The Diocese of San Jose has two upcoming Cursillo retreats that will be held at St. Clare’s Retreat Center in Soquel, CA. Cursillo is a Catholic-based short course in Christianity. The Women’s weekend is March 20-23, and the Men’s weekend is April 3-6, 2025. Enjoy beautiful scenery, music, daily Mass, reflections, prayers, and speakers discussing how Christianity reflects in your everyday life. For more information and online application, please visit sanjosecursillo.org/cursillo-weekend/make-my-weekend for more information. Fr. Matt will be the Spiritual Director on the Women's Retreat.

2025 marks the 1,700th anniversary of the first Christian Ecumenical Council, held in Nicaea, near Constantinople, in 325 AD. This commemoration provides a unique opportunity to reflect on and celebrate the common faith of Christians, as expressed in the creed formulated during this council.

Thank you to the individuals and the families in the communities we are privileged to serve. You are the face of Christ. Your courage, resilience, and trust in us as we walk alongside you on your journey of hope are truly inspiring.

We are excited to announce the launch of the Catholic Mental Health Ministers Prayer Ministry! This ministry is dedicated to gathering our community in intentional prayer for those affected by mental health challenges and for our mission at CMHM. The prayer ministry is open to everyone! By joining together in prayer, we can actively support our mission and foster a compassionate environment for those facing mental health issues. We invite you to participate in this vital ministry as we come together in faith and prayer for healing and hope.

Thank you for your ongoing support of the mission and ministries of our parish. For the month of DECEMBER, our average weekly collection was $34,225. You also generously donated to various essential causes in our DECEMBER second/special collections at $17,195 ($3,439/week). This brings our DECEMBER weekly average to $37,664.

Are you a young person in grades 6–12? We want to hear from you! The Diocese of San José is hosting a Youth Assembly to shape the future of youth ministry, and your voice is essential. Take a few minutes to share your thoughts on faith, community, and what inspires you. Your feedback will help the Church better serve you and your peers. Survey Deadline: February 7, 2025. Take the Survey Here: https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/STWMZZX

9 Days for Life is an annual novena for the protection of human life. Each day’s intention is accompanied by a short reflection and suggested actions to help build a culture of life. Sign up to receive the daily prayers via email or text message!

We wish you all a year filled with awe, wonder and gratitude! As always, a lot is happening around the diocese, the county, and the country related to the mental health ministry. We look forward to a year of growth and impact in our parishes.

Please keep praying for all those suffering in the wildfires sweeping through southern California. My heart goes out to our neighbors who have lost their homes and livelihoods. Let’s pray for them and let’s pray for our firefighters and first responders. May God keep all of our brothers and sisters safe and bring end to these fires! – Archbishop Gomez

Serving in the music ministry and combining my profession with my faith are blessings. Besides teaching piano and directing a children’s choir, I enjoy gardening, crafting, traveling, and hanging out with friends. I volunteered to help with the Christmas concert to cap off the year. With every performer’s effort and dedication, it was a success! Stepping into the position of music coordinator at this parish, I have met many wonderful parishioners who have offered their support and talent.

Thank you for your ongoing support of the mission and ministries of our parish. For the month of NOVEMBER, our average weekly collection was $22,572. You also generously donated to various essential causes in our NOVEMBER second/special collections at $5,392 ($1,348/week). This brings our NOVEMBER weekly average to $23,920. We budgeted our Sunday Offertory income (minus special collections) for JUL-NOV (21 weeks x $24,000) at $504,000 and received $474,000 (-$30,000).

“The Lord hears the cry of the poor” (Psalm 34:7), and we, the Catholic bishops of California, as shepherds of the flock of Christ, have seen and heard the growing distress among you, our migrant brothers and sisters. We want to assure you that we, and our mother, the Church, stand with you in these days of anxiety. You are not alone.

I am pleased to announce that we have hired Clare Lee to join our parish staff as our new Music Coordinator, effective Dec. 9, 2024. Clare will work part-time and report directly to Michael, our Director of Liturgy. Clare brings a wealth of experience and has some familiarity with many of our music ministers. She has served as a volunteer since October. Please give a warm welcome to Clare. We are very fortunate to have her on our team. Fr. Matt

Enjoy inspiring witness stories, insightful advice for daily living, clear and accurate teaching about the Catholic faith, and news from around the world and across the Diocese of San Jose with The Valley Catholic.

Over the last fiscal year, the St. Vincent de Paul Society – St. Athanasius Conference distributed your financial gifts ($25,645) to support the following programs: Utilities ($7,134), Food ($1,743), Transportation ($20,587), and Housing Assistance ($37,418). Thank you for your generosity.

Thank you for your ongoing support of the mission and ministries of our parish. For the month of OCTOBER, our average weekly collection was $21,953. You also generously donated to various important causes in our OCTOBER second/special collections at $5,318 ($1,330/week). This brings our OCTOBER weekly average to $23,283. We budgeted our Sunday Offertory income (minus special collections) for JUL-OCT (17 weeks x $24,000) at $408,000 and received $378,000 (-$30,000).

To our Parish community, We write to share information regarding a recent incident in our parish that contradicted the Diocese’s Standard of Conduct policy. We realize that information like this can be and is surprising.

Bartimaeus today gives us stirring testimony. Like him, we must overcome interior hesitation, ignore the voices that would hold us back, and break free from what deters us from making the necessary changes so that we can follow more closely in the footsteps of the Lord.

We have completed the first quarter of the new fiscal year 2024-2025. Thank you for your ongoing support of the mission and ministries of our parish. For the month of SEPTEMBER, our average weekly collection was $23,325. You also generously donated to various important causes in our SEPTEMBER second/special collections at $7,928 ($1,586/week). This brings our SEPTEMBER weekly average to $24,911.