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In This Issue:
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Do not be afraid; just have faith.
St. John Vianney Parish loves a good party!
Join other parishioners on Sunday,
July 2,
3:00 PM to 5:00 PM at the Parish Office Center for a party to celebrate our
two pastors: Fr. Tim Kidney, who is leaving to work in Jamaica, and Fr.
Francisco Rios who is coming in as our new pastor.
We will have the party in the garden that is attached to the Parish Office Center, so you can enter via the garden gate, that faces St. Francis Hall, or via the front door of the POC. Cake and punch will be provided, but we need lots of people to bring cookies, finger foods, and other treats to make the day a success. (Several of the folks we usually count on to provide treats are traveling at this time, so we need your help more than ever.)
Shhh! Don't tell Fr. Tim! We would like to give Fr. Tim a gift as a sign of our appreciation. He has not been here for very long, but he has made a big impact on the parish. During his short tenure we have established a functional Parish Pastoral Council, a solid Stewardship Committee, and the Communication Team that produces this electronic newsletter. He personally encouraged and supported our parish actions to support our sister parish damaged by Hurricane Katrina. He made some very difficult decisions that have put the parish on better financial footing as we go forward, and found the resources to build at least the outer shell for our much needed Multipurpose Building. He also came through with great homilies, often in support of Catholic Social Teaching, challenging us to make our world a better place for all. Dick Decker has agreed to purchase a gift that Fr. Tim will appreciate and to engrave it so he will always remember SJV. We will ask Fr. Tim to take any remaining funds with him to Jamaica for his mission work. If you would like to contribute, send an email to newsletter@sjvnews.net or phone Ellen Turner at 272-9234.
One memory firmly fixed in my mind from my childhood
is a very ordinary time, while I was washing the dishes with my mom. It's a
ritual most of today's kids miss out on, since 
loading
the dishwasher is far less intimate. My sisters and I would fight about
whose turn it was each night. (My brother had been let off the hook as soon
as he was old enough to mow the lawn.) We washed each item in hot sudsy
water on one side of the sink, then put it into boiling hot water on the
other side of the sink, before leaving it to dry on a rack. Mom said her
grandmother taught her that she was not ready to get married until she could
put her hands into boiling water, so that is what we all did. Mom said the
hot water killed the last of the germs. If we were too slow washing, and the
water cooled, we had to empty the sink and fill it again with boiling water.
I am sure that the dishwasher does a better job of it, getting much hotter,
but it is far less personal. Time spent at the sink was time to think and
mull over issues, contemplate great thoughts, and to pray.
The particular
memory I want to share with you is the time my mom told me that the only
thing I could be sure of in life was that things will change. What a great
gift to give a
child! We all have a natural tendency to fear change, yet it is sure to
happen. I really believe it is because I have accepted change that I have
been able to be an agent for change in myself, my family, our community, and
our parish. Gandhi says "We must be the change we wish to see in the
world." My mom's little talk at the kitchen sink set me up to accept
that challenge, rather than to throw up my hands and give up when things are
not as they ought to be.
Change is not about loss. It is about possibilities! We are undergoing several big changes at St. John Vianney right now and I urge you all to relish these changes, to join in and see how you might really contribute to making this wonderful parish ever better. The reward will be an even more vibrant community than we already have.
So, our pastor is leaving after a very short time here. Changing pastors is a big stress for a community. Let's embrace this change, and see it as a time for new beginnings. Let's take a look at our mission as parish, and recommit ourselves to our basic ideals.
Our church property is about to undergo a huge change! Parking is going to become difficult, especially during construction, which I can promise you, will certainly take longer than we would like. We as a community are taking on a big financial burden for this building, but it will certainly be worth it in the long run. I know no one likes to hear about money, but we are going to have to hear about it a lot until we can pay the price for this much needed building. The sooner we reach into our pockets and ante up, the sooner we can stop talking about the money and start living up to our ideals.
So, rather than stress about the upcoming changes in our parish, gather up your courage, stick your hands into the boiling water, and do your part to make these changes opportunities for growth. (And if you made a pledge to the building fund, but haven't paid it yet, doing so now would really help!)
Regarding the Building Fund...
By Ellen Turner
Several people have asked me about fundraising
for the new building. So I investigated and found out that fundraising ideas
should go to the Stewardship Team and the Finance Committee. The Stewardship
Team is always looking for ways to increase our parish
donations of time, talent, and treasure. The Finance Committee is
responsible for keeping track of our parish-family budget and financial
responsibilities.
Remember, when we answer the call to Discipleship we take on the challenge of giving an important part of our personal time, talent and treasure to the work of God. These donations are not meant to be afterthoughts, or extra time, talent, and treasure that we find, but rather the first fruits of our lives, gifts taken off the top.
Although the concept of tithing is clearly Biblical, the Roman Catholic Church has been lax in teaching it. Tithing time, talent, and treasure, in the best sense, means spending time in prayer (Time), sharing your God-given talents and skills (Talent), and using your wealth to make the world a better place (Treasure).
I found this story on the Internet:
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A missionary in Africa had taught his people to tithe. He had explained
that "tithe" meant "one-tenth," and that this should
be their goal. He also had emphasized the difference between giving what
is left over, and giving off the top.
Early one morning a man came to the door with a fine fish, explaining that this was his "tithe". "You must have done well," said the missionary, "if you already caught 10 fish." "No," said the man. "This is the one I've caught so far. I'm going back now to catch the other nine." |
Could you spend six minutes a day in prayer? What talent or skill have you been blessed with? How can you share it with others? Are you giving from the top of your treasure or only giving left overs?
If you have a fundraising idea that you are willing to work on, or if you are interested in working on some fundraising ideas with other parishioners, let the Stewardship Team and the Finance Committee know by sending an email to newsletter@sjvnews.net and we will pass it on.
Blessed Junipero Serra - Feast Day July 1
Anyone who has lived in California for any length of time knows of the California missions that dot our map from San Diego in the south to San Francisco Solano in Sonoma in the north. This mission chain was started by Blessed Junipero Serra, whose feast day is July 1.
Born on the Spanish
island of Majorca in 1713, he was educated at Franciscan schools, where he
did very well. He was ordained a priest in 1737 and taught philosophy and
theology at the University of Padua until 1749. At that point, he persuaded
his superiors
to send him to Mexico to work with the native peoples there. Although very
sick from the long voyage, when he landed at Vera Cruz, he insisted on
walking the 200+ miles to Mexico City. In 1768, the Spanish government
expelled the Jesuits and handed their missions in Baja California over to
the Franciscans. Fr. Serra was appointed to manage them. He was over fifty
years old when he walked to San Diego to found the first of twenty-one
missions in Alta California.
He spent the remainder of his life working for the conversion of the native peoples of the New World. Today we know that this conversion process was less than ideal. Many native people were killed by disease for which they had no immunities. Others were treated quite brutally by those seeking to serve them, but there is no indication that Fr. Junipero himself intended these negative outcomes. The concept of missions was very forward thinking at the time. Native peoples who came into contact with the European cultures on the eastern side of the continent were actually treated with much more violence than the Franciscans in California allowed. But, it was the end to the way of life the native peoples had experienced.
Along with agriculture, the Franciscans brought art, music, and ranching. In the long run, twenty-one missions were founded in Alta California. In the 1830's, the missions were secularized, but most were eventually returned to Franciscan control. In a strange turn of events, after some of the mission lands were returned to the church the Franciscans turned them over to the Jesuit Order to be used as the site for the first college in California, Santa Clara University, founded in 1851.
Fr. Junipero Serra was a dedicated priest and missionary. He practiced an austerity that was common at that time, sleeping on a hard pallet, wearing heavy itchy shirts, burning himself. These things make no sense to us today, but in his time were signs of holiness.
For more information about California missions, click here, and for more about Fr. Junipero Serra, click here.
Our parish needs the talent of our parishioners!
We are taking over the production of the Discipleship Magazine that had been
done by expensive consultants in the past. So now we will be doing the page
layout, the writing and editing as parish volunteers. The document, which is
mailed to most families, and emailed to those willing to get it that
way in order to save the parish printing and mailing costs, will be
published quarterly. It is created in Quark Express, a software application
used by many professional graphic artists and desktop publishers.
A parish family has donated both a Macintosh and a Windows version of this professional tool to the parish, but we need a couple of experienced users to volunteer to do the page layout, or at least to train some less experienced users to do the job.
We also could use HTML experts, writers, photographers, and some less technical folks to work on a simpler project, not done on computer at all. Help us improve communication in our parish!
Is this a talent you have? If so, please pray about it and see if this is the gift of talent that you are being called to give. Respond to newsletter@sjvnews.net or phone Ellen Turner at 272-9234.
If Quark Express is not your talent, don't go away just yet. Catholic Charities has a few jobs that might be just what the Holy Spirit has in mind for you right now:
The John XXIII Center is looking for help with the Brown Bag Program. Every Wednesday, from 9:30 AM - 12:30 PM, they need people to unload large boxes of food delivered by Second Harvest Food Bank. The food must be organized, packed into brown bags or boxes, given out to the people who need it, then the space must be cleaned up. This job requires stamina, strength, and good humor! Is this for you?
Also at the John XXIII Center, they are in need of tutors while SJSU students are away on Summer Break. These tutors help the clients prepare for the Citizenship Test. The teaching materials are provided and you would work with a group of four or five seniors learning the questions and answers for the Citizenship test. This is one way to respond to the challenge Jesus gave us in Matthew 25: To welcome the stranger in our midst.
For either of the jobs at John XXIII Center, contact Mui Sam Le at (408) 282-8669 or email mle@ccsj.org.
PARISH AND DEANERY:
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 espaņol. 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.
Marriage Community Get-Together Married Couples:
Join us for an hour of wine, hors d'oeuvres and good laughs Wednesday,
July 26
from 7:30 PM to 9:00 PM SJV Parish Office Center. Don't miss our discussion
on Laughter in Marriage. On-site childcare is available. For more
information, contact Richard and Veronica Wildanger (408) 937-1483 rpwildanger@earthlink.net.
COMMUNITY AT LARGE:
"Rooted in Faith, Embracing our Future"
("Arraigados en la Fe, Abrazando Nuestro Futuro") will be held at
the Santa Clara Convention Center on
November 10 - 11.
this conference is sponsored by the Dioceses of San Jose, Monterey, Oakland
and Stockton and the Archdiocese of San Francisco. For more information call
(408) 983-0127, or click
here to see the Faith Formation Conference web page.
The Spiritual Journey... according to St. Teresa of Avila with Fr. Kevin Joyce. Villa Maria del Mar, 2-1918 East Cliff Dr., Santa Cruz, July 5 - 12, for more information call (831) 475-1236, or email villamariadelmar@earthlink.net
Worldwide Marriage Encounter Convention,
"In God We Trust", is coming
July 28-30,
2006, Friday at 8 PM through Sunday at 12 noon at Santa Clara University.
For more information contact Dennis and Carrie Crawford at dennis.crawford@wizwire.com.
To register, download a flyer at www.lovemoredeeply.org.
Couples, priests and religious from all over the northwestern United States
will gather at Santa Clara University for the Section 12 and 13 Marriage
Encounter Convention. If you've been on a Marriage Encounter Weekend, you
don't want to miss this chance to get together with other couples, religious
and priests who have shared that experience!
Recycle Your Electronics: HOPE Services will take your old monitors and televisions at no charge. HOPE has been approved by the State of California to become a "collector" of electronic waste. The items that they will be collecting include computer monitors, televisions, and laptops. If you have these items and would like to get rid of them, please call HOPE at (408) 748-2861, or drop them off Monday - Thursday from 9:00 AM to 6:00 PM or Friday from 9:00 AM to 2:00 PM, at 1777 Agnew Road, Santa Clara. Please use the Salvage door in the front of the building.
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This Week:
13th Sunday in Ordinary Time: July 2
Next Week:
14th Sunday in
Ordinary Time: July 9
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Praying the Scriptures:
Visit this web site for ideas on praying the Scriptures: www.liturgy.slu.edu
Take a Moment to Pray:
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Visit our parish web site at: www.sjvnews.net.