tvc.dsj.org | June 20, 2017
IN THE DIOCESE
3
Happy 60 th Anniversary, Bishop Pierre, Ad Multos Annos!
In a recent conversation covering
the wide range of the six decades since
his ordination as a priest, Bishop Pierre
DuMaine reminisced about the origins
of his vocation, the exhilaration of the
Second Vatican Council, his appoint-
ment as first Bishop of San Jose and the
establishing of the Diocese.
Bishop DuMaine attributes his voca-
tion to the positive influence of priests
he had known prior to his entrance
into the seminary at the age of 14 and
during his years of formation. Among
these, was long-time pastor of Immacu-
late Heart of Mary Parish in Belmont,
Father John J. Kenny.
The bishop was in Washington, D.C.,
studying at the Catholic University
of America, during the years of the
Second Vatican Council. He welcomed
the changes introduced by the Coun-
cil, particularly the liturgical reforms.
According to Bishop DuMaine, the
foundation of the new Diocese of San
Jose was a wonderful opportunity, the
theology of the Council taking flesh in
the nascent Diocese. Key among the
guiding principles were the active role
of the laity and religious women, and
a permeating spirit of collaboration.
On the occasion of the 15 th Anniver-
Bishop Emeritus Pierr e DuMaine, second row, fourth from the right, poses with his fellow class-
mates at Saint Joseph Seminary in Mountain View. DuMaine, then 25, was ordained a priest on
June 15, 1957. Joining him at the seminary and also celebrating 60 years is Monsignor Lou Andre.
sary of the Diocese of San Jose (March
1996), Bishop DuMaine wrote in “The
Valley Catholic” about “I like what I
see” and “What I would like to see” in
the Diocese:
I like what I see – and have found
support for my own faith and ministry
– in the vitality of Catholic life across
the spectrum of language and culture,
Bishop Emeritus Pierre DuMaine
• Born: August 2, 1931, Paducah, Ky
• Resident of California since 1942
• Catholic elementary schools in: Paducah, Ky;
Glendale, Calif. and San Francisco.
• 1945-57: high school, college and theological
studies at seminaries in the Archdiocese
of San Francisco; Saint Joseph’s College,
Mountain View and Saint Patrick’s Seminary,
Menlo Park.
• BA, 1953 – Saint Patrick’s College
• June 15, 1957: Ordained at Saint Mary’s
Cathedral, San Francisco
• 1957-58: Assistant pastor: Immaculate Heart
Parish, Belmont
• 1958-61: Graduate studies in education at the
Catholic University of America; University of
California Berkley
• 1961-63: Assistant professor, The Catholic
University of America,
• 1962: Ph.D., The Catholic University of
America
• 1963-65: Faculty, Serra High School, San Mateo
• 1965-74: Assistant Superintendent of Schools,
Archdiocese of San Francisco
• 1968-81: General Director of Archdiocesan
Educational Network, Menlo Park
• Named Prelate of Honor (Monsignor) by Pope
Paul VI, 1972
• 1978: Appointed Auxiliary Bishop of San
Francisco
• January 27, 1981: Appointed first bishop of the
Diocese of San Jose
• November 28, 1999: Retired and became
Bishop Emeritus of San Jose
economic and social condition, among
priests and lay minister, and among all
the faithful, especially the leaders and
volunteers in every parish and Catholic
enterprise.
I would like to see this vitality fo-
cused and driven by a clearer sense of
Catholic identity and Catholic solidar-
ity that will achieve a greater Catholic
unity within each parish, within our
diocese, and with the universal Church.
By Catholic solidarity, I mean a
livelier sense of kinship with all other
Catholics, an active caring about their
welfare and concerns, a more under-
standing tolerance for legitimate dif-
ference in how we hold and express
our faith, a more unified voice when
we bring Catholic principles to bear on
public issues of justice and ethics. This,
of course, rests on Catholic identity,
which could be summarized as “The
Mass, the Pope, and Mary...
By “Mass,” I mean not only the pres-
ence of Jesus Christ in the Eucharist but
in the entire treasure of the sacraments
that is uniquely Catholic. I use “Pope”
as shorthand for the Catholic under-
standing of “one, holy, catholic and
apostolic church” that we proclaim in
the ancient creeds. “Mary” I see as the
supreme example of the “communion
of the saints” that we profess in the
same creeds...
Over the past 15 years I have often
been asked for a “vision” or goal for our
diocese and have generally responded:
“to keep the family together.”
And so he did, so we are, and for
that we are eternally grateful.