Stained Glass

Second Sunday of Lent - February 27-28, 2010

SECOND COLLECTION FOR ST. VICTOR’S ST. VINCENT de PAUL SOCIETY

Today’s second collection is for St. Victor’s St. Vincent de Paul Society. Please help our volunteers help our neighbors in need. Thank you for your generosity.

ANNUAL DIOCESAN APPEAL

GROWING IN FAITH TOGETHER

WE’RE ALMOST THERE! JOIN THE WINNING TEAM! We urge those who have not yet responded to do so this week. Your parish priests and fellow parishioners are DEEPLY GRATEFUL to those who have already pledged support to this year’s ADA campaign. With only about 445 of our 3,100 registered families participating, we have already reached over $115,563.00 of our diocesan goal [$160,079.00]. Just think what we could do with YOUR help! Watch our progress on the ADA chart in the vestibule of the Church. {For those who have already pledged, please wait for your statements to arrive from the Diocese and mail your payments directly to them, as the bookkeeping is done there.}

You may also donate online by clicking on: On Line Giving - click here .

R.C.I.A. SCRUTINIES

During the six weeks of Lent, the whole Church is trying to move closer to God by taking a look at the areas of life that need improvement. In R.C.I.A., we do this in a simple ceremony at the 9:15 A.M. Mass on the Third, Fourth and Fifth Sundays of Lent (beginning next weekend). We ask to be healed of anything weak, defective or sinful and strengthened in all that is good, strong and holy in our lives. Please pray that our candidates may be protected from evil and strengthened by the Holy Spirit, so that they will be worthy to receive the Easter sacraments.

Ladies Retreat

St. Victor’s Altar Society is sponsoring the ANNUAL LADIES RETREAT during Lent from March 12^th-14^th at St. Clare’s Retreat House in the beautiful Santa Cruz Mountains. This retreat is open to ALL LADIES who are interested. (Bring a friend!) What a wonderful opportunity this is to renew our spiritual life. For reservations or more information, please call the Parish Office @ 251-7055. {A bus will be available for a nominal fee. It will leave St. Victor’s @ 2:45 P.M. sharp on March 12^th. Please advise if you plan on using the bus for transportation.}

ADULT CONFIRMATION

Sign-ups are being taken for the ADULT Confirmation classes (age 18 and older, who have already been Baptized and have had First Eucharist). Please register for the classes through the Rectory Office @ 251-7055. The classes are scheduled once a week from April 5^th – May 10^th. Confirmation will be celebrated on May 23^rd at the Cathedral.

SCRIPTURE READINGS

MARCH 6-7, 2010

EXODUS 3:1-8, 13-15

1 CORINTHIANS 10:1-6, 10-12

LUKE 13:1-9

Please see today’s bulletin insert (attachment) regarding our Joyful Giving Lenten Season Program,

sponsored by our Couples for Christ and Lay Carmelites.

PLANNED GIVING NOTES

A Charitable Trust Can Increase Your Income!

The IRS allows you to use a charitable trust to increase your income and reduce your taxes. The trust is especially useful for highly appreciated assets (real estate or securities). The trust can also be used to help loved ones with income after you have gone, but keep the principal for being spent unwisely.

If you want to know more about this, the Diocese can provide free assistance. Call Robert Serventi @ 983-0168, or write to him at: Diocese of San Jose, The Chancery, 1150 N. First St., Suite 100, San Jose, CA 95112-4966.

FIRST FRIDAY/SATURDAY volunteers are desperately needed for Adoration between 1:00-5:00 A.M. each month. If you are able to help during this time or want more information, please call the Parish Office @ 251-7055 as soon as possible. Thank you!

Stations of the Cross, First Friday Adoration, First Friday Evening Mass

Join us this Friday evening, March 5^th, for Stations of the Cross at 6:30 P.M., followed by our First Friday Mass at 7:30 P.M. in the Church. Our 24-hour Adoration will be held in the Chapel until after Saturday’s 8:00 A.M. Mass. Please note that the time change for Stations of the Cross is only for this week.

Renewal of Vows – Couples’ Prayer: O Lord, help us to be thoughtful and patient with each other. Grant us the grace to face each other with deep, abiding trust. Help us always to be quick to see the good in each other, and slow to recall the failings. Help us to be generous with our time for one another and to anticipate each other’s needs. Help us always to be grateful to You for giving the two of us a share in Your love. Help us to continue to grow in love for each other and for our children. May our faith and love for You grow deeper as the years go on. Amen.

FATHER LIM’S PILGRIMAGE TO EASTERN EUROPE & OBERAMMERGAU

You are invited to an informational meeting regarding the pilgrimage to Eastern Europe & Oberammergau from September 20^th-30^th. The trip will take us to Germany, Austria and the Czech Republic. The meeting will be held on Sunday, March 7^th, from 2:30-4:30 P.M. in the small room of the parish center. If you have any questions, please call Father Lim @ 251-7055.

ST. VICTOR’S PARISH DEVELOPMENT FUND

Many years ago we established this monthly special collection to cover our routine maintenance and repairs to our buildings. Sad to say, the amount raised has never come close to meeting our needs, especially as our buildings age and require increased attention. In budgeting for this fiscal year, we set aside $25,000 to cover major improvements like the asphalt repaving of our parking lots, repairs and painting of our Church interior, replacement of the badly damaged driveway at the convent, and a thorough cleaning of the Church interior. We have yet to pay for the replacement of the compressor in one of our Church air-conditioning units, and the cost of new flooring in our parish office building, which will be shared 50/50 with the Diocese of San Jose.

Needless to say, the $25,000 “set-aside” has been fully spent, and an additional $25,000 was added, thanks to the generous bequest of Monsignor Ahern, our former Pastor.

This is simply a request that you prayerfully consider your participation in the monthly second collection – the first Sunday of every month – and determine whether you could increase your level of support of, more important, begin participating. Currently, only 10% of our regular parishioners are helping, yet we all enjoy the beauty and comfort of our place of worship.

Jean Dargis, Adminsitrator

To those of you who ship food and other items to Father Michael, he has requested that no mail/packages be sent for a couple of months. He is no longer stationed at the same base and does not have a new regular assignment as yet.

Donations to the Church may be made monthly by credit card or checking account transfers. Parish Pay is now available at St. Victor’s. You may access the web site @ www.parish.stvictor.org and click on DONATE or call toll-free @ 1-866-727-4741 and give them the information over the phone. If you have any questions, you may also call the Parish Office @ 251-7055.

Mass Intentions for the Week

Monday March 01 6:30 A.M. Amada De Francesco

8:00 A.M. Lola Mendoza

Tuesday March 02 6:30 A.M. Nestor Caampued

8:00 A.M. Roger & Sofia Del Castillo

Wednesday March 03 6:30 A.M. Juanita Odiamar & Concepcion Juan

8:00 A.M. Theresa Zeitvogel

Thursday March 04 6:30 A.M. Venacio Hernandez

8:00 A.M. Feliza S. Cura

Friday March 05 6:30 A.M. Alex Soriano

8:00 A.M. Ginger McGreevy

Saturday March 06 8:00 A.M. Lucile Gatdula

5:00 P.M. Antonio, Maria & Philomena Freitas & Mary Poisson (Father Phan)

Sunday March 07 7:00 A.M. For the Parishioners of St. Victor Parish (Father Lim)

8:00 A.M. Donald & Eleanor Aveni (Father Lim)

9:15 A.M. Steve Perata (Father Perata)

10:45 A.M. Maria Trejo (Father Dwyer)

12:15 P.M. Ramon Tanedo (Carmelites)

5:00 P.M. Francisco Rodrigues Lucas (Father Phan)

Banns Of Marriage

Nguyet To & Vu Nguyen I

Come Back To Me With All Your Heart

Lent is a special time. We take time to look more closely at God and God looks at us. How can we take even minor steps to get closer to God during these forty days? There are three traditional practices that the Church puts before us to help us forget self and follow Christ more closely. These practices are: prayer, fasting and almsgiving.

The most perfect prayer we have is the Mass. Join with others at the 6:30 or 8:00 A.M. Mass during the weekdays (Monday-Friday) of Lent. And/or join us on Friday evenings for Stations of the Cross at 6:30 P.M. in the Church – time change for this week only.

Fasting asks us to let go of habits that get in the way of our ability to love God and others. The Fridays of Lent are days of abstinence for everyone 14 years or older. That means NO MEAT. GOOD FRIDAY will be a day of fast and abstinence. That means ONLY ONE FULL MEAL for those 18-59 and NO MEAT for anyone 14 years or older. The faithful should not excuse themselves lightly from these observances.

Through almsgiving (ADA Appeal, Special Collections, Operation Rice Bowl – Catholic Relief Services, Eastside F.I.S.H., St. Vincent de Paul) we come to see others as God sees them, worthy of our love and sharing.

Lenten Reminders: All the faithful, after they have participated in First Communion, are obliged to share in Communion at least once a year during the Easter season (First Sunday of Lent until Trinity Sunday). The faithful who are old enough to understand that they have sinned are obligated to confess serious sins at least once a year. It is recommended that venial sins also be confessed.

CONGRATULATIONS to Nick Gray, who celebrates 50 years as a Knight of Columbus!

$CRIP gift certificates will be available after Masses next weekend (except Sunday 7:00 & 8:00 A.M.)

for all of your shopping, dining and gift-giving needs.

There is no extra cost to you. You purchase the gift certificate at face value and the merchant/store/ restaurant

makes a donation to St. Victor’s School.

Thank you to the members of our parish community who support this program on a regular basis.

Thank You

THANKS to all those who came to help us celebrate the Lunar New Year at last week’s Sunday 12:15 P.M. Mass. St. Victor’s Parish Community would like to offer our sincere appreciation to our Vietnamese Catholic Association for making this beautiful celebration so special for all of us.

THERE WILL BE A SECOND COLLECTION NEXT WEEKEND FOR ST. VICTOR ’S DEVELOPMENT FUND.

SOCIAL JUSTICE NOTES...

CATHOLIC CHARITIES PROGRAMS – Community Counseling offers treatment for many issues including grief, life transitions, parenting and relationship challenges and depression. Sliding scale fees are available and Healthy Families insurance is accepted for children’s counseling. Please contact Eric Medrud, Ph.D., @ 325-5116 or [email protected]. Refugee Resettlement Program is a core program of CC and the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops. To volunteer or for more information regarding this program, please visit www.CatholicCharitiesSCC.org.

STAR Foster Family Agency – is looking for people to care for and mentor children who have been removed from their families. Please call Amber @ 283-9758 x204 to learn more about becoming a foster parent.

NEWS BRIEFS...

OFFICE OF THE BISHOP – In consultation with the Santa Clara County Health Department, Bishop Patrick McGrath is happy to announce that we are able to remove the temporary adaptations begun last September during the concern with the H1N1 influenza virus, and we can now return to our normal liturgical practices at Mass.

THE JESUITS – COME AND SEE – The California Province of the Society of Jesus is hosting an informal pizza gathering on Wednesday, March 3^rd, at Santa Clara University ( 801 Franklin St. , Santa Clara ) from 8:00-9:30 P.M. All single Catholic men, ages 18-45, who are looking at career options or who have given some thought to exploring a possible vocation to priesthood or religious life are invited to join us. The event includes: prayer period, vocation stories, information about Ignatian spirituality and life as a Jesuit, and a brief discussion of the discernment process. There is no cost for this event. Please RSVP to Rev. Chris Cartwright @ 554-4649 or <mailto:[email protected]>.

The story of Cesar Chavez, Let the Eagle Fly, will be held at San Jose city college Theater (2100 Moorpark Ave.) on Sunday, march 7^th, from 2:00-4:30 P.M. Tickets cost $25.00. For tickets or more information, please contact Inma Gomez @ 375-7301.

The appearance of His face changed, and His clothes became dazzling white.

BULLETIN ARCHIVE