“I think of you, I often do, Saint Francis” -- Lyrics sung by the Chorus of Sufism Reoriented at the National Shrine of Saint Francis

Last week I was moved and uplifted by an extraordinary concert at the National Shrine of Saint Francis of Assisi located in the heart of San Francisco’s historic North Beach district. The experience left me with such a lingering feeling of euphoria that I want to share it with you in my first blog on the “Patch.”

The occasion was a special event to celebrate the beatification and canonization of Pope John Paul II. I will say at the outset that I am not a Catholic, but for me the beauty of the moment transcended any religious boundary.

The 70-member Chorus of Walnut Creek’s Sufism Reoriented church had been invited to start the celebration along with the Meher School’s children’s chorus, in keeping with the current trend among churches today to support interfaith worship. I have been a member of this congregation for 35 years, but I am still touched when I hear the chorus’s beautiful voices join together in song.

The pews were full and the late afternoon sun shone through the stained glass to cast a warm golden light on the performers as their sweet gentle voices raised my spirit to a level that has stayed with me even now. I can only guess that this experience is what St. Francis is all about.

Adding to the ambiance was that the musical theme -- a tribute to Saint Francis –was being performed right there in the Shrine and the city named after this great spiritual figure – San Francisco

The sanctuary itself is amazingly beautiful inside. It has vaulted arches and a pipe organ that filled the sacred space with celestial music. I, for one, felt a sweet embrace, as if a universal and loving presence was enveloping me.

The Holy Porziuncola

If you go to the Shrine, I highly recommend you also visit its “Porziuncola,” an incredible 7/8 size replica of St. Francis’s original chapel in Assisi, Italy, which he rebuilt with his own hands more than 800 years ago. This replica is just below and to one side of the Shrine and it was dedicated less than 3 years ago. Pope Benedict named this Porziuncola replica as the Fifth Holy Site of the Catholic Church in the world.

On the day I was there, the Meher School children were singing and dancing in the Porziuncola. It made me think how this gentle soul St. Francis would have loved this moment.

Do you know the name Angela Alioto? Angela in an attorney in San Francisco and she’s a well-known civic leader there. It turns out she was the driving force that got the Porziuncola replica built in San Francisco. Her story is quite interesting. 

From childhood, Angela felt a deep spiritual connection with St. Francis and fell in love with the idea of building this replica. So she went to Assisi with several others to take the measurements of the original. But when she got there, she wasn’t allowed to tape measure it. But Angela was on a mission and she wasn’t going to be deterred. So she got the idea to use dental floss to take the measurements!

How about that? Can you imagine Angela and her friends stringing out long strands of dental floss, then cutting and labeling them to take back to America? Eventually, church leaders, who discovered this, were convinced she was sincere and they ended up supporting her.

Back home again, Angela invited some the finest artisans and craftspeople in the world to do the detailed work to make the replica appear as an exact copy of the original. The church even contributed a stone from the original church that was believed to be one St. Francis had placed there. And finally this Porziuncola was complete. 

After the concert, I went down to this little chapel, the “Porziuncola Nuova.” The Meher School children’s chorus was singing in the background as I approached the stone from Assisi. It might just have been me, but I felt that stone had a special glow about it. So I tried to be quiet inside myself and offer my prayers and thanks to St. Francis for this serene little chapel.

I really recommend you try to visit the Porziuncola and the National Shrine of St. Francis. Coming from Walnut Creek, I think they’ll offer you an island of tranquility in the midst of a busy city and a bustling North Beach neighborhood. You don’t have to be Catholic to enjoy the peace of the place. Indeed, the National Shrine of St. Francis seems to transcend any single religious path. It feels like it embraces all humanity.

In case you want to go, the National Shrine is located at 610 Vallejo Street in San Francisco. (The cross street is Columbus Avenue.) It is open daily from 10 am to 5 pm.  You can get more information at