SAN FRANCISCO
National Catholic Reporter
Dan Morris-Young | Apr. 8, 2015
SAN FRANCISCO Star of the Sea School in the San Francisco archdiocese has become a kind of war zone between the majority of school parents and Star of the Sea Parish’s two priest leaders — Fr. Joseph Illo, administrator, and Fr. Patrick Driscoll, associate pastor.
The priests began their assignments there last August as part of a plan to establish an oratory, or a kind of fraternity where diocesan priests live in community.
Battle was engaged in November when Illo announced that girl altar servers would be discontinued. Made without known consultation with parents or other archdiocesan priests, the decision generated parental protest, local headlines, and eventually national media coverage.
Illo’s actions were also the subject of heated exchanges at an archdiocesan priests council meeting, NCR learned.
Star of the Sea generated more heat in early February when it came to light that Driscoll had distributed to even young students a pamphlet titled “Examination of Conscience and Catholic Doctrine,” an extensive listing of potential sins, including adultery, masturbation, fornication, entertaining impure thoughts, and abortion — without notifying teachers or the principal.
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