The priests of the Diocese of San Jose will be on retreat together next week (Oct. 12-16) at the Jesuit Retreat Center in Los Altos. Our retreat director is Fr. Jim Voiss, S.J. His many publications include Rethinking Christian Forgiveness: Theological, Philosophical, and Psychological Explorations. Fr. Jim has offered numerous workshops and days of reflection drawn from the fruit of his research. He is currently assigned as a member of the pastoral staff at JRC. Please pray for all of us as we renew our energies to serve the People of God in our ministry as priests.

The U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops announced earlier this month the creation of a Task Force on Preserving Human Dignity in the Age of Artificial Intelligence, in response to Pope Leo XIV’s repeated calls for a responsible approach to the rapidly developing field of AI. Bishop Oscar Cantu of San Jose, whose diocese includes the Silicon Valley region, was named head of the new task force.

My name is Elizabeth Trela, and I serve as the Associate Superintendent of Schools supporting St. Nicholas School. On September 30, I had the opportunity to spend the day with the school community for my fall school visit. Thank you to Fr. Matt, Mrs. Popolizio, the faculty and staff, and students for welcoming me and allowing me to experience what makes St. Nicholas special. I also appreciated the opportunity to meet with Fr. Matt and Mrs. Popolizio to hear about the school’s highlights and priorities for the year ahead.

Thank you for supporting our parish's mission and ministries. In September, our average weekly collection was $22,768. You also generously donated to various important causes through our September special collections, totaling $5,796, or $1,449 per week. This brings our weekly September total to $24,217. We budgeted our Sunday Offertory income (less special collections) thus far (13 weeks x $25,000) at $325,000, and we received $286,000 (-$39,000).

So far, 51 families have pledged $594,000 (25%) toward our parish goal of $2,200,000. $440,000 will fund our 2026 Parish ADA goal. We will use 50% in our parish to support our three key investment priorities: Formation, Outreach, and Building Project. Your gift is more than financial support—it is a sign of faith in our parish's future and a tangible investment in our Diocese's spiritual life.

Voters will see 14 statewide propositions on the ballot, and each one could shape our state's future. Learn what each measure seeks to achieve, who supports or opposes it, and the arguments for or against it. You'll also find principles of Catholic Social Doctrine to help you form your conscience, discern the issues, and cast an informed vote. Know the issues. Form your conscience. Vote with confidence.

Those who attend an ACTS retreat share in an experience that has impacted more than one million lives worldwide since the first retreat in 1987. Numerous testimonies describe retreatants who were evangelized through a personal encounter with Jesus Christ. They witness to becoming better fathers, mothers, husbands, wives, and children. For information, contact Michael Sternhagen ([email protected])

On the first Sunday of October, the Church in the United States celebrates Respect Life Sunday. Priests and deacons are encouraged to preach on the Church’s teachings on human life. As Catholics, we believe that every human person is made in the image and likeness of God. Every human life is therefore sacred and inviolable and should be protected and cherished from conception until natural death.