The Valley Catholic May 9, 2017 | Page 2

2 IN THE DIOCESE May 9, 2017 | The Valley Catholic Appointments of Bishop Patrick J. McGrath May On April 23, Father Jon Pedigo (second from right), Director of Projects for Peace and Justice received the Sultan and the Saint Peacemaker Award in recognition of his outstanding work in building bridges across faiths and cultures during a screening of the movie the Sultan and the Saint at Santa Teresa Church. Joining Pedigo were, left to right: Samina Sundas, Michael Wolfe (executive producer of the fi lm), and Imam A Aziz Eddebbarh, PhD. Faith Formation Conference Returning to Santa Clara Convention Center with an Updated Name By Liz Sullivan A year after it was held simultane- ously with the National Federation of Catholic Youth Ministry and at the San Jose Convention Center, the Faith Formation Conference will return to its original format; but not quite! Recently twenty-fi ve representatives from the Diocese of Monterey, Diocese of San Jose (DSJ), Archdiocese of San Francisco and the Diocese of Oakland gathered for a planning meeting for the newly renamed Santa Clara Faith Forma- tion Conference. The conference will be held November 3-4 at the Santa Clara Convention Center, where it had been held for several years. Originally when the 2016 conference ended it was announced that the con- ference would take a year break as DSJ restructured its Offi ce of Parish Services, now known as the Department for Evan- gelization, to align with the Diocese’s eff orts to focus on where Christ is made known: Word, Worship and Witness. “When talk of the conference came up I stressed that the Diocese of San Jose needs to be at the table,” said Father John Hurley, CSP, DSJ Vicar for Evangelization. “From the Diocese’s standpoint this supports our focus on Word, Worship and Witness.” Joining San Jose in sponsoring the event is the Diocese of Monterey in col- laboration with the Archdiocese of San The Valley Catholic Publisher Bishop Patrick J. McGrath Executive Editor & Communications Director Liz Sullivan [email protected] Production Manager Yesenia Cabrera Hall [email protected] Business Manager Karen Levesque [email protected] 1150 N. First Street, Suite 100, San Jose, CA 95112-4966 [phone] PHONE | [phone] FAX [email protected] | tvc.dsj.org Francisco and the Dioceses of Stockton and Oakland. This will be the 15 th year the Conference has been held. “There are such big possibilities,” said Tish Scargill, Director of Cat- echetical Ministries for the Diocese of Monterey. “This has given us the op- portunity to open the door to so many avenues of ministry.” Said Sister Celeste Arbuckle, SSS, Director of Religious Education and Youth Ministry for the Archdiocese of San Francisco, “I am very pleased with this collaboration. I am excited that we all get to work together. My desire is that the Holy Spirit always guides us in the best way.” There are still months of planning and decisions to be made, but the en- ergy around the table at the meeting was strong and the presence of the Holy Spirit strong. “There are a lot of people in North- ern California,” said Hurley. “We have an opportunity for this conference to get very big.” A new website will be launched shor t ly. For i n for mat ion, ema i l [email protected] or call [phone]. The Valley Catholic (ISSN 8750-6238) is published for the Diocese of San José, 19 times a year: twice monthly except in August, December, and January (when one issue is published). The Valley Catholic is not published in July. Periodical postage paid at San Jose, CA and additional mailing offi ces. The Valley Catholic is dated and mailed to all registered households in the Diocese of San Jose. Subscriptions: $25 per year within Santa Clara County; $35 per year outside Santa Clara County Postmaster: Send address changes to: Diocese of San José, 1150 North First Street, Suite 100, San Jose, CA 95112-4966 Opinions, quotes, and views appearing in The Valley Catholic do not necessarily refl ect those of The Valley Catholic and do not represent an endorsement by The Valley Catholic. Acceptance of advertising for publication in The Valley Catholic does not constitute approval or endorsement by The Valley Catholic. Address all letters, news releases, advertising inquiries, circulation, and/or subscription requests to The Valley Catholic at the address listed above, or e-mail at [email protected]. 9 Tues, 6:30 p.m., Pius X Dinner, Villa Ragusa, Campbell 10 Wed, 1 p.m., Journeying Together: Faith, Spirituality, and Mental Health, Santa Clara University, Santa Clara Wed, 7:30 p.m., ILM Graduation, Cathedral Basilica of Saint Joseph, San Jose 11 Thurs, 7 a.m., Invocation, Best in the West Competition, San Jose Thurs, 9:30 a.m., Council of Priests Meeting, Diocesan Offi ces, San Jose Thurs, 1 p.m., Bishop’s Cabinet Meeting, Diocesan Offi ces, San Jose Thurs, 6 p.m., Drexel Schools Reception, Monte Se