clarisseb, Author at Diocese of San Jose

Diocesan Synod General Assembly Weekend

Feb 6, 2023

Friday, January 27, 2023 – Centering on Mission, Anchoring in Prayer, Collaborating in Charity

The Diocese of San José Synod General Assembly, a remarkable and spirit-filled experience, began with a preparatory Mass at Mission Santa Clara, presided by Father Joe Kim. Addressing some delegates who arrived early, Father Kim spoke of the historic nature of this Synod, beginning on the 42^nd anniversary of the establishment of the Diocese of San José. He exhorted the delegates to be bold and confident in their work that weekend.

The nearly 200 delegates, consisting of laity selected by pastors, principals or Catholic organizations, employees chosen by the deans, and clergy appointed by Bishop Cantú, gathered in Locatelli Hall at Santa Clara University. Santa Clara University and President Julie Sullivan sponsored the weekend by donating their facility and much of the catering. Additional donors covered other costs of the weekend.

Bishop Cantú led a liturgy filled with joyous prayer and music by some of our young parishioners to bless the synod hall. The four pillars of the Synod were vividly represented in the beautifully decorated Locatelli Hall. “One” was represented by a shell; “Holy” by a cross, “Catholic” by a monstrance symbolizing the Eucharist, and lastly, “Apostolic” by sandals. Well anchored in prayer, the delegates spent time at their tables reflecting on their personal hopes as they considered the proposals for Diocesan Renewal. Dr. Alison Bender, Vice President of Ministry and Mission at Santa Clara University, and Father Luis Calero, the rector of the Santa Clara Jesuit community, welcomed participants and acknowledged the university’s close relationship with the diocese and Bishop Cantú. They expressed appreciation for the Synod’s significance to the entire Catholic community in Santa Clara County.

In his opening remarks, Bishop Cantú encouraged the delegates to see their task as sacred work. He referenced that the diocese’s 50th anniversary in 2031 coincides with the 500th anniversary of the apparitions of Mary to Juan Diego in Mexico. He noted that the themes of tenderness and inculturation of the Good News and the dignity of each person were the tools Our Lady of Guadalupe used to draw over millions of new believers to the faith. He asked delegates to consider how the diocese can use these same tools to help share the good news at this point in our church’s history in San José.

The Bishop also admitted, in all humility, that he did not create a plan or vision when he arrived in the diocese four years ago because he wanted to get to know the diocese and its people first. Thus, inspired, he wanted and still deeply desires to hear from the faithful about their hopes, dreams, and needs. The synodal process is the culmination of that effort. It started in the Spring of 2022 with the Universal Synod consultations and diocesan report that focused on the broad hopes and hurts of the faithful and was sent to Rome. In the Summer and Fall, over 100 consultation sessions held by all our parishes and schools informed the tri-lingual online survey of faithful, which had over 4,000 survey responses. Together, this produced over 7,500 recommendations for local diocesan renewal, which were distilled into eight themes and 96 proposals for the synod delegates to pray over, discern, and prioritize during this assembly weekend.

Like Father Joe Kim’s opening remarks, the bishop urged everyone to “think big” and not worry about the practical details of costs, staffing, or precedent. Bishop also emphasized that this “sacred work” will not be completed immediately but will take many years to implement fully. Action plans for the approved proposals will be developed and included in the pastoral plan, currently scheduled to be announced around Pentecost Sunday.

Saturday, January 28, 2023 – Sleeves Rolled Up; Hearts and Minds Open to the Spirit

On day two of the assembly, delegates were divided into working groups and engaged fully in discussing, discerning, and prioritizing the proposals. Weeks before the General Assembly, they received the parishioner-inspired proposals with context given by the faithful, data provided by the Diocese, and theological reflections for individual prayer and discernment leading up to the assembly.

Each working group, led by a dynamic facilitator, discussed and discerned 24 proposals over three two-hour sessions. In the working groups, delegates listened to each other and shared perspectives and experiences. They expanded their own thinking regarding the life of the church in the diocese. Concerns and variances of opinion were voiced in a professional, friendly, and hopeful manner. During voting, each person used a 7-item Likert scale from Very Strongly Agree to Very Strongly Disagree to indicate their discernment as to whether each proposal would have a significant and positive impact on Diocesan Renewal.

At the end of the day, the delegates gathered for a plenary session where the working group facilitators shared the highlights from their groups. Terms used to describe their group interaction included: open, respectful, supportive, high-energy, curious, and insightful. Facilitators appreciated the total engagement and candor among delegates and felt the delegates were exceptional listeners and learned from one another.

In closing that Saturday session, Bishop Cantú shared that the word “synod” has a Greek origin and means “walking together.” The bishop also compared the day’s work with the gospel story of the disciples on the road to Emmaus. Specifically, while observing the working groups, he noted that the conversations among the various teams were a tangible example of ‘walking together.’ He remarked how the process of accompaniment was a sacred exercise. Like the disciples recognized Jesus in the gospel, the bishop felt he was witnessing the discovery of Christ’s presence playing out at the tables, which were busy ‘walking together’ as they tried to understand each other and create a direction for the Church’s future. The early fruits of the Synod were already appreciated in the new friendships formed across the table groups.

By the end of Saturday, the delegates accomplished the goal of prioritizing the top six proposals in each of the eight themes, known as the “Top 48.” Spiritually, the discovery of the presence of God in the conversation was the real fruit of the day.

Sunday, January 29, 2023 – Some work, some play, and a bright future

“The Canticle of the Sun” began the third and final day of the Synod General Assembly. The morning liturgy captured the joy and hope that seemed to reverberate throughout the day. In the morning, the delegates gathered in the working groups to discuss the “Top 48” proposals. The delegates focused on understanding the proposals on that list that their group had not discussed on Saturday. Once the spirited yet respectful table discussions were concluded, all assembly delegates and volunteers sat in silent prayer for 10 minutes, asking for the Holy Spirit’s guidance in their final round of discernment over the proposals for diocesan renewal. This quiet created a sacred space for each delegate to then make a second thoughtful vote on the remaining proposals.

While awaiting the voting results, Rosio Gonzalez, Chief Operations Office for the diocese, with John Reid, founder and partner for The Reid Group, outlined the next phase of diocesan renewal – pastoral planning – led by the Pastoral Planning Commission, which culminates with a pastoral plan being unveiled on or about Pentecost Sunday of May 2023.

The afternoon continued with several delegates, identified by their facilitators, sharing their personal reflections on the weekend. Notably, the young adults who attended stated that they ‘felt respected’ and grateful to be a part of the process. Then the results of the Sunday vote were revealed. The results of Saturday’s and Sunday’s votes, along with all original recommendations from the faithful, now move to the Pastoral Planning Commission, which now begins its work in earnest.

To give thanks for a spirit-led weekend, everyone gathered at Mission Santa Clara, a nearly 250-year witness of faith in this valley that is now our Diocese, for a multilingual Mass presided by Bishop Cantú and concelebrated by 20 priests. In his homily, Bishop Cantú spoke about the Kingdom of God, which in this world looks like the poor, those who mourn, those who are persecuted, and those who suffered doing so with faith, hope, and love of Christ and the Church. Bishop Cantú spoke of his gratitude for the delegates who discussed the challenges of our Diocese that we need to face to build the Kingdom of God in the valley of Saint Claire. He commended their work to look at practical ways to the Kingdom of God despite the challenges – homelessness, poverty, and secularism. He shared his confidence that the weekend had tilled the soil and planted some critical seeds to build on the strong roots of faith in the Diocese of San José.

After Mass, a mariachi band led everyone from the Mission across campus to the spectacular fiesta filled with good food and entertainment. Performances reflect our valley’s wonderful diversity, including a Mexican folklorico dance group, Nigerian dancers from the local Catholic Igbo community, and Vietnamese youth drummers and dancers from Our Lady of La Vang parish. As people left the Synod General Assembly, they felt hopeful and Spirit-filled!

Our historic Synod is over, and now the Pastoral Planning Commission takes the “sacred work” of the General Assembly to continue the “sacred work” of Pastoral Planning. A high bar has been set for the next phase, and the Diocese will continue to lean into the Holy Spirit and trust that God is guiding us at every step along the way.

Bishop Cantú’s Statement on the recent shootings

Jan 28, 2023

In the wake of the series of shootings in our country, especially those in California, and in our neighboring community of Half Moon Bay, we extend our prayers to all the grieving families, work colleagues of the victims, and all those affected by these tragedies. We pray for healing to all those who are injured, and comfort to those who mourn.

As we Catholics seek the face of Jesus the healer and consoler. Let us remember that we are called to offer loving presence and support to one another in a real and concrete way. Let us build a community that provides support, especially to those who struggle with mental health, as we come together urging our leaders to work towards finding common-sense solutions to the scourge of gun violence. We also call for dignified treatment and living conditions for our brothers and sisters who work on farms to provide the food we eat.

Bishop Cantu’s Statement on Pope Benedict XVI passing.

Jan 3, 2023

“Today we grieve the loss of Pope Benedict XVI. One of the great theologians of the past two centuries, he left his mark on the Church. His writings, teachings, and homilies will remain a treasure to the Church. Yet it was his gentle soul that touched so many who were blessed to know him. He was humble, reserved, and yet inviting.

He appointed me to serve as a bishop in 2008, so I feel a personal connection to and fondness for the late pontiff. My personal encounters with him were with that of kind, wise, and encouraging pastor.

May he rest in peace.”

+Oscar Cantu

Bishop Oscar Cantú’s Christmas Message- Welcoming Jesus more deeply into our lives

Dec 22, 2022

Download Bishop Cantú’s Christmas Message English | Spanish | Vietnamese

Brothers and Sisters in Christ,

As we celebrate the mystery of the Incarnation in this Christmas season, the following Scripture passage comes to mind: “While they were [in Bethlehem], the time came for [Mary] to have her child, and she gave birth to her firstborn son. She wrapped him in swaddling clothes and laid him in a manger, because there was no room for them in the inn” (Lk 2:6-7).

Mary placed the Christ-child in the manger, the feeding trough for the animals, as the impoverished Mary and Joseph could not find an adequate place to stay in Bethlehem. Yet the symbolism of the place of nourishment, the manger, is not lost on St. Luke: Mary’s “yes” provides sustenance to a world hungry for the presence of the divine. This image would be one of the titles of the child: Emmanuel, God-with-us. In the darkness and cold of the night, Mary offered Jesus as nourishment for the world, a world thirsting for justice and peace, for contact with the divine, for consolation, truth, and light.

Jesus later refers to himself as “the Bread come down from heaven,” and he eventually proclaims at the Last Supper, “This is my body…. Take and eat.” It is clear that God willed to remain with his people as the “Bread of life” (Jn. 6:35) to nourish us in our sometimes arduous journey through life. And it all began in Bethlehem, a town that literally means “house of bread,” as the Virgin places the Christ-child in the manger.

Over the next three years, the Catholic Church in the United States will be engaged in a Eucharistic Revival. This effort at the local, regional, and national levels focuses on helping Catholics understand more clearly the mystery of the Eucharist, to participate more consciously and devoutly in the worship and celebration of the Eucharistic sacrament, and to love more deeply Christ present in the sacramental mystery. Jesus indeed wishes to nourish us spiritually in our journey through life as we embark in faith on a journey, sowing seeds of hope with love along the way to the fullness of the kingdom of God. This Christmas, may we acknowledge our spiritual hunger as Mary, our mother, offers us her Son as “bread for the journey” and accept Him more deeply into our lives.

Bishop Oscar Cantú

Rev. Paul-Cuong Phan’s Obituary

Dec 13, 2022

Fr. Paul-Cuong Phan died on December 7, 2022, at O’Connor Hospital in San Jose, where he was a chaplain since 2021. He is survived by his mother and five siblings.

His hospital ministry at O’Connor and Valley Medical Center was brief, but he was known as a chaplain with a compassionate heart and cheerful spirit. Not only patients, but doctors and nurses also noticed his presence and ministry.

He was the fourth of six children of Ted Phan and Huong Nguyen. He was born on January 12, 1962 near Saigon, Vietnam. With the fall of the city in April 1975, he and his family escaped out to sea and was rescued by the U.S. Navy. They were among the first 125,000 Vietnamese refugees that settled in America. The family spent two years in Tennessee then moved to San Jose.

After graduating from Independence High in 1980, he worked for nine years in high tech companies while attending some colleges. Then he became a seminarian for the Diocese of San Jose in 1990 and was ordained a priest on June 12, 1999. He was the last person being ordained a priest by our founding Bishop Pierre DuMaine.

In 23 years of priestly ministry, Fr. Paul-Cuong was assigned to eight different parishes in the diocese: St. Joseph of Cupertino, St. Patrick’s Proto-Cathedral, Christ the King, St. Victor, St. Athanasius, St. Maria Goretti, St. Lawrence the Martyr, St. Elizabeth, and a year in hospital ministry at O’Connor and Valley Medical Center.

From 2019 to 2022, he was Vicar for Vietnamese Ministry in our diocese. In that role, he quickly worked with a team of clergy, religious and lay people to provide the virtual Vietnamese Mass within a week when the Shelter in Place started. The broadcast continues to these days on VieToday TV through KTSF 26.5 and Comcast 174.

Fr. Paul-Cuong was also a chaplain or spiritual guide to some Vietnamese organizations: Eucharistic Youth Movement, Cursillo, especially he was the national chaplain to the Federation of the Sacred Heart League – USA, an organization for Vietnamese Catholic men.

In his autobiography, he wrote “I have found true happiness in living my priesthood.” Before his ordination to the priesthood, he said, “When I was a little boy, my mom told me to pray for more vocations every time a priest raised up the (consecrated bread and wine). I have done that ever since.” He wanted to become a priest in order to “achieve my highest ideal: living according to Jesus’ model; being His disciple” and to “devote my whole life to doing what I love to do: caring for God’s people,” he wrote in The Valley Catholic, May 18, 1999.