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The San Francisco Interfaith Council Mourns the Passing of
Founding Board Member Father P. Gerard O'Rourke
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May 27, 1925 - July 29, 2020
The interfaith world has lost a giant with his passing. His devotion to his own faith and his respect for the faiths of others knew no bounds. He was the true example of a person of faith who loved his own and respected others for loving theirs.
I first met Father O'Rourke when he became the Ecumenical and Interfaith Officer of the Archdiocese of San Francisco more than thirty years ago. I was impressed immediately with his devotion to Catholicism and his respect for other faiths. We worked together in two organizations - the San Francisco Interfaith Council and the Interfaith Center at the Presidio. His contribution to those organizations was meaningful and important. He taught us a very special lesson - one could be faithful to one's own religion while respecting others for their own; that in the end we all want the same thing - a world in which each of us is permitted to live in safety and contribute to the greater good.
He never deviated from these goals. He advocated for social justice and interfaith understanding and respect all of his life. He has left us with the enormous job of continuing his work in a fractured world. To do anything less would not satisfy his memory.
Rita R. Semel, Past Chair
San Francisco Interfaith Council
We share the following memorial testimony that was published in
Catholic San Francisco:
"Services for Fr. Gerry O'Rourke have been announced. Due to new COVID-19 restrictions,
the public may attend via livestream only."
Funeral Mass: Friday, August 7, 2020 at 11:00 am
St. Catherine of Siena Parish, Burlingame
(held outdoors, invitation only)
May his memory be eternal!
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