You might have heard that there is a proposal to vote in California to remove the seal of confession. This would be specifically regarding religious and Church employees that might disclose abuse inside the Sacrament of Reconciliation. This would not apply to any other person but only religious and Church employees. I would like to share some resources about this law provided by our diocese of San Jose. Click the title to see more...
Please click for current Mass schedule for St. Thomas Aquinas Parish which St. Thomas Aquinas Church is closed for construction of front steps. This schedule will be in effect through the first week of July 2019.
Hard to believe, but summer is just around the corner. For sisters, Gwenn Connolly and Karen Vetter that means finding the funds to send 30 kids from St. Elizabeth Seton kids to CYO Summer Camp. These kids have big dreams and talents — but few resources. Funds Needed: $300 per camper The total cost for camp is $850 per person for seven days. Each child’s family pays a portion and campership funds cover the remaining 65%. Your contribution, big or small, will make a difference. Donations are tax deductible. Make checks payable to: CYO Camp Scholarships Memo Line: Please write St. Elizabeth Seton School students Mail to: Attn: Eddie Caumeran, Catholic Charities 990 Eddy Street, San Francisco, CA 94109 To learn more about the project or make an online donation please visit: sendakidtocyocamp.com CYO Camp is a program of Catholic Charities, SF
Housing and Death Penalty Efforts An HCC (Human Concerns Committee) member recently attended a diocesian-wide meeting dealing with housing issues. If anyone is interested in getting involved with this issue please contact Tom Morman at 408-666-0531 or tmorman@cbnorcal.com On Monday, March 18, the California People of Faith Against The Death Penalty will be having their Board of Directors meeting at the Chancery Office, 1150 N. First St. San Jose. The meeting willbe from 10 AM to 2 PM. The meeting is open to the public, but I need to know if you plan to attend. Please reply to terrymc0531@gmail.com.
Heart and Home Collaborative Update On Thursday, February 21 a plentiful dinner was prepared for the lady guests at Heart and Home women's shelter. Thanks to your donation, ribs, chicken, meatballs, salad, quinoa and a shrimp hors d'euvre were served. On Sunday, February 24, the shelter moved from University Lutheran to Unitarian Universalist Church. See the H&HC website if you are interested in volunteer opportunities. http://www.hhcollaborative . The Human Concerns Committee
Thanks To Those Who Were Able To Donate: HCC-Sponsored Soles4Souls Gently-Used Shoe Collection So far (as of Thursday, February 28) 352 pairs of shoes were donated with one more last pick up at St. Albert the Great church. Thanks for your generosity! The Human Concerns Committee
Update for the ADA 2019 - As of last Monday, the total donated or pledged is: $82,265 by 92 families. That's 51.4% of our total goal! Thank you to those who have pledged!
Bishop Patrick J. McGrath and Bishop Oscar Cantú invite all couples celebrating their 1st through 5th, 25th, 40th and 50th (or more) Wedding Anniversaries in 2019 to participate in the Annual Wedding Anniversary Celebration Mass at the Basilica Cathedral of St. Joseph on Saturday, February 23rd. You can register for this event at Wedding Anniversary Mass Celebration or contact Christina at chvo@dsj.org or 408-983-0128. Please pre-register by February 15, 2019.
The bipartisan bill, which aims to place a price on carbon emissions, is "a hopeful sign" that legislators are taking climate change seriously, says Bishop Frank Dewane. Read all about it at: https://www.ncronline.org/news/environment/carbon-dividend-act-gets-support-head-bishops-justice-office
Fish Fest will be on hiatus for February and March in deference to the Crab Dinner (February) and St. Patrick’s Day Dinner (March) The Fish Fest team would like to encourage everyone to join these other fun parish events, and we will welcome everyone back for Fish Fest on Friday, April 15.
We are in need of ministers to bring communion to individuals at home and in nursing care facilties. Many of our ministers have retired due to age and health issues. Please consider joining this fulfilling ministry. If interested, please contact Mary Fong at 650-494-1660 or fongmt@hotmail.com.
St. Elizabeth Seton School turned its library into offices about a year ago, and the library books need to be catalogued before being installed in other classrooms. Vicki Sullivan is looking for volunteers to help with this project on Mondays and Fridays from 9:30 - 11:30 a.m. Contact her at (650) 740- 0124, or vickisullivan@comcast.net.
In support of offering more opportunities from personal prayer, our parish has been keeping St. Thomas Aquinas Church (451 Waverley Street, Palo Alto) open until 5:00 p.m. In addition to that, each Wednesday, the parish is going to offer Adoration and Benediction from 5:00 p.m. to 6:00 p.m., before closing the church for the night, continuing Wednesday, November 28. You are encouraged to stop by and pray and adore Our Lord.
There are many upgrades/repairs needed in our parish. Our most immediate priority are our children from the Saint Elizabeth Seton School. This school run by the Daughters of Charity is at our Saint Albert the Great Church site. It provides education to kids mostly from East Palo Alto. Over the years the Daughters of Charity have done a great job in keeping up with the property, renovations and even building new sections. The next project in cooperation with our parish is to upgrade the entire school’s lighting system so that the kids may have better light and also save money on energy bills. It will be a joint 50/50 effort with the school. The project will initially cost $58,000. We would like to extend the invitation to participate in this project by any kind of donation you may want to offer. The parish is expected to contribute with $29,000/30,000. If this speaks to you please make a donation payable to the parish with a memo note of "SESS lighting" and we will share reports about the progress of this project that will take place during this next Winter Break. Our children will be extremely grateful. God bless you all, thank you!
Do you have any blankets or sleeping bags that need a new home? Our parish, through the Human Concerns Committee, will be collecting them for reuse by people who come needing them to St. Francis of Assisi church in East Palo Alto, our parish St. Vincent de Paul and the Opportunity Center in Palo Alto. Throughout the month of October, boxes will be in the vestibules of our three churches/ What you are not using will be given to others who need a warm wrap at night during the coming winter months.
Members of the Knights of Columbus will be waiting outside after each Mass with their yellow cans to collect donations on the weekend of October 21-22. The goal per the Knights of Columbus Council is $4,000.00. The proceeds were evenly distributed to the following organizations in Palo Alto: Abilities United & Achieve Kids. The Knights of Columbus are really thankful and ask for your support again this year.
Bishop McGrath expresses his deepest apologies for the actions of those who were in positions of authority and who violated that sacred trust by abusing children. The sexual abuse of children and young people is an appalling crime and a sin. When these perpetrators are members of the clergy, there are not only psychological wounds but spiritual wounds. Thursday of this week, the names of priests who have been credibly accused of sexual misconduct with children was released. On that list are four priests who either had an assignment or presided at Masses in our parish. The Bishop's statement, the list, and Inquiry Protocols can be found by selecting this link: https://www.dsj.org/ministries/protecting-gods-children/clergy-disclosure-list/ I encourage you to go to this website and review the information for yourself. If you have any questions or concerns about the materials on this website, please contact the Office for the Protection of Children and Vulnerable Adults at 408-983-0113 or opcva.ethicspoint.com. Our parish adheres to this diocesan commitment to making our parish a safe environment as well. And if anyone needs some support around this painful issue don’t hesitate to reach out to me or parish staff.
Per Bishop P.J. McGrath's request for October Prayer Services, we will hold our services on Thursday evenings at 7:00pm and will rotate them to all three churches. The first one will be on October 4 at Our Lady of the Rosary, October 11 at St. Thomas Aquinas Church, October 18 at St. Albert the Great Church and October 25 at Our Lady of the Rosary to conclude the month.
Liturgies to Welcome Bishop Oscar Cantú - September 27 & 28 The Diocese of San Jose will welcome Bishop Oscar Cantú as Coadjutor Bishop of San Jose at Vespers (Evening Prayer) this coming Thursday at 7:00 pm, and at a Mass beginning at 2:00 pm on Friday afternoon. Because of the size of the churches in which we will celebrate these liturgies, seating is restricted. However, both events will be available via livestream at http://bit.ly/dsjvyoutube. We invite you to participate in these celebrations in this way.
The news this week of the historic sexual abuse of minors in six Pennsylvania dioceses is truly horrific. Trust was first betrayed by these attacks on the innocent; however, the systematic cover-up and reassigning of these priests by their bishops and superiors is just as unforgivable. Click for more.