The Valley Catholic October 8, 2019 | Page 4

4 October 8, 2019 | The Valley Catholic COMMUNITY ADA in Action By Sue Pershon This year’s Annual Diocesan Ap- peal goal is $6.6 million. So far, 19,733 pledges have been received, totaling $9.1 million. That is an average pledge of $464 with $2.5 million slated to go directly back to the parishes in the form of rebates. These rebates will be used in the parishes for a variety of special projects and building Parish Ministry programs. This year, Bishop Cantú hosted two receptions to thank those who con- tributed $1,500 or more to the Annual Diocesan Appeal to recognize their wonderful support of the many Min- istries of the Diocese. More than 1000 invitations were sent out to the events. Attendees were treated to wine and appetizers while visiting with friends. Bishop Cantú enjoyed meeting parish- ioners from across the Diocese. The Department of Stewardship and Development hosted the Annual ADA Volunteer Dinner and Awards Ceremony at St. Elizabeth Parish on September 13. Bishop Cantú took this opportunity to thank all of those who Achievement Award and Director’s Award Five Wounds Bishop’s Award Church of the Resurrection Bishop’s Award Our Lady of Refuge Capital Award Our Lady of La Vang Participation Award St. Anthony Stewardship Award St. Maria Goretti worked hard to make the ADA a huge success for the Diocese and their par- ish. Bishop Cantú also gave out awards to those parishes who demonstrated exceptional leadership during the ap- peal. Congratulations to the following award winners: • Achievement Award – Five Wounds • Capital Award – Our Lady of La Vang • Stewardship Award – St. Maria Goretti • Director’s Award – Five Wounds • Bishop’s Award – Church of the Res- urrection and Our Lady of Refuge • Participation Award – St. Anthony There is still time to support this year’s ADA. Please visit DSJ.org/ADA for more information. Social Ministries Funded by the Annual Diocesan Appeal (ADA) The Annual Diocesan Appeal (ADA) funds the Office of Life, Justice, and Peace (LJP), which under the direction of Marcus Cabrera, (has launched the following Diocesan social ministries:) Stewards of Our Common Home Actions – City Hall meeting with Aaron Kinney and Linden Skjeie to learn about San José environmental initiatives. These include: • Climate Smart San José – our city climate action plan • Recycle Right, our initiative to inform the community about how to recycle properly and reduce landfill waste/recycling contamination • Junk Pickup, the City’s free ser- vice to remove large unwanted items • Meds in the Bin, a pollution prevention initiative to educate folks about properly disposing of unused/expired medicines Stewards also represented the Dio- cese of San José at the Los Gatos Cli- mate Fair on September 22. Stewards is committed to finding environmental initiatives across the diocese on behalf of the interests of our parishes and schools. of rolling out more mental health initia- tives across the diocese. Mental Health Initiatives Actions – Veterans Day mental health 101 class held by the Santa Clara Behavioral Health Deptartment at Saint Simon parish from 6:30 – 8:30 p.m. on November 11. Special thanks to Rose and the parish staff for opening their doors and to Mego Linh from the County for providing the training. The class is open to all who wish to learn about Mental Health care and illnesses, especially our veterans! Applied Suicide Intervention Skills Training (ASIST) Training: 5+ of our youth ministers have attended Suicide First Aid trainings at the Santa Clara Department of Education. Some of our early adopters have been Saint Nicholas & Saint William, Saint Elizabeth, & Sa- cred Heart (Saratoga). Mental Health 101 Luncheon – The Chancery hosted a luncheon with representatives from NAMI for our pastors, religious, parish ministers, and administrators. We are on the threshold Immigration Actions – The Vigil for Migrants at Our Lady of Guadalupe, attended by 550+ people, provided prayer and community support from local organi- zations. We look forward to beginning a concerted effort to provide resources for vulnerable communities. Restorative Justice Actions – Vigil for Victims of Vio- lence – in collaboration with the Restor- ative Justice department of LJP, Bishop Cantú will preside over a vigil for those affected by violence on November 21 Our LJP board will be gathering to help create a wide-reaching and impactful presence at the Vigil. Continued efforts for outreach on behalf of Inside/Out are given to pro- vide a space for others to share their testimony, offer support, and provide solidarity for how violence and addic- tion have impacted their lives. Respect Life Actions – The LJP Commission will be looking closely for ways to support 40 Days for Life and how all life issues can be supported. The LJP Commission has grown to include human trafficking and the ending of the death penalty. Grants Catholic Relief Services (CRS) Money for CRS Rice Bowl is collect- ed every Lent. What many people are unaware of is that 25% of this money returns to the diocese for parish and school initiatives related to housing, hunger, and poverty. The committee approved over 20 grants this year across our diocese! Catholic Campaign for Human Development (CCHD) There are many additional CCHD members, but these are those members who have taken special attention to visit organizations which request local grants from our diocese. The annual CCHD collection is taken November 11. The Diocese has funded in the past LUNA, SIREN, Mountain View Day Worker, and the Learning and Loving Center. It is a privilege to support these local organizations which make an impact in housing, immigration, and dignified labor. For more information regarding ADA please visit, www.dsj.org/ada.