July 11, 2018 It was with great joy that I received news that Pope Francis has appointed Bishop Oscar Cantú, currently Bishop of Las Cruces in New Mexico, as Coadjutor Bishop of San Jose. I congratulate Bishop Cantú on his appointment and thank him for his willingness to come west. I look forward to collaborating with him in our ministry of service to the people of this local Church. As we prepare to welcome Bishop Cantú to San Jose, I ask the people of this Diocese and all of our brothers and sisters in the Roman Catholic Church to join us in praying for Bishop Cantú. I know that the new bishop will be eager to come to know the people of the parishes, schools and other institutions of the Diocese, and that he will be as impressed with the work of the clergy, religious and laity as I am. We will celebrate the Mass of Welcome for Bishop Cantú at the Cathedral Basilica of Saint Joseph on September 28, 2018.
It was announced on July 11, 2018, that Pope Francis has named Bishop Oscar Cantú, currently Bishop of Las Cruces, New Mexico, as Coadjutor Bishop of San Jose. See inside for more information about Bishop Oscar Cantū
from the Diocese of Monterey. . . . In the last few days Bishop Garcia had begun to experience additional health complications and continued to receive very attentive care with the direct assistance of VNA Hospice. While he was being kept comfortable, last night he began to experience new difficulties. Bishop Richard Garcia passed away this morning, July 11, 2018 at 6:30 a.m.
I want to let you know that I am very excited to return back home to St. Thomas Aquinas Parish. The last time when I was here, I was a seminarian from St. Patrick's Seminary doing my pastoral year at St. Thomas Aquinas from July 1, 1997 to June 30, 1998 in the Diocese of San Jose when Fr. Barry Freyne was the pastor.
I am very grateful for the efforts of our hospitality teams at both Our Lady of the Rosary and St. Albert the Great and the wonderful farewell receptions they provided these past two Sundays. Thank you to everyone who was able to be present. As an introvert it took a lot of energy to be present to each and every person who made an effort to express their gratitude and best wishes to me. I never like to be the center of attention, but I delighted in the heartfelt memories and experiences that you shared with me. I wish all of you a great summer. Until we meet again.
On the afternoon of June 14, a rather spirited, fascinating, and unexpected debate broke out on the floor of the USCCB spring meeting in Ft. Lauderdale. At issue was the possibility of reconsidering “Faithful Citizenship,” the 2007 statement of the US Bishops on the formation of conscience regarding matters political. A group of bishops, including myself, had proposed that instead of producing another lengthy document to succeed “Faithful Citizenship,” the bishops ought to write a brief and pointed letter on the political challenges of the present moment and then to create a video or a series of videos bringing forth the salient points of Catholic social teaching.
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.
I have been truly blessed to have served 10 of my 27 years as a priest in the parish of St. Thomas Aquinas: Parochial Vicar (1996-1998); Pastor (2010-2018). I’m fairly certain that 10 years is the longest time any priest has ministered here since “the merger” in 1987. In fact, all three of my cats have spent time with me at St. Albert the Great Rectory.
The ongoing practice of separating children from their parents has already, as of May, left nearly 2,000 children separated from their parents. As Bishop Vásquez, Chairman of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops' Committee on Migration, and Sister Donna Markham OP PhD, President and CEO of Catholic Charities, remind us - as a nation and people of faith, we can and must do better.
St. Thomas Aquinas Parish operates on a program year which begins on July 1 and ends on June 30. Our annual budget also runs from July to June. We are so very grateful to all who sup- ported the work of our Parish over the past 12 months. Each year, however, the expenses involved in all our parish operations and programs increase, and as always, we depend on our parishioners to help meet these expenses.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.