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May 7, 2019 | The Valley Catholic
COMMUNITY
Annual Diocesan Priests’ Retirement Appeal
By Liz Sullivan
In Psalm 23, the Lord tells us “the
LORD is my shepherd, I shall not want.
He makes me lie down in green pas-
tures; he leads me beside still waters;
he restores my soul. He leads me in
right paths for his name’s sake. Even
though I walk through the darkest
valley, I fear no evil; for you are with
me; your rod and your staff-- they
comfort me. You prepare a table before
me in the presence of my enemies;
you anoint my head with oil; my cup
overflows. Surely goodness and mercy
shall follow me all the days of my life,
and I shall dwell in the house of the
LORD my whole life long.”
This Psalm is the Responsorial
Psalm on Good Shepherd Sunday,
the Fourth Sunday of Easter, which
this year is May 12. It is also when
the Diocese of San Jose will take up
a collection for the Annual Diocesan
Priests’ Retirement Appeal.
Throughout the Diocese, priests
serve as good shepherds to their flocks
(the faithful of Santa Clara County).
There are 44 retired priests in the
Diocese and 97 others who are cur-
rently serving our parishes and other
diocesan assignments. In addition, the
Diocese has 45 priests reaching retire-
ment age, 70 years old, in the next 15
years and 15 in just the next five years.
This collection is aimed at closing
the financial shortfall, so that what is
promised our priests when they retire
will actually be there for them in their
last years.
While some priests “retire” when
they actually retire, others continue
to perform some level of ministry to
those throughout our Diocese.
Monsignor Michael Mitchell, for-
mer pastor at Saint Lawrence, as well
as former Chief Financial Officer and
Vicar General for the Diocese, regu-
larly visits with school children and
assists at Mass.
Monsig nor Joh n Coleman and
Monsignor Joseph Milani, the oldest
priests in the Diocese at 93, frequently
say Mass. Father Kevin Joyce, former
pastor at Saint Lucy Parish, who re-
tired in 2015, continues his ministry
by assisting with Mass at Our Lady
of Guadalupe Parish.
These priests rely on their pay-
ments from Social Security and the
Priest Retirement Plan for their needs.
In recent years the number of retired
priests has grown significantly, chal-
lenging the diocesan retirement re-
sources.
The generosity to this appeal help
keeps an important promise of care
to these priests who have been good
shepherds and have kept their prom-
ises to the faithful of the Diocese.
Therefore on Good Shepherd Sun-
day, May 12, each parish will take up
a second collection at Mass for the
Diocesan Priests Retirement Appeal.
To learn more, and to see a video
featuring some of DSJ retired priests,
visit www.dsj.org/priests-retirement.
Deacon Joe Alvarez is Turning 100
At the 12 noon Mass at Saint John
Vianney Church on April 7, Deacon
Joe Alvarez was honored for his 100th
birthday, which will be on May 21.
Bishop Oscar Cantú presided at the
Mass where Deacon Joe was recog-
nized. The Mass was followed by a
reception in his honor, in the hall with
festive dancing by several groups and
beautiful guitar music and singing by
a balladeer.
Deacon Joe was born on May 21,
1919 in Long Beach, CA. He is the
oldest of three brothers and two sis-
ters. He moved to San Jose when he
was 15 and worked at canneries until
he was 21. He served in the Army in
World War II for four years and was
awarded two Purple Heart medals
and the Bronze Star medal. In Sep-
tember 2014 he was invited to be part
Deacon Joe Alvarez, center, with Bishop Oscar Cantú, priests, and other members of the
deacon community.
of the first Bay Area Honor Flight to
visit the new World War II Memorial
in Washington, DC. While there, he
had the honor of placing a ceremonial
wreath at the Tomb of the Unknowns
in Arlington National Cemetery.
After the Army, he worked for Safe-
way for 19 years, locally, in their candy
factory, and then worked for the City
of Sunnyvale. On December 12, 1974,
the feast of Our Lady of Guadalupe,
he was ordained a Permanent Deacon
in the first Spanish-speaking deacon
formation class in the Archdiocese of
San Francisco. Along with the other
Hispanic deacons, his ministry sup-
ported Caesar Chavez and the United
Farm Workers Movement.
As a deacon, in addition to his min-
istering at Saint John Vianney Parish,
his primary ministry has been with
the Spanish Charismatic Renewal. He
has coordinated the annual weekend
gathering of Catholic Charismatics
here in San Jose for many years and
has been the liaison person to the
Spanish Charismatic Renewal for the
Archdiocese of San Francisco since
1970. He has also been involved in
the Spanish-language Cursillo, and
conducted Communion services at
Valley Medical Center.
Deacon Joe has two children, five
grandchildren, and seven great grand-
children.
Healing Mass
with the Sacrament of Anointing of the Sick
Thursday • May 23 • 4:00 PM
St. Thomas of Canterbury Church
1522 McCoy Avenue
San Jose, CA 95130
408-378-1595
[email protected]
www.StThomasSJ.org
Following Jesus Christ
in joy, gratitude, and service
Whether you’re preparing for
surgery, have a serious or ongoing
condition, are dealing with
depression, or simply need a
hopeful message and God’s grace
for whatever ails you, please join
us for a special Mass with the
Sacrament of Anointing of the
Sick.
Bring a friend. Bring yourself.