Right: National Franciscan Shrine, North Beach
Saint Francis’ Prayer Praising Mary the Mother of God
Hail, O Lady, Holy Queen,Mary, holy Mother of God:you are the Virgin made Church
chosen by the most Holy Father in heaven
whom He consecrated with His most holy beloved Son
and with the Holy Spirit the Paraclete,
in whom there was and is all fullness of grace and every good.
Hail His Palace! Hail His Tabernacle! Hail His Dwelling! Hail His Robe! Hail His Servant!
Hail His Mother!
And hail all you holy virtues
Which are poured into the hearts of the faithful
through the grace and enlightenment of the Holy Spirit,
that from being unbelievers,you may make them faithful to God.
Amen.
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After the dog park cafe, it was back on the streetcars and on to Golden Gate Park, where we first strolled the Botanical Gardens and then spent several very peaceful hours in the Japanese Tea Garden ~
it is so peaceful there, in spite of the throngs of tourists from all over the world. We heard more languages being spoken during our few days in San Francisco than we could remember ever hearing before.
Then it was on to the streetcars again up to North Beach, where the Cafe Trieste was in the middle of some sort of power failure and the lights flickered and wa was ruffled. Espresso still good though. We made a pilgrimage to the National Franciscan Shrine, and lit candles and prayed in front of holy relics of Sts. Francis, Clare and Anthony of Padua in a cool and dusky sacred spot, and felt the riveting presence of true holiness. It is like those spots in Ireland where heaven juxtaposes earth and the door swings open enough tot see some motes of light from the other side...We also made an pilgrimage to that bastion of free thought and American left hipdom, City Lights book store. Amazing ~ it looks 100% like it did the first time I saw it in 1967. Amazing. Lawrence Ferlinghetti may be a very old man, but his legacy in City Lights is young and crisp. I may have moved pretty far right from my youthful ramparts days, but I have to hand it to the left, they know how to maintain an intellectual landmark. The shop is wonderful.
The rest of the time was packed with Mass at Saint Patrick's downtown, where they have a lovely classic Catholic Church which, if it hasn't a Latin Mass yet, I predict will soon(judging by the lack of obscene modernist decorations and guitar hymnography).....with Fisherman's Wharf and the tall sailing ships festival, crab Louis at Alioto's, The De Young museum where we saw the Chihuly exhibit (amazing!) and then a late, late supper at Buca Di Beppo ,which is just too much fun.
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