The Valley Catholic March 19, 2019 | Page 3

tvc.dsj.org | March 19, 2019 COMMUNITY Annual Diocesan Appeal’s Community Involvement This year’s Annual Diocesan Appeal, Hand In Hand In Ministry, began in all parishes across our Diocese last month. Information about the ADA has been shared in many ways and from many sources – letters and homilies by Pas- tors, messages from our Bishops and statistics in our brochures. Many par- ishes have also invited members of their community to share their experience in ministry and how the ADA has sup- ported their journeys. These testimoni- als have been a very powerful message on how ADA dollars are at work in our parishes and communities. Robert Rodrigues is a part of the Department for Evangelization for the Diocese. When he was invited to speak at a parish about the ADA he shared “…in my role as Director of Faith Formation for the Diocese of San Jose I am tasked with the training of our Directors of Faith Formation as well as the catechists in our parish programs. Because of your support to our Annual Appeal I am able to off er a mentoring program for new directors of Faith Formation who are matched with a ‘seasoned’ director who accompanies them as they grow into their role as a Director of Faith Forma- tion…..we have in our Diocese 16,000 enrolled in our parish faith formation programs, 80 Directors of Faith Forma- tion serving the various cultural groups of our Diocese and 1,400 catechists shar- ing the Good News, breaking open the teachings and tradition of the Church, leading our children and youth to en- counters with Jesus.” Deacon Richard Noack is a long time parishioner at Saint Christopher Parish. Deacon Noack and his wife Sue have been involved in many ministries over the years in the parish. After a long period of discernment and formation, Dick responded to our Lord’s call to serve the people of God by becoming a permanent deacon. Deacon Noack was ordained a permanent deacon in May of 2018. When speaking about the ADA the deacon shared “The Deacon’s ministry is 3-fold: Liturgy, Word, and Char- ity. Deacons can proclaim the Gospel, preach, and assist at Mass. Deacons can also baptize, and I have to tell you, I did my fi rst baptisms a few weeks ago, and it was AMAZING. I’ve also led a number of funeral vigils and it is at times like that the Church’s ministry truly makes a diff erence in our lives. Deacons can also preside at funerals and witness weddings when they are done without a Mass. But being a deacon is primarily a ministry of service. You will fi nd dea- cons in our Diocese serving the spiritu- ally hungry and the physically hungry. Those who are sick, who are elderly, or who are incarcerated. Those without a home or without even a country. “My 7-year formation program to become a permanent deacon was made possible by the Annual Diocesan Appeal. The return on the Diocese’s investment, at least for me, has been exponential. I can’t even begin to put into words how grateful I am for the transformative experience the Deacon formation program was for me.” Carlos Barba was featured in this year’s ADA Video. Carlos is the Youth Director for Saint Mary Parish in Gilroy and has built up a strong Youth Ministry Program for both Middle School and High School students. In his interview, Carlos shared: “When I fi rst got to Saint Mary, it was new to me being a fulltime youth minis- ter and I was trying to fi nd my footing; trying to fi gure out what is the best cur- riculum to use; how do I start a youth group; how do I train leaders? Those are all questions that I did not really have answers to and the Office for Youth and Young Adult Ministry has been a great help for Youth Ministry here at Saint Mary.” To view the full video in English, Spanish or Vietnamese please visit www.dsj.org/ada. Others have shared their experiences of attending the Institute for Leader- ship in Ministry (ILM), Liturgical and Music Director Training and going through the marriage annulment pro- cess when moving on to a new chapter in their life. The list is endless and we are truly blessed to have so many involved in ministry in our Parishes and Communities. This is truly your ADA dollars hard at work. Please con- sider supporting ADA 2019 by visiting www.dsj.org/ada or use the enclosed pledge form. With your support we will serve Hand In Hand In Ministry. 3