According to Ed Holmes, the Bay Area is home to the world’s fastest growing “snack religion”: the First Church of the Last Laugh.

“150% less dogma, it’s a light religion,” said Holmes, who also goes by the moniker Bishop Joey, the “seminal and secular head” of the church. The group celebrates only one holy day, April 1, which they’ve dubbed Saint Stupid’s Day. In addition to the fastest growing low-cal religious organization, Holmes also claims that they’re the world’s most dangerous church (because they dare to tell the truth) and also the largest.

“Our religion is based on the DNA that we share with all humanity. Seven and half billion people share a little link, and that is a stupid gene. Everybody’s a member of the church, they just don’t know it,” Holmes said.

Bishop Joey aka Ed Holmes, middle, from Berkeley has been leading the annual Saint Stupid’s Day Parade in San Francisco for the past 35 years on Monday, April 1, 2013. Holmes was in a mime troupe for 26 years.

Hearst Newspapers/San Francisco Chronicle via Getty Images

Beginning in 1979, Holmes has gathered a motley crew of pranksters at noon on April 1 at Embarcadero Plaza and inducted the crowd into the church before embarking on the Saint Stupid’s Day Parade, soundtracked by drummers, horn players and lots of chanting. An Associated Press story published in the Midland Reporter-Telegram in 1983 summed up the ethos of the attendees: “’What you’re doing is totally stupid,’ a woman yelled at [a man] who was wearing a business suit and sandals while hauling his dollar-sign cross. ‘Thank you, that’s a compliment,’ he said.”

Over the years, the event has developed a set path through the Financial District. Paraders take part in a series of elaborate rituals like throwing lottery tickets up in the air outside the Federal Reserve Building or banging on a utility door at 101 California dubbed the “Tomb of Saint Stupid” to see if he’ll come out. There’s a “union-mandated” parade resting at the sunken Hallidie Plaza, and a tradition of screaming at people looking down from office buildings, compelling them not to jump or calling them slackers that need to go back to work. Along the way, pennies are tossed on the ground as tribute to the city’s temples of commerce.

Back in 1985, Holmes told the San Francisco Examiner that the vision for the event came to him while he was high… on dessert.

“One day I was overdosing on frozen yogurt right down here on the Embarcadero when I had a vision: It was a 600-foot Saint Stupid trying to panhandle me for $249. My sinuses started thawing out as I realized there were big bucks in religion. Immediately I appointed myself head of the First Church of the Last Laugh.”

Holmes, who has lived in Berkeley for the last 32 years, first arrived in San Francisco in 1969 by way of the US Navy. For seven years, he was a mechanic on submarines and an aircraft carrier stationed in Alameda. The GI Bill funded his education, but then he fell into theater “by accident” and has been a physical performer ever since in groups like the Fratelli Bologna (which appeared in the 1983 film “The Right Stuff”) and the San Francisco Mime Troupe , where he worked from 1986 to 2014 until he retired because of back and knee problems. He still teaches occasionally but identifies as a retired physical comedian, making an exception to head back into the office every April 1 to carry on one of San Francisco’s silliest rites of passage. Pre-pandemic, the event would draw a few hundred people when it was held on a weekday, and a thousand on a weekend.

Professor Violet from San Francisco holds his sign during the 35th annual Saint Stupid’s Day Parade in front of 100 California St. in San Francisco on Monday, April 1, 2013.

San Francisco Chronicle/Hearst N/San Francisco Chronicle via Gett

The event channels the attitude of San Francisco’s Merry Pranksters, an absurdist ’60s collective influential in the Summer of Love, and even counted founder Ken Kesey as the parade leader one year in the mid-’80s. As far as beliefs are concerned, main tenets of the church seem to be simply poking fun at authority and relishing in the absurd, with their main gathering space being a meme-filled Facebook group. But in addition to falling into the legacy of San Francisco counterculture, Holmes sees the event as a modern day extension of ancient traditions like Europe’s blasphemous Feast of Fools and rebellious archetypes that exist in every society.

“Around the world in every culture there’s this character called the trickster,” Holmes said. “For American Indians, it’s the coyote or the raven. In the South, it’s Br’er Rabbit. In China, it’s Sun Wukong, the Monkey King. In Africa, it’s Anansi, the spider. These are all characters that criticize and comment on culture and people. They teach lessons through these stories and events. Saint Stupid is just an update on this ancient tendency that happens in society.”

Geoff Walker, left, from San Francisco, weed man, middle, and Kelly Moore, right, from Marin meet at Justin Herman Plaza for the 35th annual Saint Stupid’s Day Parade in San Francisco on Monday, April 1, 2013.

Hearst Newspapers/San Francisco Chronicle via Getty Images

Unfortunately, the event has been on pause since 2020, and won’t officially return this year due to lingering COVID concerns and Holmes’ health problems. However, based on how active the community is online, the future of the parade seems to be in good hands. You can find countless videos of the parade on YouTube, and even a 33-minute documentary uploaded to Vimeo last year. There’s been talk of a last-minute Zoom edition of this year’s rituals (check the Saint Stupiders page for updates). And despite the fact that the bishop will be on the sidelines, Holmes has heard reports that some followers of Saint Stupid will still crawl through the Financial District flash mob-style, something that gives him hope that San Francisco hasn’t lost its counterculture charm .

“There’s still this wild spirit happening in San Francisco,” he says. “It’s getting squeezed out, it’s getting shut down, but there’s folks still doing it. I haven’t given up, San Francisco is still my favorite city.”

Lars Adams from Oakland takes a break during the 35th annual St. Stupid’s Day Parade through the Financial District in San Francisco on Monday, April 1, 2013.

Hearst Newspapers/San Francisco Chronicle via Getty Images

More vintage San Francisco counterculture

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It started out as a simple bargain about 35 years ago at the Mount Hoods Timberline Lodge: reading for a hot meal.

David Stuart Bull gave four readings by the Welsh poet Dylan Thomas ?? Ode to childhood Christmas this weekend in front of the lodge’s large fireplace.

The show was so well received that Bull says he and seven friends were given free ski passes.

?? I thought I was on something here ?? said the cheerful, English-born actor on Saturday.

Since then, Bull, now 74, has had several dramatic readings of “A Child’s Christmas in Wales” almost every year. for small crowds in Eugene during the holidays, accompanied by violinist Linda Danielson and guitarist Chico Schwall, who accompany the hour-long show with Celtic music.

On Saturday, about 25 people drank canapés and drank wine and cocktails while watching Bull ?? s reading ?? one of eight appearances this season ?? at Cafe Soriah in downtown Eugene.

Thomas’ descriptive story, heavy with ironic humor, reminds us of Christmas past through the eyes of a child: the snow, the chocolate cigarettes, the Christmas carol, the street cats and the drunk adults. It was first broadcast on BBC Wales radio in 1945.

For Bull, who grew up in Worchester in the Midlands of England and near the Welsh border, Thomas’s memories are “dead alarm clocks for the Christmas I knew growing up”.

Bull, a hoarse man who works as a chimney sweep, starred in local productions. He has been married for 55 years.

With a full of gray, curly hair, Bull rushes into reading with enthusiasm even after all these years.

When asked if he remembered one of his many appearances, Bull laughed and quoted from Thomas’ poem: “One Christmas was so similar to the other.”

The nice thing about it is that the story is so solid that a bit of freshness pops up almost every time ,? he added.

Ruth Romoser and Evelyn Nagy from Springfield have been coming to Bulls every year for the past four years.

??It is wonderful,?? said Romoser. ?? I love hearing great literature read aloud. The music also contributes to this.

Nagy added: It just gets me in the vacation mood.

Bull says Thomas found more esteem ?? and received greater financial rewards ?? for his work in the United States than in Great Britain.

Thomas toured the United States four times in the early 1950s as he struggled to support his wife and three children. A heavy drinker, he died in New York at the age of 39.

?? All poets of this era fought for money, ?? said bull. ?? Thomas always borrowed money and people lent him money. ??

Bull said Thomas might be amused to know that he is best known in the United States for his Christmas death, which is much more lighthearted and less dense than some of his other poems.

?? Some of (Thomas ?? poetry) are only suitable for English majors and for poets, ?? Bull joked.

Thomas, in urban legend at least, might even have a connection with Eugene himself, Bull said. Thomas visited Seattle and San Francisco during his American tours and possibly performed at the University of Oregon in between. A small table in Max’s tavern even claimed that Thomas had “drank”. a couple of beers there, said Bull.

?? But maybe that’s more myth than truth ?? he confirmed with a smile.

Follow Saul on Twitter @SaulAHubbard. Address emails to saul.hubbard@registerguard.com.

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The cover of the first issue of Catholic San Francisco, February 12, 1999. (Archived from Catholic San Francisco at catholic-sf.org)

June 14, 2021
Catholic staff in San Francisco

In 1858, Archbishop Joseph Sadoc Alemany OP, the first Archbishop of the Archdiocese of San Francisco (1853-1884), founded his first newspaper, The Monitor, and recognized the importance of communicating directly with devout Catholics through the church’s own media. Under the leadership of Archbishop Alemany, a Dominican and Spaniard who was an American citizen, the Archdiocese of San Francisco built an extensive system of schools, orphanages, hospitals and retirement homes and other charities.

Founded just five years after Archbishop Alemany’s arrival in California, The Monitor was committed, reporting, and conveying the faith and important issues to believers for nearly 130 years. Today, as the San Francisco Catholic newspaper moves into a magazine and increases its awareness of digital media, the commitment to connect with and guide the people of the Archdiocese continues.

“This is a tradition that goes back to the very beginning of this archdiocese – the desire to communicate directly to believers in the most effective medium of the day,” said Archbishop Salvatore J. Cordileone. “The new magazine will offer top texts, great graphics and photos as well as opportunities to promote the faith of the people of the archdiocese.”

“If the past year has taught us anything, it is that today’s shepherds must find new ways to communicate with their flock,” said Archbishop Cordileone, emphasizing the Archdiocese’s commitment to the new magazine and digital communication tools, E-letters, social media, and the website.

As the newspaper gives way to new forms of communication that best suit the current needs of the Church and the faithful, it leaves three crucial legacies as the newspaper that carried on the tradition of gifted writers and editors who became the Catholic media in the archdiocese since the 19th century.

Catholic San Francisco was created by everyone who worked on it: the newspaper’s five editors, Maurice Healy, Dan Morris Young, Patrick Joyce, Jack Smith and Rick DelVecchio, their collaborators and many thousands of loyal readers who had ideas and opinions for contributed more than two decades.

A record of local Catholic life

The local church leaders who founded the newspaper in 1999 understood their role in documenting local church history; the bishops and archbishops who helped define them, the people and events that shaped them, and the liturgical calendar that was all about.

In the first edition of Catholic San Francisco, published February 12, 1999, the former editor of The Monitor, which closed as a newspaper for the Archdiocese of San Francisco in 1984 after 126 years, welcomed the return of a local Catholic newspaper. (The monitor is available at sfarchdiocese.org/archives.)

“After the monitor was closed, not a single vehicle gave an overview of Catholic life in the Archdiocese of San Francisco,” wrote the late Father John A. Penebsky.

In 1995, then Archbishop William J. Levada, the seventh Archbishop of San Francisco, advocated the return of a newspaper because it could document “the pilgrimage that is the story of our salvation”.

“Our local Church is full of stories that will appear on these pages each week to deepen the bonds that unite us as faithful believers in the Word made flesh,” said then Auxiliary Bishop John C. Wester, now Archbishop of Santa Fe, in same opening edition.

Available in the San Francisco Catholic Archives at catholic-sf.org, the 22 year editions – 797 issues in total – are a time capsule of local Catholic life that is digitally preserved as a historical record. It represents a whole generation of liturgical events, priestly ordinations, anniversaries, school and community anniversaries, renovations, fundraising campaigns, chancellery events, service work, religious community projects, obituaries and more, always with the aim of conquering the loyal hearts of the people involved.

Tom Burke’s column, “On the Street Where You Live” was a popular page recap of little stories that included wedding anniversaries, local Catholic professional achievements, community picnics, and the like.

In a 2017 reader survey, respondents rated Burke’s Street column, which began with the newspaper’s first issue in 1999, as a popular feature. In the archdiocese, a freely designed photo page with unrelated snapshots turned out to be equally popular. The photos sent to staff by readers, sometimes grainy or blurry, nonetheless captured important moments for the local Catholics: a fundraiser from the Council of Knights of Columbus, school children returning to school in the fall, the annual meeting of one Religious community and more.

News from a Catholic point of view

As a newspaper, the editors of Catholic San Francisco treated news events – local, national, global, and in the Vatican – through a Catholic lens.

“One of my tenets was to get on the news,” said Maury Healy, the first associate editor of Catholic San Francisco to be appointed by Archbishop Levada. “And there is almost always a Catholic point of view.”

He named Dan Morris Young editor-in-chief of the weekly publication, which was mailed to registered community members.

“I always told the Archbishop that the newspaper was the ‘Catholic eye on the world and the eye on the local Catholic Church,'” Healy said.

For over 20 years, Catholic San Francisco covered the Catholic response to important news including the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks, the sexual abuse crisis in 2002 and 2003, the funeral of Pope John Paul II, and Hurricane Katrina 2005, Philippine Typhoon Haiyan in 2013, California forest fires in 2017 and 2018, and the coronavirus epidemic in 2020.

Catholic San Francisco covered and nurtured the first Walk for Life West Coast, held on January 22, 2005. The walk was condemned in advance by all city overseers and Mayor Gavin Newsom, who declared “Stand Up for Choice Day” and a counter-demonstration. Smith wrote the story and photographed this walk. Healy wrote on the pages of Catholic San Francisco under the heading “Shame of San Francisco” and wrote: “Thanks to the repulsive rhetoric of city officials and the rowdy behavior of several hundred abortion activists, San Francisco came a long way on January 1st. 22 to cement its reputation as one of the nation’s most intolerant cities. “

Healy’s editorials were in the tradition of Father Peter Yorke, a diocesan priest who was editor of The Monitor in the 1890s and who was on the forefront of defending Catholic interests against attacks by the American Protective Association. Father Yorke published a series of revelations about the APA, participated in public debates, and played a key role as a labor activist.

In the Teamsters strike of 1901, Yorke firmly sided with the working class with the Catholic Church of San Francisco and delivered passionate speeches to thousands of workers. He said, “As a priest, my duty is with the working people who fight for their rights, for that is the historical position of the priesthood and because that is the command of the Lord.”

Catholic San Francisco also documented the Church’s role in advocating for immigrants, treating immigration and affordable housing, visiting prisons, and conducting prayer services for those killed on the city streets.

Healy said the biggest story the paper covered in 2010 was a PG&E gas pipeline explosion in San Bruno.

Eight people were killed, including a Catholic school child and her mother. The cover picture of the September 17th issue showed a group of students from St. Cecilia School crying during a memorial service for a classmate and her mother who perished.

Reputation for excellence

From its inception to its very last days, the editors and staff of Catholic San Francisco received annual awards from the Catholic Press Association (now known as the Catholic Media Association).

The membership organization of Catholic media professionals from dioceses in the USA and Canada recognizes outstanding achievements in an annual prize competition. In its 22-year life, Catholic San Francisco received 76 separate (CMA) awards in its division and circulation categories, underscored by five general awards, including Editor of the Year for ex-Editor Rick DelVecchio in 2018 and two for Best Newspaper.

What’s next?

Catholic San Francisco will continue to offer news in a Friday e-letter sent to those who have already signed up for CSF’s digital newsletter, as well as those who sign up at sfarch.org/signup. Social media channels of the

Archdiocese and the website will also bring information. The new San Francisco Catholic Magazine (profile on pages 6-7) will be a pleasure to read and hold local ministry and people stories and combine with timeless stories and resources for faith and life.

A new adventure in communication begins – based on a foundation of quality and commitment to preaching Jesus Christ that spanned from the first issue of The Monitor in 1858 to two decades of the San Francisco Catholic newspaper. The commitment to preaching the gospel that began with the life, death, and resurrection of our Savior Jesus Christ more than 2,000 years ago continues. As the Bible reminds us, the gospel must be proclaimed in due time and out of time (2 Tim 4: 2) knowing that Jesus Christ, regardless of medium, is the same yesterday, today, and forever (Heb 13, 8th). .

The post From The Monitor to new Catholic San Francisco Journal – the custom continues – Catholic San Francisco appeared first on Los Gatos News And Events.