Saint Cyprian Parish in Sunnyvale is a vibrant and growing faith community committed to strengthening families, forming disciples, and serving its neighbors. As one of the Catholic Community Foundation’s Living the Faith Grant Cycle recipients, the parish is embracing new opportunities to deepen faith, foster community, and bring Christ’s love to others through evangelization, formation, worship, outreach, and collaboration.
Each year, the Foundation selects a handful of grant recipients to visit in person, delivering the grant award, while learning more about the communities they serve. We were blessed to visit Saint Cyprian Parish and hear about the ministries, people, and vision that are shaping their future.
Serving approximately 500 families and growing, including many Latino families, Saint Cyprian is entering an exciting season in its parish life. The parish is also beginning its participation in the Diocese of San José’s Sowing Seeds of Faith Campaign, a key initiative of the Diocesan Pastoral Plan.
Leading Saint Cyprian is Fr. Robain Lamba, who has served as pastor of the parish for the past two years. Originally from Cameroon, Fr. Lamba has lived in California for almost 18 years and previously ministered at St. Francis of Assisi Parish in San José, and St. Nicholas and William Parish in Los Altos. Through a parish survey and ongoing conversations with parishioners, Fr. Lamba and the Parish Leadership Team identified several priorities for growth and renewal that reflect both the pillars of the Diocesan Pastoral Plan and the needs of the parish community.
Family Ministry: Strengthening Families and Building Community
Strengthening family life emerged as a key priority for the parish. Saint Cyprian plans to establish small faith-sharing groups, support participation in retreats and conferences, and offer Retrouvaille, a program that helps couples improve communication and strengthen their marriages.
“The family is a domestic church, and the family is the center of society. If the family is not doing well, society is not going to do well,” shared Fr. Lamba.
Youth and Young Adults: Creating Opportunities for Encounter
Because Saint Cyprian does not currently have a formal teen ministry program, the parish plans to invest in opportunities for youth and young adults to gather for fellowship, retreats, prayer, and Mass.
“We have a growing young adult group now with about 18 members. While we have a small budget for them, the Living the Faith Grant will allow us to offer more retreats where we can go to a place like Rancho San Antonio, hike, share a meal together, and have Mass,” said Dale Vorwerk, Parish Finance Council Chairperson.
Evangelization and Formation: Welcoming Questions, Deepening Faith
To support evangelization and formation, Saint Cyprian plans to offer Alpha, a program that invites people to explore life’s big questions and deepen their faith. Fr. Lamba hopes it will help engage parishioners, welcome those seeking answers, and reconnect people with the Church.
“We’re going to start Alpha here and we’re going to invite other parishes to participate. We’re going to answer some of the basic questions of faith: Who is Jesus Christ? Why do we pray? It’s about bringing people back to God,” said Fr. Lamba.
Worship and Music: Enriching Parish Life
The grant will support the purchase of new Advent and Lenten prayer resources in both English and Spanish, helping parishioners enter more deeply into the liturgical seasons. Saint Cyprian also plans to purchase a new sound board, strengthening the parish’s worship experience.
Parish Outreach: Serving the Wider Community
Fr. Lamba plans to further expand the parish outreach efforts through a new food distribution partnership that will serve families in need. Through this outreach, they will invite more members of the surrounding community to practice the works of mercy and participate in parish events, formation opportunities, and Mass.
Reflection on Collaboration and Impact
Saint Cyprian Parish is a wonderful example of what can happen when a parish listens to its community and responds with faith, creativity, and purpose. Through investments in family life, youth ministry, evangelization, worship, and outreach, the parish is creating new opportunities for people to encounter Christ and grow as disciples.
Collaboration is a key component of the Diocesan Pastoral Plan and an important emphasis of the Foundation’s Living the Faith Grant Cycle. We look forward to seeing how these ministries strengthen families, deepen faith, and bear fruit in Saint Cyprian Parish and beyond.
Learn more about the Living the Faith Grants for parishes in the Diocese of San José: https://catholiccf.org/grants/living-the-faith/.
If you’d like to support the endowments that make these grants possible, visit: https://catholiccf.org/funds/#foi.