Labor Day Statement

The United States Conference of Catholic Bishops issues an annual Labor Day statement. This year they focus on the late Pope John Paul II's teachings on the Gospel of Work and the dignity of workers. Click here to read the statement.


FILED UNDER: SOCIAL JUSTICE

Labor Day Ideas - Repeat

Here's an article from last summer on ideas for blessings during the Labor Day weekend and the weeks following.


FILED UNDER: PRAYERS AND BLESSINGS

How to Help: Hurricane Relief Organizations

Here is a partial list of relief organizations on the Web:

Charity Navigator: charitynavigator.org
Information on various charities and ways to donate to the relief effort.

United States Conference of Catholic Bishops
http://www.usccb.org/comm/archives/2005/05-183.shtml
Collections or gifts may be sent to:
2005 Hurricane Relief Fund
Catholic Charities USA
PO Box 25168
Alexandria, VA 22313-9788

Catholic Charities: 1-800-919-9338
http://www.catholiccharitiesusa.org/

Red Cross: 1-800-HELP-NOW
http://www.redcross.org/

Episcopal Relief & Development: 1-800-334-7626
http://www.er-d.org/

United Methodist Committee on Relief: 1-800-554-8583
gbgm-umc.org/umcor/emergency/hurricanes/2005

Presbyterian Disaster Assistance: 1-800-872-3283
www.pcusa.org/pda

Mennonite Disaster Service: 1-717-859-2210
www.mds.mennonite.net

Lutheran Disaster Response: 1-800-638-3522
http://www.elca.org/disaster/

Salvation Army: 1-800-SAL-ARMY
http://www.salvationarmyusa.org/

FEMA Charity tips: www.fema.gov/rrr/help2.shtm

America's Second Harvest: 1-800-344-8070
http://www.secondharvest.org/


FILED UNDER: SOCIAL JUSTICE

Cantor Workshop - September 18, 2006

Don't cantor like this! 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. This master-class style workshop will be led by Diana Macalintal.

Cantor Workshop

Monday, September 18, 2006

7:00p - 9:00p

St. Joseph Church

582 Hope Street Mountain View, CA 94041

Free Admission

Learn basic signing techniques

Study the role of the cantor in the Mass

Prepare litanies and Advent psalms

Practice cantor gestures and postures

Participants may sign up to cantor and receive individual feedback. Please prepare and bring 2 copies of a psalm (one copy is for painist).

Led by: Diana Macalintal, Diocesan Associate for Liturgy

Melissa Broome, Liturgy Director, Most Holy Trinity

To register, contact Bernard Nemis at mailto:nemis@dsj.org or 408-983-0126.

online at stiekreator.com/dsjliturgy

Click the graphic to the left for a flyer that you can print.

Or click here for a PDF version.









Presented by the Diocese of San Jose, Office of Pastoral Ministry
FILED UNDER: WORKSHOPS AND EVENTS

21st Week in Ordinary Time

After graduating from UCLA in 1992 I spent the next decade working at several different parish and campus ministry jobs, all the while telling myself “I’ll start my graduate degree next year.” I was just too scared to try something so new and to risk failure, or worse, to waste my time and my own money working for something that wasn’t going to be useful in the end.

As with most things that have to do with faith, the point is not what you get “in the end” but what happens to you “in the process.” It’s the very act of risking, of trying, of moving toward an unknown and possibly painful future that is the essence of faith. If we based our faith on having proof of the outcome—if we could actually see Christ’s glorified body or have video proof of the resurrection—then that really wouldn’t be faith; that would be logic. If I knew the outcome of years of fretting over this degree, there would be no learning; there would be assembly-line production—“insert quarter; receive prize.” No, we are people of the unseen. “Have you come to believe because you have seen me?” said the risen Christ to those fearful disciples. “Blessed are those who have not seen and have believed” (Jn 20:29).

When we actually do the very thing we’re afraid of doing, the thing for which there is no proof of success, we are changed. We still may be scared, but in the doing, we will have become unafraid to try. And in that process of trying, we accomplish and make effective the very thing we hope for.

I was afraid of failing, of wasting my effort on this degree. But it has been in the process of signing up for classes, doing the coursework, writing papers, and being a Californian in central Minnesota (truly, a frightening thing!) that I have indeed succeeded, for I have gained something more than just “success” or “usefulness.” I’ve gained a community living faithfully, loving this sinful yet holy Church of ours, struggling through fear, doubt, and even failure, and striving always to understand and love this God we cannot see, with both heart and intellect. This relationship with this community of faith has been the “proof,” the thing that “veri-fied”—made true—the thing that I hoped for. With this community of fellow risk-takers, we have done what some might think impossible and pointless, and we do it despite the fear and the unknown.

In liturgy, we find the same kind of community and have the same kind of “proof.” At Mass, we have proof that Christ is risen even in this world of fear and death, because look at how we greet each other, friends, strangers, even enemies, with peace and hospitality. In Eucharist, we have proof that Christ is present even in this time of hopelessness, because see how we feed the hungry with life-giving bread and wine, see how we clothe the naked with the dignity of baptism, see how we shelter the homeless with the open doors of our hearts, see how we heal the sick with a simple touch, and see how we release the captive with a word of forgiveness. In our doing of the liturgy, we make real the very things we are afraid to try, the very things we may think are impossible to accomplish.

The Sunday last June that I left for graduate school, we heard Jesus say, “whoever does not take up his cross and follow after me is not worthy of me.” The late Bishop Kenneth Untener said that the cross is that to which we say, “I’ll do anything, Lord, anything…but that.” What is your “anything-but-that”? What is our Church’s “anything-but-that”? What is our world’s “anything-but-that”? What are we most afraid to try?

We who have not seen yet still believe are called to help each other pick up our “anything-but-that” and to move unafraid toward an unknown end, trusting that the journey itself will bring about what we hope for, and proving to each other by our very presence—cross, fear, faith and all—that Christ is risen. Alleluia! Christ is risen indeed!

In this week’s Work of the People, you’ll find:

• Vino & Vespers – August 26, 2005
• Formation Process for Catechumenate Ministers
• Classifieds: Seek and Ye Shall Find
• Annual Books from LTP and the Ordo
• In Memory of JW
• Congratulations to our Graduates!
• Notre Dame Continuing Education Courses Online

I’ve just recently returned from my summer of graduate school comprehensive exams. To find out what happened, click here.

Diana Macalintal
Associate for Liturgy


FILED UNDER: OPENING ARTICLES

Vino & Vespers - August 26, 2005

Vino & Vespers gives busy people of faith a place to pray simply (you don’t have to plan a thing!), eat and drink well (you don’t have to bring any food), and talk candidly about faith, church, and real life (you don’t have to prepare any lesson plans or make any handouts!).

Gather with others who love our Church and spend a summer evening with three of God’s best gifts: prayer, food, and conversation. We’ll begin with Evening Prayer followed by an intimate conversation with our guest speaker about faith and daily life as we savor delicious desserts and fine wine.

Our guest speaker for this evening is Bob Hurd.

Bob is a teacher, composer, and workshop presenter who strives to give assemblies clear, strong voices. His work is enriched by his experience as a pastoral musician and liturgist. Bob’s collections reflect the diversity of the Church; his bilingual music encourages the assembly to sing in both English and Spanish. You’ll find many of Bob’s pieces in hymnals throughout the United States, Canada, Great Britain and Australia. He has written articles for Worship, Liturgy, Celebration, Liturgical Ministry, and Today’s Liturgy, and has contributed to two books: That They Might Have Life: Power, Empowerment and Leadership in the Church (Crossroads, 1991) and The New Dictionary of Spirituality (Michael Glazier/Liturgical Press, 1992). His latest work is A Contemplative Rosary: Praying the Mysteries with Scripture, Song and Icons published by Oregon Catholic Press in 2005. Bob has served as a teacher, composer, and liturgist in various pastoral and academic settings, including the Franciscan School of Theology in Berkeley, the Graduate Pastoral Ministries Program at Santa Clara University, and St. Patrick Seminary in Menlo Park.

Vino & Vespers are interactive evenings that feature prominent Catholics talking about how they live their faith through the real events of contemporary life in the Silicon Valley. Young adults over 21 and those very much over-21 are especially invited.

Vino & Vespers
Friday, August 26, 2005, 7:30 pm

Villa Holy Names Spirituality Center
82 Prospect Avenue, Los Gatos, 95030
$5 Suggested free will donation

Please RSVP at Pacheco@dsj.org or 408-983-0126

Driving Directions to Villa Holy Names from Downtown San Jose:

• 280 N toward San Francisco
• HWY 17 S toward Santa Cruz
• Exit HWY 9 (Los Gatos-Saratoga Road). Get into left lane immediately.
• LEFT at the first stoplight which is University Avenue.
• Take University to the end where it forms a T with Main Street. LEFT on Main Street.
• Go to the first stoplight which is College Avenue and turn RIGHT (there’s a sign for “Novitiate” on the corner of College and Main).
• Go one block to the top of the street and turn RIGHT at Villa Avenue (follow the signs for “Novitiate”).
• Go 0.6 miles up the hill. When you see the Jesuit Novitiate and Winery on your right, turn LEFT onto Prospect Avenue.
• Go 0.1 miles and turn LEFT at the sign for "Sisters of the Holy Names Main Entrance." Parking will be in the lot on your left. The Chapel entrance is in the building to your right.

Click the graphic to the left for a low-resolution flyer you can print.

Or click here for a higher-resolution PDF version.

FILED UNDER: EVENTS

Formation Process for Catechumenate Ministers

Initiation By Immersion:
A Formation Process for Catechumenate Ministers

Initiation By Immersion is a ten-session process in which participants are immersed in the Rite of Christian Initiation of Adults to become more effective catechumenate ministers.

In these sessions you will:

• Be grounded in the experience and practice of initiation
• Learn the rites of initiation in all its stages
• Gain pastoral skills
• Practice liturgical catechesis
• Develop planning and preparation strategies
• Enhance presiding skills
• Learn the catechumenate model by experiencing it yourself

At the end of 10 sessions, you will:

• Understand the experience of catechumens and candidates, and
• Be prepared to lead your parish to be an initiating and evangelizing community

These sessions are facilitated by Sr. Miriam Malone, SNJM, who holds a master’s degree in pastoral studies and a certificate in pastoral counseling. She served as Director of Christian Initiation for the Archdiocese of Los Angeles and is a specialist in Christian initiation and liturgical catechesis. She teaches pastoral liturgy at Holy Names College, Oakland, and is a team member for the North American Forum on the Catechumenate. Miriam is a member of SNJM FIRE for Ministry and is the author of Enter the Rose: Unfolding the Mysteries of Faith, published by World Library Publications.

Initiation By Immersion Location and Schedule
All sessions are Saturday, 9:00 am - 3:00 pm at
Santa Teresa Church, 794 Calero Avenue, San José.

• October 15, 2005: History and Overview of the RCIA
• November 19, 2005: The Document and Liturgical Principles
• December 10, 2005: The Pre-Catechumenate
• January 7, 2006: The Catechumenate: Conversion
• January 21, 2006: The Catechumenate: Catechesis
• February 25, 2006: The Minor Rites and Presiding Skills
• March 11, 2006: Purification and Enlightenment: Scrutinies
• April 22, 2006: Discernment
• May 20, 2006: Marriage and Special Circumstances
• June 24, 2006: Ministries and Team Building

Cost for Initiation By Immersion
$350 with monthly installment plan, or $300 if paid or billed in full at time of registration (that's a $50 discount!). Refunds: Full registration fees refunded if OPM is notified by September 30, 2005. For missed sessions, only up to 2 sessions may be refunded. There are no make-up sessions.

Because of the interpersonal nature of this formation process, registration is for all ten sessions. Single-session participants are admitted only by consent of the facilitator. Contact Sandra Pacheco at Pacheco@dsj.org or 408-983-0126 two weeks before to request registration for a particular session.

Click here to Register.

Registration deadline: September 30, 2005

FILED UNDER: WORKSHOP AND EVENTS | CHRISTIAN INITIATION

Classifieds: Seek and Ye Shall Find

Available: Free Organ
A Trianon Thomas home organ, 3 keyboards, perfect working condition, is available for any parish, organization, or home willing to pick it up from its current location in Sunnyvale. Contact Ruby Slater at (408) 296-3822 if interested.

Job Opening: Accountant
The Finance Office for the Diocese of San Jose has an immediate opening for a full time accountant. The ideal candidate will have 3-5 years of accounting experience in a finance office environment. Must have a BA degree and proficiency in MS Office, including Excel, and familiarity with accounting software. The ability to learn quickly, manage multiple tasks and analyze and solve problems required. Accuracy and attention to detail necessary, as well as strong communication and customer service skills. Salary 34K + DOE. Email resume in text to personnel@dsj.org or fax resume to (408) 983-0203.



FILED UNDER: CLASSIFIEDS

Annual Books from LTP and the Ordo

Ordos keep you up to date
Take the guesswork out of the liturgical year. Buy your own Ordo. Each year, Paulist Press publishes a daily calendar of liturgical feasts, memorials, and solemnities. It includes the color of the day, the liturgy of the hours week, list of readings, synopses of readings, prefaces, special diocesan observances, and saints' bios for each day of the year. Ordos are compiled for each ecclesiastical province. (An ecclesiastical province is a way of grouping of dioceses under the jurisdiction of an archdiocese. San Jose is in the ecclesiastical province of the Archdiocese of San Francisco. Click here to see what other dioceses are in our province.) When you purchase your Ordo, make sure it is for our particular province (the cover of the Ordo lists the dioceses for which it is compiled).

Your sourcebook for liturgical ideas
Need liturgical ideas for next Sunday or for any day of the year? Check out Liturgy Training Publications annual Sourcebook. Each year, LTP publishes a collection of background, catechetical, and liturgical material for the year's liturgical seasons and feasts. There are suggestions for music, environment, prayers, and blessings. I have collected the Sourcebook for my own library every year for the last 9 years, and each year, I learn something new!

Place your order here
You can order the Ordo and the Sourcebook at a special diocesan price, as well as liturgical calendars (also in Spanish), daily Mass records, liturgical year desk calendars and many other resources from Jim Del Biaggio of the Cathedral Gift Shop. Jim will deliver your books free of charge from August thru October.

You can download the order form here (you'll need Adobe Reader). The Cathedral Gift Shop is located right next door to the Cathedral Basilica of St. Joseph, 80 S. Market Street in downtown San Jose. The Cathedral Gift Shop's phone number is (408) 275-6090.

FILED UNDER: LITURGY

In Memory of JW

Today, the Diocese of San Jose has lost one of its local heroes. Jan-Willem (JW) Knapen was a Bellarmine student who, despite suffering from brain cancer, rejoiced in life and did not let illness stop him from serving those in need. Throughout his short life, he inspired many of those around him to do the same and find joy in life, no matter what, and serve others, no matter how little you think you might have.

JW's dream was to build a "home away from home" for families facing similar long-term illness near the Kaiser Hospital in Santa Clara. His dream still needs your help. Click here to find out more about JW House and this incredible person.

We just learned that JW died this morning, August 3, 2005, at 11:20 a.m. He was 16 years old. Please keep JW, his family, his school, Bellarmine, and his parish of St. Martin of Tours in your prayers.

Update: August 9
Funeral Mass for JW will be on Thursday, August 18, at 6:30p at Saint Martin’s of Tours (200 O'Connor Drive, San Jose). Concelebrants welcome. A reception in JW’s school, Bellarmine College Preparatory (960 West Hedding Street, San Jose), follows. All are invited.

In lieu of flowers, the family requests donations to the JW House Fund, P.O. Box 3666, Santa Clara, Calif. 95055. See www.jwhouse.org for more information.

Congratulations to our Graduates!

We have many new graduates in the diocese to celebrate! Here are four to highlight.

In May, 2005, Susan Lee Olsen, liturgy director at Holy Family in San José, was awarded a Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.) in Theology in the area of Liturgical Studies from the Graduate Theological Union in Berkeley, California. Her dissertation, completed under the direction of Louis Weil, S.T.D., is titled, “‘If Necessary, Use Words’: Modern Dance as Critical Contributor to Liturgical Renewal.” It includes a discussion on the liturgical movement of the 19th and 20th centuries, looking specifically at documents promulgated by the Church during that period of time and the work of four individuals who contributed seminal works on the subject: Dom Lambert Beauduin, Romano Guardini, Josef Jungmann, and Louis Bouyer; an argument for embodied worship and the importance of the use of the body in liturgy; an overview of the development of Modern Dance; a discussion on the appropriate use of dance in the liturgy as it develops the movement already inherent in worship and allows the assembly to experience prayer that transcends words; and finally, some important considerations of culture and inculturation.

On June 10, 2005, Sandy Velasco Scott, Associate for Youth and Young Adult Ministries for the Diocese of San José, was awarded a Master of Arts in Catechetics from the Santa Clara University Graduate Program in Pastoral Ministries.

On the same day, María Guadalupe (Lupita) Vital Cruz, Associate for Hispanic Catechetical Ministry for the Diocese of San José was also awarded a Master of Arts in Catechetics from the same program.

On July 22, 2005, Diana Macalintal, Associate for Liturgy for the Diocese of San José, was awarded, with honors, a Master of Arts in Theology with an emphasis in liturgy and minor in systematics, from the Saint John’s University School of Theology*Seminary in Collegeville, Minnesota. Click here to find out more.

FILED UNDER: NEWS

Notre Dame Continuing Education Courses Online

Don't have time to do a full degree program right now? Here's an easy way to supplement your theological and liturgical learning from the convenience of home.

Since 1999, the Satellite Theological Education Program (STEP) at the University of Notre Dame has offered quality theological education to pastoral ministers and other adult Catholics across the country. Conducted via the Internet and taught by Notre Dame professors and STEP facilitators, STEP provides a wide variety of adult faith formation opportunities.

Some of the online courses they offer are:

Catholic Doctrine

• The Creed: We Believe...
• In God's Image: The Mystery of Creation
• Jesus Christ: Yesterday and Today
• Mary in the Catholic Tradition
• The Papacy

Christian Life

• The Christian Conscience and Ethical Dilemmas: Guidance from the Catholic Tradition
• On Prayer
• Youth Ministry 101

Church History

• The American Catholic Experience
• American Catholicism Since Vatican II: The Challenges of Change
• Vatican II: The Experience and the Event
• Women and Catholicism in the U.S.

Liturgy

• Eucharist: Source and Summit of the Christian Life
• An Introduction to Sacraments
• Liturgy: A Guide for the Perplexed
• The RCIA: Can We Get the Rite Right?

Religion and Literature

• The Confessions of St. Augustine by St. Augustine
• The Long Loneliness by Dorothy Day
• Love in the Ruins by Walker Percy
• Mystery and Manners by Flannery O'Connor
• "Revelation" and Other Stories by Flannery O'Connor
• Selected Stories by Andre Dubus
• The Seven Storey Mountain by Thomas Merton
• St. Francis of Assisi by G. K. Chesterton

Scripture

• Biblical Literary Forms
• Can We Write a History of Jesus?
• The Gospel of John: The Book of Glory
• The Gospel of John: The Book of Signs
• Introduction to the New Testament
• The Letters of St. Paul
• The Old Testament: The Pentateuch
• The Old Testament: The Prophets

In addition to these online courses, STEP offers a CD-ROM lecture series that you can purchase and view on your own.

For more information on STEP, go to: http://step.nd.edu/.