[Congressional Record Volume 147, Number 77 (Wednesday, June 6, 2001)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages E1028-E1029]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




         HONORING ST. PATRICK'S CHURCH ON ITS 150TH ANNIVERSARY

                                 ______
                                 

                           HON. NANCY PELOSI

                             of california

                    in the house of representatives

                        Wednesday, June 6, 2001

  Ms. PELOSI. Mr. Speaker, I rise to pay tribute to St. Patrick's 
Church in San Francisco as it celebrates its 150th anniversary. Located 
in the same neighborhood where it was founded, St. Patrick's has been 
steadfast in meeting

[[Page E1029]]

the spiritual needs of its parishioners even as the neighborhood has 
changed around it. Recently seismically retrofitted, it is may honor to 
congratulate St. Patrick's as it prepares for the next 150 years.
  The founding of St. Patrick's was part of the boom that accompanied 
the Gold Rush; the dramatic increase in population required a similar 
increase in services. As housing was constructed and new businesses 
opened their doors, Father John Maginnis held St. Patrick's first mass 
in a rented hall in 1851. Within a few months, a temporary church's 
future expansion. Construction began in 1870, and on March 17, 1872 the 
new church was built nearby. By 1854, it became evident that St. 
Patrick's would need a larger home, and a lot was purchased for the 
church's future expansion. Construction began in 1870, and on March 17, 
1872 the new church was dedicated at its current location on Mission 
Street between Third and Fourth Streets.
  Like much of San Francisco, the church was destroyed in the 
earthquake and subsequent fire of 1906. Though it temporarily did not 
have a home, it did have a calling. St. Patrick's deferred its own full 
reconstruction in order to minister to the immediate needs of the city. 
When the current building was completed and dedicated in 1914, it 
quickly became a San Francisco landmark. Beautifully designed under the 
supervision of Monsignor John Roberts, the church is decorated in the 
Irish national colors and tells the story of St. Patrick and other 
Irish saints.
  Throughout its history, St. Patrick's has served the community. In 
the first year of the Parish, St. Patrick's worked with the Daughters 
of Charity from Emmitsburg, Maryland to run the St. Vincent's School 
for Girls and the St. Patrick's School for Boys. In 1927, Father Rogers 
built the Tir-Na-Nog (Gaelic for ``land of youth'') men's shelter. When 
the Boys and Girls schools were closed in 1964 due to changing 
neighborhood demographics, St. Patrick's helped to build the Alexis 
Apartments for the elderly on the same site. The church provides meals, 
housing, clothing, and furniture to those in need.
  The congregation of St. Patrick's has changed over the years but it 
commitment to serving those who come through its doors has never 
wavered. The church was originally composed of Irish immigrants and 
their descendants. In the middle of this century, the parishioners came 
increasingly from Spanish-speaking countries. More recently, it has 
been the City's Filipino population that has found a home at St. 
Patrick's. Its downtown location and status as a tourist destination 
also ensure a diverse group of worshippers on any particualr Sunday.
  Around St. Patrick's, the buildings have grown higher and the rents 
more expensive; its neighbors now include a luxury hotel and a billion 
dollar entertainment complex. St. Patrick's, through, remains an oasis 
in the middle of a bustling city, tending to the poor and those in need 
for 150 years. Mr. Speaker, it is my honor to congratulate St. 
Patrick's Church on this Anniversary and to thank Monsignor Fred 
Bitanga and all of the staff at St. Patrick's for their work in our 
City.

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