“On this day as President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris have been sworn into office, we pray for them, all elected leaders, and public servants. May they use the powers entrusted to them to defend human life and dignity from conception to natural death, to preserve justice, and to act with mercy and compassion for all.” ~ Bishop Oscar Cantú

Join in prayer for the Virtual Walk for Life Novena beginning January 21st – 29nd, from 7:00pm - 8:30pm via Zoom. Join the community to pray the Rosary and hear a Reflection on 9 Days for Life, for the protection of life. Parishes and deaneries throughout the diocese will lead each night. Tuesday, Jan. 22nd Bishop Oscar Cantú will share a reflection. Spanish session on Jan 27th | Vietnamese session on Jan 28th. For schedule, zoom links, and prayer resources, visit bit.ly/ljpdsj21.

Friday, January 22, the Church in the United States observes the annual “Day of Prayer for the Legal Protection of Unborn Children.” This day is set aside to pray for the legal protection of human life and to do penance for the violations to human dignity through abortion. We are called to observe this day through the penitential practices of prayer, fasting and/or almsgiving. Join us at 7:00 pm for a time of prayer and reflection on the value and gift of human life.

On January 24, 2021, the Universal Church will celebrate “Sunday of the Word of God,” an initiative established by Pope Francis as a day “devoted to the celebration, study and dissemination of the Word of God.”

Your generous support to the Annual Diocesan Appeal helped us continue in ministry even as we sheltered in place, and our parishes began to Livestream Masses. As the situation started to improve, our ministries adapted. Our parish are now offering in-person Masses indoors. The celebration of the sacraments of Baptism, First Communion, Confirmation, and Marriage have resumed. Faith formation classes, bible study, and High School Youth groups are now using video conferencing to meet. God has been with us and guiding us at every step.

Do you feel alone? Are you frustrated or angry with each other? Do you argue … or have you just stopped talking to each other? Does talking about it only make it worse? Retrouvaille (pronounced retro-vi with a long i) helps couples through difficult times in their marriages. This program has helped 10’s of 1000’s of couples experiencing difficulties in their marriage.

In order to perpetuate the entrustment of the whole Church to the powerful patronage of the Custos of Jesus, Pope Francis has established that, from today's date, the anniversary of the decree of proclamation as well as a sacred day to the Blessed Virgin Immaculate and Bride of the most chaste Joseph, up to December 8, 2021, a special Year of Saint Joseph is celebrated, in which every faithful following his example can daily strengthen their life of faith in the full fulfillment of God's will.

Due to inclement and unpredictable weather patterns, we have decided to suspend the celebration of our 6:00 pm Sunday Mass for the months of December - March. As conditions change, we look forward to re-instating this evening Mass. Please remember, during this time of the COVID-19 pandemic, that Bishop Cantú has dispensed all Catholics from the Sunday obligation to attend Mass.

All the dioceses in California together with Catholic health care ministries and Catholic Charities support the eradication of disease that disrupts human life. The Pfizer and Moderna vaccines promote health in face of a devastating pandemic that no one expected. We want to reemphasize that the origins of the vaccines are morally acceptable from a Catholic perspective and their advancement fosters the common good. We also affirm that those who are most vulnerable must have a privileged place in their distribution and allocation.

The Gospel of St. Mark – Cycle B On 29 November 2020, the Church begins a new liturgical year by celebrating the start of Advent. At the same time, we began to hear a new voice in our Sunday gospels. After a year during which we have regularly listened to Matthew on Sundays, we now attend to Mark. This shortest of all New Testament gospels is likely the first to have been written, yet it often tells of Jesus’ ministry in more detail than either Matthew or Luke (for example, the miracle stories at Mk 5:1–20 or Mk 9:14–29).

The Catholic Church supports safe, effective, and ethically scientific research into the development of vaccines that will mitigate and end the spread of COVID-19. Many Catholics are raising ethical concerns about vaccine development and testing that makes use of cell lines derived from either the tissue of aborted fetuses or destroyed human embryos.

On Saturday, November 7 at the Cathedral Basilica of St. Joseph in San Jose, Bishop Oscar Cantu officially instituted Joe Cabrido as an acolyte (this follows his prior institution into Candidacy and Lector). This is the last liturgical installation for Joe as he enters into his final preparation for ordination to the diaconate in the spring of 2021.

Our Red Zinfandel is a red wine grape, grown extensively in California since the mid-1800s, is grown in few other places in the world. The grapes can produce wines with plenty of character. High in natural alcohol and tannin, grown carefully, it can be rich and complex, with dark fruit berry fruit and peppery spice.

Every Catholic should be registered in a parish. Besides the active support and involvement that the registration enables, the parish registration is also a condition for many sacraments including Baptism and Matrimony. It is therefore important to register at your local parish as soon as possible.

National Vocation Awareness Week will be celebrated in our country November 1-7, 2020. Please ask Our Lord for more dedicated, holy priests, deacons and consecrated men and women. May they be inspired by Jesus Christ, supported by our faith community, and respond generously to God’s gift of a vocation. In addition to Bishop’s video link above about creating a culture of vocation, each seminarian is recording a short video about themselves.

In his third Encyclical, Fratelli tutti , Pope Francis addresses his renewed call to universal fraternity “to all people of good will, regardless of their religious convictions.” Amid the “noisy potpourri of facts and opinions” present in today’s world, the Holy Father suggests respectful dialogue and proposes that we answer with “a new vision of fraternity and social friendship" to build a better, more just, and peaceful world, with the contribution of all: people and institutions. 

Retrouvaille: Do you seek the tools to heal and renew your relationship? Retrouvaille can help your marriage heal and be make it stronger.

Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ, On this Labor Day weekend, on which we Americans have traditionally rested from work and spent time with family and friends, often in backyard cookouts, I wish to share a few thoughts with you. I wish to reflect with you about the Lord’s Day and its focus on worship, rest, and solidarity as well as our baptismal call to live as God’s co-workers, building up the Kingdom of God through the work of our hands, minds, and spirits.

St. Francis reminds us that we should always “start by doing what's necessary; then do what's possible; and suddenly you are doing the impossible.” Last fiscal year, our parishioners donated $50,000 to our St. Francis Fund Collection. In response to the needs of the many less fortunate in our neighborhood— turning to us, when there is nowhere else to turn.

The goal of the Francis Fund is to offer tangible assistance to those in need on a person to person basis and to offer spiritual services. People, who have nowhere else to turn, come to our doors seeking assistance with utility bills, overnight shelter, food and other needs.  Your generosity in this 2nd collection will assist us in helping our neighbors. “For it is in giving that we receive.”