Dear Brothers and Sisters, We are hundreds of miles from the border, yet what has happened along the US-Mexico border over the past few weeks has a direct impact on many of our own people. Images of crying children, separated from their mothers, and the anguish of mothers whose infants have been taken from their arms has increased the anxiety and fear of mothers and children living here in many of our parishes and neighborhoods. I write to assure you that we stand with you, that we support Church efforts to keep families together and to reunite those that have been separated.
Plan to discern God’s will for love in your life! The Dominican Nuns of Corpus Christi Monastery in Menlo Park, California are hosting a Come and See Day on Saturday, July 21st, 2018 from 8:00 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. Single, Catholic women between the ages of 18 and 38 years are invited to learn more about discerning God’s call and to experience a taste of the life of a cloistered Dominican nun.
The goal of the Society of St. Vincent de Paul is to offer tangible assistance to those in need on a person to person basis and to offer spiritual services. A key strength of the Society is in the personalized delivery of help. This aid may take the form of intervention, consultation or often through direct dollar or in-kind service. St. Vincent de Paul has thousands of volunteers all over the world. Your generosity in next weekend’s 2nd collection will assist our own local conference of St. Vincent de Paul to help our neighbors in need.
Registration for next year’s classes (including preparation for reception of the sacraments) begins now. Registration forms are available in the vestibule at all churches and on-line. And please consider helping us out as a catechist for these classes. There is always a need for people willing to share their faith with our children. Questions? Contact Susan in the Pastoral Center (650-494-2496, ext. 25).
Our readings this weekend are focused on trees, and plants, and all living, growing things. God makes them grow; God makes all things grow. We can help, a bit, but mostly, we can just marvel at what God is doing all around us. It is God who makes it grow, who makes us grow.
As one St. Elizabeth Seton student said: “I would like to thank the wonderful people in this world -- wherever they are -- for donating money so that I can go to CYO Camp!” And she’s not the only one. Twenty seven St. Elizabeth Seton students will be able to attend CYO Summer camp in Occidental this summer thanks to the incredibly generous donations made by members of the St. Thomas Aquinas Parish.
Chuck has been serving our parish for the past 15 years as Business and Operations Manager. He will be taking up a new assignment at St. Christopher Parish in San Jose on July 2.
Meet Daniel in Babylon! A summer camp for children ages 5 through13 will be offered July 30 - August 3 and August 6 - August 10 from 9:00 a.m. to Noon in the Hall at Our Lady of the Rosary.
Attention: All Parish groups who use our facilities. We need your calendar request forms for 2017-2018. If you have any questions, contact Nora Lundin (nlundin@dsj.org). Requests are granted on a first-come, first-served basis.
June 10 (Week 50): Total: $10,536 (Goal: $12,000) - Catholic Communications Campaign: $2,315. Summer is quite challenging for our parish financially. As the attendance at our weekend liturgies dwindles, so can the weekly support of our parishioners: a very good reason to consider using ONLINE GIVING. The challenge lies in the fact that our financial responsibilities do not go away during the months of June, July, and August.
Campers will be trained in the basics of the timeless sung prayer of the Church, Gregorian Chant. The children will have the opportunity to apply their learned skills at the daily Mass! Our main instructor will be Gabriela Estephanie Solis, mezzo-soprano. She is currently a student of Notre Dame, studying for a Master of Sacred Music in Vocal Performance.
Throughout June our churches are displaying banners with the above wording. Our parish is participating in the National Religious Campaign Against Torture, sponsored by Pax Christi U.S.A. June is "Torture Awareness Month". Such a public display is rare for our parish. It is not to say that torture is the major issue of Catholic moral teaching - you can think of many others - but it is one of them.
Your parish’s Building & Equipment Maintenance Committee provides periodic updates to the parishioners on significant repairs, improvements and other major facilities-related expenses. This report covers the 6 months from October 2017 through March 2018.
This weekend’s Gospel seems to suggest that Jesus ignored the request of His mother Mary and close relatives who had traveled to talk to him. Though, the people knew that Jesus loved His mother and had taken care of her for thirty years. Besides, Jesus’ answer, “Whoever does the will of God is my brother, and sister, and mother” was actually a compliment to His mother who had always listened to the word of God and obeyed it.
Wednesday June 6 at 10:30 the books were handed out in the second grade classroom by Ms. Evelyn Rosa (Principal) on behalf of the entire parish. Ellen McGuire (Assistant Principal) and Carmel Caligaris (Development Director) and Terry Atkinson of the HCC also were in attendance.
The rhythm of the liturgical seasons reflects the rhythm of life — with its celebrations of anniversaries and its seasons of quiet growth and maturing. Ordinary Time, meaning ordered or numbered time, is celebrated in two segments: from the Monday following the Baptism of Our Lord up to Ash Wednesday; and from Pentecost Monday to the First Sunday of Advent. This makes it the largest season of the Liturgical Year.
Beginning on Memorial Day weekend and continuing for the next three months, the time of vacations and weekends away, is quite challenging for our parish financially. As the attendance at our weekend liturgies dwindles, so can the weekly support of our parishioners: a very good reason to consider using ONLINE GIVING. The challenge lies in the fact that our financial responsibilities do not go away during the months of June, July, and August. Summer is a time for us to do some extra maintenance work around the parish.
You are the God who bears the brunt of the question, “Why didn’t you stay where you belong?" You feel the red-faced embarrassment when we hear, “Keep your distance, you foreigner, with your different-colored skin and your strange-sounding speech, with your culture, food, religion, and clothing that are inferior to my own."
In writing the book we wanted to create a way to learn Spanish and English while discovering the history of customs readers may already know, but not the origins of these customs. Too often these traditions are explained as coming from Spain or other European countries, while ignoring the older Indigenous practices. I am an anthropologist and the other coauthor is my mother, a retired kindergarten teacher who used Spanish in the classroom to encourage the children of migrant farmworkers and temporary workers in Mountain View.