Thirtieth Anniversary of the Diocese of San Jose

March 15, 2011

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Dear Friends,

As we approach the Thirtieth Anniversary of the Diocese of San Jose, I write to ask you to join with me in thanking God for all that has been and for the promise that the future holds for us.

These three decades have seen our local Church emerge from a rich history of pastoral service to the people of Santa Clara Valley.  My predecessor, Bishop Pierre DuMaine, worked tirelessly to establish a diocesan identity that was faithful to the ministry and vision of the Franciscans, Jesuits, Women Religious, Laity and Diocesan Clergy who ministered here in the centuries after the founding of Mission Santa Clara in 1777 and Saint Joseph Parish in 1803.

In the early months of 1981, Bishop DuMaine, together with then-Fathers Michael Mitchell and Joseph Milani, Monsignor Norman Allen, and Presentation Sisters Patricia Marie Mulpeters and Mary Claude Power, set upon the task of establishing a “New Church.”  We see the fruit of their efforts in the vibrant diocesan and parish communities that now harness Twenty-First Century technology in service of the “New Evangelization” to which the entire Church is called.  Our liturgical-sacramental, pastoral, formational and outreach ministries stand in eloquent testimony to our communal dedication to the vision and mission of the Lord Jesus and to his service to his sisters and brothers who are most in need.

With the coming of the Third Christian Millennium, Bishop DuMaine was convinced that the time was appropriate to hand over the role of leadership to the next generation.  Arriving in San Jose as Coadjutor Bishop in 1998, I soon became acquainted with the parish and school communities and other Catholic institutions with whom I now collaborate in my ministry as the Second Bishop of San Jose.  Upon his retirement on November 27, 1999, leadership of the Diocese passed from Bishop DuMaine to me.

I believed then – and I am even more convinced now – that Bishop DuMaine’s episcopal motto, Gaudium et Spes (“Joy and Hope”) and my motto, “Together in Christ,” unite us in the continuum of past and present identity and service, faithful always to the promptings of the Spirit, the source of unity and the font of our joy and our hope.

Early in the last decade, we entered a lengthy process from which we developed our Diocesan Pastoral Plan, Renewing the Church.  Having consulted with thousands of parishioners throughout the Diocese, we established the pastoral and administrative priorities that would guide us toward the year 2020.  We identified the following pastoral priorities:  Lay Leadership, Youth and Young Adults, and the Church’s Social Justice Teachings.  In addition to these, we identified a number of Organizational and Structural Issues, necessary to sustain our dedication to our mission as Church.  Promulgated on March 19, 2002, this document continues to guide us; as a living document, it is open to revision and enhancement.  In light of this, we have identified two additional pastoral priorities, the Liturgy and Catholic Education, that we believe are now necessary components as we address the “real concerns of real people” to which the Pastoral Plan calls us.  In the next months, the strategies for these new priorities will be developed and shared with you.

Closely connected to the Pastoral Plan was our highly successful Capital Campaign, Rooted in Faith ~ Embracing Our Future.  Even as funds flow toward the various elements of the “case statement,” endowments continue to grow, enhancing our ability to serve in the decades still to come.  The ongoing generosity of the Roman Catholic Community of all of the parishes and missions of the Diocese has been gratifying; even in difficult times you have remained faithful to fulfilling your pledges.

As you know, it is the Annual Diocesan Appeal, which funds the day-to-day ministries and services for which I am responsible as Pastor of our local Church.  Even now, our 2011 ADA is breaking records in terms of the generous response you, the people of the Diocese, have given to our annual request for funds.  Our Parish, Our Diocese, Together in Christ states so clearly not only the hope, but also the experience many have of what it is to be the Church of Christ here, in Santa Clara County as we celebrate our Thirtieth Anniversary.

One might say that the years have been kind to us.  Our Diocese stands poised to serve the ever-changing needs of our people.  We remain committed to the safety, security and dignity of all who are entrusted to our care, particularly the young, the old, the vulnerable and the marginalized.  Likewise, we are dedicated to honesty, justice and transparency in our business, so that we might in all things be a living sign of God’s coming Reign and instruments of God’s peace.

Like you, I do not know what the future – even tomorrow – might bring.  I am convinced, however, that, rooted in all that we have already done, we are poised to serve in the many decades still to come.  For, if it is truly the Lord’s work that we are doing, let us trust that the Lord will continue to bless us and to bless the work of our hands and our lives.

Finally, I invite you to join me in a simple celebration of our Thirtieth Anniversary on Saturday, March 19, at a special 10:00 a.m. Mass at the Cathedral Basilica of Saint Joseph.  May we truly become “one body, one spirit” as we grow “Together in Christ.”

With every best wish and kind regard, I remain,

                                                    Sincerely yours,
                                     
                                                       Patrick J. McGrath
                                                       Bishop of San Jose