The Argentine priest Javier Olivera Ravasi celebrated Holy Mass on Sunday, February 15, in front of the central Planned Parenthood clinic in San Francisco—the diocese to which Olivera currently belongs—in an apostolic and public prayer initiative. As the priest himself recounted on the portal Que no te la cuenten, it was a “field Mass” offered in the public way, under the rain and cold, as a gesture of witness and reparation.
The celebration took place after an ordinary day of parish ministry, in which the priest had previously celebrated four Masses and heard confessions. Afterward, along with a small group of families, he moved to the vicinity of the clinic to celebrate the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass and pray for those involved in the reality of abortion.
The initiative is framed in the context prior to the start of Lent, as an invitation to a more intense experience of faith and a renewed commitment to the defense of life.
Prayer for Conversion and Life
During the homily, whose original text was delivered in English and later disseminated in Spanish, the priest explained the reasons for the celebration in that specific place. First, he pointed out the intention to pray for the conversion of those who work in these centers, asking that God enlighten their consciences.
In second place, he highlighted the reparative nature of the initiative, offering the Mass as an act of expiation for abortion. Finally, he emphasized the testimonial dimension of the gesture, recalling the evangelical call to bear witness to the faith “in season and out of season,” citing St. Paul.
Public Testimony of Faith
Olivera encouraged living an active and committed Christianity, noting that the mission not only benefits those who receive the announcement but also those who carry it out. In his preaching, he recalled that the apostolate sometimes involves misunderstanding or rejection, but that it is part of following Christ.
The celebration took place with the participation of several families who came expressly to pray in front of the clinic. According to the priest himself, the main objective was to pray for mothers going through difficult situations and for all those involved in this reality.
We leave below the complete sermon, published by Father Olivera on his blog:
Dear brothers and sisters:
Today we gather here once again to carry out this apostolate, as Catholics that we are, living our Faith actively.
And we do so, as St. Paul says, “in season and out of season,” regardless of whether it rains or is cold, whether the circumstances are favorable or adverse. Because Our Lord was the first to give us the example, loving us even when we were unworthy.
And why the Mass here, in the street? First of all, to pray for the conversion of those who work in these places; so that God may one day touch their minds and wills, and they may understand that, even if they do not realize it, they are taking the life of an innocent.
In the second place, to ask forgiveness and make reparation for this crime of abortion, a crime that in many places is not even recognized as such.
But above all and in the third place, as I said at the beginning, because it is the duty of every Catholic, the duty of every Christian, to bear witness to the Faith, ensuring that our word is “yes… yes; no… no,” as we read in today’s Gospel.
Many times we think that when we do good, when we carry out an apostolic work, the first beneficiary is the one who receives the Word of God, who receives alms, who receives a missionary. But no… the first beneficiary of the mission is the missionary! We are the first to receive graces when we expose ourselves to preach Christ, because through the mission, through the apostolate, we have the opportunity to be humbled, slandered, despised and even, sometimes, accepted! Because it is in the fire that gold is purified; and that is Catholic apostolate.
That is why today, in addition to praying for the conversion of these people, let us also pray for our own conversion; let us ask that this Lent, which is about to begin, allow us to always bear witness to Christ, in season and out of season, so as to live a militant (and not “vegetating”) Catholicism that shines before men and, in this way, glorifies our Father who is in heaven.
In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.
Fr. Javier Olivera Ravasi, SE
San Francisco, Planned Parenthood, February 15, 2026