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COMMUNITY
May 21, 2019 | The Valley Catholic
ILM Graduates Stretch the Spiritual Muscle of the Church
By Joanna Thurmann
“You are the life blood that gives
the church its life,” said Bishop Oscar
Cantú on May 8, during an evening
prayer celebrating the 20 th graduating
class of the Institute for Leadership in
Ministry (ILM). “Over the past three
years, you have been stretching your-
selves to receive an influx of the oxygen
that sustains the Church.”
Bishop Cantú was addressing the
forty-five graduates from twenty-one
parishes who were honored during the
graduation liturgy for their successful
completion of the three-year forma-
tion program, which includes classes
in scripture, sacraments, ecclesiology,
theology, and spirituality.
Bishop Cantú referenced the life of
Saint Thérèse of Lisieux in his hom-
ily on the first Letter of Saint Paul to
the Corinthians about the variety of
spiritual gifts. Saint Thérèse struggled
to see where she fit among the church
ministries of her time but when she
reflected on Saint Paul’s description
of the church as a mystical body, she
understood her place. “She felt the
lightning rod,” said Bishop Cantú. “I
will be the heart of the body of Christ.
Through my prayer and sacrifices, I will
send my heart of love.”
Continuing the theme, the bishop
emphasized the need for continual
stretching and exercise to keep the
oxygen flowing and the body healthy
and vital. “The purpose of the ILM is to
give the oxygen that the body needs,” he
said. Like stretching and exercise for the
physical body, we need to stretch and
exercise our spiritual muscle to keep the
church vibrant. “I stretch all the time
and look how tall I am,” he joked.
He also hoped that the students,
in having received a treasure trove of
teaching, won’t forget that it is God
who reveals Himself in all that they
have learned. “God is in that treasure,
in one another, in the people of this
earth,” said Bishop Cantú.
Alejandra Maldonado of Christ
the King and Victor Marmol of Saint
Athanasius resoundingly answered
the bishop’s hopes. Speaking on behalf
of their fellow graduates, they gave
reflections emphasizing ILM’s impact
on their personal and pastoral lives
and their gratitude for having partici-
pated. Marmol echoed Bishop Cantú
saying, “Our minds were opened, our
spirits set on fire, and our prayer lives
exercised like one would any muscle.”
He also remarked that diversity is
one of the greatest assets of the ILM
experience. In her Spanish reflection,
Maldonado said, “Success consists in
trusting in you, Lord, being grateful to
God, and keeping in mind that nothing
is impossible. Although we still have a
way to go, we will apply what we have
learned. We trust and give to God our
weakness so it may become the force
we need to serve.”
Bishop Cantú, now the third bishop
of San Jose, also recognized and
thanked Irma G. Alarcon De Rangel as
the third director of the ILM, following
Anne Grycz and Linda Cunha-Ricchio,
the Institute’s faculty, and the pastors
who called forth and supported the
students. In turn, class representatives
thanked the ILM with a donation of
$2,800 to continue its scholarship fund.
At the end of the presentation of
certificates, Father John Hurley also rec-
ognized Rose Lue of Saint Simon Parish
for her completion of the Advanced Lay
Leadership Formation Program, which
is concurrent with the diocesan deacon
formation program. Both programs
entail an additional four years of prepa-
ration after the ILM, including classes
in the Pastoral Ministries Graduate
Program at Santa Clara University
and Saturday sessions at the Chancery,
and yearly retreats. Lue’s completion
is followed by the ordination of three
new deacons on May 18. Lue said, “I
feel blessed for this opportunity. I had
entered the convent at one point in my
life and then discerned out and became
a wife and mother instead. But the call
to serve God and God’s people always
remained. So I am very grateful that
our Diocese is enabling, equipping, em-
powering, and encouraging the laity to
fully live out their vocation as baptized
people of God.”
While Saint Thérèse discerned her-
self to be the heart of the Church, Lue
and this year’s graduates of the Institute
are its hands and feet in the myriad of
pastoral ministries they serve. Together
in the communion of saints, they keep
the oxygen flowing through the veins
of the Mystical Body of Christ.
Congratulations ILM Graduates
Christ The King
Rocio Boror
Alejandra Maldonado Our Lady of Refuge
María Luisa Camacho
Arturo Reyes
Holy Spirit
Elizabeth Cabral
Laura Smith Queen of Apostles
Paul Dominic
Most Holy Trinity
Jesus De la Cerda
Joseph Ngo
Justin Van
Dinh Vu
Sacred Heart of Jesus
Luis Bautista
Alfonso Gutierrez
Rosemary Romo
St. Anthony
Katrina Healy
Our Lady of Guadalupe Jess Votaw
Adriana Heredia
Katrina Votaw
Lidia Ruiz
Jennifer Sepulveda
CAREGIVER-ELDERCARE
St. Athanasius
Carlos Garcia
Victor Marmol
Gabriel Torres Muñoz
St. John Vianney
Salvador Heredia
Yusara Millan
Enrique Rizo
Simone Williams
St. Elizabeth
Khai Phan
St. Julie Billiart
Martha Sedano
Claus Dahm
María Terron
Diane Wollants-Bayona St. Justin
Ruben Garcia
St. Francis of Assisi
Hung Vu
St. Lucy
Rebeca Corona
St. John the Baptist
Regina de Portillo
Ulysis Suaverdez
Ruth Medrano
Bach Nguyen
St. Martin
Luis Apen
St. Mary, Gilroy
María Álvarez-García
Mary Ellen Rocha
St. Mary, Los Gatos
Richard DiNapoli
St. Simon
Marti Guidoux
St. Thomas Aquinas
Griselda Morales
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