Article originally published by The Valley Catholic. Read the original article here.
By Liz Sullivan
As the Saturday morning sun shone through the blue stain glass windows above the altar at Holy Cross Church in San José on October 12, the Society of Saint Joseph held its second Legacy Mass.
Bishop Oscar Cantú celebrated the Mass and was joined by various pastors from across the Diocese.
Named after the patron saint of the Diocese, this honorary society is comprised of Catholic men and women who have made a commitment to name a local parish, Catholic elementary school, the Diocese of San Jose or any ministry of the Diocese as a beneficiary of a gift (of any size) in their estate plans.
Bishop Cantú spoke in his homily about the importance of not only planting seeds but nurturing those seeds through sunshine and water to make them stronger so when times get tough they can withstand all that nature throws at them.
“In today’s Gospel (Mark 4:1-20) Jesus talks about planting seeds and being careful where you plant them,” said the Bishop. “You have to appropriate and cultivate the soil to establish deep solid roots. We all want to be sure they bare fruit. To have fruit you have to mind the roots. In society today, people are forgetting about God and the roots they have. There are so many voices calling for their attention; promising various things, good and bad. I am not sure they always deliver.
We as a Church have done a very bad job of marketing our product and that product is the person of Jesus Christ. There is no better person than Jesus. He has given us the fullness of life, friendship and life everlasting. This is all to say, we plant the seeds of the Gospel, the work of Evangelization. Jesus is the word made flesh. We can’t work or show, what we don’t have. Thank you to all of you gathered here today for helping to plant some of these seeds.”
The Society of Saint Joseph is managed by The Catholic Community Foundation of Santa Clara County in partnership with the Diocese of San José.
Since May of 2018, the Society has welcomed more than 80 members, who have made provisions for more than 29 parishes, Catholic elementary schools and ministries for the Diocese of San José.
“Legacy is the continuation of your story,” said Mary Quilici Aumack, Executive Director of the Foundation in a reflection she gave after Communion. “It starts long before you are born and long after you’ve moved on. It is a part of your story that remains forever. We are happy to partner with the Diocese of San José to support all of you in this mission.”
Following the Mass, the Bishop, pastors and parishioners from the different corners of the Diocese gathered for a reception.
“Today is a wonderful celebration at the beautifully restored Holy Cross Church where we express our gratitude to those parishioners who provide the resources for schools, ministries and parishes like Holy Cross to thrive,” said Joe Naylor Chief Development Office for the Diocese.
The next Mass is expected to be held in the Spring of 2020. The Society of Saint Joseph looks forward to welcoming more members. Visit the Society of Saint Joseph home page to learn about becoming a founding member, www.cfoscc.org/societyofsaintjoseph.