A Comment in Which RT Sullivan Answers Some Questions from Other Commenters at Fr. Z's Blog

Background to the Pontifical Latin Mass Celebrated by Archbishop Cordileone at Star of the Sea, September 14, 2014

I just posted this comment at Fr. Z's blog post "San Francisco: Pontifical Mass!"

To answer some questions and respond to some previous comments: Star of the Sea Church is the site designated by Archbishop Cordileone for the new Oratory of St. Philip Neri, which is in formation there.

He initially chose Star of the Sea as the first archdiocesan church to have a regular Extraordinary Form Mass during regular Sunday Mass hours because, as he has been quoted as saying, “it is well suited for the celebration of the Extraordinary Form Mass.”

His Grace then went on to establish the parish as the site for the San Francisco Oratory, because not only is the church beautiful (and not wreckovated), but its rectory is big enough for priests who are expected to join the oratory to live and pray together.

In addition, the parish has a school attached. The new music director, Jeffrey Morse, plans eventually to recruit and train choristers from the school to sing at liturgies, similar to the relationship between the London Oratory and the London Oratory School; see Bringing the Inspiration of the London Oratory to the San Francisco Oratory.

The Benedict XV Institute is well underway. Director Fr. Samuel Weber, OSB, is teaching classes about liturgy and chant at the seminary and leading parish workshops in chant. For example, on Sept. 13 and 14, Fr. Weber led a two-day Sacred Music Workshop at Our Lady of Peace Church and Shrine in Santa Clara where interested parishioners were trained in chant and polyphony and the place of sacred music in the liturgy.

Here is an interview with and article about Archbishop Cordileone from The Latin Mass journal, about initiatives he has been taking to improve liturgies in the archdiocese. This New Liturgical Movement article, “Benedict XVI Institute for Sacred Music" gives details about the plans for the institute. Here is a link to a Regina magazine article about the EF Mass at Star of the Sea "After 50 Years, There’s a TLM in San Fran," which includes more photos of the beautiful interior of the church.