Pentecost

(adapted from www.lectorprep.org and other sources)

The Eighth Sunday of Easter is Pentecost. Fifty days after the Resurrection of Jesus and 10 days after the Ascension, we commemorate the descent of the Holy Spirit upon the Apostles . The red vestments are symbolic of the tongues of fire. (Let's all wear red to Mass to celebrate Pentecost.) Pentecost marks the foundation of the Church as a community wider than the original twelve Apostles who were empowered by the Holy Spirit.

Reading I - Acts 2:1-11
After bringing reassurance to his disciples, Jesus confers upon them the Holy Spirit, the vehicle of his presence in the Church. This gift sends the confident disciples out to proclaim the risen Christ to the crowds who have gathered in Jerusalem.

This day was an important Jewish feast that brought Jews from many places to Jerusalem. The mixed and diverse crowd is a preview of the challenge of the Church's world-wide mission. By the Pentecost miracle, people of many languages simultaneously hear one gospel in their own language, and the Church is set on its mission to unite humankind again under one God.

Celebrating Our Diversity - SJV's Annual 3-day Fiesta
by Leticia Scaringe

Ride Tickets: Purchase your Ride Tickets now and save. $15 per book of 30 tickets. That’s as much as a 33% savings from regular ticket price! Turn one ticket book to the ride booth on Friday, May 20, and get an unlimited ride "wristband". Valid 5 PM to 9 PM only. Tickets are on sale Wednesday after school and after all Masses through Thursday, May 19.  On May 20 through May 22, Ride Tickets are only available from the Carnival at regular price. For more information contact: Sonia Gonzalez (408) 272-1171 or Sonya Carpenter (408) 272-2829.

Raffle Tickets: Return your Raffle Tickets and your donation of $25 per book of 10 tickets (or $3 per ticket) to the Parish Office Center or to the Fiesta members in front the Church on Sundays before Fiesta. Additional books are available. The raffle drawing will take place on Sunday, May 22, at approximately 8:30 PM. For more information contact: Maria Macias (408) 272-1929 or (408) 987-6493.

Food Booths: Come and enjoy the wide variety of foods and goodies in the all new food court. New this year, the Bifana Food Booth and exciting new treats in the Sweet Booth. The Famous Chicken BBQ, on Sunday, May 22, starts at Noon and continues until 6 PM, or until the food runs out. Cost for BBQ is $7 for adults, $4 for children under 12.

Entertainment: This year's theme is "Celebrating our Diversity." This will be evident in the varied stage performances. Also in the food and games quad area, music will fill the air, reflecting the various cultures that make up our community. Knight Sounds Entertainment is providing a variety of music, featuring many traditional songs from around the world. Special thanks to all the performers for donating their time, energy and talents. Your generosity and sacrifice is forever appreciated.

-- Carlos Diaz, Entertainment Chair, carlosdi@pacbell.net

Game Booths: Enjoy booth games such as the popular Football Toss, creative and fun games for kids such as the Lucky Ducky Game. Try your luck at the all new Basketball Toss, or Coelho Dart Toss, or the number one game, D&D Ball Toss. There are cool prizes for everyone, and Bingo in the main hall !

Other Booths:

Help Make Fiesta Successful
by Leticia Scaringe

Be a Chair or Co-Chair of a booth. Volunteer to work a food or game booth or help behind the scenes like helping with security to protect our booths over night. Volunteers needed for Sunday's BBQ Serving Line Coordinator. To volunteer, contact Patricia Tovar at (408) 750-7028 or patricia.tovar@arusd.org.

Bring Oak or Fruit Tree Wood to cook our chicken for Sunday’s BBQ. Contact Fernando Martins (phone info below).

Silent Auction Booth needs donations of themed gift baskets, donations of any kind, or gift certificates. Contact Patricia Rivera (phone info below).

The Multimedia Booth is looking for donations of books, tapes, CDs, software, DVDs, etc., in English, Spanish, and other languages. The Mulitmedia Booth is also looking for volunteers to help with sales.  Contact Sue Lapsys (phone info below).

Keep a Portuguese Tradition at the Fiesta. To the Portuguese Community and/or experienced doughnut makers, there is a new generation of inexperienced Portuguese struggling to carry on the tradition of making "Filhos" (Portuguese doughnuts) for the SJV Fiesta. We are in need of volunteers, especially those experienced in the ways of making and frying the dough. If you would like to help this year, or with future Fiestas, please email Bonnie Vierra at vierrarwe@SBCglobal.net (phone info below). Obrigado and thank you.

Sponsor a booth or purchase advertising banner space to hang your own company banner. Existing sponsors $125, new sponsors $150, and commercial advertising banners $250.

Space Rental for Marketing Booths: Fiesta organizers are allowing marketing booths at the Fiesta. These booths are for soliciting/marketing products and services. No selling. You bring your own 10' x 10' booth and man it. The price is $350 for the 3 days.

High School Confirmation
by Bruno Martinez

If you ever wanted to see the future of the Church, you need only have been in our church on Friday, April 29. You would have witnessed many young men and women choosing to be Confirmed and entering into full conscious and active participation in their Catholic Christian Faith.

Bishop McGrath visited our church as the celebrant and sealed the Confirmandi into their faith. Fathers Tim, Andy and Oscar concelebrated. Each of the High School Confirmandi researched, chose and wrote reports on their Confirmation names. Both Fr. Tim and Bishop McGrath commented on the variety and uniqueness of the names chosen.

The Confirmation Mass was followed by a reception in the Main Hall, at which time each newly Confirmed member of the Faith was able to be photographed with the Bishop.

Please keep these extraordinary young men and women in your prayers as they embark on faithful lives in discipleship of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ:

SJV School Honors Miss Bell

SJV Parish Web Site

SJV Parish Web Site has moved and is being updated. Please go to www.sjvnews.net to visit our new location, and check back periodically for updates. We have moved to a new domain and web hosting account that is owned and operated by the parish.  You can read this SJV Parish Newsletter each week (and its past issues) from the new web site, and that makes it easier to share with others. This move gives us the opportunity for major improvements in the future.  For example, we want to develop an area about the history of SJV, and we want to archive the parish bulletins so readers can look at past issues.

The web site team is the same group of friendly and eager volunteers who bring you this SJV Parish Newsletter each week. Parishioner, Joe Nolan will be serving as our webmaster. He serves on the same SJV Parish Communication Team with Chairperson, Ellen Turner (who also serves as the editor of the newsletter).

Contributors (and current communication team members) are Sylvia and Kevin Stoddart, Leticia Scaringe, Olga Rodriguez, Judi Miel, Bruno Martinez, Rosana Madrigal, Patricia Pena, George Black, Regi Gutierrez, Everett Becerra, and Father Tim Kidney.

We're looking for volunteers to join our group, and for contributors who have ideas and stories/pages to share.  If you are called to ministry and service, and you have talents or interests as a writer, or as a web page or newsletter designer, our group might be just the right fit for you.

To contact Ellen about the newsletter or about attending our next group meeting, email newsletter@sjvnews.net . To contact Joe, please send your email to webmaster@sjvnews.net . We look forward to hearing from you.

Kudos To The Change Agents
by Gilne D. Tosco

Parents, students, and people of faith rocked the walls of educational tradition to demand innovation in education in the Alum Rock community. At 7 PM, on April 25, a large community meeting included over 650 parents, students, teachers, members of the Alum Rock School Board, and members of the community.  The meeting echoed, and reverberated in the mind and hearts of this public school community, the idea of site-based budgeting and student-weighted formula in financing public education.

Site-based budgeting allows for flexibility of innovation. The principal and the teachers involved in educating our children within the small school will make the decisions on how to spend the money allotted to each student to best serve their needs. Parent involvement in decision-making plays a pivotal role.

Sounds of empowerment, joy, and pride strengthened the hope and aspiration of the believers in the power of change. Two days after the community meeting, the Alum Rock School Board held a special session to tackle the issues and concerns discussed in the meeting.

Very special appreciation to those who believe that change can be realized in our lifetime as long as we put our best effort and energy into it with Divine guidance.

Announcements

Anita Hendel, the beloved mother of former SJV pastor, Fr. Larry Hendel, passed away unexpectedly on May 2, 2005. Anita was the cherished wife for fifty five years of Larry Hendel and loving mother to her children, Father Larry Hendel; Greg Hendel; Jerry Hendel and his wife Cathy; Jeanne and her husband Kyle Christie; Brian Hendel and his wife Michelle. She was a kind and loving grandmother to Tori Hendel, Denise and David Christie, Nicholas and Logan Hendel. Fr. Larry was able to come home to be with his family in this time of grief. Funeral Mass was held at Our Lady of Loretto Church in Novato. Notes of condolence can be sent to the family at 6 Nogales Ct., Novato, CA 94947.

Theology on Tap, "Christian Discipleship, Why Bother?" with Fr. Brendan McGuire, presented by Silicon Valley Young Adults - St. Cyprian, at Scruffy Murphy's Irish Pub, 187 South Murphy Avenue, Sunnyvale, on May 22 at 7 PM to 9 PM. Admission is free, food and drinks are sold. Click here to see the flyer.

This Sunday, our special collection will be for Catholic Charities. This arm of the Catholic Church provides important direct services to the least among us, just as Jesus called us to do. Programs include:
  1. Older Adults (John XXIII Center, Eastside Neighborhood Center,
      Foster Grandparent, Nutrition Program, and other).
  2. Economic Development Services (Immigration and Refugee Services,
      Employment Services, Financial Education Services, and Housing
      Programs).
  3. Behavioral Health Services (Behavioral Health, Focus For Work,
      Community Counseling and Education Services, and OASIS for Older
      Adults).
  4. Youth Services.
For more information, visit the Catholic Charities website at: www.ccsj.org.

This year Catholic Charities is celebrating 50 years of service to the Santa Clara Valley community. We invite you to help us celebrate at the following events:
  A. Catholic Charities' Annual Golf Tournament at Cinnabar Hills
      Golf Club, San Jose, Monday, June 13.
  B. 50th Anniversary Celebration Dinner, Thursday, October 6, The
      Fairmont Hotel, Regency Ballroom, 5:30 PM, Mass at the Cathedral
      Basilica, cocktail reception and dinner immediately following.
Be as generous as you can. Remember that Jesus told us we will be judged on how we treat the least among us. Catholic Charities is one way we take care of the least among us.

An evening Bible Study on the Gospel of John will be presented by the Very Rev. David Bird on Tuesday evenings May 17, 24, 31, and June 7 from 7:00 PM to 8:30 PM in the parish office center.

There is a Rite of Sending this Sunday, May 15 at the 10:30 AM Mass for the adults who will be Confirmed at the Cathedral Basilica of Saint Joseph at 3:30 PM.

The retreat, "A Walk with Jesus," is on Saturday, May 14 from 10 AM to 3 PM at SJV.  Meet at the Parish Office Center. Lunch will be provided and childcare is available. Click here to see the flyer. For more information and to confirm attendance, contact Mike Navarro at (408) 404-1805 or mikenavarro@hotmail.com .

St. John Vianney School is still accepting applications for the 2005-06 school year for Kindergarten and First Grade.  Applications can be picked up in the school office Monday - Friday from 8 AM to 4 PM or on-line at our school website: www.sjvsj.org.  For more information you can e-mail mwood@sjvsj.org or contact Co-Principal, Martha Wood at (408) 258-7677.

Weekly Readings

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