Fr. Francisco Rios

Our new pastor, Francisco Rios, was born in Santa Elena, Entre Rios, Argentina, the sixth son of seven children. He grew up in a small town along the Parana River. Educated at Catholic schools, as a young man he abandoned the faith in favor of basketball, music, dancing and fun. However, at the end of his high school education he attended a retreat at a Benedictine monastery. After that he found himself drawn to the religious life.

After he finished high school, young Francisco went to the big city, Buenos Aires. Tired of school, he spent a year working a minimum wage job and playing basketball. A year later he returned home, where he followed his mother's advice and studied to become a teacher. After some time, with prodding from priest friends who saw his call to the priesthood, he started to travel around the countryside with a priest friend, visiting the sick, saying Mass for the farmers, baptizing their children. This renewed his interest in the priesthood.

In 1985, after working as a teacher for a few months, Francisco entered a new religious order founded the previous year, the Institute of the Incarnate Word. There he studied and was ordained a priest on December 22, 1991. In 1993, he came to the U.S., staying in Brooklyn, New York, studying English, and assisting with Spanish liturgies, and playing basketball.

In 1994 Fr. Francisco was assigned to San Jose as associate pastor for St. Maria Goretti parish, under Fr. Kevin Joyce. After that, he was stationed at St. Leo the Great parish, working with Fr. Rich Garcia, who is now auxiliary Bishop in Sacramento. While there, he also spent two years doing Detention Ministry. Fr. Francisco served as pastor of St. Leo's for six years. In 2003, after eight years in San Jose, Fr. Francisco decided to separate from the Institute of the Incarnate Word, and became a diocesan priest in the Diocese of San Jose. He then spent one more year at St. Maria Goretti before being assigned as pastor of Our Lady Star of the Sea in Alviso only two years ago.

Please welcome Fr. Francisco as our new pastor starting July 1, and maybe shoot some baskets with him. We will officially greet him, and say good-bye to Fr. Tim, on Sunday, July 2 at 3:00 PM in the Parish Office Center and garden. (If construction makes that difficult we can move the party to the Rectory Garden and dining room). Call David Cortese if you would like to help, or just bring some yummy treats and join the rest of the parish to say "Hello" and "Good-bye" to our incoming and outgoing pastors.

Father's Day Stories Submitted by SJV Parishioners

Social Justice and a Saint, by Dr. Leo (Vic) English

My Dad benefited from racial injustice in the Key West, Florida, Catholic Schools. He and another black student were not allowed in regular class rooms with the white children so the Sisters of the Holy Names of Jesus and Mary specially taught them. My father came out of grade school with French, Italian and Greek languages along with the usual things. He went on through Atlanta University, Howard University and to Northwestern school of Medicine, where he was second in his class in 1916. A great musician also, he played Cornet in Chicago Jazz Clubs to earn his medical school fees. I was born in Toledo, Ohio where my Dad became a pillar of the medical community and on staffs of all the hospitals there. He instilled in me honesty and respect for all humans, how to listen, how to not carry grudges, how not to get into intractable arguments, and a deep love of Jesus and all precepts of the Church. That honesty and charity - always pushing me to achieve only the best - made my Dad a saint in my eyes. He actually and seriously had thoughts of becoming a priest in his early years.

A funny thing happened one time when my Dad had gone downstairs from his office to the corner drug store to purchase a prescription for one of his many poor patients. A couple of men stole the hot (I mean red hot) pot bellied stove, literally lifting it out and down from the second floor leaving Dad and his office freezing in that winter in Toledo. Dad passed that off as an act of God and prayed for the thieves.

My Dad was Dr. Leo Victor English, M.D. I'm the 2nd. We were members of St. Patrick's Parish in Toledo Ohio.

Dad, by Vince Garcia (son of Pat and Cokie Garcia)

Herman Garcia, better known as "Cokie" by many of his relatives, was a man who loved life. Described best as a "people person", his ability to get along with everyone was uncanny. He was a family man, who adored his children, grandchildren, and especially his wife Patty of over 30 years. A master story teller, it was not uncommon to find him at the center of attention, sparking laughter in a crowd. He was a die-hard 49'er fan, who owned a customized 49'er Volkswagon Van that shined of the colors red and gold. It was even equipped with a mini television, perfect for watching the pre-game shows while driving up to Candelstick Park on a Sunday morning.

As great as his love for the 49'ers was his love of cooking. He was a perfectionist when it came to preparing his famous BBQ chicken and delicious linguica sausages. For Sunday morning breakfast, chorizo con huevos was often his special of the day. He ate tortillas with everything, and was meticulous in the way he heated them on the stove. After a full weekend afternoon of cooking, spending time with family, and watching the 49'ers or Giants, Herman could be found relaxing in his Jacuzzi, sipping on a bottle of Negro Modela or Sierra Nevada beer. "Go make sure he's still awake," his wife would often say, worried that he might have dozed off after hours of relaxation. This time of relaxation was well deserved.

A veteran of the Silicon Valley high tech. industry, he worked extremely hard for over 30 years. He began his career at Lockheed, spent many more years at Intel, and finally ended up at Unisys. While he always maintained a well paying job, he never would admit it. "We are poor," he would often say to his family, remembering his humble upbringing in downtown San Jose, where he shared a very small living space with several of his cousins. It was with one of these cousins that he suffered a freak accident at the age of 10. He was shot in the face, and permanently lost his left eye. You would never know it though, as he never once murmured a single complaint about it, or let it stop him from living life to the fullest. He only had one eye, yet his vision in life was crystal clear. It was this sort of paradox that characterized him. He was very proud, yet truly humble. He was a comedian, but very serious. He lived like a true Christian. A workaholic, but loved to play. He enjoyed his privacy, but welcomed everyone into his home with open arms.

In 1997, Herman suffered a major stroke, and died shortly after, on the day before Thanksgiving. He was only 56. This was a tragic loss and a shock to everybody that knew him. As an avid jogger he ran 3 miles every day in Alum Rock Park and was in great shape. He will forever be missed, but shall never be forgotten. If you ever need evidence of the cliche, "the great ones die young", just think of Herman "Cokie" Garcia.

Jose Vega Gonzalez (April 6, 1948 ­ January 13, 2006), by Cindy Aviles

What did my daddy teach me? Respect, Devotion, Dedication and most of all Love. When I was a little girl, I remember jumping on my parent's bed and landing on my poor father's belly. I would wait till he wasn't prepared and give him that great body slam - something I had seen on television when he watched his favorite wrestling matches. He was always rough, and my mother would always scold him to treat me like a little girl. Of course, he would eventually fill me with frustration and make me cry. He would smile from ear to ear and just laugh. It's one of the first memories I have of my father.

Another early memory I have, was the love that he had for my mother. The adoration was sickening. I remember the comforting feeling I had so see them so happy together. I saw that affection to your other half is a great thing. My husband reaps the rewards of his early teachings.

My father worked very hard and didn't spend a lot of time with us. He would play with us, any moment that he could. My mother was a homemaker. He always worked double shifts to make ends meet. It was a treat for us when he didn't have a double shift. The devotion to the family was impeccable.

As far as I can remember, I always knew he was my stepfather. He had raised me since I was 3 months old. He had taken the responsibility of caring for someone else's 3 children at the age of 18. To this day, I could only imagine the love he had for my mother to sign up for the lifelong task.

As I look back on the relationship with my father, I wouldn't change a thing. I experienced first-hand that it's possible to grow to love children that you didn't create. The love that I always felt from my father is unexplainable. He never mentioned the words "I love you" while I was growing up. I just knew he did.

In the past few years, I heard those words very often. His diabetes was taking its toll. He was told last year that he only had about 4 months to live. He pulled through seven months. Every time we talked, he always ended the conversation with "I love you, mija" (mija means 'my daughter').

This will be my first Father's Day without him. All I have are a daughter's memories of a great husband, father & grandfather. I will be celebrating the love that he shared with us throughout our lives. What I would do to hear those words again..."I love you, mija."

My Dad, by Ray Turner

My father has been in heaven for many years now, but I still think of him often. My father loved us kids. I remember him spending hours teaching my brother Tom and me to play ball and practice with us. And when Mary was born, he had a princess to dote over. And when the grandchildren came, he loved playing with them too. I was blessed with a dad whose love for us was a reflection of God's love for us. It wasn't hard to see why Jesus called God "Abba" ­ my Abba was warm and loving and gentle and kind.

My dad was always busy helping around church, in the Holy Name Society, in St. Vincent de Paul Society, fixing microphones, picking up day-old food and taking it to the Brothers of Charity for distribution to the poor, and organizing parish dinner dances.

It wasn't just around church he worked so hard. When I was about eight years old, he would come home every night after a full day's work and spend hours converting the attic into a bedroom for Tom and me. It had secret areas behind shoe racks and dressers ­ what fun! I recall listening to the Lone Ranger ­ on the radio! ­ as he worked and we slept.

When I developed an interest in trains, he built a train layout for me and taught me how to wire it. And we always managed to find a train ride or two on our vacations. (If you've been to our house, you know how far this has taken me.) He was a great model for me in what it means to be a dad ­ and how to enjoy your kids.

Ripples From SJV
by Ellen Turner

The SJV Communication Team has caused some ripples in other parts of California. Our weekly parish newsletter has gotten some great attention from other parishes. At our recent Parish Fiesta, a woman from Fresno sought me out to tell me how much she appreciates our newsletter. She reads every story, and would like our help in getting her parish Communication Team started.

Then, last week, I got a voice message from the person who heads the Stewardship Committee at the Mission Carmel parish. Somehow she found us on the Internet. She was very excited about our Fair Trade Coffee Progressive Party organized by SJV Faith In Action members last Spring. She was also impressed with MT25, and JustFaith. Later I spoke with her directly and she said she was looking for some way to bring some of that great Catholic Social Justice action to her parish. I introduced her to JustFaith, a national program (She thought it was just our parish program.) and told her where to find more information. She hopes to get her parish Stewardship Committee to sign up for JustFaith and then get other parishioners into it also.

Perhaps you would like to be a part of this ripple effect? The SJV Communication Team is in need of some web savvy technical types, to help with making our newsletters and web site look lovely, and some writers and editors to keep the level of content high. If we work together, we can cause some more ripples. Please join us, we really need help if we are to keep this newsletter on its current schedule. (You probably didn't realize that most of the work is done by a very small team, currently stretched pretty thin.) We have lots of other ideas for improving communication in the parish, but we need more volunteers to make it happen. It is time for you to share your talents with us. Perhaps we can turn these ripples into a small tsunami?

Fr. Edsil Ortiz
by Carmencita Quiroga

A BRIEF ACCOUNT ABOUT REV. EDSIL EMMANUEL N. ORTIZ, OFM

Rev. Edsil was born on May 29, 1967, in Calbayog City, Philippines. His late father, Ignacio T. Ortiz Sr. was an Engineer and a certified Mariner. His mother is an educator and a teacher. He is the seventh child of the eight siblings in the family. Two of his sisters are professed members of the Order of St. Clare. He belongs to a very religious clan that produced quite a number of servants for the Church, namely: a Cardinal, two Bishops, two Monsignors, several religious and diocesan priests, and a number of nuns.

In 1983, Rev. Edsil graduated from college with a Bachelor of Arts. He joined the post-graduate theological program at the Our Lady of the Angels Franciscan Seminary in Manila, Philippines, and graduated with a Master's Degree in Pastoral Ministry in the year 1994. He continued his post-graduate studies at the University of San Jose-Recoletos with a Master's Degree in Psychology in the year 2004. He is a solemnly professed member of the Order of Friars Minor in the Province of San Pedro Bautista, Philippines. He received his profession of vows on the 25th of May, 1991, and was ordained as a Franciscan priest on December 8, 1998, in the Philippines.

A few years ago, Rev. Edsil received God's call and invitation to minister to people outside his home country as a diocesan priest. He was motivated to help the dying churches in Europe, the United States, and other parts of the world. He was considering many places, but the Lord led him to the United States. He is now discerning of becoming a diocesan priest in the Diocese of San Jose.

Rev. Edsil has been ministering the Catholic community of Saint John Vianney Parish for almost a year now. He is loved by the parishioners because of his pastoral and personal approach to ministry. He delivers great homilies and is gifted with a fantastic voice. As such, he is a true gift to the community and to the Church at large.

Rev. Edsil envisions very dynamic, pastoral, people-oriented, and lay-empowered Catholic communities, where priests work, not individually, and not acting as "corporate managers," but as a pastoral team, that serves as "humble servants" and "good shepherds" to the flock, which the Lord has entrusted to their care.

We thank the Lord for the gift of Rev. Edsil to our parish and to the Church. May God continue to inspire him as he continues to share his charisma with the people.

Rev. Padre Edsil nació el 29 de mayo de 1967 en la ciudad de Calbayog, Filipinas. Su papá el Sr. Ignacio T. Ortiz Sr. era ingeniero y marinero. Su mamá es profesora. Rev. Padre Edsil es el séptimo hijo de su familia de ocho hermanos. Dos de sus hermanas son monjas de la Orden de Santa Clara. Su familia tiene una creencia religiosa muy cimentada. En la familia del Rev. Padre Edsil hay un cardinal, dos obispos, dos monseñores, varios religiosos y religiosas.

En 1983 Rev. Padre Edsil se graduó de la Universidad con el título de Bachiller en Artes. Después continuó con el  programa de post-grado en el Seminario Franciscano de la Vírgen de los Angeles en Manila, Filipinas. Se graduó con un masterado en Ministerio Pastoral en 1994. Continuó estudiando en la Universidad de San José Recoletos y sacó un masterado en Psicología en el 2004. Rev. Padre Edsil pertenece a la Orden de Friars Minor de la Provincia de San Pedro Bautista, Filipinas. El hizo sus votos sacerdotales el 25 de mayo de 1991 y fue ordenado como sacerdote franciscano el 8 de diciembre de 1998, en las Filipinas.

Después de varios años, Rev. Padre Edsil recibió la llamada de Dios en la cual le decía de la gran necesidad que existía en Europa, Estados Unidos y otros países del mundo de trabajar con la gente y de la escases de sacerdotes y vocaciones. Estaba considerando varios lugares para ir a trabajar, pero la llamada de Dios fue más explícita y lo trajo a Estados Unidos.  

Llegó a la Parroquia de San Juan María Vianney, y ya está casi un año trabajando con los feligreses de ésta parroquia. Su trabajo ha sido muy significativo para los feligreses que lo han apoyado y ofrecido su amistad y cariño. Sus homilías o sermones  tienen un sentido muy espiritual y profundo. También tiene una maravillosa voz. Estos preciosos regalos que Dios le dió, los comparte con la comunidad.

La meta del Rev. Padre Edsil es ver una comunidad católica muy dinamica, pastoral, trabajando en comunidad con los sacerdotes y laicos, siviendo a todos como las ovejas del rebaño que Dios nos dejó para que cuidemos.

Agradecemos a Dios por los dones y gracia que el Rev. Padre Edsil ha traído a nuestra parroquia. Que Dios continue trabajando en él para que pueda seguir inspirando con su carisma a la gente de la comunidad donde vaya a prestar sus servicios.

JUSTICE SYMPOSIUM
by Linda Batton

Catholic Social Teaching: The Good News in a Broken World
Enseñanza Social Católica: Buenas Noticias en un Mundo Roto

The Diocese of San Jose is sponsoring a Justice Symposium, Catholic Social Teaching: The Good News in a Broken World/Enseñanza Social Católico: Buenas Noticias en un Mundo Roto on Saturday, June 24, from 8:00 AM - 4:00 PM at Benson Center at Santa Clara University. It will feature a keynote address by John Carr, Secretary of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops' Department of Social Development and World Peace and, in Spanish, by Daniel Lizárraga of Catholic Relief Services. There will also be an afternoon legislative briefing by Congresswoman Zoe Lofgren. There will be workshops, exhibits, and a special luncheon awards program. Online registration is available on the diocesan website: www.dsj.org. Registration is limited, so please register early. Cost is $35 including lunch and materials. $45 after June 10. For questions, contact Sylvia at (408) 983-0128 or Linda at (408) 983-0158.

Spanish: Note, Spanish registration for the Symposium is very low. Some sessions may be cancelled if additional Spanish registrations are not received. Please spread the word among your Spanish-speaking friends.

La Diócesis de San José esta patrocinando un simposio de la Enseñanza Social Católica con el siguiente tema: The Good News in a Broken World/Buenas Noticias en un Mundo Roto. Este se llevará a cabo el sábado 24 de junio de 8:00 AM - 4:00 PM en el Centro Benson de la Universidad de Santa Clara. El conferencista principal es John Carr, Secretario del departamento del Desarrollo de la Justicia Social y Paz en el Mundo de la Conferencia Católica de los Obispos de los Estados Unidos. El conferencista principal en Español será Daniel Lizárraga de los Servicios de Alivio Católico. Por la tarde estará presente el congresista Zoe Lofgren. También habrá diferentes talleres, exposiciones y entrega de premios durante el almuerzo. Usted se puede registrar por la página internet diocesana: www.dsj.org. Las registraciones son limitadas, y si se registra a tiempo el costo es de $35.00 e incluye almuerzo y materiales. Si usted se registra después del 10 de junio el costo es de $45.00. Si tiene preguntas llame a Sylvia (408) 983-0128 o Linda Batton (408) 983-0158.

Announcements

PARISH AND DEANERY:

Marriage Community Get-Together: Married Couples - Join us for an end-of-the-week break with dessert, refreshments and a great discussion of Couple Rituals: Finding Rich Moments. Friday, June 23, from 7:00 PM to 8:30 PM SJV Parish Office Center. On-site childcare is available. For more information, contact Richard and Veronica Wildanger, (408) 937-1483, rpwildanger@earthlink.net

Youth Ministry is Going on All Summer Long with fun events! All Junior High and High School students are invited to our Movie Night on Thursday, June 29, at 6:30 PM.  Feel free to drop in whenever you can, we will be watching movies all night.  We encourage your friends with you.  If you have questions or would like to RSVP, please call David Cortese at 258-7832 x34 or e-mail him at dcortese@sjvsj.net. To see the flyer, click here.

Family Faith welcomes you and your family (pre-school through adult) to participate in the many educational and sacramental programs offered through this community:

• Basic Faith Formation (Discovering God, Jesus, the Holy Spirit and Church)
• Sacramental Preparation (Baptism, Reconciliation, Eucharist, Confirmation)
• Ongoing Participation (Our Role in Community, Our Commission to Serve)

This Fall, we are excited to offer a weekly fellowship, Faith Alive, for any adult who wishes to explore their personal faith. This fellowship will provide a time for prayer, personal reflection, candid discussion, and the opportunity to ask your own questions about God, Catholic traditions and "everyday" faith. We hope that you will set aside one day a week to enrich the spiritual journey of you and your family members! Please call the Catechetical Ministry office at 258-7832 x18 English, or 258-7832 x30 español. For more information, click here.

Help Needed! Family Faith is seeking individuals (minimum age 16 yrs) who are interested in becoming a Catechist or Catechist aide for grades 1-6. TRAINING WILL BE PROVIDED. Please contact 258-7832 x24 for more information. We look forward to hearing from you soon!

Fr. Francisco Rios, presently the Pastor of Our Lady Star of the Sea in Alviso, has been named pastor of St. John Vianney effective July 1. Fr. Andres Parra has been named Parochial Vicar of Sacred Heart in San Jose. The new Parochial Vicar is Fr. Eddie Obero, presently at St. Thomas Aquinas in Palo Alto.

On the afternoon of Sunday, July 2, we will say "good bye" to our current pastor, Fr. Tim Kidney, and welcome our new pastor, Fr. Francisco Rios. We could use a few good people to organize this event. Contact David Cortese at the POC or dcortese@sjvsj.net.

Parish Event Calendar is Online: The SJV Parish Communication Team has launched a Parish Event Calendar. Click here to see the calendar. The calendar can also be found as a link from the parish web site, www.sjvnews.net. Taking the first term as the Calendar Administrator will be Leticia Scaringe, a communication team member. To post events, you may email (what, when, where) info about appropriate events to calendar@sjvnews.net. Events in the calendar, as with all productions of the SJV Parish Communication Team, are subject to review before posting.

COMMUNITY AT LARGE:

Justice Symposium is on June 24, at Santa Clara University. Registration forms will be ready soon. But please mark your calendar now and plan to attend and invite others. There will be several excellent national and local speakers including John Carr, Secretary of the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops Dept. of Social Development and World Peace, and Congresswoman Zoe Lofgren, as well as exhibits, lunch, prayer, an award ceremony, and an opportunity to network and share with others. This year, the Symposium will include a Spanish track. Hope to see you there! - Linda Batton, SJ Diocese.

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