The priests of the parish just arrived back from San Juan Bautista after spending the week with all the clergy of the diocese for our Annual Clergy Study Week. This was the first time we have gathered as clergy in over 17 months and it was a great week for all of us. We needed to see each other and experience community as the presbyterate of the diocese. The theme of the week was self-care. We, as priests, are not good at taking care of ourselves and it was evident when we gathered. The stress of this last year with the pandemic was obvious on the faces of our priests. Many of the pastors have laid off more than 50% of their staffs and have been working round the clock to keep their churches open and offering ministries. Some of parishes are dealing with massive amount of unemployment with their parishioners and subsequently massive declines in parish revenue. Other parishes have homeless living on the streets around the parish and are overwhelmed with volume of needs. They are unable to maintain safe boundaries for the priests living on campus. So, the respite from parish work was a welcome break for all of us.
After spending some time reflecting on our own struggles, we were able to focus on helping one another face the future and what emerging ministry might look like in the weeks, months and even years ahead. We all realize that ministry has changed, and we will need to change to meet the needs of people today and in the future. We cannot simply go back to the old way of Church We also realize that we will need to help each other through the years ahead. We cannot work so isolated from one another in parishes as if we were different islands in the huge ocean. We will need to share resources with each other, especially those with far less resources than us. We parishes on the western and northern part of the diocese need to find ways to help our brothers and sisters in the eastern and southern part of our county. The economic divide is as evident in our Church as it is in our society and we believe we need to model a new way of being Church. We do not know where that will lead us yet, but we are willing to explore it and work together towards a new way. I was proud to share how we raised $100,000 for our brothers and sisters in Christ the King and St. Mary’s, Gilroy and it was inspiring to others to work in similar ways in the future. Please pray for us as we continue the work we started in San Juan and support one another in our ongoing ministries.
Speaking of reaching out to one another, this weekend we have the annual Catholic Charities second offering. Please support our shared work that helps those in our community who need support with food, housing, mental health, employment, and education with this link donate here, select the second offering fund and then click select “Catholic Charities” as the sub-fund. Thank you for your support.
I am delighted to see the return of the Valley Catholic in a magazine format. Please look for it in your US mailbox. There is also an online version that is up to date and live now. Here is the link to The Valley Catholic . There are some great stories of faith that will inspire you. It is another way you can see our ADA dollars at work.
A reminder that on Monday, May 17 we will begin our 6:30am weekday Mass. Please come and join us for Mass in person before you head off to work each day.
Finally, just a word about the new guidelines from the CDC on masks. We are delighted about the new guidelines from the CDC and all who have been vaccinated look forward to not wearing masks very soon. However, the State of California and the County of Santa Clara has not changed its rule and as a result there will be no change in our mandate for wearing masks on either Church or School property. Thank you for your continued cooperation. We are almost there.
God Bless,
Fr. Brendan