St. Thomas Aquinas especially was noted for its leadership within the Diocese of San Jose. In the tradition of Catholic Social Teaching and Creation protection, this parish has implemented many energy- and water-saving measures, including installing two solar systems totaling 62 kilowatts of clean power; and employing energy-efficient lighting and drought-tolerant landscaping. St. Thomas Aquinas has an active Green Committee, which has hosted presentations on Pope Francis’ encyclical on ecology, advocated for clean air policies to local regulatory agencies, and held Earth Day celebrations that provide resources on actions their parishioners can take.
Melanie Kirkpatrick in a recent article in the Wall Street Journal wrote: Election Day has come and gone, and after one of the most divisive campaigns in memory, “healing” seems to be the better word for this hour, and what better day to begin than Thanksgiving—our nation’s oldest tradition, a moment to focus on our blessings as Americans, on what unites us, not on what divides us.
I have just found out from the California Interfaith Power and Light organization that our parish "has been chosen to be recognized as an exemplar of faith-based climate action in our 2016 Cool Climate Award Ceremony". We have been awarded an "Honorable Mention" as shown on the list below for the "Green Building" category.
Fr. Chris Arockiaraj, PSS (St. Patrick's Seminary Faculty) compassionately accompanies people in a gentle, collaborative and supportive way toward their goal. He is specializing in working with stress, depression, anxiety, addiction, grief, life transitions, relationship, family, faith and spiritual concerns and challenges. Fr. Chris integrates psychology and spirituality and thus uses an integral method of mind, body and spirit in his practice. Fr. Chris is certified as a Pastoral Counselor by American Association of Pastoral Counselors.
In one article I read recently, in Nation magazine, written by Matt Hardo, there was this eye-catching headline: “Why Catholics are leaving the faith by age 10.” The most common reason given for leaving the Catholic faith was that they stopped believing in God or religion. They wanted proof, evidence of what they’re learning about their religion and God. And this leads to popular trend in our culture: to see atheism as “smart” and the faith as “a fairy tale.”
Why? Because Worldwide Marriage Encounter, for the seventh year in a row, is conducting the Longest Married Couple Project. What an opportunity to honor couples married 50, 60 or 70+ years!
“Yesterday’s elections were the culmination of a long and contentious election season marked by cynicism and alienation. Nevertheless, California’s voters fulfilled their civic duty and placed their votes. The democratic process, once again, demonstrates that the will of the people is sovereign.
The Church holds in high regard the sacred right and duty of all citizens “to use their free vote to further the common good” (Gaudium et Spes, 75). Therefore, “the Church praises and esteems the work of those who for the good of humankind devote themselves to the service of the state and take on the burdens of this office” (75). Thus, we congratulate President-Elect Donald Trump and pray for his administration.
National Vocation Awareness Week will be celebrated in our country November 6-12, 2016. 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.
2016 Parish Average Attendance: 1,449 Total (+15 from last year) We have 8 Sunday Masses. Our capacity for these 8 Masses is 2,730 people. We are using only 53% of our total capacity. There is plenty more room for more of our Catholic sisters and brothers to gather for the most important hour of our week. Please invite a friend, neighbor, or relative to join you at Mass next weekend.
Total: $10,178 (Weekly Goal: $12,000) Second Collections: St. Vincent de Paul: $5,411; Updated Disaster Relief: $7,686 Thank you for sharing God's Gifts!
Pledged: $159,388 Pledge Balance: $6,310 Potential Rebate: $28,000 Please keep making your regular payments. When all our pledges have been paid, St. Thomas Aquinas will receive a much-needed rebate to help us pay for improvements to our parish facilities. Thank you for your support of Bishop McGrath and our local Church.
In 2016 each issue of Network News has featured "Student Stories" from Bay Area high school youth who have been working in the areas of Education, Awareness, Advocacy and Art to address this important issue. The following are highlights from some of these stories and a preview of the type of human trafficking projects you will learn more about at our pre-conference workshop.