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Colleagues at the archdiocesan Pastoral Center honored three retiring Sign up for our e-mail newsletter
priests for their service in archdiocesan special ministries. From left,
Msgr. Floro Arcamo, Msgr. José Rodriguez, Archbishop George
Niederauer, Msgr. Harry Schlitt.
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ministries
July 28th, 2010

Msgrs. Floro Arcamo and José Rodriguez were honored at a retirement

luncheon at the Archdiocese of San Francisco Pastoral Center June 29.
Archbishop George Niederauer thanked them for their service as priests
and for their leadership in archdiocesan ministries.

Msgr. Arcamo, who became an archdiocesan priest in 1976, was appointed

Vicar for Filipinos by Archbishop William Levada in 2005 and re-appointed
by Archbishop Niederauer in 2007. He was pastor at Star of the Sea in San
Francisco from 2002-10.

Msgr. Rodriguez served as Vicar for Spanish-speaking and played a key

role in other special ministries, notably as a 25-year member of the
personnel board under three archbishops.

Catholic San Francisco Assistant Editor Rick DelVecchio interviewed Msgr.

Arcamo by phone and Msgr. Rodriguez by e-mail.

Msgr. Harry Schlitt, ending his tenure as Vicar for Administration and
Moderator of the Curia, also was honored at the retirement luncheon. The
June 25 issue of Catholic San Francisco featured an interview with Msgr.
Schlitt.

Msgr. Arcamo: “My joy is to be with the people”

When asked if he had any plans for life as a retired priest, Msgr. Floro
Arcamo characteristically broke into song.

Over the phone, he sang the chorus of “One Day At A Time, Sweet Jesus,”
a tune that was his favorite at St. Mark in Belmont when he was pastor
there.

One day at a time, sweet Jesus

That’s all I’m asking of you
Just give me the strength every day
To do what I have to do

“It brings up for me the fact that I should just leave my future to the will of
God,” Msgr. Arcamo said. “You know the expression, ‘Man proposes, God
disposes.’”

Msgr. Arcamo is in residence at St. Cecilia Parish in San Francisco and

plans to help pastors around the Archdiocese as a fill-in priest this summer.
He will take a break in August to visit his native Philippines for the annual
reunion of U.S. and Canadian priests who hail from Bohol in the Diocese of
Tagbilaran.The Bohol group, which includes about a half-dozen active and
retired priests in the Archdiocese of San Francisco, has met annually since
1986.

In the Archdiocese, Filipino priests form a brotherhood within the larger

priestly brotherhood. A group of them gathers on Tuesdays for lunch.

The Filipino brotherhood includes a number of priests who, like Msgr.

Arcamo, can carry a tune.They once recorded two albums as “The Singing
Priests of San Francisco” but had to quit because there was not enough

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Catholic San Francisco Page 2 of 3

time for priestly duties and a musical hobby.

When he was pastor at St. Mark, Msgr. Arcamo enjoyed commercial

success of sorts when he recorded an album of inspirational songs. He
made the record to raise money for a parish building project that was
$400,000 over budget.He sold tapes for $15 each.

“Unbelievably, people gave me $1,500, $100, $300,” Msgr. Arcamo

recalled.

“I’ve always told people this: Throughout my 45 years as a priest, both here
in the Archdiocese and in my native diocese in the Philippines, my bishops
would always tell me, ‘OK, I’m assigning you to this special ministry,’” Msgr.
Arcamo said. “I really don’t like special ministries. My joy is to be with the
people.”

Msgr. Arcamo began his career in the Archdiocese as associate pastor at

St. Philip Parish, from 1976-81.He later served at St. Brigid, St. Augustine
and Our Lady of Mercy, as well at St. Mark and Star of the Sea.

Msgr. Arcamo recalled that when he was a younger priest, a pastor gave
him advice he never forgot: to honor the generosity of the laity.“’Bless those
people in spite of ourselves’ – That has always stuck in my mind,” Msgr.
Arcamo said.

Young Floro’s father was a politician who hoped his son would practice law
and run for mayor.

But Christ stirred in the young man’s heart and he entered the
seminary.The elder Arcamo still held out hope for a legal career, but by the
time Floro had finished his priestly studies he had changed his mind.

“When he saw me in my cassock, he was in tears,” Msgr. Arcamo said.

“Since then, he became my No. 1 fan.

“He was the happiest man at my ordination.”

Msgr. Rodriguez: “A very grace-filled and happy life”

Catholic San Francisco: Do you have any plans for retirement? Any
projects you’re working on, places you want to see, people you want
to meet, books you want to read? Will you be available to serve
parishes as a fill-in priest, or do you see yourself playing any other
visible role in the community?

Msgr. Rodriguez: First of all I will be going to spend some time with my
family in Spain. Then I will be residing and helping at Our Lady of the
Wayside (Portola Valley) and St. Denis (Menlo Park) with the celebration of
the Masses and sacraments. I will be available to serve as a fill-in priest for
parishes, and the Hispanic community and movements of the Archdiocese.
In January I am planning to go to the Philippines to celebrate the 4th
centennial of the Catholic University of Santo Tomas.

Why did you choose Our Lady of the Wayside (a mission of St. Denis
Parish) as your residence? Your brother, John, was pastor at St. Denis
– is there a connection?

I was pastor of St. Anthony Parish in Menlo Park for 10 years. I enjoyed the
climate and I know some of the people of Our Lady of the Wayside and St.
Denis, besides Father (Jose) Shaji (St. Denis pastor) and I worked together
for three years at Saint John’s.

What was the most fulfilling, the most moving, part of being a priest
for you? How do you feel you brought Christ into the hearts of
people?

I have enjoyed the variety of experiences during his time in active ministry.
My favorite memories have been the relationships I have developed with
parishioners and families at each of the parishes I have served. I will always
treasure these experiences and people in my heart.

What inspired you to become a priest? Did you have role models in
your family or in your community? Is there a saint or another figure in
Church history who has especially inspired you?

The concept of serving God was something that ran in my family. One of
my brothers is a priest, one became a religious brother and one of my
sisters served as a religious woman for 10 years.

I became interested in the priesthood at about age 12, when I witnessed

priests from my hometown actively involved in overseas missions. The
stories that they told us in the school about their work in Japan and the
Philippines inspired in me the desire to go as a missionary to the Orient. For
me, the choice to enter the priesthood at age 12 was natural; however, at
that age I did not really understand how big of a decision I was making.

You and your brother started as Dominicans. What is the story of your
becoming a priest of the Archdiocese?

After studying in a Dominican High School I entered the novitiate to be a

Dominican, and (studied) philosophy at the House of Studies in Avila. Then,
I was sent to learn English and theology in America, where I attended the

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Dominican Seminary in Dubuque, Iowa. After my ordination in 1964, I was

assigned to the Philippines to establish the Aquinas School, a Catholic
school for boys. I then became the high school principal for Letran College
from 1967-1969, also in the Philippines.

Once Aquinas School was under way and successful, I returned to the
United States for further education in counseling and school administration
at the University of San Francisco. While I was attending USF I was
assigned as chaplain at Saint Anne’s Home. After earning my master’s from
USF, I was to return to the Philippines. The climate in the Philippines
affected my health and prevented me from going back. I then decided to
return to San Francisco, and I obtained permission to minister within the
Archdiocese of San Francisco. That is how I went from being a Dominican
to a diocesan priest.

At the luncheon, Archbishop Niederauer credited you with being a

wise person. I know that is not something he would have said lightly.
Can you give an example of where your contribution really helped this
archbishop, or a previous one, see through to a solution to a
problem?

I am very grateful to the archbishop for his kind words to me at the

luncheon. Wisdom comes from knowledge and experience. I have been
very fortunate and honored to have had three archbishops and four
auxiliary bishops who trusted me and placed me in different special
ministries that covered the entire life of the Archdiocese. For 25 years and
under three archbishops I have been a member of the personnel board.
There are only two priests in the archdiocese that I did not take part in the
discussions for their assignments. That gave me a great knowledge of the
needs of the pastoral life of the parishes and who might be a better fit for
the assignment.

From July 30, 2010 issue of Catholic San Francisco.

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