Most Holy Redeemer Church, San Francisco

Most Holy Redeemer Church in San Francisco, California, is a Roman Catholic parish situated in the Castro district, located at 100 Diamond Street (at 18th Street). The parish was established by the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of San Francisco in 1900 and describes itself as "an inclusive Catholic community -- embracing all people of good faith -- Catholics as well as those people interested in learning about the Catholic experience -- regardless of their background, gender, race, social status or sexual orientation."^[1]

Archbishop John R. Quinn (1977-1995) regularly visited this parish, especially during the annual 40 Hours Vigil held throughout the 1980s in support of those who were HIV-positive and their caregivers.

In The Mayor of Castro Street: The Life and Times of Harvey Milk, Randy Shilts mentions the church several times. One of Harvey Milk's first and most active campaign workers was 11-year-old Medora Payne, who appeared in his camera store in her MHR schoolgirl uniform, signed up, and was soon supervising others: "More than one Teamster volunteer shook his head with amazement as he walked in the headquarters to find an eleven-year-old bossing around a new campaign worker three times her age and clad in full leathers." She worked on Milk's campaigns for several years, from 1971 to 1978. After Milk's death, Payne left Lowell High School and finished high school in England.

The church was later vandalized by anti-Proposition 8 protestors, although many churchgoers were opposed to the ballot initiative.^[2]

For many years, MHR Rectory was the home of Father William Young, one of the very few priests in the Bay Area qualified to celebrate the Traditional Latin Mass (also known as the Tridentine Mass). Father Young celebrated the TLM weekdays at Most Holy Redeemer, and each Sunday at St. Vincent's Holy Rosary Chapel in Marinwood.

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