What is Father Dan Thinking? 6-15-25

It was a kind of a reverse loaves and fishes situation. Garbed in my cassock, collar, and cap as usual, I was on a Thursday night-walk through the Tenderloin and South-of-Market neighborhoods and fancied a glazed old-fashioned doughnut. As I came upon the All-Star Café on Market and Van Ness, a 24-hour doughnut and sandwich shop, I saw a handful of desperate souls gathered at the top of the subway stairs. Knowing that addictions cause many of these good folks to crave sugar, I decided to use your money – my discretionary debit card that your specified donations fund – to buy a baker’s dozen. As soon as I opened the box on the sidewalk between the shop and the stairs, the few people turned into many. Where did they all come from?!? I handed the box to someone and asked them to share with the others, and before I knew it well over a dozen people were fed. Not quite five-thousand, but then you and I aren’t Jesus. Of course, they fed themselves by sharing what you and I offered – breaking the doughnuts in rough halves and thirds so there would be enough to go around. I handed out a few Lucky Strikes and a couple of disposable lighters, too, and went on my way.

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As I write this in my church study, one of our street parishioners is next door in the rectory doing a load of laundry and taking a shower. She’s a traveler – staying on Haight Street for a week or two before heading north to Oregon, and then back again. I’m always sad to see her go and happy when she returns. I save the crossword puzzles from The Chronicle for her to solve. She’s trustworthy, so I feel comfortable extending that trust by leaving her to her ablutions. (Kate and I had her over for dinner and a wash some time ago … and today I did my due diligence by letting our senior warden know that she was on her own in the rectory.)

There are a few places in the city that offer showers and laundry to folks without housing, but they’re concentrated in the neighborhoods where there seems to be the most obvious need; none are in the Haight. I know of one or two newly-housed neighbors with facilities who open their doors to their trustworthy friends, knowing what it’s like to do without and how nice it is to get cleaned up. Thank you for providing the rectory for Kate and me to live in a way that we take for granted, and that we can share from time to time.

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Kate and I are having a fine time tending to the churchyard garden. As homeowners while serving our two prior congregations, we enjoyed this labor of love in our own spaces. Gardening is something that we have missed doing since moving here five years ago to be with you. Some months ago, in consultation with the vestry, I dismissed the paid gardeners (saving you a few thousand dollars a year) and the two of us have taken on both the labor and the costs of adding new soil and fertilizer to enrich the tired plots, and plants to fill in the spaces with life and color. Like every garden, it’s a work-in-progress, but it’s getting there. Anne Whybrow, many years ago the funder of the garden that we all enjoy, gave her green-thumbs-up when she visited last autumn. Kate and I thank you for your encouragement as we work in your space.

God’s blessings and peace,

Dan+