PRIEST OF THE WEEK

Father William Young

Archdiocese of San Francisco

San Francisco is blessed with many things superb location; marvellous (pretty much all the year round) weather; and some magnificent Catholic churches. But a jewel in its crown is the diocesan priest Father William Young who has labored in this (latterly unpropitious) vineyard for over 30 years.

In that time, this humble, modest, holy priest has been instrumental in bringing back to the Church, and converting, uncounted numbers of people through ministering to the old and the sick in the city's premier health care facility, housing over a thousand patients. And also, cassock-clad, ministering to the homosexuals and others who live in and frequent the area in which he resides at Most Holy Redeemer.

As chaplain, celebrating Mass at the facility three times a week, his Thomistic scholarship shines brightly through in the sermons and homilies he gives, which are unmatched in the Archdiocese (and I would think elsewhere) as Catholic teaching instruments. In a time, when most priests use these as opportunities to render to their congregations the opportunity to ingest pablum, a 10-minute homily given in a recognizably Catholic chapel, by this most warmly human of priests, in which the smallest of pins could be heard to drop, is worth more than a month of Sundays' "meandering, joke-filled, monologues" in all the rest of the churches in the City of St. Francis put together.

But not content with such a hectic schedule Father Young, every Sunday without fail is driven over fifty miles north to celebrate the Tridentine Mass for a 60 plus member congregation, who precede the Mass by saying the Rosary. Here, all heads are bowed in adoration, a small, unobtrusive choir offers Gregorian chant, and, with fewer time constraints than at the health care facility, he is able to provide his congregation with what every Sunday Mass attendee should receive as his right-solid Catholic teaching, with no punches pulled about those topics which nowadays are rarely mentioned from the pulpit, i.e., sin (and specific examples, thereof), the Four Last Things and the teachings of the Fathers. And to top it all, once a month at this locale he gives a 1-2 hour catechism class for adults after Mass, where he brings his expertise to bear as a former higher education teacher by encouraging people to actively participate.

So, San Francisco has at least one inspirational alter-Christus, modelled on St. John Vianney, who has suffered some slings and arrows of misfortune for refusing to dilute authentic Catholic teaching. May God continue to bless him, in this, the most important work a man can do.