Don Bosco at Corpus Christi Parish

Fr Tim Ploch celebrates Eucharist at Corpus Christi Parish

The move from SS Peter and Paul to Corpus Christi was both nerve-wracking and moving. Nerve-wracking because we did not have the proper equipment that would allow us to take the huge and heavy urn out of the church. Moving and inspiring because many many took the morning off work to help us with the job, and the police officers who accompanied us in that work and then led the motorcade across the city of San Francisco were past pupils of the Club, and fiercely loyal to Don Bosco.

We arrived in the late morning at Corpus Christi. The children of the school were all dressed in their red-sweaters of the uniforms and lined the street with color and enthusiasm. The parish jumped into gear: music, singing, drums, movement and they welcomed Don Bosco. All we had to do was to roll the urn into the church and into position, and then get out of their way.

Parishioners at Corpus Christi venerate the relics of the saint

People had told me to expect that the Californians would not really be too impressed by the relics. This is not Latin America, they told me. Yet, I have to say that the devotion of the people, young and old, both at SS Peter and Paul and at Corpus Christi, was intense. We are well on our way in this pilgrimage with Don Bosco!