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COMMUNITY
March 19, 2019 | The Valley Catholic
On a Firm Foundation: Refl ections on Friendship with a Bishop
Mary Quilici Aumack
Executive Director
Catholic Community
Foundation of Santa Clara
County, [email protected]
When I met Bishop Patrick McGrath,
it was fall of 1998 and he had taken a
wrong turn. My husband Doug and I
were on our way to the annual Caritas
reception for Catholic Charities at La
Rinconada in Los Gatos. We recognized
Bishop McGrath in front of us, and real-
ized he was about to go the wrong way.
We followed and flashed our lights.
What must he have thought of us! We
did get his attention, helped with course
correction, and started a friendship that
has enriched my life for more than two
decades.
You’ll read in another part of this
issue that we are introducing the
Bishop Patrick J. McGrath Endowment
for Ministry. What a fi tting tribute to
him! Think about the ways that he has
impacted our community, and please
considered saying “thank you” with a
gift of any size to the endowment.
Here are my own thoughts.
We have worked together: For 13
years I chaired the annual donor recog-
nition Mass and reception for Catholic
Charities. All of those years, my favor-
ite part was the Mass, and each time I
worked with Bishop McGrath on themes
and ideas.
Doug and I were founding members
of the Bishop’s Circle of Excellence. For
many years, I have worked to grow
the Circle, introducing friends and col-
leagues to this opportunity to support
the bishop’s charity.
In 2008, I joined the board of the
Catholic Community Foundation. Two
years later, when the Executive Director
left, I stepped in to keep things going
and fell in love with the work. The
Foundation is separate from the Diocese.
This was Bishop McGrath’s vision - to
provide a repository for philanthropy
that is separate and distinct, giving
donors comfort that the funds will
only ever be used for that which they
intended. Bishop McGrath is strongly
supportive of our work as we build
fi nancial strength for ministry.
We have socialized: We have a
group of fi ve couples that host the bish-
op every year just to share great food,
good stories, and some down time. We
all cherish this time.
I think of the bishop’s home as really
“our home,” open to the people of the
Diocese to gather, celebrate, recognize
contributions, and be renewed. We
are grateful for the receptions to which
we’ve been invited, and the truly count-
less gatherings that the bishop has
hosted to raise money for ministry, or
just say “thank you.”
We have prayed together: Every
year I attend the Circle of Excellence
Afternoon of Refl ection during Holy
Week. This is a time of renewal, perfect
for the season.
Bishop McGrath, red sweater, joins Mary
Aumack, front row center, at an annual din-
ner of friends and fellowship.
How many Masses have I attended
with Bishop McGrath? I can’t count, but
I know four that stand out.
In 2015 we gathered to celebrate the
broad contributions of our Catholic
Community: Parishes, elementary &
high schools, Catholic Charities, the
religious, and Santa Clara University.
Once again, the Mass was my favorite
part. We prayed and sang in thanksgiv-
ing for the “why” of us, the gratitude
that fuels our works
Last year we had the very fi rst Mass
for the Society of Saint Joseph, recog-
nizing and thanking those who have
remembered “Church” in their estate
plans. It was a beautiful celebration of
these important gifts, and a great start
to this important ministry.
In 2008, we lost my dad, and in 2017
we lost my mom. Both times the bishop
was there at Saint Justin Parish to sup-
port me. Both times he listened deeply
and told a few sweet jokes that indicated
how he had gotten to know my parents
just through our anecdotes and remem-
brances. Both times, he provided great
comfort in the fi nal blessing. I think
my mom is still up in heaven bragging
about it!
In times of great joy and great sor-
row, to rejoice, to remember and to say
“thank you,” we gathered around the
Eucharist. At the end of the day, who
we are and what we want to BE in the
world is fueled by deep and compelling
gratitude for this “WHY” of us - shared
faith and deep comfort from the real
presence of Jesus in our lives.
My gratitude extends strongly to
Bishop McGrath. I am grateful for his
inclusive and loving leadership, for his
self-deprecating humor.
At the Foundation we talk a lot about
legacy, thinking of how we would like
to be remembered, the contributions
that will defi ne us. This is how I think
of Bishop McGrath’s legacy: He has been
a joyful shepherd, an avid “cheerleader”
for us as we develop our own personal
friendship with Jesus the Christ. He
welcomes us, literally and fi guratively,
to enter into deeper relationship with
God, to worship together, and then to
boldly go out and BE the Body of Christ,
ministering joyfully to our neighbors.
Dear Bishop McGrath, Your impact on
my life is ineff able. My gratitude is deep. My
faith and actions are stronger because of you.
I love you, Mary
For more information regarding
the Catholic Community Foundation,
please visit, www.cfoscc.org.
Knights of Columbus Basketball Free-throwmbus
The Knights of Columbus La Trini-
dad Council #9718, recently completed
the Basketball Free-throw contest at
Most Holy Trinity School (MHT). The
contest was held just after Catholic
Schools Week. The Spirited MHT
students broke a participation record
with a total of 46 students. All of the
students received participation awards,
and the age group winners won a win-
ners award.