CATEGORY DESCRIPTION: 

Music brings joy and vibrancy to our Eucharistic celebrations. Grants from this category support the development of parish liturgical music programs, aimed at enriching parish worship life and strengthening our communities around the Eucharistic celebration.

EXAMPLES:

Saint Maria Goretti Parish

Program Name:

Sing for Joy in the Lord

This grant will enable us to provide enrichment to our choirs and vocal training for each individual choir member. We are requesting funds for two onsite vocal workshops for musical and singing training for our 10 choirs. We want to provide a workshop for the adults and a separate workshop for the children’s choir.

GRANT AMOUNT REQUESTED: $250

Our Lady of La Vang Parish

Program Name:

Choir Conductor Training

Choir Conductors Training Level I is a year-long class. The class meets once a week for 2 hours to learns the basic music concepts such as music notes, melody, chords, and practicing conducting for choirs. The class instructor is the beloved musician and song writer Huyen Nguyen. Our Lady of La Vang has 19 weekend masses through out 6 different locations in San Jose and has 20 choirs. The Choir Conductor Training program will provide choir conductors and music directors for these choirs to help the congregation lift up their spirit to God during worship. This program is open for people in other parishes as well.

GRANT AMOUNT REQUESTED: $800

CATEGORY DESCRIPTION: 

We are told to help our brothers and sisters in need as if they were Christ in disguise. Grants from this category support programs which serve under-served communities and perform corporal works of mercy – feeding the hungry, clothing the naked, sheltering the homeless.

EXAMPLES:

Christ the King Parish

Program Name:

Give a Gift to Jesus

After Thanksgiving, parents in our neighborhood with children under 13 years of age may sign up their child(ren) to receive a gift. Most parents request clothes, indicating their need. Because we do not want the names of the recipients published, tags with numbered ids are set out for parishioners to select. The gift value is $20 so that many people can participate. The cost of clothing limits what can be purchased for $20 so we supplement each gift with a gift card. The main goals are to provide the best possible gift for each child and to offer an opportunity for parishioners to know the joy of helping others.

GRANT AMOUNT REQUESTED: $3,700

Our Lady of Guadalupe Parish

Program Name:

“Our Daily Bread” Ministry

The food pantry at OLG is a year-round food and meal distribution program for low-income residents of East San Jose. They provide weekly distribution of healthy food, bread and fresh produce 3 times per week, serving 1,200 people per week. We also invite local organizations to our site to share resources that our clients will benefit from. Our community is hurting because of the housing crisis, lack of employment and family separation due to legal statuses. This ministry requires all of our support and we need your assistance. For us, it is an obligation as Catholics to aid our brothers and sisters.

GRANT AMOUNT REQUESTED: $12,000

Santa Teresa Parish

Program Name:

Outreach to Farmworkers

We continue to work to serve the farmworkers (the poorest of the poor) who we have built an ongoing relationship with and who have come to rely on our ministry in providing them with food, clothing, and basic essentials between their harvest seasons. We meet them on a quarterly basis, bringing items they need as well as some “fun” time for their children (some little toys, a small piñata party, etc) so we partake and visit as our brothers and sisters, showing how grateful we are for the work they do for us. Our hope is to bring them a little joy with our support as we continue to work in respecting their dignity as our brothers and sisters in Christ.

GRANT AMOUNT REQUESTED: $5,000

CATEGORY DESCRIPTION: 

Misconceptions about the word “stewardship” abound. Stewardship is more than monetary donations – it is about engaging people in Christian life and building a community where everyone is welcome and parishioners actively and excitedly participate in parish life. This fund supports programs which view stewardship as a way of life that brings us closer to God as individuals and as a community.

EXAMPLES:

Saint John Vianney Parish

Program Name:

Improving Parish Stewardship

The spiritual and financial health of a parish depends on the success of its stewardship program. With a small grant and a lot of man hours, we surveyed the parish, developed a happy meter and extended the amount of volunteer hours to include a homeless outreach ministry. Based on the results of the survey, we would like to concentrate on improving the spiritual health of both English and Spanish parishioners. We are purchasing 3 sets of devotional guides in Spanish and English, (Lent, Advent, & Stewardship). This will give each person a chance to look at their own personal stewardship and what they can continue to invest in the parish community.

GRANT AMOUNT REQUESTED: $4,000

Saint Julie Billiart Parish

Program Name:

Church Security Planning for Leadership & Intruder Awareness Response

St. Julie’s wishes to provide “Active Shooter and Intruder Response training for staff, catechists, ushers, greeters and volunteers to recognize threats to parishioners and students and to take appropriate action that could potentially save lives in the event of a threat. We intend to also invite parishes in Deanery 7 and other non-Catholic churches in our area.

GRANT AMOUNT REQUESTED: $5,400

Saint Martin of Tours Parish

Program Name:

Spirituality of Stewardship Formation for Leaders & Community

St. Martin of Tours intends to organize and provide a 4-part formation series focused on the spirituality of stewardship. What is a spirituality of Christian stewardship? How does a spirituality of stewardship build community? How does stewardship bring us closer to God? How to take stewardship from theory to practice in the parish and the home? Each part of the series will include an opportunity for gathering together in prayer, a presentation, an opportunity for personal reflection on the presentation, and then a shared meal/refreshments. This formation series will make a radical difference not only for the present leaders, but also for the young new families moving in and for school parents. We plan to revitalize the parish that is currently predominantly elderly by incorporating the younger ones to stewardship, worship and ministries.

GRANT AMOUNT REQUESTED: $8,000

CATEGORY DESCRIPTION: 

Faith formation is key to the spiritual growth of our youth and young adults, but learning about our Catholic faith doesn’t end after high school. This fund supports ministry training and faith formation programs that help people of all ages grow in their faith.

EXAMPLES:

Saint Lucy Parish

Program Name:

Despertar Juvenil La Familia

Our parish has a young adult group (Despertar Juvenil) and was in need of a group that could provide services to young adults once they were married and started their own families. This group meets once a month and provides child care/catechism while parents participate in the group as a couple or single parent. Activities varies from ice breakers to unite people that attend, different topics related to parenthood and relationship challenges, ways to strengthen relationships, and the importance of bringing Jesus into each household. Participants support each other with everyday challenges and bring a variety of different life experiences that make this group unique and needed in our parish. We are planing on having a yearly retreat for all couples and families at St. Lucy Parish.

GRANT AMOUNT REQUESTED: $5,000

Sacred Heart Nativity Schools

Program Name:

Welcome Retreat for Incoming 6th Grade Students

We are planning a 3 day, 2-night retreat for incoming 6th graders early in the school year. The purpose is to bring together students who come from different grammar schools to help them acclimate to life at Nativity, gain exposure to the Catholic religion and bond as a class. Some activities will include guided meditations, short story readings with discussion, presentations by current 8th-grade students, liturgy planning with an introduction to sacred music and various team bonding activities. The school serves 98 low-income boys and girls in grades six through eight. Currently, 98% of students are Latina/o, most come from immigrant families where English is not the primary language spoken at home. Students often live in overcrowded conditions, in areas where gangs and violence are prevalent. Nativity families have an average income of $29,000, which meets HUD guidelines as very-low income for a household of one, let alone larger families. This retreat will be the first step in their 12-year journey as we work to prepare them for acceptance to the top college prep high schools in the area, with the goal for them to be the first in their families to attend college.

GRANT AMOUNT REQUESTED: $3,000

Diocese of San Jose

Program Name:

Advanced Lay Leadership Program Tuition Assistance

This tuition assistance can help encourage and assist qualified candidates of the Advanced Lay Leader Program with their tuition costs. Lay leadership is a key area of focus of the Diocesan Pastoral Plan especially as we plan for the future needs of church leadership. Graduates of the program can assume leadership roles in faith formation, liturgy, social justice, or take on a parish role such as pastoral associate; many of which require a Master’s degree. The goal is to increase the formation and diversity of the people who lead ministries in the parishes throughout the Diocese of San Jose, by helping low-income candidates, for example, Hispanic ministers, attend Graduate Pastoral Ministry courses. Grants from the Foundation are the only source of tuition assistance for students.

GRANT AMOUNT REQUESTED: $5,400