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COMMUNITY
June 11, 2019 | The Valley Catholic
Detention Ministry – Happy Easter … He is Risen!
By Elizabeth Sanville
Volunteer Detention Minister,
Diocese of San Jose
Our Easter celebrations often in-
clude Mass, egg hunts, food and drink,
chocolate and sweets, family and
friends. This Easter, after attending
Mass at my parish, I participated in an
intimate Mass inside Main Jail! Yes,
Mass inside the grim and often hope-
less walls of a Jail in a multi-purpose
room, 12 men, 3 musicians, a Sister, a
Father, and me. Inside that room with
no decorations, no crucifix, no Paschal
candle, no baptismal font, and no tab-
ernacle, the forgiveness and mercy of
Christ brightened the room with smiles
and joy as a young inmate received the
sacraments of initiation.
A year ago, in April 2018, I met
Joseph, a young man in his twenties,
charged with manslaughter. After his
arrest and incarceration, Joseph began
attending a weekly Catholic liturgy
and Bible study. He expressed interest
in learning more about the Catholic
faith and so we began to meet every
other week. Joseph demonstrated
a childlike faith, accepting Church
teachings. He expressed curiosity,
asking questions; he showed initiative
to learn, reading scripture daily and
reading spiritual materials. As the
weeks and months progressed, I could
see Joseph transforming into a more
strengthened by the gifts of the Holy
Spirit. My prayer is that he will con-
tinue to practice his faith, fostering a
deeper relationship with Jesus.
I recently visited Joseph. We talked
about Peter (our first Pope), his human-
ity and his failings, transformed into
“So I can do great things also for Christ!
I had to hit rock bottom to accept God in my life.
Now I am more hopeful and at peace.”
thoughtful, optimistic and kinder in-
dividual. He was able to reflect on past
mistakes and look to the future with
hope. I was reminded of Jesus’ words
that “Those who are well do not need
a physician, but the sick do. I did not
come to call the righteous but sinners.”
(Mark 2:17).
I do not know what the future holds
for this neophyte. What I do know is
that the seed of faith has been planted
and Joseph is claimed for Christ,
courage and commitment through his
great love for Christ. Joseph exclaimed,
“So I can do great things also for
Christ!”, and “I had to hit rock bottom
to accept God in my life. Now I am
more hopeful and at peace.” Joseph
then went on to let me know that he had
committed the Our Father, Hail Mary
and Nicene Creed to memory!
My heartfelt thanks to Sister Mary-
ann who guides and leads the many
Detention (Jail) Ministry volunteers,
and who afforded me the opportunity
to be Joseph’s catechist. Through my
sessions with Joseph, reading and
reflecting on Scripture, exploring
Church teaching and tradition, my
faith was strengthened and enriched.
In the Gospel of Matthew, chapter 25,
we are reminded to care for our fallen
brothers and sisters “… in prison
and you visited me. … Amen, I say
to you, whatever you did for one of
these least brothers of mine, you did
for me.” Many thanks to the clergy,
religious and volunteers who give
generously of their time and talent to
bring the message and light of Christ
into our Jails.
As we celebrate these 50 days of
Easter, sharing the joy of the Resur-
rection with our incarcerated brothers
and sisters, may we always remember
that “We were indeed buried with
him through baptism into death, so
that, just as Christ was raised from
the dead by the glory of the Father,
we too might live in newness of life.
For if we have grown into union with
him through a death like his, we shall
also be united with him in the resur-
rection.” (Romans 6:4-5).
Saint Martin Young Adults Host
6th Annual Seven Churches Visitation
Our Lady of Peace Church & Shrine
Msgr. John Sweeny Family Learning Center
2800 Mission College Blvd. Santa Clara, CA 95054
Our Lady's Way is the remarkable story of the priests and people
who turned a futureless church into a mecca of faith and conversion
with a simple hope for the future, zeal for souls, and unwavering
love for Christ and His Mother.
The Saint Martin of Tours Young
Adults (SMYA) recently held its 6th
annual devotional pilgrimage on Holy
Thursday. The “Seven Churches Visita-
tion”, also known as “Visita Iglesia” is
a tradition of visiting seven churches
on Holy Thursday, which is thought
to have originated in Rome, as early
pilgrims visited the seven basilicas as
penance.
Members of the Saint Martin Par-
ish community were invited to join
the pilgrimage. Following the Holy
Thursday Eucharistic procession, the
pilgrims remained at Saint Martin for
a brief period of prayer and adoration.
They then traveled to other beautiful
altars of repose to pray and keep watch
with the Lord. The visitation route
included: Saint Martin of Tours, Saint
Leo the Great, Saint Clare, Saint Justin,
Saint Lawrence the Martyr, Our Lady
of Peace and Saint Martin’s Sunnyvale.
The pilgrims found that the Visita Igle-
sia was a beautiful way to enter into
the Easter triduum, honor the Blessed
Sacrament and reflect on Jesus’s agony
in the garden.
All young adults in the diocese are
invited to be part of Saint Martin’s
A collage of photos from Saint Martin of
Tours 2019 Visita Iglesia (Seven Churches
Visitation).
Young Adult Ministry. For more infor-
mation or to learn about our upcoming
events, follow us on Facebook (Saint
Martin of Tours Young Adults), email
us at: [email protected] or visit
www.smyoungadults.com.
We are now accepting registrations
for our Annual Summer Camping
Trip, July 26-28 at Uvas Canyon Park
in Morgan Hill. Details and regis-
tration information is available at:
smya2019camping.eventbrite.com.