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In This Issue:
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My grace is sufficient for you,
for My power is made perfect in weakness.
St. John Vianney Parish knows how to have a good party!
On Sunday, July 2, 3:00 PM to 5:00 PM in the garden behind the Parish Office
Center we had 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.
The weather was perfect! The trees provided a lot of shade and we had to pull out an extra table for all the wonderful food everyone brought. David Cortese, who was the point person for the event, was a little concerned before hand, because so many people were out of town for the long holiday weekend, but plenty of folks came.
Fr. Tim introduced our new pastor, Fr. Francisco. Some parishioners have been collecting cash for a good-bye gift for Fr. Tim. Dick Decker purchased a chiming clock and engraved a plaque for it so Fr. Tim will always have something special to remember his time at St. John Vianney. Another parishioner greeted our new pastor, Fr. Francisco, with a new basketball, with a welcome from SJV on it. To see more photos from the party, click here.
Rituals To Keep Marriage Fresh
By Richard and Veronica Wildanger
SJV's Marriage Community
exists to promote being intentional in your marriage, that is, a marriage in
which husband and wife are conscious and deliberate in maintaining and
building a sense of connection over the years. If we don't keep
focused on our
relationship, it's easy to slip into routines where crammed schedules,
stress, and kids will make the relationship less connected and less
intimate. This isn't dysfunctional, it's normal: there are just so many
other, more pressing demands to focus on. Fortunately, there are many ways
to achieve an intentional marriage. Attending a marriage enrichment
group is one way, and mindfully creating rituals that are
special for you as a couple is another.
SJV's Marriage Community heard about creating couples rituals Friday, June 23. Rituals are actions, sights, or sounds that are coordinated, repeated, participated in freely, and, (most important for a couple) mutually significant. If only one spouse is into it, then the focus of it is not the relationship. Husband and wife then need to discuss and plan out the ritual so that both understand that the time for the ritual is time for the marriage relationship (no kids, no logistics talk).
Rituals can be of
connection, such as coffee and conversation after the kids go to bed; of
intimacy, such as celebrating anniversaries; or of community, such as
praying together or developing a couple identity as members of our
parish. Many
routines can also be converted into a ritual. For example, the simple
activity of greeting each other when we get home from work, which many of us
do absentmindedly, can become a ritual if we approach it as a action
that builds connection between husband and wife.
Bedtime is also filled with opportunities for rituals to enrich the marriage. Going to bed at the same time and praying together as a couple can bring husband and wife together.
The presenters, Richard and Veronica, described one special ritual that has given them a sense of connection over the years. Before saying good night, they each describe for the other one "joy" that they each had that day. It's a nice reminder of God's special graces.
The next get-together of SJV's Marriage Community will be Wednesday, July 26, at 7:30 PM in the Parish Office Center. All married and engaged couples are invited!
For more information about the St. John Vianney's Marriage Community, or to be added to the announcement list, contact Richard and Veronica Wildanger at rpwildanger@earthlink.net or (408) 937-1483.
Kateri Tekakwitha - Patron of Ecology
We celebrate the feast of Blessed Kateri Tekakwitha on July 14.
Born in 1656 near Auriesville, New York, a smallpox epidemic left her an
orphan at the age of four. Her 
mother
had been a Catholic Algonquin, taken captive by the Iroquois. Her father was
a chief of the Mohawk clan. After the smallpox took her parents and little
brother, she was cared for by her uncle and aunts. The disease that took her
family left her scarred and mostly blind. The name given to her, Tekakwitha,
means "The One Who Walks Groping for Her Way."
Tekakwitha grew up in a typical Native American way, working hard for herself and her adopted family. She had not been baptized as an infant, but remembering her Christian mother, she was interested in the "Blackrobes" (Catholic missioneries) who were stationed near her village, even though her uncle sought to discourage any support for them. She often went off in the woods alone to pray. At the age of twenty-two, on Easter Sunday, she was baptized and given the name Kateri, the Mohawk version of the name Katherine.
Because she refused to work on Sundays, the family would give her no food that day. The children in the village tormented her for her strange ways. In July 1677, Kateri fled her village, walking 200 miles to a Catholic mission, where she spent the rest of her short life. At Christmas that year, she made her First Communion. One of her favorite activities was creating small crosses out of sticks she found in the woods. She would plant them around as reminders for herself and others to always pray, especially in the the quiet of nature.
On March 25, 1679, Kateri made a vow of perpetual virginity, which was most unusual for a Native American woman. She wanted to found an order of nuns among the Native Americans, but it was not to be. Always in poor health, Kateri's practiced the type of pious penance popular in that day, which caused further deterioration of her health. Still, she worked with the poor and the sick, seeking always to do what is pleasing to the Lord.
Kateri Tekakwitha died in 1680 at the age of 24. Her last words were "Jesus, I love you." Upon her death, according to two Jesuits and others who were there, her disfigured face became miraculously clear and beautiful. They dubbed her "Lily of the Mohawks." For more information about Blessed Kateri Tekakwitha, click here.
Quality of Life & Health Issues Community Outreach
St. Simon Church invites you to Quality of Life and Health Issues on Thursday, July 20, 7-9 PM. This month's informational workshop will cover Advance Directives, Quality of Life at the End of Life and Information on the Catholic Cemeteries.
Cindy
Safe, Executive Director of Coda Alliance. A community based, nonprofit
organization, helping individuals and their families plan and prepare for
the concluding passages of life. Information on Advance Directives.- Deborah Stinchfield, Public Relations Coordinator at Pathways Home Health, Hospice & Private Duty. A community based, not for profit organization that serves the Los Altos and surrounding communities for nearly 30 years and now extends to five Bay Area counties. Topic: Hospice - Quality of Life at the End of Life.
- The Catholic Cemeteries. A representative from the Catholic Cemeteries will provide pricing information and discuss advantages of pre-planning.
All are welcome, admission is free. Please RSVP by calling or emailing carrasco@dosj.org Frances Carrasco Leyerle, Community Outreach, Gate of Heaven, (650) 428-3730 x233. The workshop will be held at St. Simon Church, 1860 Grant Road, Los Altos, in the St. Simon Room, located behind the Church. Co-Sponsored by the Catholic Cemeteries of the Diocese of San Jose.
PARISH AND DEANERY:
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.
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!
COMMUNITY AT LARGE:
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, 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!
"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.
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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