In This Issue: A Taste of Mardi Gras Vision of Social Justice Saint Katherine Drexel: Feast March 3 Lenten Regulations Arbor Day: March 7 From the Bookshelf: Horton Hears a Who Movie Review: Crash Announcements Weekly Readings

I set my bow in the clouds to serve as a sign of the covenant between me and you.

A Taste of Mardi Gras
by Ellen Turner

At town hall meetings and other times the parish gets together, I have heard people asked for more community events, like our wonderful Fiesta. Well, just such an event is coming up tomorrow, March 4 - Taste of Mardi Gras Jambalaya Dinner-Dance and Auction. This event is a fund-raiser for our sister parish in Mississippi, but it is also an opportunity for us to gather and enjoy each other. Do you have your tickets yet?

Jackie and Jerry Walker are chairs for this great event.  They and some other members of the SJV Katrina Response team have put in hours of work, testing their Jambalaya recipe, printing and distributing flyers, printing and managing the sale of tickets, working with the restaurant and organizing volunteers. Jerry is a professional at charity auctions and has agreed to donate his share of the profits. The owner of the Drying Shed has donated the restaurant, the food, and his staff.

The event is tomorrow! Don't miss out on this great parish event. A limited number of tickets remain and may be available at the door. However, so you don't get turned away and miss out on all the fun, we suggest you give Jackie (408) 882-0949 or Jerry (408) 251-1466 a call today to reserve your tickets now if you have not purchased any yet! Contact Jackie at Jackie@jackie-walker.com.

Vision of Justice: Deanery Workshop
by Ray Turner

Over one hundred Catholics from our deanery gathered on Saturday, February 25, at St. Francis of Assisi parish for a day of prayer, fellowship, education and planning around the themes of Catholic Social Justice Teaching. The morning started at 8:30 with registration and breakfast. Mike Monroe of Integrity Express served Fair Trade coffee and tea.

The keynote speaker was the Reverend Paul Fitzgerald, SJ. Fr. Paul provided an overview of the seven key areas of Catholic Social Justice Teaching. Discussing Jesus' healings in the Gospels, Fr. Paul noted that first Jesus was "moved with compassion," then He asked if they had Faith, and then healed them. Since people with physical ailments were ostracized in the community, the healing had the double effect of the physical healing and of moving the person from the edges of society to become the central focus of the community. Jesus healed not only the physical ailment but also the sociological alienation from the community. The "answers" to living out the Gospel are not fixed, but change from age to age. We must all discern how to live out the Gospel in our own times and in our own community by looking at the issues that face us.

Then we broke into small groups, some in Spanish, and brainstormed about some of the issues in each area that we have in our community. Each discussion group then picked their top two issues in each area of Social Justice, which were then synthesized into a smaller list common to all the groups. After the workshops, the participants were asked to vote on their priorities from this list that they felt most important for the deanery to work on. The three top issues were:

1) Making people aware of HR 4437, the bill passed by the U.S. House of Representatives that makes it illegal help un-documented people. If this were to become law, it would essentially outlaw living the Gospel.

2) Eliminate the death penalty.

3) Quality education for all.

For follow-up we have scheduled a liturgy with a social justice theme for Saturday, March 25, from 9:00 – 11:00 AM at Most Holy Trinity community center. After Mass, we will have fellowship and discuss next steps in addressing these top issues. Even if you were not able to attend this workshop, you are most welcome to join us March 25th to work on solutions to benefit our community.

During the lunch break, people had a chance to browse literature from a variety of groups focused on different areas of social justice. Participants celebrated a wonderful liturgy together to close the workshop. You can find more information on Catholic Social Justice teaching at the U.S. Catholic Conference of Bishops' web site. Click here.

Saint Katherine Drexel: Feast March 3
by Ellen Turner

Katherine Drexel is a great role model for us today. Born in 1858, she was the second child of a wealthy banker in Philadelphia. Her mother died shortly after her birth. Her father and step-mother instilled in her the concept that wealth was to be used for the good of the poor. She traveled extensively as a young woman, including visits to the American West where she saw first hand the sad condition of the Native People. On a visit to Europe, she met Pope Leo XIII and asked him to send missionaries to the West. He surprised her by suggesting that she become a missionary herself. The idea was a shock to her, but she took it to heart.

In 1889, Katherine Drexel committed the rest of her life to serving the American Indian and the African American communities. Katherine served her novitiate at the convent of the Sisters of Mercy in Pittsburgh, then in 1891, made vows as a religious, founding a new order, the Sisters of the Blessed Sacrament.

She established schools for both Black and Native American communities, including Xavier University, the only Black Catholic university in the United States. She worked relentlessly until a severe heart attack in 1935 forced her to slow down, at the age of 77. Katherine Drexel spent the last twenty years of her life in prayer.

Katherine Drexel died March 3, 1955, at the age of 96, and was canonized in 2000. For more information on Katherine Drexel, visit www.KatharineDrexel.org.

Lenten Regulations
reprinted from February 14 issue of
The Valley Catholic Newspaper

The season of Lent focuses primarily on two aspects of Christian life.

First, we remember our Baptism and reflect on it with those who are preparing to be baptized. Second, we consider how well or poorly we have lived out our baptismal promises, and we observe more intensely the Christian penitential disciplines in order to live more faithfully the vows we made, or will make, at Baptism.

By emphasizing these two points, the Church prepares for the great Easter season when those who are not Christian are baptized and those who are already Christian renew their baptismal promises. Because we often fail to live out our baptismal call, we sin in ways that affect our relationship with God, with each other, and with the world. Therefore, the penance that we do during Lent strives not only for inward conversion and obedience to God but also for outward signs of reconciliation with the Church, with society and those around us, and with creation. Thus, the Church encourages us to follow more intensely three disciplines of penance: prayer, fasting, and works of charity and love.

Prayer

During Lent, we are encouraged to participate more often in the Eucharist, not only on Sunday but also on traditionally penitential days, such as Friday. This is an especially beneficial time to celebrate the Sacrament of Penance as well as the other liturgies of the Church, such as Evening Prayer and adoration and benediction of the Blessed Sacrament. Other devotions, such as stations of the cross, vigils, and prayer services are encouraged. Individual practices are also suggested, such as daily prayer, Scripture reading, spiritual reading, alms-giving, personal self-denial, and increased care and service to the sick and poor.

Fasting and Abstinence

Denying or limiting oneself from food is a traditional penitential practice. During Lent, those of age 18 until the day after one’s 59th birthday are obligated to observe a day of fasting on Ash Wednesday and Good Friday. Fasting means that one full meatless meal per day may be eaten. Two other meatless meals, sufficient to maintain strength, may be taken, but together they should not equal a full meal. Liquids, including milk and fruit juice, may be taken between meals. If health or ability to work are affected, one is not obligated to fast. Private, self-imposed observance of fasting on all weekdays of Lent is strongly recommended. Pastors and parents should ensure that children who are not bound by the laws of fast and abstinence are catechized in an authentic sense of penance, conversion, and reconciliation. Abstinence from eating meat is to be observed on Ash Wednesday and all Fridays during Lent. All the faithful are bound by Church law to abstain from meat from the day after their 14th birthday.

Easter Duty and Holy Communion

All the faithful, after they have participated in First Communion, are obligated to share in Communion at least once a year. This law must be fulfilled during the Easter season unless it is fulfilled for a just cause at some other time during the year. In the United States, with regard to this law, the Easter season is the period from the First Sunday of Lent until Most Holy Trinity Sunday (the Sunday after Pentecost).

Sacrament of Penance

After Baptism and a diligent examination of conscience, members of the Christian faithful are obligated to celebrate the Sacrament of Penance if one consciously commits a serious sin which has not yet been confessed or acknowledged in individual confession. It is recommended that venial sins are also confessed. The faithful who are old enough to understand that they have sinned are obligated to confess serious sins at least once a year.

Arbor Day: March 7
by Ellen Turner

Arbor Day is celebrated on March 7 in California. It is celebrated on different days in other states, usually based on the best time of the year for planting tree. Our California tradition goes back to 1909, when the state of California passed a bill declaring March 4, the birthday of Luther Burbank, as our Arbor Day.

Luther Burbank was not a native of California, but he settled in Santa Rosa, California, after discovering our longer growing season. Over a period of fifty years, Burbank developed over eight hundred new varieties of flowers, fruits, and vegetables. He referred to himself as a "partner with nature" as he experimented with different species of plants. One of his goals was to use his skills to increase the world's food supply.

Pictured here, a friend to both Thomas Edison (left) and Henry Ford (right), Burbank (center) helped develop a potato that could withstand the blight that swept Ireland. That potato was later developed into the famous Idaho potato.

Burbank used his talents and skills to make the world a better place. The City of Santa Rosa maintains the Luther Burbank Home, Greenhouse, and Gardens, where the famed horticulturist, Luther Burbank, experimented with plants for most of his 50-year career.  Today, the area is a park where the public can come and learn more about this amazing man.

One of the seven parts of Catholic Social Teaching is respecting God's creation. Luther Burbank did that, using his talents to make the world better. This Arbor Day, plant a tree in his honor and carry on the tradition.

From the Bookshelf: Horton Hears a Who
by Ellen Turner

Theology from Dr. Seuss? Yes, this book is chock full of lessons for us all. Read it to your kids, or read it for yourself. Whether you think about abortion, or the death penalty, or how to treat everyone you meet, you can learn from Horton's experience.

The book has two lessons for us. First lesson: a person's a person, no matter how small! An unborn child, a convicted criminal, or the jerk who just cut you off in traffic, every person has the right to your respect. Each person is a temple of the Holy Spirit, and a face of Jesus in our lives. We will each be judged on how we treat the smallest, least important person in our world. (See Matthew 25: 31-46)

The second lesson, just as important as the first: Every voice is important! In Horton's story, a small lad finally adds his tiny voice to the discussion, and the tide is turned, the message is heard, and his people are saved.

Horton, the elephant, challenges each of us to respect all life, and to use every tiny ounce of energy we have to contribute to the good of the world. Share this book with everyone, young and old.

This is one of my Dad's favorite books. He thinks everyone, especially anyone in a position of authority, should read Horton Hears a Who regularly, to keep perspective. For his eightieth birthday, my siblings and I got him 80 copies. He took his 80 copies to classrooms and libraries all over his county, and read the story, leaving a copy for each person, no matter how small (or big), to take home and treasure.

Movie Review: CRASH
by Ray Turner

Movie review: Crash (2005) Sandra Bullock, Matt Dillon. Crash opens with the line: "In L.A., nobody touches you. We crash into each other just so we can feel something." Superbly directed and edited, Crash explores racism, discrimination, fear, and redemption in the lives of several people in Los Angeles. Using a series of chance coincidental encounters, Crash delves into racism in all layers of society. It is unsettling and poses more questions that it answers, exploring the reasons WHY people may give in to racist tendencies. Amid a life-threatening car wreck, an injured women cries out to her rescuer, "Please don't touch me!" Crash would make a good movie to stimulate a discussion on racism, but be advised, Crash contains crude street language.

Announcements

PARISH AND DEANERY:

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. We have met our goal and all additional funds received will go toward the new projector system for St. John Vianney Church. Please be generous, as this will make our liturgies much nicer. For more information about the ADA, click here.

Special Prayer and Reflection During Lent on Thursday nights. The Very Reverend David Bird, the Dean and Rector of Trinity Episcopal Cathedral, will be leading us on a spiritual journey through the writings of St. Paul. This series will be held in Saint John Vianney church from 7:00 PM to 8:30 PM on Thursdays, March 2, 9, 16, 23, 30, and finishing with our parish reconciliation service with confessions on Thursday, April 6, at 7 PM. Father Tim asks parish groups to either cancel, or limit to a minimum, all parish meetings so that all can be free to attend this Lenten series.

Mardi Gras (Katrina) Dinner & Auction: 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 Dinner and Auction, 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.

Organize SJV Fiesta 2006: Next Meeting is Wednesday, March 22, at 7:00 PM at the Drying Shed. The SJV Fiesta Committee is looking for volunteers to fill the following chair positions. If you are interested, or you know of someone who is interested, please contact David Couch at (408) 314-2393 or email dave@TheRedCarpetTeam.com.

Strawberry Shortcake Co-Chair
Sweet Booth Co-Chair
Bingo Co-Chair
Raffle Ticket Coordinator
Set Up/Tear Down Coordinator
Monday Clean-up Chair

SJV is Launching a Marriage Enrichment Group in April. The marriage enrichment group is a great way to make good marriages even better. For more information contact Richard and Veronica Wildanger at (408) 937-1483 or rpwildanger@earthlink.net.

SJV Parishioner Pamela Bjorklund, Ph.D., presents a Holy Week Retreat Weekend: "Meeting Violence with Love, Jesus' Response to the Passion," April 7-9, 2006, Friday at 4:00 PM to Sunday at 1:00 PM, at Presentation Center. For more information, visit the web site: www.presentationcenter.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. Click here to see the registration flyer. Click here to see the sponsorship flyer.

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.

COMMUNITY AT LARGE:

"A Killing In Choctaw" is a one-man two-act play, written and performed by Carl Ray. The play is about Carl's life growing up in Alabama. In 1962, Carl's Father was murdered because Carl responded to questions from a white man by saying "yes" and "no" instead of "yes sir" and "no sir." The play deals with the years following the tragedy of Carl's father's murder and how Carl came to terms with it by forgiving the murderer. An act Carl says saved his life. A poignant testimony to the redemptive and healing power of forgiveness, the Play on March 4 is a benefit performance for the work of Fr. Daniel Kiriti who operates the Mij Wa Neema (Village of Mercy) orphanage in Navaisha Kenya, and for Carl's work with college bound African American youth. Sponsored by The Thomas Merton Center of Palo Alto. For more information, visit www.thomasmerton.org.

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:		Rev. Paul Fitzgerald, SJ. "In The Words of John Paul II: Our Ecological Vocation: A Catholic Response to the Environmental Crisis."
	Monday, Mar. 20:		Mr. Joseph Hastings, West Coast Director, Catholic Relief Services. "In The Words of John Paul II: Creating Networks of Peace."
	Monday, Apr. 24:		Rev. Joseph Sands, SJ. "In The Words of John Paul II: Justice in the Americas: The Continuing Disparity of Wealth."
	Monday, May 22:		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:		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 invited to the Santa Clara Lecture Series presentation on the topic "Church Leadership, Ethics, and the Future," by James Keenan, S.J. Tuesday, March 7, 2006, 7:30-8:30 PM, Benson Memorial Center, Williman Room, Santa Clara University. Free and open to the public. For more information, call the Ignatian Center at 511-1951, or click here.

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.

Weekly Readings

This Week: 1st Sunday of Lent: March 5   Genesis 9:8-15   1 Peter 3:18-22   Mark 1:12-15 Next Week: 2nd Sunday of Lent: March 12   Genesis 22:1-2, 9a, 10-13, 15-18   Romans 8:31b-34   Mark 9:2-10

Praying the Scriptures:   Visit this web site for ideas   on praying the Scriptures:   www.liturgy.slu.edu   Take a Moment to Pray:   Visit this web site for ideas   on the Ignatius way to pray:   www.sacredspace.ie

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