IN THE DIOCESE
tvc.dsj.org | March 20, 2018
3
Holy Week 2018
Dear Brothers and Sisters,
This Holy Week fi nds the Church
once more with the Lord – entering
Jerusalem, in the Upper Room, at
Gethsemane, along the Way of the
Cross, at Calvary and, very early
in the morning, at the empty tomb.
We are invited these days to make the Lord’s
journey our own, to be with Him and the disciples
all along His way. Looking to them, upon whom
Jesus established the Church, we see in the Twelve
a ragtag group who would not be too diff erent from
us. As close as they were to Jesus, the disciples did
not understand what was happening or the import
of those events.
As He washed their feet and shared with them the
bread and wine that was His Body and Blood, they
could not yet grasp the work that God was accom-
plishing in their midst. As they fl ed from his side,
fearful of those who had arrested and tortured the
Lord, little did they understand. The Cross seemed
to them to be the ultimate defeat of the One they had
hoped was the Messiah.
Even in sight of the empty tomb and His ap-
pearance in the garden, the Upper Room and along
the road to Emmaus, the disciples were, as Jesus
declared, “foolish” and “slow of heart to believe.”
Yet these were the very same architects of the faith
that has been handed down to us from generation
to generation.
They came to believe and to understand not only
the events that occurred, but also the Lord’s words.
And we are recipients of that same faith and the
Christian life that continues to be inspired by the
mystery of the Resurrection. We know that Christ
died and that He rose from the dead, never more
to die.
The Lord Jesus invites us this Holy Week to enter
into the mystery of His Dying and Rising, as taught
by Saint Paul to Timothy: “This saying is trustwor-
thy: If we have died with him , we shall also live with
him” (2 Timothy 2:11).
Easter for us, then, is filled with a hope that
cannot be diminished, no matter the injustices that
many still experience, the lack of love, compassion
and mercy in our world, still manifested in poverty,
violence, war, terrorism and even the death of the
innocent. Yet in the face of all of the tragedies that
beset humanity in this Twenty-First C entury and all
of the personal defeats that we have experienced, we
know, by our faith, that Christ has vanquished sin
and death and shares with us newness of life.
My prayer for you this week is that each of us may
be the radiant face of Christ, for He has promised
that he will always be with us, to give us hope and
to call each of us to rise with Him.
With every best wish and kind regard, I remain,
Sincerely yours,
Patrick J. McGrath
Bishop of San Jose
Diocese of San Jose is Sharing the Joy of the Gospel
By Liz Sullivan
As the Roman Catholic Church
throughout the world prepares for Holy
Week, and our celebration of the Res-
urrection of our Lord, Catholics in the
Diocese of San Jose have been, “Shar-
ing the Joy of the Gospel, Together in
Christ” through its Annual Diocesan
Appeal (ADA).
And oh how the faithful have been
sharing (and giving).
Through March 12, 34 parishes
were at or above their goal. In addi-
tion, several other parishes are close
behind and will achieve their goals
before Easter.
This year’s goal is $6,277,976. So far,
$7,350,692 has been pledged by 14,319
donors with an average pledge of $513,
with a potential forecast of $1.1 million
in rebates back to parishes. Once a par-
ish meets its established goal, it gets
to keep any funds raised above that.
According to the Offi ce for Stew-
ardship and Development, this year’s
ADA campaign could rebate $2.7 mil-
lion back to the parishes.
The success of the ADA in any
given year is due in large part to scores
and scores of volunteers at all 54 par-
ishes throughout the Diocese.
“It’s especially satisfying that our
ada
pastor (Father Tito Cartagenas) is so
committed to the campaign and makes
the ADA a top parish priority,” said
Dick Pfaff , ADA Chair, Church of the
Transfi guration Parish. “I’m happy to
be part of the parish team and to have
the diocesan ADA Offi ce, not only as
a major player, but as a most valuable
resource when needed. And, of course,
there is the deep joy in knowing that
we are helping the Bishop and serving
the people of God.”
The offi ce of Stewardship and De-
velopment continue to work with the
Offi ce of Communications to promote
“Sharing the Joy, Together in Christ,”
through the 2018 video shown at par-
ishes across the Diocese, social media
(Facebook and Instagram) and articles
in The Valley Catholic. Also in this issue
is enclosed an envelope for you to use.
Lea r n more about ADA 2018,
and watch the video, by visiting
www.dsj.org/ada.
Saint Julie Billiart
Feast Day - April 8
Born in Picardy, in France, the pious Julie was allowed
to make a vow of chastity at age 14 and did manual labor
when her family suff ered fi nancial reversals. In her early
20s, she became paralyzed after an attempt on her father’s
life; at 30 she was an invalid, dispensing catechism lessons
and spiritual advice from her bed. Forced to leave home
during the French Revolution, she settled in Amiens,
where she co-founded the religious institute that later
became the Sisters of Notre Dame de Namur. In 1804,
during a parish mission, she walked for the fi rst time in 22 years. From then
until her death, she traveled constantly in France and Belgium to expand one of
the great teaching congregations of the church.
-By Catholic News Service
Invites Everyone To Hear
Mel Kennedy, Musicianary
"Authentic: Knowing the Person God Created You to Be"
Thursday April 12, 2018
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