8
September 9, 2014
youth & Young Adults
T
he Valley Catholic
Asian youths inspired
after pope spends extra time with them
St. Martin of Tours School choir sang selections from contemporary and liturgical music.
St. Martin of Tours Parish celebrates
100 years
Young people attend a
meeting with Pope Francis
at the Sanctuary of Solmoe
in South Korea Aug. 15.
(CNS photo/Paul Haring)
DANGJIN, South Korea (CNS) -- About 6,000 young people from 30 Asian countries
had Pope Francis all to themselves for several hours Aug. 15. The youths said they
felt inspired after Pope Francis went off script to answer questions from pre-selected
participants, and had lunch with a small group at the Asian Youth Day conference
in the Daejeon Diocese.
The tent at the Solmoe Holy Ground was alive with music, cheering and the
excitement of teens and young adults. Pope Francis said he would stay beyond the
allotted time so he could answer young people’s questions.
To wild cheers, the pope asked the young people whether they were ready to be
God’s witnesses. “Are you ready to say yes? Are you ready?” he asked. The crowd
screamed, “Yes!”
The Aug. 13-17 Asian Youth Day brought together youth leaders from about
30 countries to focus on formation and spiritual life. Solmoe Holy Ground is the
birthplace of St. Andrew Kim Taegon, the first Korean priest, who was executed
for his faith during a time of persecution. St. John Paul II canonized him and 102
other martyrs in 1984.
St. Martin of Tours Parish, San Jose,
is celebrating its 100 th anniversary
throughout 2014. The celebration will
culminate Sat., Nov. 8, with 5 p.m. Mass
with Bishop Patrick J. McGrath, followed by a banquet in the parish hall.
On June 21, the parish celebrated
with a “Century of Sound” music festival, one of a series of events throughout
its centennial year. Some 250 members
of the parish community gathered
on the school grounds for the concert
which showcased the talents of five live
bands: Dick McConville Swing Sextet,
St. Martin of Tours School Choir, St.
Martin of Tours Parish Theater Group,
Singers Around the Bay, and the Caelin
Tralongo Band.
According to Men’s Club past-president Jeff Lawrence, “Each group’s music
represented the last 100 years. The festival started with Big Band sounds of the
past and closed with youthful sounds of
rock and roll.” All performers had close
connections to the parish.
Lawrence reported the Men’s Club
“prepared and served our specialty,
smoked tri-tip dinner, cooked in handbuilt smokers made by the Men’s Club.
The ICF came through with the remainder of the meal: cole slaw, beans, and
garlic bread. A large part of the ICF effort was headed by Al and Diana Vallorz
from Tony & Alba’s Restaurant.”
About the day, he said, “We tried to
St. Leo Church
youth event, Sept. 19
St. Leo the Great Church, San
Jose, invites youth and teens (6th to
12th grades) to a “Meant To Live For
More” youth event, Fri., Sept. 19, 7 pm.
The Youth Group will present Paul J.
Kim, an international youth speaker,
vocalist and beatboxer who shares
passion for Jesus Christ and the New
Evangelization via music, comedy and
inspirational talks.
He has been a featured speaker and
performer at the National Catholic
Youth Conference, Steubenville Summer Youth Conferences, and the Spirit
in the City Festival in London, UK.
Admission is free. Contact Lidia
Fiandeiro at 408-394-8060 or visit
http://stleopauljkim.eventbrite.com
for more information.
www.valleycatholiconline.com
make this a low-key, fun event, where
you could hang out with friends, have a
good conversation and a great meal, and
listen to music. Highlight was seeing a
packed house.”
Father Abe Antony, parochial vicar,
agreed. “The century concert was symbolic of the century of our existence as a
parish community. The transitions and
the interconnection were proclaimed
aloud.
“I saw a community that is proud of
itself, in which everybody is indispensable. In many ways, in an inimitable
style, St. Martin’s community reflects
the inner life of the Holy Trinity —
connection and relationship,” Father
Antony said.
The parish of 2,000 families kicked
off its anniversary celebration Nov. 14,
2013 (the feast of St. Martin of Tours is
Nov. 11), with a dinner and display of
historic memorabilia and photographs
preserved by parish liturgist and archivist Judy Swazey and 63-year parishioner Betty Ford.
Ford and Swazey are coordinating
efforts to compile text and photographs
from the last 25 years (since the parish’s
75th anniversary) to include in a keepsake Centennial Book to be published
in time for this November’s Mass and
banquet.
Space in the book is available for
businesses to advertise or for individuals to submit congratulatory or “In Memoriam” messages. To reserve space,
contact ad coordinator Jeff Hare at (408)
279-3555 or (408) 391-8321 or jbhare@
pacbell.net.
For more information about St. Martin of Tours Parish, visit stmartin.org.
Connect with Youth
and Young Adult Ministry
Youth Ministry | www.dsj.org/ym
Diocese of San Jose Youth Ministry
@DSJYouthMin
@DSJYouthMinistry
Young Adult Ministry | www.dsj.org/yam
Young Adult Catholics
of San Jose & Santa Clara County
@DSJYoungAdults