The best gifts don’t come in a box. Holly is giving Ian movie tickets. “Stuff" eventually ends up in the landfill, but memories last a lifetime. Think outside the box and consider giving movie tickets, park passes, art classes, yoga classes, wine tasting, or other gifts that offer the experience of a life well-lived. Give the gift of good times and create memories, not waste. For more waste-free gift ideas from Palo Alto residents, visit www.cityofpaloalto.org/zwholiday

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.

St. Elizabeth Seton School has educated over 11,000 students, empowering each child to reach his/her full potential. With an impressive 70% of our students continuing to college, we continue to provide a program centered on academic success and strive to develop responsible and car- ing citizens. Your generosity in next weekend’s 2nd collection supports the spirit of St. Elizabeth Ann Seton, our patron, providing the children with the necessary tools they need to succeed.

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.

We need your help in making our churches look beautiful for the holy days. Won’t you consider donating toward a poinsettia plant in remembrance of a loved one or just as a gift from you to the church? Special Christmas Flower Envelopes are available in back of church. All your gifts will be greatly appreciated.

The Christmas Giving Trees are up for the First Sunday of Advent. Please take a tag or two and return the gift to the tree. The gifts will be given to children of St. Vincent de Paul's clients in Palo Alto and families in East Palo Alto who would otherwise not have a gift on Christmas. Thank you for your generosity!

I invite all children who would like to help tell the story of Jesus’ birth during the Gospel at the 5 p.m. Mass on Christmas Eve at either Our Lady of the Rosary or St. Albert the Great to sign up to be a part of our presentation. If you are interested in being a part of our drama, please fill out a sign-up form (on the Faith Formation Bulletin Board) and return the lower portion to Susan at the Pastoral Center as soon as possible, or sim- ply email the information to Susan at suolsen@dsj.org. The form includes rehearsal information.

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.

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.

It's time to register for the upcoming school year! Confirmation Prep, Middle School and High School Ministry! We're trying something new and we're going to need all the help we can get from the families of teens of our community.

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.

July 1, 2018 (Week 1): Total: $10,168 (Goal: $12,000) July 8, 2018: Total: $10,935 (Goal: $12,000)

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.