tvc.dsj.org | June 6, 2017
IN THE DIOCESE
3
Diocese of San Jose Takes Time to
Honor and Thank Those Who Served and Made the Ultimate Sacrifice
By Liz Sullivan
They were just two of many com-
memorations held throughout the Dio-
cese, the state and the nation. It was a
chance to say “Thank you, we will never
forget you.”
On May 29, as the nation honored
its fallen service men and women, the
Diocese of San Jose held Veterans Trib-
utes and Memorial Day Masses at Gate
of Heaven Cemetery in Los Altos and
Calvary Catholic Cemetery in San Jose.
In addition to the Masses, events
featured the National Anthem, prayer,
speeches, lowering of the flag, taps, mo-
ment of silence, a chance to pay respects
at the Tribute Wall.
“On Memorial Day we call to mind
countless men and women who have
died in the service of our country,”
said Monsignor Francis Cilia, during
his homily at Gate of Heaven. “We re-
member our brothers, sisters, daughters,
sons, friends. We also bring to mind
those nameless heroes, whose number
is beyond imagining. We pray in thanks-
giving for them, their lives cut short by
the horror of war.”
The practice of decorating soldiers’
graves with flowers is an ancient cus-
tom. Soldiers’ graves were decorated
in the U.S. before and during the Civil
War. The preferred name for the holiday
gradually changed from Decoration Day
WWII Veterans at the Veterans Tribute on Memorial Day at Gate of
Heaven Cemetery. Girl Scouts from Los Altos service Unit #608 placed 1400 flags in the
Veterans Section at Gate of Heaven Cemetery in honor of Memorial Day.
Monsignor Cilia giving blessing to children during communion at Mass
on Memorial Day at Gate of Heaven Cemetery. 39 Cisco employees placed donated carnation bouquets at 1,400
graves in the Veterans Section at Gate of Heaven Cemetery in honor
of Memorial Day.
to Memorial Day in the late 1800’s. Me-
morial Day was not declared a Federal
holiday until 1967 and it became law in
1971 as the last Monday of May.
“We br i ng t he joys, sor rows,
Saint Joseph of Cupertino Parish
Receives Honor From City
Saint Joseph of Cupertino Parish has
been serving the local community since
the parish was founded in 1913. Back in
the 1970s, building on the good work
of the long-established Saint Vincent
de Paul Society, the parish started an
outreach program that today continues
to operate a pantry stocked with non-
perishable food and provide emergency
aid in the form of vouchers for groceries
and gasoline, as well as monetary assis-
tance for the payment of rent, utilities,
or other necessities.
On May 31, the parish was recog-
nized with a 2017 CREST (Cupertino
Recognizes Extra Steps Taken) Award
by the City of Cupertino. The award is
given to individuals or organizations
making major contributions to the
quality of life in Cupertino during the
2016 calendar year. The award honors
outstanding community volunteers. In-
dividuals of all ages will be considered.
For over 40 years, parishioners at
Saint Joseph of Cupertino have donated,
assembled, and distributed boxes of
food for the Thanksgiving tables of
needy families; in recent years, there
have been more than 200 recipients
annually. Following Thanksgiving,
parishioners try to brighten the Christ-
mas holiday of many people dealing
with financial hardship, contributing
gifts, including household appliances,
clothes, and toys; they place these under
a “giving tree” in the church.
A new project is the preparation of
sandwiches for the homeless; parish-
ioners stay after Mass on Sundays to
complete this task. This year we also
mark a very important anniversary:
our parish, working in cooperation with
other churches in the area, has been a
partner in the Silicon Valley Faith in
Action Rotating Shelter for Homeless
Men for 25 years. Each year more than
100 parishioners volunteer as greeters,
cooks, and shoppers for our guests.
hopes and fears of our lives and we pray
that those who can no longer be with us
will share in the peace of the coming
Reign of God where there is no more
sorrow or pain, but a new heaven and a
new earth,” said Cilia, Vicar for Clergy.
Father Brendan McGuire, Vicar
General; Pastor of Holy Spirit Parish,
presided over the Mass at Calvary
Catholic Cemetery.