To: Pastors, Catechumenate Directors (adult and children), Liturgy Coordinators
From: Diana Macalintal
Date: December 21, 2004
Re: Rite of Election 2005 – names of catechumens and rehearsal
Bishop Patrick McGrath welcomes to the Cathedral Basilica of St. Joseph the catechumens for Election from all parishes, institutions, and missions of the diocese who are to be chosen for the Easter Sacraments. All the liturgies will be multilingual.
Date: December 21, 2004
Re: Rite of Election 2005 – names of catechumens and rehearsal
Bishop Patrick McGrath welcomes to the Cathedral Basilica of St. Joseph the catechumens for Election from all parishes, institutions, and missions of the diocese who are to be chosen for the Easter Sacraments. All the liturgies will be multilingual.
Rite of Election - 2005
Monday, February 14, 2005, 7:30p
Tuesday, February 15, 2005, 7:30p
Wednesday, February 16, 2005, 7:30p
Monday, February 14, 2005, 7:30p
Tuesday, February 15, 2005, 7:30p
Wednesday, February 16, 2005, 7:30p
Please note there is no Sunday Rite of Election this year.
So that enough seats can be reserved for your catechumens and their sponsors, please return the form below no later than January 12 to Diana Macalintal at Macalintal@dsj.org or by fax: 408-983-0121. The final schedule for the three celebrations will be announced in the Daily Bulletin on January 14.
There will be two rehearsals for the Rite of Election. At least two people from your parish must attend one of the rehearsal (the catechumenate director may be one of the following persons):
There will be two rehearsals for the Rite of Election. At least two people from your parish must attend one of the rehearsal (the catechumenate director may be one of the following persons):
- one person to carry your Book of the Elect,
- one (or two) people to read your names of the Elect.
Rehearsals for Rite of Election
Monday, February 7, 2005, 7p – 8p
or Tuesday, February 8, 2005, 7p – 8p
Cathedral Basilica of St. Joseph
80 South Market Street
After 6p, there is free parking on the street or in the parking lots on San Fernando Street between First and Third Streets. For more information, contact Diana Macalintal, 408-983-0136 or macalintal@dsj.org.
Click the graphic above for a Rite of Election reservation form for your Catechumens.
Every year throughout the world since 1988, December 1st is set aside as a time to remember those who have died from AIDS, to keep in mind those who live with HIV, and to re-commit our efforts to finding a cure. According to the 
Bishop Patrick McGrath invites all people of faith to gather together for a diocesan Evening Prayer for Peace. In this bilingual evening prayer, we will give thanks for Christ’s gift of peace and pray that there will be peace in our day especially in places of war. We will also offer prayers for those who have died, especially those who served as military, aid, and service workers in Iraq, Afghanistan, and other places of conflict. For more information, contact Diana Macalintal at .jpg)
2004 marks the 150th Anniversary of the Proclamation of the Dogma of the Immaculate Conception of Our Lady. This teaching professes that from the moment of Mary’s conception, she was free from original sin, preparing her to become the Mother of God, the “God-Bearer” or Theotokos. (Don't forget that the Immaculate Conception is about Mary being conceived from the union of her parents, Anna and Joachim.)
Every year, the diocese celebrates the feast of Our Lady of Guadalupe with processions and evening prayer in Spanish. This year's celebration takes place on Friday, December 10, 2004 at Our Lady of Guadalupe Church (
The Season of Advent has a twofold character, a double meaning. Advent prepares us for Christmas, the celebration of Christ’s first coming to us, and it also reminds us to direct our minds and hearts to be prepared for Christ’s second coming at the end of time. In Christian usage the word “advent” (adventus) has a special liturgical significance, but the origin of the word is pagan.
De-Clutter your church to let its primary purpose shine through
The primary purpose of the sanctuary area is for the presidency of the assembly’s worship, the proclamation of God’s Word, and the celebration of the Eucharist. Therefore, the primary objects that should be prominent in this area are the altar, the ambo, and the presider’s chair. Everything else is secondary. Remove extraneous tables and chairs. Put only the altar cloth, corporal, bread and wine, and Sacramentary on the altar. Do not put water glasses for the presider, papers with Mass announcements or intentions, candles or flowers, or envelopes with Mass stipends or prayers on the altar. If the presider needs water, use a side table. Mass announcements or intentions should be in the bulletin or in the presider’s or commentator’s binder. Candles and flowers should be freestanding, placed away from the altar so that the celebrant, deacon, and other ministers can easily prepare the cups and plates for Communion without twisting around candle and flower stands. Also, be careful that the placement of decorations does not act as an altar rail, dividing the “holy space” from the “not holy space.” Envelopes with Mass intentions are seen most visibly during November when the dead are remembered. It is good to remember the dead, but do not place these envelopes, no matter how nicely decorated with ribbon, on top of the altar. This looks too much like our medieval practice of purchasing indulgences. If you want to display these envelopes, put them with the Book of the Dead, or at the baptismal font, on in the shrine of your parish patron saint.
After 14 years as the administrative assistant for the liturgy office of the diocese (and many other offices in the chancery), Rebeca Aldaz is giving up her 80 mile daily commute between Gilroy and Santa Clara to serve her parish of St. Mary in Gilroy.
Driving up the coast to San Francisco a couple of Saturdays ago, I saw a dark geometric formation streak across the sky. I shrieked in delighted surprise when I realized it was a formation of military planes on its way to perform at Fleet Week. I wasn’t expecting to see them so far south of the Golden Gate, but there they were, shooting across the view of my car window. The week before, I stood on the beach watching a similar formation, this time a quartet of stunt kites. Four men on the beach pulled strings and weaved around each other creating an aerial ballet for anyone who looked up and a ground-level dance for strollers passing by. At sunset I stood at the edge of Pier 39 and saw a familiar formation of geese, not quite streaking across the sky like the planes I saw earlier, but in the same geometric shape nonetheless.
I am the worst gardener. Over the years, I’ve killed two cacti, a jasmine bush, and several potted plants. But I have had some success with bulbs. A few weekends ago, I planted a few dozen purple and blue hyacinths, anemones, tulips, and crocus. If all goes well, and the squirrels don’t steal them away during the winter, the bulbs should bloom in the spring, right in time for Lent.
In a similar way, the church’s most vulnerable—the Elect—are fighting their own spring battle. During Lent, the Elect, their godparents, and the church community begin an intense discipline to prepare for the Easter celebration at which the Elect will be baptized. This discipline includes intensified prayer, fasting, and works of charity and justice.
For this reason, the church prays fervently for the Elect in rites called Scrutinies. Through these rites on the third, fourth, and fifth Sundays of Lent, the church prays that God will strengthen the good things that have been growing in the Elect’s faith life and will remove the barriers that keep the Elect from trusting completely in God. During this period, there are also other prayers, blessings, and anointings for the Elect to give them the courage they need to profess their faith in God and make it through to the other side of those baptismal waters.
There are no tricks in this full bag of treats!
Because God loves you so much,
Don't be chicken! You can become a better cantor! Learn the basics that will improve your singing technique and your leadership skills, and practice the habits that will make you a better leader of musical prayer. Some participants will have the opportunity to cantor and receive immediate feedback. 
“The Internet causes billions of images to appear on millions of computer monitors around the planet. From this galaxy of sight and sound will the face of Christ emerge and the voice of Christ be heard? For it is only when His face is seen and His voice heard that the world will know the glad tidings of our redemption….Therefore,…I dare to summon the whole Church bravely to cross this new threshold, to put out into the deep of the Net, so that now as in the past the great engagement of the Gospel and culture may show to the world ‘the glory of God on the face of Christ.’” – Pope John Paul II
Bishop Patrick McGrath and the Associate for Liturgy invite all liturgists and clergy of the diocese to participate in the 3rd annual morning of study and reflection on the Eucharist. This year, Reverend Edward Foley, Capuchin, will guide us through the ministries of preaching and presiding and will give special focus on the Eucharistic Prayer. Fr. Foley is a professor of liturgy and music and the chair of the Department of Word and Worship at the 
Spend an evening in musical prayer, reflection, formation, and challenge with Reverend Edward Foley, Capuchin, who will guide us through the Rite of Communion, highlighting how our musical choices and habits can serve or hinder the action of the Eucharist. Fr. Foley's presentation will be musical, mystagogical, and meaningful for all who sing the liturgy.
On October 31, 1517, Martin Luther, a Catholic Augustinian priest in Germany, nailed to the doors of Wittenberg Castle Church (essentially the bulletin board of this university town) an invitation to discuss and debate the pastoral practices of the church. His 95 theses raised the question of justification (salvation). He argued that if scripture taught that by God’s grace alone are we saved, why then did the church encourage the practice of selling indulgences—certificates that shortened one’s time in purgatory. He argued that salvation is God’s work alone, and no amount of human effort or money could manipulate the mind of God. His argument was solidly Catholic and in line with one of the church’s greatest teachers—St. Augustine. Yet, over the centuries, the church had developed practices, such as private Masses and payment for these Masses to be said for private intentions, that took on the appearance and eventually endorsed that salvation could be bought or bartered. Luther’s action was not meant to divide the church but rather to reform it and remind it of its roots. But in part because of an attitude of defensiveness and a bit of stubbornness on both sides, the church excommunicated Luther and Luther and his supporters condemned many of the church’s teachings and practices. Since then, Lutherans and Catholics have been divided.