Easter Sunday in the City

During Holy Week, and if we were in town, we would participate in the Holy Triduum at our parish, St. Joseph. This included the Mass of the Last Supper on Holy Thursday, Veneration of the Cross of Good Friday, and the Easter Vigil on Black Saturday. The culmination of this celebration was Easter Sunday mass. This past Holy Week, we sort of broke from our tradition by missing Easter Vigil services, and attending Easter Sunday mass elsewhere.

We attended Easter Sunday mass at the Cathedral of Saint Mary of the Assumption in San Francisco because we wanted to celebrate the mass with San Francisco's recently-installed archbishop, Salvatore Cordelione. Until recently, he was bishop of the Oakland diocese, and held office right behind my office, at the Cathedral of Christ the Light.

Altar

From time to time, I like hearing mass when a bishop (or archbishop) presides, especially during special occasions or Holy Days because of all the ceremonies and "rituals" that a high-ranking priest normally does. I have this fascination for how regal and ceremonial the mass becomes. So if you're looking to sneak in a quick mass between brunch and shopping on a Sunday, then this kind of mass isn't for you.

The mass officiated by the archbishop was scheduled at 11. We got to the cathedral with lots of time to spare. We sat quietly at the front pew, and waited as the crowd slowly gathered behind us. I looked up at the unusually high ceiling of the cathedral and marveled at the huge chandelier (I think it is a chandelier) right about the altar table. The altar itself hardly had any decorations except for some flowers on both sides. But the expanse gave the semblance of simple elegance befitting this grand structure.

Chandelier

Whenever a bishop celebrates mass, he's never alone. Mass is co-celebrated with a few other priests. There
are numerous deacons, altar servers, and other "assistants" that comprise the entire cast. Then, there is the bishop's aide (or assistant), or whatever he's called. His primary task is to ensure that everything is in order for the bishop. He's the advance party, event coordinator, secretary, supervisor, and chief of staff all rolled into one. Archbishop Cordelione has one, and I noticed that his was a higher-ranking priest, more like a "lower-level" bishop, if you'd want to call it that, because of the black robe and red sash he wore, as he stood by the altar before the mass started. His assistant was supervising and directing all activities in preparation for the mass.

True to form, the mass had its share of pomp and pageantry. There was a fairly long procession to the altar of the entire cast, from the bearer of the cross to the archbishop and his assistant and aides, who trailed behind him. The large choir, composed of about 4 school and adult choirs from the diocese, sang beautifully. The high ceilings of the cathedral provided for good acoustics, and this made the singing even better. If you closed you eyes and just listened, you would think you're somewhere in Rome, in one of the old churches, enjoying the wonderful sounds and the blending of voices of sopranos and tenors hitting those high notes with ease.

It was a fairly long mass. More than an hour and a half. But it was typical of such an occasion. Besides, it was Easter Sunday, and the archbishop was officiating.

After mass, we headed off to Olea at the Nob Hill district of San Francisco for brunch. More of Olea in a separate post.