‘The most important thing we do is worship God,’ the shepherd of San Francisco said on a recent episode of Napa Institute’s podcast.
In an era marked by cultural fracture and secularization, few American prelates have stood out in the public square as much as Archbishop Salvatore Cordileone of San Francisco.
Raised in San Diego in a hard-working Sicilian commercial-fishing family, the shepherd’s faith was forged in the practical, daily rhythm of hard work, family time and parish life — an upbringing that taught him that faith is “just the air we breathed at home.”
That grounded, unflinching formation would later define his episcopacy during some of the most tumultuous moments in recent Church history. During the COVID-19 pandemic, when city restrictions severely curtailed religious gatherings, Archbishop Cordileone emerged as a champion for the constitutional and spiritual rights of the faithful, famously organizing “Free the Mass”’ rallies to demand that indoor worship be treated with the same dignity and access as commercial activities.
When violent protests swept through San Francisco’s Golden Gate Park, resulting in the destruction of a public statue of St. Junípero Serra, the archbishop did not merely issue press statements — he walked the grounds of desecration to perform an exorcism, cleansing the ground and reminding the culture that spiritual battles require spiritual weapons.
The trained canon lawyer was recently tapped by Pope Leo XIV to serve on the Vatican’s highest judicial court — the Supreme Tribunal of the Apostolic Signatura — a testament to his deep legal expertise and sound pastoral care.
Alongisde Archbishop Cordileone’s bold public witness, the prelate is also working overtime to foster spiritual renewal, bringing the Catholic Church back to her source of strength through the beauty, reverence and transcendent majesty of the Sacred Liturgy.
Drawing from his recent interview on The Shepherd’s Circle podcast with Father Michael Duffy, here are 15 insights from Archbishop Cordileone’s vision for the Church, his own priesthood, and the reverence of the Mass.
1. Worship Is the Primary Mission of the Church
When explaining the vision behind his pastoral apostolates, including the Benedict XVI Institute, Archbishop Cordileone cuts straight to the core purpose of the priesthood. For him, liturgical worship isn’t just one program among many — it is the absolute center of Christian life, as he told Father Duffy:
“The most important thing we do is worship God.”
2. Physicality and Externals Are Essential to Catholic Theology
Addressing the post-Vatican II pushback against beautiful vestments, sacred art and traditional postures, the archbishop emphasized that dismissing physical elements ignores the heart of Catholic sacramental theology, which relies on visible signs to convey invisible grace.
“God deserves the best in our prayer, our posture, our dress. … The sacred is always mediated by what is visible and physical and tangible.”
3. Adapting to Secular Culture Makes the Church Irrelevant
Reflecting on the popular post-conciliar slogan that the “Church has to catch up to the world,” Archbishop Cordileone observed that attempting to sound like modern secular culture backfired, making Catholic worship feel redundant rather than revolutionary.
“‘The world has changed, the Church has to catch up’ … but as it turns out, we make ourselves irrelevant when we do that. What’s most relevant is what might seem to be irrelevant — what is most different.”
4. He Founded the Benedict XVI Institute to Elevate Sacred Art
Recalling his time as a bishop’s secretary in the 1970s and ’80s — where he witnessed widespread “sloppiness” and irreverence at Mass — he founded the Benedict XVI Institute in San Francisco to take practical action by commissioning high sacred music and fine arts for ordinary parishes.
“I’ve known for a very long time our need to do something practical to improve the state of liturgy in our parishes. … I saw the possibility of resurrecting the high music tradition of the Church, the sacred music and sacred art in general.”
5. He Is Committed to Uniting Cultures Through The Mass of the Americas
Drawing on his four years serving a parish on the Mexican border, the archbishop commissioned composer Frank La Rocca to write a bilingual, cross-cultural Marian Mass that wove traditional Mexican devotional melodies into classical sacred polyphony.
“I know about the Guadalupe traditions. … I became very sensitized to how deep this is in the Mexican soul and how beloved these songs are. … So I asked him to capture the sounds and melodies of those songs in sacred music because I wanted the people to feel at home.”
6. He Is Committed to Using Sacred Art to Honor the Homeless (Requiem Mass for the Homeless)
To bring sacred dignity and prayer to those dying on the streets of San Francisco, the archbishop commissioned a traditional Latin requiem Mass that incorporated the jarring, syncopated rhythms of urban street life into sacred choral music.
“We had started celebrating a memorial Mass in November for people who died homeless — you know, crisis everywhere, especially in San Francisco. So I asked him to capture the sense of life on the streets in music, the chaos and fear and instability.”
7. He Launched ‘The Reverent Liturgy Project’ for Pastors
After seeing the impact of major commissioned Masses, Archbishop Cordileone expanded the Benedict XVI Institute’s work to create “The Reverent Liturgy Project,” giving parish priests practical toolkits, musical settings, and training to elevate everyday Masses.
“It kind of has brought a vision and an awareness and a love and desire for the sacred and the transcendent. … And so now we’re about to launch this Reverent Liturgy Project to more directly help pastors.”
8. He Is Applying the Broken-Windows Theory to Sacred Liturgy
Drawing an analogy from Malcolm Gladwell’s The Tipping Point and Mayor Rudy Giuliani’s crime-reduction policy in 1990s New York, the archbishop explained that fixing “above-ground” details — like poor music, sloppy posture or unkempt sanctuaries — transforms the entire spiritual environment.
“He [Giuliani] did it by addressing what he called the petty, above-ground crimes … because that provided the context that was inviting crime. … So the externals, I mean, they’re going to create a context for something or another. It could be something that’s very secularish … or something that puts us in touch with the sacred.”
9. He Protects Silence in the Sanctuary
Responding to Father Duffy’s account of introducing 60 seconds of silence after Mass, the archbishop lamented the modern loss of quiet sanctuary spaces, recognizing that sometimes older generations add “talking in church” to their list of sins in the confessional.
“Silence is critical, and it’s like a wound on my soul when I see all the talking going on in church [now, as in the past] … everyone knelt down and prayed after Mass. It was always quiet in church. If you want to talk, you go outside.”
10. Family Is the Foundation of First Formation
Reflecting on his childhood in San Diego, the archbishop shared how his family — his father and uncles were commercial fishermen — instilled in him a practical, hardworking faith where prayer was an organic, everyday habit rather than an abstract concept.
“Faith wasn’t something separate; it was just the air we breathed at home.”
11. Younger Generations Crave Tradition Over ‘Mega-Church’ Spectacle
Discussing the demographic shift among young adults entering the Church and desiring community, Archbishop Cordileone noted that youth are tired of shallow entertainment-style worship and are actively seeking historical depth, beauty and reverence.
“They come for something that’s attached to centuries of tradition, something that’s bigger than themselves. … They recognize that it’s true and it’s good and it’s beautiful.”
12. Pastoral Reform Through Education, Not Conflict
When asked how a parish priest can restore liturgical reverence without starting parish wars, the archbishop advised patience, sound catechesis on Vatican II documents like Sacrosanctum Concilium, and ignoring noisy vocal critics.
“The important thing is to educate the people … There was so little education on what Vatican II was really about and what Sacrosanctum Concilium really said. … And don’t get waylaid by the small group of naysayers. Yeah, there may be some — a lot of parishes have that dynamic, they’re just a few people, but they’re really loud. They create a lot of tension and give this image that everyone thinks the way that they do.
“So as long as it’s not creating a lot of divisions in the parish, just bide your time. And eventually people are going to grow to love it. As long as it’s not creating a lot of divisions in the parish, just bide your time.”
13. Priestly Fraternity Demands Presence and Solidarity
Addressing the isolation many diocesan priests experience, the archbishop urges clergy to make the effort to attend diocesan events and funerals for older priests — even those they didn’t know well — as a tangible act of fraternal support.
“Be present at priestly events … go to priests’ funerals. That’s a really important moment of priestly fraternity … it’s priestly solidarity.”
14. View Priestly Ministry as ‘Spiritual Conditioning’
Speaking to younger clergy who struggle with administrative duties or burnout, the prelate compared pastoral responsibilities to physical exercise, explaining that pushing through demanding daily tasks builds enduring spiritual strength.
“You have to do a lot of things you’d rather not do. But when you do that, you become a better priest. Just like physical conditioning, right? It’s spiritual conditioning, and, over time, it will become a lot easier for you.”
15. Why Liturgical Tradition Is About the Future, Not Nostalgia
Wrapping up his vision for Church renewal, the archbishop emphasized that reviving traditional sacred music isn’t an exercise in nostalgia, but a faithful implementation of what the Second Vatican Council and Pope Benedict XVI actually called for.
“We can’t go back — it’s always impossible to go back in history — but we can retrieve treasures that were lost. … Now, 60 years later, we’re beginning to read through Vatican II and what it really said and apply it with this sense of continuity that Pope Benedict emphasized so much.”
