
envoy with your mission as head of the faculty, we believe it is only fair to alert you to a grim
possibility. While the majority of your faculty employees might be returning those letters as
usual signed with their official intent to return, an indeterminate number of them may at
some time in the near future renege on that declaration in favor of alternate employment.
We understand and regret that the uncertain status of next years workforce puts you in a
very troublesome situation. Rest assured it is a burden we share. The prospect of high
turnover in our teaching community fills us all with great heartache. Thus, we ask you not to
take up this cross alone, but to forward this letter to the president and to Maureen
Huntington, in hopes that the archbishop himself may get a sense of the real and potential
impact of his actions. Thank you for your attention to this matter.
Sincerely,
The Union Executive Board
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Text of March 19 news release from the Gubbio Project:

March 19, 2015
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
The Gubbio Project Reaches Out to Archdiocese on Aiding Homeless Individuals
Like many homeless advocates, people of faith, and San Francisco residents, we at The
Gubbio Project were shocked and disappointed to learn of the decision to use sprinklers at

St. Marys Cathedral to discourage our homeless brothers and sisters from taking refuge
there. The Cathedral has been a strong ally in ministering to the Citys homeless individuals,
and for many years, has opened its doors to 100 homeless men each winter in cooperation
with the San Francisco Interfaith Council. We agree with Bishop Justice that the decision to
use those sprinklers was ill-conceived, and we were gladdened by the decision to dismantle
and cease using them at St. Marys Cathedral.
Faith charges adherents to meet the needs of the poor and the disenfranchised. The Gubbio
Project understands better than most the complications that arise when the demands of
faith intersect with the place where we practice that faith. At The Gubbio Project, with the
blessing of the pastor and parishioners of St. Boniface Catholic Church in the Tenderloin, we
open the doors of the church every weekday to our unhoused neighbors. Through our
Sacred Sleep program, The Gubbio Project provides a safe and welcoming space for our
homeless neighbors to take shelter, sleep and rest in church pews during hours in which
most of the citys evening shelters are closed. The Gubbio Project welcomes approximately
300 guests per day, with an average of 100 people sleeping at any time.
To the Archdiocese, to San Franciscans, and to Catholics everywhere, we want to present a
model that shows that the churchthe very space of the church itselfcan be used to
protect and minister to the citys homeless population in a manner that is safe, quiet, and
that respects the dignity of all who enter through our doors. While not a solution to
homelessness, it is a first step in healing that is needed by so many living on the streets.
As a next step, we have reached out to the Archdiocese of San Francisco and encouraged
them to consider implementing Gubbios model at St. Marys Cathedral, or at any parish in
San Francisco that is frustrated and wants to do more for those who are literally seeking
refuge in our doorsteps. We have a highly trained and experienced staff who stand ready to
assist the Archdiocese of San Francisco to find a way to answer Christs call to treat the least
among us with humanity and compassion.