www.byzcath.org Forums News & Events Church News Bishop Cordileone appointed Arbishop of SF

Here's a note from my pastor in response to my request or information.

Glory to Jesus Christ!

Carson,

Thanks for your prayers for Archbishop Sal. I have spoken with him a couple of times and it is just as I suspected and just as I spoke about on my radio program: DUI is NOT, repeat: is NOT "drunkenness" or "drunk driving" as the media likes to put it.

The so called legal limits on the breathalizer sobriety tests are arbitrary. They change from state to state and within a state itself. The way that the breathalizer tests are set, even a person who has one glass of wine WITH A MEAL (as the Scriptures suggest!) would be over the "legal" limit. Archbisop Sal told me that there were five different factors that night that had even one of those factors not been present that evening none of this would have happened. He was just a few blocks from his mother's home. The cops were stopping all cars and testing everyone. Archbishop Sal did fine on all tests. He was not even suspected of driving "while drunk." It was simply a sobriety check point set up near a college to keep a crack down on college drinkers. It was only when he did the breathalilzer with its ever changing standard that he barely, repeat: BARELY was over the "legal" limit. He simpy had dinner with a few friends and his 88 year old mother in his home town. He was NOT out "drinking" and driving. A little bit of wine with dinner put him over the ever changing politcially correct "legal limit."

There are many other very details to this story that show it is just another banana peel that the Evil One is throwing under the good Archbishop's feet because the Evil One knows that Archbishop Sal is probably his most formidable enemy in the American Catholic Church today. I encouraged Archbishop Salvatore to stand tall because I know that God will turn this into a blessing. He already is.

Another detail worth noting, and passing on to everyone is that the media pulled their usual insensitive blindside attack: They came to the door of Archbishop Sal's innocent 88 year old mother unannounced sticking cameras and microphones in the face of this unsuspecting woman when she opened the door.

Carson, please pass my message along to anyone that you know of who may be genuinely concerened about Archbishop Sal, or furthermore misinformed or critical.

Fr. Thomas J. Loya

We're heading off to the Mass. Please pray for our new Archbishop.
I'm sure there will be protests around the Cathedral.

Just so long as they are peaceful protests, then it won't be that much of a bother. Better hope the Archbishop has plenty of security around the Cathedral.

As we entered there were few protestors and they were quiet and orderly.

My bad. My husband told me on the way home those were supporters of the Archbishop we passed in front of the Cathedral. LOL! I was so engrossed in the conversation I was having with a deacon I had just met on the street I hadn't looked to see what they were holding, etc. No wonder they were so quiet and orderly. We did pass by one man shouting the f word as we were going from the Cathedral to the reception downstairs and chose the outside stairs. We were in a stream with the clergy and his profanity was directed at them. Sadly this is not new.

It was a WONDERFUL Installation Mass on the Feastday of the patron saint of our city. I got to talk briefly with Fr Tom Loya [byzantinecatholic.com] in the reception, but only because he's so tall and taller still with his kamilavka so we could spot him in the sea of thousands downstairs. In the Mass Abbot Nicholas [hrmonline.org] was seated in the sanctuary with the many bishops. We did not get to see him, sadly, at the reception. Fr Loya thought the Abbot was probably off with the bishops.

His Eminence Metropolitan Gerasimos [sanfran.goarch.org] was seated in the sanctuary opposite the bishops. He had someone with him who may have been Archimandrite Apostolos. Sadly they disappeared before we could get their blessing.

There were a very limited number of tickets for the Mass given to each parish. I felt very blest to have had one. It was a glorious day including the Blue Angels [sfgate.com] making about 5 passes over the Cathedral during the Mass. (I wonder if we've got some faithful Catholics in those cockpits.) It really doesn't get any better here in the City by the Bay.

P.S. His Facebook has linked to this from his excellent homily [sfarchdiocese.org] delivered in a combination of English and Spanish. I was hoping he would begin to speak in Spanish-- our first Spanish speaking Archbishop-- which he did often as Bishop in Oakland. (It will be interesting to see if any secular press mention the him using both languages.)

Glory to Jesus Christ! You have now a wonderful Archbishop. Axios! Axios! Axios!