Thank you for supporting our parish's mission and ministries. In August, our average weekly collection was $21,700. You also generously donated to various important causes through our August special collections, totaling $27,610 or $5,522 per week. This brings our weekly August total to $27,222. We budgeted our Sunday Offertory income (less special collections) thus far (9 weeks x $25,000) at $225,000, and we received $195,000 (-$30,000).

Ever since Leo XIII’s groundbreaking encyclical letter in 1891 (Rerum Novarum), nearly every Pope has commented on the moral necessity of prioritizing the protection of human labor and a decent standard of living over the return of capital. Adding his voice to the papal Magisterium of Catholic Social Doctrine, Pope Leo XIV has identified a significant new risk to the common good. 

The California Catholic Conference has prepared this guide to help families understand their rights, responsibilities, and opportunities for engagement within California’s public education system. Whether your child attends a public, charter, private, or Catholic school, informed parents are better equipped to advocate for their children and build positive relationships with educators.

In April, the Diocese of San José launched “Renewed at the Table of the Lord,” a Liturgical Renewal initiative, as part of its Pastoral Plan. Liturgical renewal, as Bishop Cantú explained, is “An invitation to see again and rediscover the wonder that is already waiting for us every time we come to the Lord’s table for Mass.”

Pope Leo XIV said, “So many people who suffer from different experiences of depression and sadness—they can discover that the love of God is truly healing.” Let us pray we find new ways to proclaim the Gospel in our cities, discovering creative paths to build community and be a source of mercy and hope.

On July 18th, the Life, Justice, and Peace ministry volunteers gathered within the Diocese of San Jose for the “Journey Together” meeting. Michael Shirley created and presented a presentation that provided background and definitions of the vocabulary of Catholic Social Teaching to help us clarify and deepen our appreciation of our ministries.

What is the difference between the Campaign and the Annual Diocesan Appeal (ADA)? For 2026 only, the ADA is integrated into our Campaign; thus, we did not conduct the ADA earlier this year. Our Sowing Seeds of Faith goal includes our parish ADA goal ($440,000). The first funds raised by our parish will be applied toward meeting our parish’s 2026 ADA goal, with all additional funds supporting the key investment opportunities of our campaign. The Annual Diocesan Appeal will return in early 2027.

This past Saturday, we held our Launch Event, gathering nearly 50 parishioners for an afternoon of vision, unity, and hope. The event marked an important step on our parish's journey: a moment when parishioners came together to listen, learn, and commit themselves to building a stronger, more vibrant future for their parish and our diocese. We pray that every parish will experience the same excitement and unity!

As your Pastor, I want to encourage all parents and guardians to make plans for your children’s ongoing faith formation, as our own programs commence in just a few weeks. Your parish is ready to help you in fulfilling this pledge. Over the summer, our Faith Formation Staff (Catherine and J.J.) have been hard at work preparing for this new year of learning and living our Catholic faith. We have programs for children in pre-school through high school.

Last Fall announced a pilgrimage with Bishop Oscar Cantú in October 2026. The 2026 Pilgrimage date is being moved to February 11 – 21, 2027, to allow Catholic school educators to join during their winter break and to give everyone more time to make payments. Please indicate on the interest form which year, 2027 - 2030, you are interested in attending. Bishop Cantú invites you to prayerfully consider joining him on pilgrimage to Mexico: walking together to the Shrine of Our Lady of Guadalupe and along the path of Saint Christopher Magallanes, Blessed Miguel Pro, and the other Cristeros Saints.

If you search for the word “vacation” in the Bible, your results will come up empty. You also won’t find Jacob rounding up the kids to go to Universal Studios Canaan or Joseph and Mary taking Jesus and his brothers to Disney of Galilee. While those facts may make you think that vacations thus are “unbiblical,” I don’t think the absence of the word or our picture of vacations means this is the case for a couple of reasons.

We educate and motivate the Catholics of our diocese, and all our neighbors, about our moral responsibility to take immediate action to address the “social and environmental crisis” of creation.

This month, the Pope’s prayer intention is for respect for human life. People who live with a mental illness can lead lives of faith and courage. But all too often, the lives of people who are struggling with a serious mental illness are not valued and shown respect.

We continue to compensate our parish staff, commensurate with their dedication and professionalism, budget for a significant increase in our property, liability, and health insurance, as well as electricity and water, and provide funding for all programs, ministries, and outreach. As we soon embark on the Campaign for Spiritual Renewal, we will maintain our weekly Sunday Offertory goal at $24,385. This is the amount we need each week to meet our financial responsibilities. We encourage you to prayerfully discern a 5-10% increase in your weekly or monthly donation.

Sowing Seeds of Faith is a diocesan-wide campaign for spiritual renewal that supports our Pastoral Plan, Renewed in Christ, Together in Mission. Unlike a typical capital campaign focused on buildings, this effort is about renewing our mission — strengthening faith formation, supporting vocations, reaching the disengaged, and helping every parish bring the Pastoral Plan to life in their community.