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October 8, 2013
CATECHETICAL MINISTRY
T
he Valley Catholic
Pastoral ministry leaders
commissioned during special Mass
By Roberta Ward
Welcoming and Commissioning
Day for pastoral ministry leaders took
place Sept. 14 with a special Mass and
speaker, held at Santa Teresa Church
in San Jose.
Wendy Scherbart, DSJ Director of
Catechetical Ministry, noted that the
event “is a long-standing tradition in
the diocese which offers an opportunity for pastoral ministry leaders to
renew friendships, meet and welcome
newcomers.”
“Open Wide the Door of Faith/Abran
la Puerta de la Fe” was the event’s
theme, based on this year’s theme for
Catechetical Sunday.
Msgr. Francis V. Cilia, Vicar General,
presided at the Mass and commissioning ceremony. In his homily, he noted
the Scripture reading (Luke 15: 1-32),
the story of the Prodigal Son and the
woman with the lost coin.
“The Prodigal Son came home and
his father embraced him and put a ring
on his finger to signify his inheritance
and dignity – not a slave or servant,”
Msgr. Cilia said. “His son came home
and was greeted like a king.
“So, we open wide the doors to faith
so that people can enter, as Jesus was
open to everybody, ate with everybody,
talked with everybody. It was their
choice to walk away or not. You, especially catechists,” Msgr. Cilia said to the
assembled ministers, “invite people to
the faith.
“You hand on the Creed, but also
be examples of Christian living. Be a
challenge for us. Treat people with love
and respect, as we know God loves us.”
Msgr. Cilia noted that Pope Francis,,
when a bishop in Argentina, wrote an
annual letter to catechists invoking
them to have enthusiasm for the faith.
“It is the gift of Pentecost that makes
you excited about faith even when you
may be bored or tired. I thank you from
my heart for all you do as catechists.”
A commissioning ceremony took
place which recognized 17 new ministers in English, Spanish and Youth/
Young Adult Ministry.
Scherb art introduced new catechetical leaders and where they minister: Sr.
Katherine Dang, Our Lady of Refuge;
Br. Anthony Nguyen, Our Lady of
La Vang; Br. Raul Ochoa, Holy Cross;
Melissa Brush, Holy Spirit; Lerma
Blessing at conclusion of commissioning ceremony at Santa Teresa Church.
Simpson, St. Francis of Assisi; Sr. Maria
Nicopoia, St. Leo; Sr. Maria Virgo Offerens, St. Leo; Rose Pucan-Meagor, St.
Catherine; Mike Cavera, St. Athanasius;
Andrew Brown, St. Lucy; Sonia Delgado, St. Martin, Sunnyvale; Christine
Vincent, St. Simon; and Rachelle Warner, St. Simon.
Lupita Vital, Director of the DSJ
Hispanic Apostolate, introduced new
Hispanic directors and coordinators:
Alde Vera, Christ the King; and Irma
Alarcon Rangel, St. Lucy.
John Rinaldo, outgoing Director of
Youth/Young Adult Ministry, introduced new Youth and Young Adult
leaders: Cecile Vo, St. Francis of Assisi;
and Nelson Gonzales, St. Mary, Los
Gatos.
Two people were presented certificates of Advanced Catechist: Sally
Nicolas from St. Elizabeth and Kim
Hang Pham from Our Lady of La Vang.
Speaker for the day was Carrie Rehak, PhD who received her masters and
doctorate in theology, with an emphasis
in the arts, from the Graduate Theological Union, Berkeley. She is currently
Director of Campus Ministry at Holy
Names University, Oakland.
For over a decade, she has held positions in parish and campus ministry,
and as an instructor in religious studies and liberal arts courses at the high
school, college and graduate level. She is
trained in the fine arts and iconography.
She spoke on the catechetical Sunday
Gospel of the Prodigal Son, “Through
you, I am entered: A Father, Two Sons,
and Us, through the Double-Doors of
Faith.”
She focused on processes of sacred
reading based on “Lectio, Meditatio,
Oratio, and Contempletio.”
Pope tells catechists to reach out to others in name of Christ
www.valleycatholiconline.com
By Carol Glatz
to him, talking with him and letting
VATICAN CITY (CNS) -- The Church
him “watch over you,” he said, which
needs good catechists, who love Christ,
“warms the heart and keeps the fire of
live out the Gospel in their lives and
friendship with the Lord alive.”
courageously go to the margins of
The second thing catechists need to
society to share the gift of faith with
do, he said, is imitate Christ by going
others, Pope Francis
outside of themselves
told catechists from
and be there for others.
‘If catechists let
around the world.
Receiving the gift of
themselves be
“Let us follow him,
faith and having Christ
imitate him in his dyat the center of one’s
taken over by fear,
namic of love, of going
life, “pushes us out.”
they’re wimps.’
to others, and let’s go
But this gift of faith
out, open the doors,
must be total, 100 perhave the audacity to strike out new
cent: “You don’t take a cut for yourself,”
paths to proclaim the Gospel,” he said
he said. “This is not a bargain.”
Sept. 27, in a talk that was both improThe third thing to do is to not be
vised and drawn from a text.
afraid of striking out into the unknown.
The pope joked that he was going
“God is not afraid of the outskirts,”
to make just three points, “like the
he said. “God is creative, not narrowold-time Jesuits used to do: one, two,
minded, never rigid.”
three,” he said to laughter. Hundreds
While the Gospel does not change,
of catechists were in Rome for a threecatechists need to be creative and know
day international congress hosted by
how to change themselves, adapting
the Pontifical Council for Promoting
to the people and circumstances they
New Evangelization.
encounter, the pope said.
The pope thanked them for their
“To stay with God it’s necessary
service to the Church and said being a
to not be afraid of going out” into the
catechist isn’t a job or a title, it’s a vocaworld, he said. “If catechists let themtion, an approach to life. It starts with
selves be taken over by fear, they’re
being with God, getting to know him
wimps, and if catechists are laid back
and conforming one’s life to the Gospel
they end up being a statue in a mu-- a task that lasts a lifetime, he said.
seum, and we have plenty of them,
Being close to God means praying
right?”
Pope Francis smiles during a meeting with
catechists at the Vatican Sept. 27. The
Church needs good catechists, who love
Christ, live out the Gospel and courageously
go to the margins of society, he said. (CNS
photo/Tony Gentile, Reuters)