Dear Holy Spirit,

October is called “respect for life month.” We are called to pray and ensure that we continue to preserve the dignity of every human life. This call reminds us that life is sacred because God is the giver, the author of life. The Book of Genesis reminds us that, from the beginning when God created the heavens and earth and before He rested, God created human beings in His own image and likeness. Then God breathed on us the breath of life. After God created us, Genesis says, “God looked at everything He made and found it VERY GOOD.” Not only was life breathed into us, but goodness was also given to us. Thus, in every human being there is a spark of God’s goodness.

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Mission Appeal 2024 at Holy Spirit

Fr. Paul Aquino SVD will be at Holy Spirit Parish this weekend to celebrate Masses and to speak about the many ministries of his religious community, Divine Word Missionaries. They are an international religious community of missionary priests and Brothers serving in 79 countries helping to build chapels, celebrate the sacraments and spread the Word of God in remote mission communities.

Fr. Paul was ordained in 2016 in Chicago. Following his ordination, he was assigned to work at Divine Word College Mission Seminary (DWC) in Epworth, IA as a liturgical musician, spiritual director and formator. He then went to take a Master of Music degree in Vocal Performance at the Catholic University of America in Washington, DC and finished his studies in May 2020. He returned to DWC and now serves as a music instructor and formator.

Nearly 6,000 active Divine Word Missionaries minister in the far corners of the world. They build hospitals to care for the sick and build schools to educate the poor. They teach the hungry to farm. They provide life’s necessities—water, food and shelter—in impoverished communities. These priests and Brothers help those neglected and forgotten by society to build a better future. They also foster vibrant Catholic communities of service and faith around the world.

This mission appeal is part of the Missionary Cooperative Program of our Diocese of San Jose. Please be generous with your prayers and contribute to the second collection to help support the missionary work of the Divine Word Missionaries. To meet some of the people Divine Word Missionaries help, please read the stories at https://missionimpact.svdmissions.org/mission-update.

To donate, please click here. Select 'Second Offerings' under 'Funds' then under 'Sub Funds' select 'Mission Co-Op.'

Liturgical Ministry

As we prepare for the resumption of the reception of the Precious Blood, we need more extra ordinary ministers of the Eucharist (EMOE). If you are interested please contact Mary Dye, the EMOE coordinator, at malneritchm@gmail.com. 

Thanksgiving and Christmas are just around the corner. If you are interested in helping us decorate and prepare our church environment for the holidays please contact Julie Perrucci at julie@perrucci.org

To proclaim the Word of God is such a great privilege. We are searching for lectors especially for the 11:30am and 6:00pm Masses. Please contact Cynthia Shaw at Cynthia.shaw@dsj.org for more details.

2023 Holy Spirit Golf Tournament

The Holy Spirit Golf Tournament is back! Join us on Monday, October 16^th for a day on the green! Space is limited, so register today by clicking here! 

Family Grace

The Holy Spirit Mental Health Ministry presents “Family Grace”, a small group program created by Mental Health Grace Alliance.

If you are a family member, spouse, or friend of someone who is experiencing a mental health difficulty, Family Grace is for you. The program is about sharing your story – the experience, the confusion, the pain, and the loneliness. Family Grace is an empowering, grace-filled discipleship experience for personal and community growth. The Grace Alliance has only one vision and one value … “To love them well.”

Beginning October 12^th at 7:00pm, we will hold weekly meetings for 6 weeks with a break at the end of November thru early January and then will resume for 8 weeks starting in January.

Please register by clicking here. For more information on the Mental Health Ministry and our current programs, please contact HSMentalWellness@gmail.com

An example of a typical evening of the program: 

Session on “Handling Problems”

*We read Genesis 41:29-40, 46-49 and discuss how Joseph, instead of focusing on what seemed impossible, focused on gleaning wisdom from the Lord to execute a problem-solving plan.

*We learn a problem-solving technique with the acronym – IDEAS.

Identify (Dissect & Decide) – What is the problem? Dissect by identifying smaller issues and choose one issue to focus on at the moment.

Desired Outcomes (Prayer) – Determine the desired outcome to the problem and pray!

Engineer – Brainstorm different ways to address the problem, possible solutions, and the people who can help carry out these solutions.

Adapt – What are the potential roadblocks and how can you navigate around them?

Serve (Pray & Implement) - Pray again for the process. Determine the first tangible step and set a realistic time frame for this to take place.

*We share and discuss what resonates with us based on the chapter material.

Mass of Love and Mercy – Gabriel Wanous

Beginning the weekend of October 7/8, our mass setting will be Mass of Love and Mercy by Gabriel Wanous. These mass parts will run until Christ the King weekend (11/25-26). This setting includes Glory to God, Gospel Acclamation (Alleluia), Holy, We Proclaim Your Death, Great Amen, and Lamb of God. With guidance and recommendations made from our Music CORE Team, I selected this setting and it is something we haven’t done at Holy Spirit. Mass of Love and Mercy by Gabriel Wanous is published through a website called WorshipNOW, which is one of many music publishing companies that provides modern worship music resources for the Catholic Church. In recent times, some of the responsorial psalm settings I’ve chosen have come from this website. You can access and listen to Mass of Love and Mercy by clicking here.

- Tim Mascarinas, Director of Music

Healthy Living Fair

WE NEED YOU! 

Sacred Heart invites you to volunteer with us! We have an urgent need for volunteers ages 14 and up to help us with the Healthy Living Fair which will provide free health services to members in the community including dental exams and care, vision exams and glasses, hearing tests, and other important health screenings. 

We are especially in need of people who are fluent in Spanish, Vietnamese, or Mandarin. 

We are looking to fill shifts on the following days/times: 

Sunday, October 15th

Hours between 6am-4:30pm 

Click here to schedule your shift today: 

A Night of Praise & Worship

On Friday, October 6th, Santa Clara University is hosting a praise and worship evening featuring live music from talented praise and worship artists and musicians. Come join this free event with uplifting music and message. The event is from 8:00pm-10:00pm. All are welcome! More information can be found on the flyer.

Worldwide Marriage Encounter has been renewing marriages for 50 years!

Any married couple that desires a fuller life together deserves a WWME experience. It is designed to deepen and enrich the joys a couple shares together, whether they have been married a short time or for many years.

Take an opportunity this year to invest time for your marriage. Experiences in the Bay Area for the remainder of 2023 are September 29–October 1 and November 17–19. Please register by clicking here. For more information call Ken and Claranne at 408-782-1413.