In This Issue: Visit to St. Aphonsus Parish Jambalaya Fair Trade Sunday SOA Watch Meet the SJV Youth Ministry Staff Choose Life Hurricane Rita's Impact on My Childhood Parish Announcements Weekly Readings

Simon's mother-in-law lay sick with a fever...He approached her, grasped her hand, and helped her up.

Visit to St. Alphonus Parish

Fr. Tim Kidney, pastor of St. John Vianney Parish, traveled to Ocean Springs, Mississippi last month to visit our sister-parish, St. Alphonsus Ligouri. When he arrived, he was greeted by pastor Fr. Henry McInerney who stayed for a day or two getting Fr. Kidney settled before flying out to San Jose to take Fr. Kidney's Masses at our parish. Fr. Kidney took responsibility for the weekend Masses at St. Alphonsus. While in the area, Fr. Kidney visited many sites that were damaged by Hurricane Katrina. Click here to see some of the photos from that trip. Rebuilding the area will take a long time and St. John Vianney Parish will continue to support St. Alphonsus as much as we can. Our next project is the 'Taste of Mardi Gras Jambalaya Dinner' on March 4. (See article below.)

Jambalaya

Fair Trade Sunday

This weekend, St. John Vianney will celebrate Fair Trade Sunday. Fair Trade products will be available for tasting and for purchase after all the weekend liturgies, February 4 and 5.

Fair Trade products are those which are produced in a manner that allows the workers at the bottom of the chain of supply to make a living wage. All too often the farmers and factory workers who actually produce the products sold in the First World are paid such a paltry amount that they cannot support their own families.

Fair Trade products are also produced with fewer harmful chemicals, protecting the farmers, the environment, and the consumers.

Also available will be bio-degrade-able consumer goods such as dinner plates, cups, napkins, paper towels, and garbage bags. As Christians, we are called upon to protect our environment, as well as our families and the families of those who produce the products we use.

Stop by after Mass and taste some great coffee or chocolate. Take some home for your family, while supporting third-world families by the choices you make. This is just another way to choose life.

Brought to you by St. John Vianney Faith In Action Team. Next meeting is scheduled for Saturday, February 11, 9:30 to 10:30 AM at the Parish Office Center. For more information, contact Ann McEntee at 923-5788 or Ellen Turner at 272-9234.

SOA Watch
by Larry Lauro, Bellarmine Prep

"A church that does not provoke any crisis, preach a Gospel that does not unsettle, proclaim a word of God that does not get under anyone’s skin, of a word of God that does not touch the real sin of society in which it is being proclaimed:  What kind of Gospel is that?"
- Archbishop Oscar Romero- El Salvador, April 16, 1978

Dear Friends: The words of Archbishop Romero strike a chord in all of us familiar with the suffering of our brothers and sisters in Latin America. The suffering of others does much to inform us about our own human weaknesses and failings. Being able to face the truth about our connection to this suffering is not pleasant, but it does create an opportunity for us to respond out of compassion and out of an understanding of our own historical reality clarifying our connection to the suffering of others.

One of those voices of truth is Father Roy Bourgeois (photo at right) of SOA Watch (see www.soaw.org). Roy has been compelled to be a "voice for the voiceless" suffering poor of Latin America since 1990 when he founded SOA Watch. He is a nationally respected voice for human rights and justice for the marginalized poor in Latin America and beyond.

Fr. Roy will be speaking in the chapel at Bellarmine, Wednesday, February 8, at 11:15 AM. You are welcome to attend. Bellarmine is located at 960 West Hedding Street, San Jose, 95126. Call (408) 537-9288 and speak to Larry Lauro for information. You will be able to make donations to the SOA Watch, but there is no charge for the event. Please know you are welcome to share in this opportunity with our faculty and students.  Please park on campus as the neighborhood is permit parking only.

In peace and solidarity, - Larry Lauro

Meet the SJV Youth Ministry Staff
by Mary Ann Andrade, David Cortese, Anabella Estrada

Mary Ann, Anabella and David

Mary Ann Andrade: I am the director of Youth Ministry and high school confirmation. I have been in the parish most of my life (since age seven) and have been working with the youth of our parish since 1973. My role is:

1. To supervise, support and be the resource person for David Cortese and Anabella Estrada in their ministry
2. To oversee the reorganization and program implementation of the high school youth group
3. To do team training for youth ministry core teams and the confirmation catechetical team.
4. To coordinate the high school confirmation program.

I believe that the youth here at SJV are awesome teens with a desire to belong and to strengthen their faith relationship with God. I know that the youth ministry staff: David, Anabella, and myself have a strong leadership team commitment to work toward a goal.

The goal is to give the youth a safe and welcoming place to belong, to socialize, to share, and to deepen their faith through a variety of meeting activities, prayer experiences, retreats, and liturgies and catechesis. We are thankful for the support of catechetical and core team members, each with their different gifts, who have heard the calling of their name and have made the commitment to work with our youth.

David Cortese: I coordinate Junior High Youth Ministry and High School Youth Ministry. This is my second year at St. John Vianney, and I am very excited to be working in Youth Ministry. I first got involved in Youth Ministry when I was making my own Confirmation at St. Francis of Assisi in High School and I later became a youth leader. I taught catechism while in high school and volunteered in other parish ministries. I am very excited about the continued growth of Youth Ministry this year. We are creating more and more opportunities for youth to engage in the life of our parish and build their relationship with God. I enjoy the opportunity to see youth willingly come to Mass and participate in our parish. I welcome anyone to join, either as a youth or an adult volunteer to be a part of this wonderful experience.

Anabella Estrada: The SJV Hispanic Youth Ministry was launched on Friday, January 27th, 2006. Just like Pope John Paul II said that people should keep and maintain their traditions, this is a great new experience at our parish for the Hispanic Youth to keep the language and traditions from their families' land of origin, and at the same time have their faith grow in love and values. My husband, Luis, and I have been parishioners since 1989. We both are readers at the Spanish Mass, and I teach catechesis to 5th and 6th grade children on Saturdays. I am also the secretary for the Hispanic Leaders Committee. Our goal is to integrate our Hispanic Youth into our Community Church activities, as well as experience more of Christianity, and develop a great sense of serving others and create community among them.

We would like to share our Youth Ministry mission statement:

Mission Statement: The St. John Vianney Youth Ministry is committed to the reality that young people are an important and integral part of our parish community. The youth program seeks to foster maturing in faith of the youth of our parish and the surrounding community. We affirm the gifts of our youth and we foster opportunities for young people to share their gifts with the larger community. The spiritual and social needs of the youth are to be met with the committed leadership, guidance and support of our parish adults. The adults and youth of our parish are therefore provided with the opportunity to grow together in Christian faith. Through a variety of programs, events and outreach, we seek to draw young people into responsible participation in the life, work and mission of the parish community. We believe this ministry is to, with, by and for young people and is a blessing for the entire community.

We invite anyone that has an interest in working with the youth of our parish to call Mary Ann Andrade 258-7832 x21, or David Cortese 258-7832 x34, or Anabella Estrada at 258-7832, x43.

Choose Life!

"A hopeful society has institutions of science and medicine that do not cut ethical corners, and that recognize the matchless value of every life. Tonight I ask you to pass legislation to prohibit the most egregious abuses of medical research - human cloning in all its forms ... creating or implanting embryos for experiments ... creating human-animal hybrids ... and buying, selling, or patenting human embryos. Human life is a gift from our Creator - and that gift should never be discarded, devalued, or put up for sale."
- President George W. Bush, State of the Union, January 31, 2006

Bishop McGrath has asked our governor, and all of us, to choose life. Click here to read his statement on the upcoming execution of Michael Angelo Morales (photo at right).

If we are Pro-Life, we must challenge abortion, euthanasia, war, and the death penalty. We must value all human life and always treat life with respect, whether it be an unborn child, a hopelessly ill older person, a political rival, or a convicted criminal. To do otherwise, demeans all life. When we allow the state to kill, we are all participating in that death. We must put a stop to this! At a minimum, we should all ask our governor to stop this killing. Write to him.

Here are the different ways in which you can reach the Governor:

• Mailing address: State Capitol Building, Sacramento, CA 95814
• Telephone: (916) 445-2841
• Fax: (916) 445-4633
• E-mail: Fill out form at http://www.govmail.ca.gov

What else can we do? Write to our state representatives:

Senator Elaine Alquist, email: senator.alquist@sen.ca.gov
100 Paseo de San Antonio, Suite 209, San Jose 95113. Ph: (408) 286-8318, or State Capitol, Room 4088, Sacramento, CA 94249. Ph: (916) 445-4013,

Assembly Member Joe Coto, email: assemblymember.coto@assembly.ca.gov
100 Paseo de San Antonio, Suite 300, San Jose, CA 95113. Ph: (408) 277-1220, or State Capitol, PO Box 942849, Sacramento, CA 94249. Ph: (916) 319-2023,

Tell your governor and representatives that you are Pro-Life in all areas and that you want them to put an end to the killing.

Also, talk with other people and let them know this killing must stop. And if this planned killing goes ahead, spend time in prayer for all of us. Stand watch as one more life is lost and we share again in the guilt, because we are all responsible for this.

"I call heaven and earth today to witness against you: I have set before you life and death, the blessing and the curse. Choose life, then, that you and your descendants may live."
Deuteronomy 30:19

Hurricane Rita's Impact on My Childhood Parish
by John Dumas

A tropical depression formed in the Bahamas on September 17, 2005. Once it was organized enough to have winds of over 62 kilometers per hour (39 miles per hour), it was classified as a tropical storm and given the name Rita, becoming the 17th named storm system of the 2005 hurricane season. With the season not yet over, this made 2005 already the 5th most active storm system since naming records were started in 1851. According to the National Hurricane Center, 21 tropical storms formed in 1933, 19 developed in 1995 and 1887, and 18 formed in 1969. Rita is also the earliest "R" named storm in a season.

This was an act of nature, but it does show an act of poverty that still exists in Texas. Blessed Sacrament Church in Beaumont, Texas had just been remodeled for its 90th anniversary; I graduated from this high school about 52 years ago.

Blessed Sacrament Catholic Parish was established in 1915 by the Josephite Fathers, at the request of Bishop Gallagher of the Galveston-Houston Diocese. The first pastor, Father Alexis LaPlante, SSJ, who had been ordained for only one month, arrived in June of that year. Less than two months later, the area was hit by a severe hurricane. Father LaPlante remained as pastor until 1929, helping the African-American Catholic Church grow from 200 to 2200 members, with almost 400 students enrolled in their schools.

How many Parishes can boast beginnings that included the ministry of a soon-to-be Saint? Blessed Sacrament in Beaumont can! Mother (Saint) Katharine Drexel, SBS, contributed, not only her resources, but also her spirit to the establishment of our schools and to the growth of the Parish. Blessed Sacrament became the mother church to three missions: Sacred Heart in Port Arthur, Our Mother of Mercy in the Pear Orchard, and St. Theresa in Orange.

The Sisters of the Incarnate Word and Blessed Sacrament founded in 1625 in Lyons, France, were the second group of Catholic educators to move to Texas, arriving in Galveston on June 29, 1852 at the request of the local bishop. They opened a school for African Americans, which was forced to be closed because of protests by black Protestant ministers. For more information on Blessed Sacrament Catholic Parish in Beaumont, Texas, click here.

The Josephite Fathers, (St. Joseph’s Society of The Sacred Heart, Inc) were founded specifically to work with African-American communities. For more information about the Josephite Fathers, or to contribute funds toward rebuilding the African-American churches devastated by Hurricane Rita and Hurricane Katrina, visit their web site: www.josephite.com.

Announcements

The Annual Diocesan Appeal (ADA) Campaign, "Proclaim God's Message", is the 2006 major fund raising drive for the Diocese of San Jose. Each parish is assigned a specific goal to meet. Since the Bishop will be visiting our parish on February 5, it would be very good if we could meet our goal by that date. For more information about the Annual Diocesan Appeal, click here.

Deanery 6 invites all interested persons to attend a day of Catholic Social Justice education at St. Francis of Assisi Church, 5111 San Felipe Road San Jose, CA 95135-1220 on Saturday, February 25, 2006, 8:30 AM to 4:30 PM. The Keynote Speaker will be the Reverend Paul Fitzgerald, SJ, from Santa Clara University. Click here to read the registration flyer. Also, click here to check out the story about this workshop on page 5 of the January 17, 2006, issue of the Valley Catholic.

A Series of Six Evenings of Discussions Based on the Justice Writings of Pope John Paul II. Ascension Parish, Saratoga, 7:30 to 9:00 PM. Registration begins at 7:15 PM.

	Monday, Feb. 27, 2006:		Rev. Paul Fitzgerald, SJ. "In The Words of John Paul II: Our Ecological Vocation: A Catholic Response to the Environmental Crisis."
	Monday, Mar. 20, 2006:		Mr. Joseph Hastings, West Coast Director, Catholic Relief Services. "In The Words of John Paul II: Creating Networks of Peace."
	Monday, Apr. 24, 2006:		Rev. Joseph Sands, SJ. "In The Words of John Paul II: Justice in the Americas: The Continuing Disparity of Wealth."
	Monday, May 22, 2006:		Diane Clyne: Justice Coordinator for the Mercy Sisters, Burlingame California: "In The Words of John Paul II: Free Trade Agreements and the loss of lands and livelihood of Indigenous Peoples."
	Monday, Jun. 12, 2006:		Sister Jean Schafer, Co-Director, Anti-Human Trafficking Project. "The Tragedy of Human Trafficking."

For further information, please call Fr. Charlie Dougherty at Ascension Parish, 725-3939.

You are cordially invited to a Mass and Anointing of the Sick in celebration of World Day of the Sick on Saturday, February 11, at 11 AM, at St. John Vianney Parish Church. "These signs will accompany those who believe: in my name they will drive out demons, they will speak new languages...They will lay hands on the sick, and they will recover."  Mark 16: 17-18. For more information, please contact Gina Sebastian at 923-6943.

Applications for the 2006-07 school year at St. John Vianney School are available now at the school office and on the school website: www.sjvsj.org. Completed application packets must be returned on February 15 or 16, between 5 PM and 7 PM in the school library. Application processing fee is $50. Open House will be held on January 30 and 31 from 8:30 AM until noon. During these times parents (no children) can observe classes in session and meet with school parents and the Co-Principals. If you have any questions, or need additional information or tuition assistance, please contact the school at 258-7677, 8-4 PM, Monday through Friday.

The next two Town Hall Meetings will be on on Thursday, February 16, from 7:00 PM to 8:30 PM, and Saturday, May 6, from 10:00 AM to 11:30 AM.

Parish Ministry Formation: See our prior newsletter issue for full story. Friday, February 17, 7:15 PM to 9:30 PM, and Saturday, February 18, 8:45 AM to 3:00 PM at the Vietnamese Catholic Center, 2849 South White Road. Friday, March 17, 7:15 PM to 9:30 PM, and Saturday, March 18, 8:45 AM to 3:00 PM at the Most Holy Trinity Church, 2040 Nassau Drive. For more information, pick up a green flyer in the vestibule, or contact Maureen Ickes at (408) 363-2300 ext. 23.

The Hurricane Katrina Committee of St. John Vianney Parish is looking for DONATIONS and we need your help. We are in need of items to be used as auction and raffle prizes in conjunction with our up-coming Mardi Gras/Katrina Dinner & Auction on March 4. If you'd like to make a donation of an auction or raffle item, please contact Jerry Walker at (408) 251-1466 or email JayDub@ix.netcom.com for more information.

The largest gathering of Catholics in the United States takes place each Spring at the Anaheim Convention Center, across the street from Disneyland. Called the Religious Education Congress The workshops offered at the Congress are amazing. This year the dates are March 31 through April 2. Check it out at www.recongress.org.

SJV Spring Fling 2006, "Springtime in Paris": Friday, April 28. The Drying Shed Restaurant, San Jose. Tickets: $40 each Contact: Kristin Heinemann at (408) 258-7677 or kheinemann@sjvsj.org. All proceeds to benefit the SJV-Sister Joan Marie Scholarship Fund.

Coming Events:
   o SJV Fiesta, May 19-21, at the SJV Courtyard
For more information, contact the SJV School Development Office at (408) 258-7677 or lelston@sjvsj.org.

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