Classes Resume Sunday, 1/2 and Tuesday 1/4

Catechetical Classes resume for Preschool on Sunday, January 2.

Classes resume for grades 1-8 on Tuesday, January 4. Merry Christmas!

Advent Family Night

We have another evening of Whole-Community Catechesis coming up on Tuesday, November 30, 6:30-8:30pm.

Come get in the spirit of Advent! The entire parish is welcome. We will learn about Advent, it's relationship to Christmas and our Liturical Year. We will make a keepsake ornament to adorm our trees. We will sing, clap, pray, and praise!

This event is part of Catechetical Ministry and all Catechetical students and their families are expected to attend. No Drop offs. If you need childcare for those under 3, please let me know by Nov. 15 so I can provide adequate staffing.

Family Night October 26, 6:30pm

Celebrating the lives of the Saints..

and our own “Call to Holiness”

When: Tuesday, October 26, 6:30-8:30pm
Where: Becket Hall

We will begin with food and hospitality (something St. Thomas is very good at!) Next we will explore the lives of a few saints, discuss the theology behind the Communion of Saints, the feasts of All-Saints Day and All-Souls Day, the Hispanic customs of Dia de los Muertos. We will break into age groups for some in-depth discussion and hands-on activities, then rejoin and finish the evening with prayer.

RSVP: to Sherry at 364-8840 or cm@stcsj.org

Finally, you are invited to bring a memento/photo of your deceased loved ones. We will be creating an altar to remember those who have gone before us. It will remain up through Nov. 2, the Feast of All Souls. Please put your name on the item, so we can be sure it gets returned to you.

Upcoming Dates in Catechetical Ministry..

September 21, 7pm (Tuesday): Mandatory All Parent/All Catechist Meeting. Come meet your child’s catechist and get an overview of our program this year. This meeting is for parents only, please contact Sherry if you need childcare. If you are going to miss the meeting, you may read the talking points here:

https://docs.google.com/fileview?id=0B3vdg1COCS0hMTc0ODcxNzAtZGVkNC00NzFhLThkZTAtZWFjODJkYjBmMzUz&hl=en&authkey=CIi0v_EB

September 26, (Sunday): Early childhood classes begin for preschoolers during the 9am Mass.

September 28, (Tuesday): First day of classes.

Grades 1-4 meet at 4-5:15pm.

Grades 5-8 meet at 7-8:15pm.

October 3, Sunday, 12-4pm. Parish Fall Festival
click here for flyer:

https://docs.google.com/fileview?id=0B6e2e4Z7SAORMTQyYjJkODUtYTlhNS00MDMyLWJiMDEtNDcwOTI3MWQzZWVl&hl=en

Registration for fall Catechetical classes

Faith in God is the most important thing you can nurture in your child. Showing our child(ren) that God loves them unconditionally helps to build healthy, emotionally stable, well-grounded individuals. Together as the catholic faith community of St. Thomas, we can show our children that unconditional love God has for all of us. Together, we can teach our children how we pray, what we believe, and how we live our lives.

Registration for Catechetical and Sacrament preparation classes will take place after all masses the weekend of August 28-29, 2010. Registration materials will be mailed out to all families who were previously enrolled. If you are new to St. Thomas, you may pick up materials in the office after August 15.

Classes are held from late September through mid-May for the following age groups:

Preschool, ages 3-6: Sundays mornings during the 9am mass.
Grades 1-4: Tuesdays, 4-5:15pm.
Grades 5-8: Tuesdays, 7-8:15pm.
Children seeking the sacraments of Reconciliation and Eucharist need to complete two years of preparation.
Grade 9: Confirmation preparation is also a two year process. Sundays, 10-11:15am January-May

For more information contact Sherry Scott, catechetical coordinator, at (408) 364-8840 or cm@stcsj.org.

Have a great Summer!

"God, our Father, protect us as we travel and explore this summer. Keep our minds and our bodies healthy as we relax and rejuvenate after a busy school year. Help us to always walk as disciples of your Son, Jesus, whether at work or at play. Amen"

Catechetical Sunday, September 19

This year's theme is Matrimony, Sacrament of Enduring Love. We will be commissioning our catechists at the 9am mass. We need a few more catechists for our Early Childhood program and as ministers of Children's Liturgy of the Word. The commitment is once per month. Training and support are provided. If you feel called to serve; to share your faith with the next generation, please contact Sherry at cm@stcsj.org

Fall Festival

This year's fall festival is tentatively set for Sunday, October 3, 12-4pm. We will have our giant slide return along with all our great foods from last year, games, prizes, and raffle. Save the date! We are looking for volunteers to help with the planning and execution of this parish-wide event. Please contact Sherry to volunteer at cm@stcsj.org

Vacation Bible Camp

Twenty-two kids from St.Thomas are going on a SonQuest! We will transform St. Thomas and Sacred Heart Parishes into a tropical rainforest for our weeklong camp. Lively music, bible stories, scripture memory verses, lots of fun games, crafts, yummy snacks and lunch await us as we go on a quest for Jesus. Nine teen counselors and sixteen adults from St. Thomas will assist them on their journey. Please keep us all in your prayers through Sunday, June 20. Camp runs from Monday-Friday, June 14-18 with a closing Mass at Sacred Heart on Sunday, June 20 at 5pm.

Our Fruits of the Spirit Potluck Dinner is next Saturday evening, May 23 after the 5:15pm mass. Free tickets are available after all masses. (the tickets help us with headcount and seating) We will be having a talent show and a sing-a-long. If you or your families are interested in having an act in the talent show, please contact, Sherry at sscott@dsj.org.

May is the month of Mary. We crowned Mary last weekend and presented flowers in her honor. Please continue to bring flowers to mass each weekend during May to keep the arrangements looking fresh throughout the month. This helps us to keep our flower budget down and also it brings a little bit of our homes (and gardens) into the church. You may add your flowers, just before each mass, to the vases at the foot of the statue of Mary. (Remember to shake the flowers upside down, to keep bugs out of the church!)

Fr. Hao going to Holy Family Parish

Fr. Hao announced last weekend that he has been assigned to Holy Family Parish starting on July 1, 2010. Fr. Mark Catalano will be coming on July 1 to be our new pastor. We have had a wonderful five years with Fr. Hao, and we will unwillingly let him go to his new assignment. Stay tuned for details on a reception to bid him farewell.

Do you have what it takes to be a catechist?

We are always in need of new catechists. Please consider sharing your faith next year with the children and teens of our parish. You only need faith in Jesus and a willing heart. Training and support, (and a co-catechist) will be provided for you. Can you answer, "Speak, Lord, for your servant is listening"?

Our catechetical program cannot run without the dedication of many faithful catechists. I am truly honored and proud to work with so many wonderful and talented people. Please keep them in your prayers over the summer, that they be refreshed and renewed to continue again in their service in the fall.

I am most grateful to:
Early Childhood:
Nancy Sisneros, Coordinator
Delia Besio, Patricia Soraire

Grade 1:
Eva Rust, Lorene Hughes

Grade 2:
Vicki Schwoob

Grade 3/4:
Pat Arand, Kim Hanrahan

Grade 5:
Marie Beno, Pat Miller

Grade 6:
Sandra Tagatac, Kathy Quick, Kathy Foos

Grade 7:
Judy Machado, Leticia Tapia

Confirmation:
Kathy Small, Kathy Quick

One-to-one Catechesis:
Lucy Chai, Dolores Procaccio

May Crowning

This year, on Mother’s Day (May 9), we will have a procession and ceremony to honor Mary as the Mother of God This will take place at the beginning of the 9am mass. If you would like to help with or participate in this ceremony, please contact Sherry in the parish office at 364-8840, or sscott@dsj.org.

All children in the parish (male and female) will be invited to participate. On that day, all are invited to bring flowers from your gardens to place in special vases at the foot of Mary’s statue. Children are asked to wear their Easter or First Communion clothes.

Spring Break for Public Schools

Catechetical classes will not meet this Tuesday, April 13. We will resume class on Tuesday April 20.

There is no Early Childhood class or Confirmation class this weekend, April 11. The Early Childhood Program and Confirmation class will resume on Sunday, April 18.

Youth Choir

The next Youth mass is May 2 at 11am. This is also First Communion Day for several of our young candidates. Choir rehearsals for this liturgy will be Tuesdays, April 20 and April 27 from 5:30-6:30pm. All youth of the parish ages 7-18 are invited to join us. Questions? Contact Pat Miller, mscoolmusic@gmail.com or Sherry Scott at sscott@dsj.org.

“Make a joyful noise unto the Lord!”

Alleluia! He is risen!

Did you know that the early Christians greeted one another with this phrase during the Easter season?

"Alleluia! He is risen."

To which one would reply,"He is truly risen." or "He is risen indeed."

Now that Easter Sunday is over, how can we continue to celebrate the resurrection throughout these 50 days? Some ideas include receiving the Eucharist more often, using the Easter greeting above with one another, making hot cross buns or paschal bread for the family, performing random acts of kindness to a stranger.

Vacation Bible Camp

We are busy making decorations for this summer's Vacation Bible Camp. The theme is SONQuest Rainforest and so we are making snakes, leopards, monkeys, and lots of other neat things found in the tropical rain forest. If you would like to come by and help us, we are working on Tuesdays at 4-5pm and also from 7-8pm. Our remaining decorating dates are: April 20, 27 and May 4 and 11. Teens can get service hour credit for helping out! If you would prefer to take things home to work on, please make arrangements with Sherry at 364-8840 or sscott@dsj.org.

Easter Egg Hunt

Thank you! To the many anonymous donors of candy and plastic eggs for our Easter Egg Hunt last week. Praise be to God that the weather held, and the rain came after the eggs were found! This event would not have been possible with the help of: Tim Scott, Robert Scott, Ellen Scott, Madisen Lindsey, Rachel Moore, Sara Lennon, Katie DiLeo, Amanda Lavond, Jose Tapia, Augustin Tapia, Alberto Tapia, Kim Hanrahan, Isabelle Defrenne, Jackson Lennon, Luisa Lennon, and Maria Panelli.