tvc.dsj.org | May 7, 2019
COMMUNITY
17
Diocese Prepares to Ordain Three Men to the Permanent Diaconate
By Liz Sullivan
Three men from three different
walks of life, all reaching the same des-
tination: service to God and the Church.
On May 18, at the Cathedral Basilica
of Saint Joseph, the Diocese of San Jose
will celebrate the ordination of Ar-
mando Brambila, Dinh Chu and Robert
Lassalle-Klein to the Sacred Order of
the Diaconate.
Bishop Oscar Cantú will celebrate
the Mass, beginning at 9:30 am, which
features the laying on of hands and the
invocation of the Holy Spirit.
Three men; three different stories;
one destination.
Dinh Chu escaped Communist Viet-
nam in 1979 and arrived in America as
one of the infamous Boat People.
Armando Brambila shares an immi-
grant background, arriving in America
in 1995.
While Robert Lassalle-Klein is the
grandson of immigrants, who has
dedicated his life to helping others, es-
pecially in the Hispanic community. He
actually lives in Alameda, but spends a
great deal of time in ministry in San Jose
at Our Lady of Guadalupe.
“I think we’re all united in the same
journey with the lord,” said Lassalle-
Klein, who holds a Masters in Social
Work and is a graduate of Santa Clara
University. “For me I said yes to the call
decades ago when I fell in love with
God. I was drawn into the leadership
of the church and subsequently the
Diaconate. I kept saying yes.”
A parishioner at Our Lady of La
Vang, for Dinh Chu the path to yes at
one-time meant studying for the priest-
hood.
“I took a leave from my studies and
then went to school for social work,”
he said, as he holds a Masters in Social
Work from San Jose State University. “I
feel I am called to serve. The time is right
for me to serve as a Deacon.”
A member of Saint Cyprian Parish,
Brambila said he never expected to
leave his native Mexico and come to the
United States. However, growing up his
grandmother made him pray for one
hour each day.
Deacon candidates, from left, Dinh Chu,
Armando Brambila and Bob Lassalle-Klein,
take a break from preparing for their upcom-
ing ordination.
“God has plans for you and some-
times you don’t know what they are,”
said Brambila, who works for a medical
device company as an engineer. “I am
here because my wife (Armida) encour-
aged me.”
As is often the case partnering with
these candidates are three wives proud
to be on this journey. Each also have
three children.
“Armando has something in him that
has drawn him to God,” said Armida
Brambila. “He has always put his family
first, but now is the time for him to do
this. I am really, really happy for him.”
For Lynn Lassalle-Klein faith has
always been a strong part of her family.
She and her husband met as students
at the Jesuit School of Theology in
Berkeley. Together, they were part of the
group that founded the third incarna-
tion of Oakland Catholic Worker in 1987.
“The diaconate just feels like a con-
tinuation of what we’ve already been
doing,” she said. “I love the social justice
aspect of this program.”
Dinh Chu’s wife Letu Pham admit-
ted at first she was nervous when her
husband decided to become a deacon.
“I prayed to God and realized God
was calling him to do this,” she said.
“He is a good husband and a good father
and I will support him the best I can.
Everything is in God’s hands.”
The men will learn their diacon-
ate assignments shortly before their
ordination.
Checkout the June 11 issue of The
Valley Catholic for photos and a story on
the ordination.
In Great Gratitude for a Firm Foundation
Mary Quilici Aumack
Chief Executive Officer
Catholic Community Foundation of
Santa Clara County, [email protected]
As we celebrate Bishop McGrath’s two-plus decades
of service to the Diocese of San Jose in what he calls the
“Valley of Saint Clare,” we know that his contributions
to our ministry, and to our faith journeys has been
broad, inclusive and important.
I would like to focus on his legacy as it pertains to
building financial strength through endowments and
planned giving.
What is a true endowment? It is a permanent fund,
focused on a specific institution or ministry, from
which only a portion of the earnings are ever spent.
The most commonly known form of endowment is
that of scholarship. Think of the universities with
the strongest tuition assistance programs: Stanford,
Harvard, Princeton, etc. In ALL cases, this is because
they have built large endowments, and NEVER utilized
the principal.
In the Diocese of San Jose, the development of en-
dowments is relatively recent. When Bishop McGrath
recognized that we would need significant funding to
fully implement the Pastoral Plan for the Diocese, he
launched the ROOTED IN FAITH campaign. Through
his wisdom and leadership, a significant portion of the
funds raised were in the form of endowment.
The Catholic Community Foundation (then the
Catholic Foundation) was formed to manage the en-
dowments, and to establish a consistent grant making
process.
Whenever I speak of the power of endowment, I
always say this: The ROOTED IN FAITH campaign
ended in 2012. We started granting from the endow-
ments in 2008 and have been granting consistently ever
since. And, ALL of the funds of the campaign are larger
now than when the campaign ended. This is a function
of prudent investment and appropriate grant making.
Since 2008 the Foundation has added funds and
granted roughly $30 million across a broad range of
ministries, including: Parish & School Endowments,
Catholic Charities, Vocations, ILM, Youth & Young
Adult Ministry, Parish Outreach, Pastoral Ministry,
Parish Stewardship, and Liturgical Music. In 2018 alone
we granted $2.9 million.
Statistics are good, but stories help really tell the
importance of endowment-based funding:
• Parishioners have told us that the establish-
ment of a parish or school endowment was the
“answer to their prayers”
• Pastors have embraced endowments as an-
other form of providing financial support for
ministry
• The downtown homeless support programs
that started at the Cathedral and are now man-
aged by Catholic Charities have provided food,
warm clothing, healthcare and HOPE
• The after-school program at Sacred Heart of
Jesus provides food, games, tutoring and love
for children
• Deanery 6 partners with other groups to put on
a summer literacy program each year
• From the “Parish Repair and Refurbishment”
endowment, we have granted each year to help
deal with issues of infrastructure and safety
In addition to the development of endowments,
under the leadership of Bishop McGrath we have
launched the Society of St. Joseph in gratitude for in-
dividuals and families who have remembered Church
in their estate plans, including gifts both endowed and
outright.
All of this speaks to legacy, that of Bishop McGrath
and of all those who have chosen to become a part of
what we call FOREVER VALUE, through a gift to any
endowment and through an estate gift that keeps us a
part of the ministry FOREVER.
All of this is in celebration of the WHY of us:
gratitude for the very real presence of Jesus Christ,
that compels us to action.
There are many “perqs” of my job, but that which
outdistances and outshines all the rest is the deepen-
ing of my faith. We, the staff and board of the Catholic
Community Foundation, have the unique and ineffable
opportunity to learn about myriad good works through
our grant making, and to work to broaden the circles
of support for them.
Bishop McGrath has often said that when he
launched the ROOTED IN FAITH campaign, he had
no idea how soon we would see the results in terms
of grant making. He says that he thought it would
be his successor’s successor’s successor who would
experience the consistent touch of the endowments.
Instead, it is NOW, and it is material.
We owe the strength of these funds, and yes, this
“foundation,” to Bishop McGrath.
And we will FOREVER be grateful.
For more information regarding the Catholic Com-
munity Foundation, visit www.cfoscc.org.