John Braun and I will facilitate a weekly Lectionary based Scripture Study and Faith Sharing, starting on September 21, 2006. There will be a morning and an evening session. You may sign up for one or the other.
The morning sessions will take place from 9:30 to 11 am at St Albert the Great Hospitality Center
The evening sessions will take place from 7 to 8:30 pm at the Dermody Center, near our Lady of the Rosary church.
The Fall series will last for six weeks and there will be another series in the Spring (during Lent) also for six weeks.
ALL ARE WELCOME
Please sign up either through the Pastoral Center (494-2496) or in the vestibule of our three churches.
LET US GROW IN THE KNOWLEDGE AND THE LOVE OF GOD'S WORD.
Fr. George
Burning Bush and Scripture Study
We want to welcome our parishioners and their neighbors and friends to a monthly series entitiled: The Burning Bush. This Adult Enrichment series is an opportunity for us to bring our burning questions to a friendly 'wine and cheese' discussion on Faith issues and make them relevant to our times.
The sessions will take place usually on the 4th Sunday of each month, from 3 to 5 p.m., except in November and December, when they will occur on the 3rd Sunday because of Thanksgiving and Christmas.
The 2006 sessions will take place at the St Albert the Great Hospitality Center, 1095 Channing Ave, Palo Alto, CA 94301.
First Session: September 24, 2006, Sunday, 3 to 5 p.m.
Topic: FAITH AND BIO-MEDICAL ETHICAL ISSUES
Bring your Burning Questions.
ALL ARE WELCOME.
Fr. George
Sister Parishes
My dear Parish Family,
We are part of the Universal Catholic Church and we are part of Humanity. From time to time we respond generously to disasters all over the world. Recently we gave to the work of Catholic Relief Services during the Earthquake calamity in Pakistan and India as well as during the Mudslides in the Philippines.
During the Hurricane devastation of Katrina, the question asked by some of our parishioners was how our giving can become more personal, so that we have a relationship with the people to whom we reach out in charity and concern. The Red Cross and other organizations are doing wonderful work, but we hardly know who is helped by these major charitable institutions.
With the desire to have more long term relationships with some other Catholic communities of the world, we are trying to bond with, what we call: Sister Parishes.
The goal is to have at least one sister parish on each continent. This bonding and these relationships will help us to see beyond ourselves and enable us to be truly a part of the Universal Catholic Church and of Humanity.
Sister parishes will be chosen not only by need but by relationships that are mutually enriching. While we give to those in need in other parishes, we can also learn from them for our own growth and development as a faith community.
Fr. Kiriti from Kenya has been with our parish community in the past. He will be back in our parish in April to share with us his experiences in the church community he is helping to develop. We hope that the bonding with his community in Kenya will enable us to feel that they are part of our own church family in Palo Alto, not only by baptism, but also by service and love.
We are trying to develop also a relationship with a parish community in Mumbai, India, which is in the heart of the city slums. The parish is called St Dominic Savio with about 10 thousand parishioners belonging to a very vibrant community. Check out their website
In the meanwhile, our journey of bonding with more parishes on other continents continues. If you have suggestions or recommendations, please contact me and I will bring it up for discussion with our Pastoral Stewardship Committee.
Fr. George
Fr. George Aranha, Pastor
St. Thomas Aquinas Parish
3290 Middlefield Rd. Palo Alto CA 94306
(650)494-2496
(650)494-3780