tvc.dsj.org | January 22, 2019
COMMUNITY
7
Catholic Cemeteries: This Year, Resolve to Plan Ahead
By Kathy Fanger
The New Year is upon us, and for
many, that means it’s time to try some
self-improvement. Our resolutions may
be to lose weight, save money, exercise
more, or some other virtuous endeavor.
Often though, by February, our good
intentions fall by the wayside. This
year, why not make a resolution that’s
not just good for you and your family,
but also easy to make happen?
The resolution in question? To
accomplish your end-of-life arrange-
ments. Preplanning may seem over-
whelming. You may not know where
to begin, yet we invite you to start the
conversation. Your end-of-life plans
deserve restful and mindful focus.
When you make this a priority, it actu-
ally takes less time than you may think.
Our Catholic Cemeteries counselors
are available to meet with you and it’s
free. If requested, they will come to
your home. They will listen to your
wishes, ex lain urial o tions and offer
a tour. You may even put property on
hold for two weeks if time is needed
to ma e a final decision. nother en-
efit of re lanning is urchasing with
today’s dollars. Many are surprised by
our ero ercent interest finance lans
which extend to 36 months.
Why choose a Catholic Cemetery?
ecause it is your final statement
of faith. You choose to rest among be-
lievers in consecrated, sacred grounds,
named after Our Blessed Mother, an-
gels and saints. Relatives and friends
visit and pray for you. They often speak
stories of their loved ones, becoming
friends. They hold onto the promise
that one day they will be reunited with
Our Lord and those they love in the
kingdom of heaven. Gate of Heaven
has an exquisite Veterans Section.
Monsignor J. Patrick Browne declared:
“Catholic Cemeteries is the best kept
secret in the diocese.”
Our three diocesan Catholic Cem-
eteries are:
• Calvary Cemetery
2650 Madden Avenue, San Jose
• Gate of Heaven Cemetery
22555 Cristo Rey Drive, Los Altos
• Saint John the Baptist Cemetery
651 Old Piedmont Road, Milpitas
Catholic Cemeteries also has re-
sources for planning a funeral (Vigil,
Mass or Memorial Service, and Com-
mittal). Our End-of-Life Legacy Guide
will assist you with designating music,
scripture readings, and individuals you
wish to be a part of the liturgy. The
guide also has pages to note names of
family, friends and financial contacts,
assets and liabilities. It allows you to
restfully gather and document this
information and put it in a safe place
for your family and executer.
What a beautiful gift of peace of mind
when your funeral plans, property, and
wishes for Catholic funeral services
are in place and documented. This gift
to your loved ones removes the stress
of last minute decisions, financial de-
mands, and their urgency of choosing
your final resting lace. our loved
ones need not worry about whether
they’re making the choices you would
have wanted. At the time of death, they
can focus on what’s really important:
comforting one other, giving thanks
to God for your life, and beginning the
healing process. Having accomplished
these plans, you may concentrate your
life on your relationships, not the lo-
gistics, and preparing your soul for the
Lord who will say to you:
“Come, you who are blessed by my
Father, inherit and kingdom prepared for
you from the foundation of the world.”
Matthew 25:34
Make this resolution happen.
Contact us today for a free appoint-
ment and ask to receive our free Legacy
Planning Guide, (650) 428-3730 or cem-
[email protected].
Upcoming Workshop
SOLACE – Soul + Grief
January 23: 7 – 9 p.m.
(4th Wed. each month)
O’Connor Hospital Chapel
2105 Forest Ave, San Jose
(Use main entrance. Parking in the
back lot, right of Main entrance.)
Facilitator: Candee Lucas, M.A.
Pastoral Ministries. We use a scrip-
ture reading as a seed for our sharing,
discussion and support. We hope to
create a sacred, confidential s ace for
you to share your grieving. No RSVP
necessary. Free. Sponsored by Catholic
Cemeteries and O’Connor Hospital.
Memories of Grandma and the Rosary
By Maria-Pia Negro Chin
Catholic News Service
My grandmother’s birthday is coming up and she
does not live in this country, so my family will not be
a le to see her. e will call her -- she has not figured
out Skype yet -- and we will talk and laugh, talk
about her great-grandchildren and her sisters, and
wish we could celebrate together. This year, I also
want to thank her for everything we have learned
from her example -- including her faith in Christ
through Mary.
Years ago, when she was visiting us back in Mary-
land, I caught a glimpse of her with her eyes closed
and her hands going through her rosary beads,
praying.
It took me back to her house in Peru and memories
of her singing lullabies to my younger sister, her
cooking, her checking her notebooks with tricky
words for her daily crossword and her praying the
rosary every morning.
I imagine her reciting all of the intentions people
have asked her to pray for and naming every single
aunt, uncle and cousin before she starts to pray.
The rosary is a simple yet deep tool to pray. It al-
lows time to re ect on the mysteries, events in the
lives of Jesus and Mary. Because the joyful, lumi-
nous, sorrowful and glorious mysteries are prayed
on certain days of the week, a daily rosary only
focuses on one set of mysteries and takes about 20
minutes to complete.
In the book “33 Days to Morning Glory,” Marian
Father Michael Gaitley writes that “praying the ro-
sary does something to the soul. It allows Mary to
share and form us according to the image of her son.”
He points out how the church-approved apparitions
of Mary often encourage the praying of the rosary
for us to experience peace in our societies, families
and nations.
When I think of people like my grandma who pray
the rosary daily and hear their testimonies, I really
feel like I should start praying it consistently.
While searching for gifts for my grandma, I found
a book called “The Rosary: The Prayer That Saved
My Life.” In it, Immaculée Ilibagiza talks about
how, to save her from rape and murder during the
Rwandan genocide of 1994, Immaculée’s father gave
her a rosary and told her to run to a local pastor for
protection.
Immaculée and seven other women hid in a 3-by-
4-foot bathroom for 91 days. There she “discovered
how to ray the rosary, find the lessed other and
talk to the Lord.” Prayers that had seemed repeti-
tive and never made an impact before became her
spiritual compass.
he says that in the midst of un eara le sufferings,
she discovered the beauty and power of the rosary
and that meditating on its mysteries delivered her
from evil and helped her let go of the anger she had
toward the men who killed her family. Talk about
the power of prayer!
My grandma praying the rosary was one of those
things I just assumed was “nice but not for me” in-
stead of being a great gift. Now that I am older, I am
starting to realize otherwise. When I call her later
this month, I want to thank her for her example and
ask her if I could join her in praying for the family.