Today as you read this email, we will be in the middle of the graduation Mass for Saint Simon Parish School. It is always a special occasion to graduate a class from elementary school but this year even more so because these young men and women have endured over two years of covid restrictions that dampened their last years at school, and they have persevered so well. They are a wonderful class that are full of energy and passion as well as zest for faith and fun. It has been an honor to watch them become leaders on campus. With the help of the awesome teachers and staff at the school, they are well-prepared and ready for high school. We bid them farewell, but we will not forget them. We hope to welcome them back often at Mass and our community celebrations. Please say a prayer for them as they transition to their new schools and as I preached about last weekend, the transition can cause some anxiety as well as excitement. Please pray that the Holy Spirit of Pentecost comes upon them and they are successful whatever they do in life.
Speaking of the success of our students, I was delighted to meet former student Brad Mills at San Juan Bautista at our Clergy Study Week. Brad is now Fr. Brad as he is a Jesuit priest serving in Holy Trinity Parish, San Jose ordained last year. It is a pleasure to welcome him back to celebrate Mass at his home parish here at St. Simon on Father’s Day weekend, June 19 at 11:15am Mass. Please come to Mass and welcome him back congratulating him in completing his first year of priesthood. We will be praying a Father’s Day Novena and I was asked about cards and they will be available in the Church entrances and you can use the online prayer novena form to enter their names.
This weekend, you will see the fencing that went up in the driveway beside the convent. We are building a new STEM Lab, multipurpose classroom for our school. Saint Simon Parish School has been providing an outstanding education, where students are guided by Catholic values, encouraged to discover and develop their talents, and inspired to lead lives of service. In September, the U.S. Secretary of Education recognized Saint Simon Parish School as a 2021 National Blue Ribbon School, one of only 23 private schools in the nation to receive the award that year.
We now have the opportunity to build on that success, to invest in the future and ensure that Saint Simon Parish School remains one of the top elementary schools in Silicon Valley.
Since December we have been conducting a “silent” fundraising campaign to raise the $2.1 million needed for this project. This amount is made up of $1.9 in construction costs and a $200,000 donation to our partner school, St. Patrick’s Catholic School in downtown San Jose as our community outreach to help them develop their STEM offering for their students. During this “silent” phase of the fundraising we have raised $1.85 million. We have almost reached our financial goal but we need to raise the full $2.1 million for this project. We are now calling on all current St. Simon Parish families to make a contribution. Please consider going to this link https://stsimon.school/stem-classroom-fundraiser/ to learn more about this project and the various ways to give. Every gift matters and we ask every parish family to consider a gift. We need your support now, and hope that you will make a tax-deductible contribution soon.
If you have any questions about the project, please do not hesitate to contact me or Michael Boennighausen, mboennighausen@stimon.org at any time. If you have questions about making your donation please contact Joan Mibach, jmibach@stsimon.org, 650-880-1416. We look forward to your investment into the future of ourchildren and our school.
I am delighted to share that John Angotti will be back the week of June 13. He is open to teaching people one-on-one piano and music lessons. You can sign up here. He will also play with our own Tamami Honma along with two ensembles, the Cal Arte Ensemble and San Francisco Brass Band. This Classical and Modern Music Concert will share the best of both worlds and give us a great evening of entertainment at 7pm, Saturday, June 18. Please come to this free concert for peace and invite all your friends. We will take up a free-will offerings for the refugees in Ukraine as they continue to suffer so much in this crazy war by Putin.
For those interested in service opportunities, our Tijuana Mission Trip is on July 16-23 and we are still taking up signups. See the information in the bulletin and more information here about the application process and deadlines. It is a great way to spend some time helping others rebuild their lives.
This weekend we are celebrating the 19 years of ministry of Sr. Rebecca at all Masses. Please come and join us as we bid her farewell in her retirement from St. Simon Parish. As we know the sisters never really stop ministry and as Sister says she is more “re-firing” than “retiring.” Please write a note of gratitude for her in the online card. It is a powerful way to share your thoughts and it makes a difference to Sr. Rebecca as she reads those personal notes from parishioners.
Finally, a reminder that as we go through times of transition, to trust in the Holy Spirit. The gift of the Holy Spirit is constantly new and flowing in our lives. Let us flow with the Holy Spirit.
God Bless,
Fr. Brendan