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 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.

We have begun the fourth quarter of the fiscal year (July 25-June 26). Thank you for your support of our parish's mission and ministries. In April, our average weekly collection was $22,589. You also generously donated to various important causes through our April special collections, totaling $55,155 or ($12,789) per week). This brings our weekly April total to $35,378. We budgeted our Sunday Offertory income (less special collections) for JUL-APR (42 weeks x $25,000) at $1,050,000, and we received $1,025,000 (-$25,000).

We have concluded the third quarter of the fiscal year (July 25-June 26). Thank you for your support of our parish's mission and ministries. In March, our average weekly collection was $22,705. You also generously donated to various important causes through our March special collections, totaling $22,219 or ($4,444) per week). This brings our weekly March total to $27,149. We budgeted our Sunday Offertory income (less special collections) for JUL-MAR (39 weeks x $25,000) at $975,000, and we received $959,000 (-$16,000).

Patrick J. McGrath, Bishop of San Jose, hereby decrees that effective July 1, 2018, the two parishes now known as Saint William Parish and Saint Nicholas Parish, both in the City of Los Altos, California, are hereby merged aeque principaliter (equally important) and shall henceforth be known as Saint Nicholas and Saint William Parish. Given at the Chancery of the Diocese of San Jose this 25th day of May in the year of the Lord, Two Thousand and Eighteen.”

The Cursillo Community was truly blessed by the presence and leadership of Fr. Matt as the spiritual advisor for the Spring Cursillo retreat. His joyful spirit, humor, deep faith, and thoughtful guidance helped create a meaningful and transformative experience for all who attended and worked the weekend.

We have begun the second half of the fiscal year (July 25-June 26). Thank you for your support of our parish's mission and ministries. In February, our average weekly collection was $21,859. You also generously donated to various important causes through our February special collections, totaling $13,120 or ($3,280) per week). This brings our weekly February total to $25,139. We budgeted our Sunday Offertory income (less special collections) for JUL-FEB (34 weeks x $25,000) at $850,000, and we received $819,000 (-$31,000).

We have begun the second half of the fiscal year (July 25-June 26). Thank you for your support of our parish's mission and ministries. In January, our average weekly collection was $21,307. You also generously donated to various important causes through our January special collections, totaling $9,323 or ($2,331) per week). This brings our weekly January total to $23,638. We budgeted our Sunday Offertory income (less special collections) for JUL-JAN (29 weeks x $25,000) at $750,000, and we received $732,163 (-$18,000).

We have ended the first half of the fiscal year (July 25-June 26). Thank you for your support of our parish's mission and ministries. In December, our average weekly collection was $34,510. You also generously donated to various important causes through our December special collections, totaling $11,844 ($2,961 per week). This brings our weekly December total to $37,471. We budgeted our Sunday Offertory income (less special collections) for JUL-DEC (25 weeks x $25,000) at $650,000, and we received $647,600 (-$2,400). Our 2025 Christmas collection stands at $120,000.

We have begun the second quarter of the fiscal year (July 25-June 26). Thank you for your support of our parish's mission and ministries. In November, our average weekly collection was $26,206. You also generously donated to various important causes through our November special collections, totaling $14,613 ($3,653 per week). This brings our weekly November total $29,859.

We welcome Fr. Randy Valenton to our parish. He will be taking up residence at St. William Rectory as he begins his new assignment as chaplain at Children’s Hospital at Stanford. Fr. Randy is a priest of the Diocese of San Jose, and Fr. Matt’s former Parochial Vicar when he served as Pastor at St. Thomas Aquinas Parish in Palo Alto. Fr. Randy will be available to celebrate Sunday Mass with us.

Thank you for the abundance of Christmas blessings, prayers, good wishes, cards, gifts, and words of affirmation. This was the first Christmas Mass I missed with my parishioners in 35 years as a priest. However, by the grace of God, I have fully recovered through the compassionate, healing work of many nurses and doctors. I will return to public ministry on January 1, 2026, by praying the Holy Rosary on the World Day of Peace at 7:30 am, followed by the Holy Mass for Mary, Mother of God, at St. Nicholas Church. I offer to God an abundance of thanksgiving for all of you as we begin this New Year.

Thank you for your overwhelming support of Bishop Cantu’s ministry to the people of our Diocese. Thus far, 377 families have paid $629,051 toward our parish goal of $440,000. We are projecting a $189,000 rebate. Please continue to make your monthly payments ($5,759 outstanding). Our refund will help fund our restroom and Reconciliation chapel project at St. William Church. Any gift or pledge, regardless of size, helps our Diocese and our Parish reveal Christ's presence in our community. Thank you for making a difference.

Over the last fiscal year, the St. Vincent de Paul Society – St. Athanasius Conference distributed your financial gifts ($24,037) as follows: Housing Assistance ($18,466); Utilities ($8,736); Transportation ($5,813); Other ($6,425).