MASS TIMES

Mon-Fri: 6:30 & 8:00 a.m. Saturdays: 8:00 a.m. & 4:30 p.m. Sundays: 6:30, 8, 9:30 & 11 a.m., 12:30 & 6 p.m. 1st Friday of the Month: Adoration & Noon Mass Confessions: Saturdays 3:30-4:15 pm & by appt.

1576 Curtner Avenue, San Jose, CA. 95125 www.saintchris.com

ST. CHRISTOPHER SCHOOL: 408-723-7223; www.stchris.us

Principal: Mrs. Corrine Buich Vice Principals: Sr. Kieran O’Connor, P.B.V.M; Mrs. Jutta Brassill and Mrs. Kathy Carter Business Manager: Mrs. Stephanie Houlihan Finance Manager: Divina Orogo Development Director: Teresa Behan

Parish Office Msgr. Allen Center 2278 Booksin Ave., San Jose, CA. 95125

Office Hours: M-F, 8:30am—noon, 1:00-4:00pm

Main Office: 408-269-2226, (fax) 408-269-2784 Pastor: Rev. Chr istopher Bennett Ext. 135

Parochial Vicars: Rev. Anthony Uytingco Ext. 130 And Rev. Chady Segovia Ext. 143

Deacon: Deacon Bruce Zorio, Ext. 137 Parish Secretaries: Gayle Blackford & Adrienne DiVittorio Business & Facility Manager Elaine Blocher, Ext. 136

Safe Environment: Nancy Jolliff Ext. 133

RCIA To become Catholic: 269-2226 Ext. 137

Parish Records: Sue Pershon Ext. 124

Pastoral Ministry: Loretta Pfaff, 408-264-5114 Ext. 131

Youth/Young Adult Ministry: Chris Miller - 408-395-7949

Catechetical Ministry: 264-8764 Director: Sr. Felicia Gross, O.S.F. Ext. 128 Rel. Ed. Assistant: Diane Forst Ext. 127 Elementary Sacrament Coordinator: Gina Park Ext. 126

Outreach Office: 269-2226 Ext. 132 Nancy Melander Pantry Hours: 4:00-5:30pm Tuesday & Wednesday Call for Saturday Hours

January 10, 2016 The Baptism of the Lord

Attention Please Parents and Children! An exciting new children’s choir is being formed here at St. Christopher’s to sing at the 9:30am Mass once a month. Mark your calen-dar. The first Mass the choir will sing at, will be Sunday, January 17th at 9:30am. Rehearsal will take place before Mass at 8:15 in the Walsh Hall. A flyer will follow up soon with more information. If you have any questions, call Loretta in the Parish office at 408-264-5114 or email: Loretta.pfaff@stchrissj.org

THE BAPTISM OF THE LORD January 10, 2016

St Christopher’s 50’s Club DAY OF RECOLLECTION

JANUARY 18TH, 2016 Happy New Year! The St. Christopher’s Over 50’s Club will host a Day of Recollection on Monday, January 18, 2016 in Walsh Hall. The day will begin at 9 a.m with coffee and breakfast rolls, at 9:30 a.m Fr. Chris will begin with our first session. At noon we will break for lunch. Please bring your own bag lunch and the club will provide coffee and dessert. The day will end with Fr. Chris celebrating Mass and we will adjourn between 2:00-2:30 p.m. There is no school that day so there is plenty of accessible park-ing. This is a wonderful way to begin the new year and prepare for Lent. If you are planning to attend, please call Jo Bertaccini at 408-266-7364 to reserve a seat. All members of the parish are welcomed to the Day of Recollection.

Dear Parishioners, With the feast of the baptism of the Lord, the focus is now very much on the adult Jesus rather than the child Jesus. The baptism was a watershed in the life of Jesus, the moment when he passed from the relative obscurity of village life in Nazareth onto the public stage of his mission to Israel. At this significant moment of transition, he experienced the coming of the Spirit and an assurance of favour from his Father. In the strength of this experi-ence, he began his mission of proclaiming God's kingdom. There are similar moments of transition in our own faith journey. A time will come for all of us when we feel called to make a more public statement about our faith and the values arising from it, when, like Israel in the first reading, God wishes to make of us 'a witness to the peo-ples In our own world, such public witness can be a daunting prospect as it could mean becoming unpopular, los-ing opportunities for personal advancement, standing alone on certain issues. Like Jesus, we can suddenly find our-selves battling in a wilderness. In that threatening situation, we discover our own vulnerability and our radical need of God. We quickly realize that if we are to be God's witness in our world, we must learn to live, not on bread alone, but on every word that comes from the mouth of God. Baptism was the beginning of the Great Service of Christ on behalf of us all. When he went down into the river Jordan, and stood waist-deep to be baptized by John, it was a rich sign of dedication to God's will. Baptism was (and is) a deeply religious act. There Jesus the young adult On the verge of his public ministry, made a full surren-der of himself to do whatever God his Father might require of him. Nobody can achieve any good, without the help of God. Whether or not we are aware, any kindness, love, honesty or creativity we accomplish - all is a gift of grace from our heavenly Father. At his Baptism, Jesus received the help he needed to begin his ministry of service. 'God anointed him with the Holy Spirit and with power' - as Peter puts it. At that moment Jesus began a new phase of his life, moving out from the quiet village of Nazareth into the busy confusion and hectic demands of his public work. He received 'power' to be compassionate towards all, to give himself unstintingly to his followers, to heal and console the many sick who were brought to him. In a less dramatic way, God gives grace to each man and woman, to share in the ministry of Jesus, to continue it in our day. Our problem is - are we willing and generous enough to accept this power, to use it in service? The Servant is appointed to 'bring justice to the nations', to improve things in this world of ours, and right some of the wrongs, heal some of the wounds . . . starting with ourselves. Do I re-ally act as a baptized Christian? How can I better respond to God's call to me to be in the service of my God and my neighbor?

Fr. Chris Bennett

RELIGIOUS EDUCATION NEWS (408) 264-8764

Religious Education Office Hours: Office hours- Mon.–Thurs. Closed Fridays

8:30-a.m.-Noon and 1:00 p.m.-3:00 p.m.

SATURDAY, JANUARY 9 4:30 Yvonne Pine, Harry Hamilton, Joe & Ann Serio, John Pasco, Rosario, Anna & Salvatore Serio

SUNDAY, JANUARY 10 6:30 Yvonne Pine, Helen Boshell, 8:00 Yvonne Pine, Michael Giammona, 9:30 Yvonne Pine, Fadi Zikoor, Jack Shaughnessy, Herta Catherine Markvardsen, Deb & Bob Pini (sp int) 11:00 Yvonne Pine, Joe Piazza, Dorothy Jasnski, Liberina Colonna, Leila Walsh 12:30 Yvonne Pine, George Lassalle, Robert J. Loos, Edward Buelna 6:00 Yvonne Pine

Out of Town? FYI There is a web site, you can access when ever you are out of town and need a church for Mass, Go to www.masstimes.org and look up churches and Mass times, where ever you are. Check it out.

RCIA Adult Confirmation

Register Tuesdays of January 7:15-9pm at 2278 Booksin in the Marian Room with Deacon Bruce

Confirmation Our next session for confirmation will be on Thurs-day, January 28th in (Science Lab) from 7 until 8:30 pm. Students are asked to bring their workbooks to each session. Please contact Chris Miller at cmiller@dsj.org or 408-395-7949 for addi-tional information.

Youth Group The next youth group sessions will be this Sunday, January 10th from 7-8:30pm in Walsh Hall. See www.saintchris.com for additional information, in-cluding the full schedule for the year.

Youth Ministry News: Chris Miller (408)-395-7949

cmiller@dsj.org or parish website www.saintchris.com—Select youth link

IN REMEMBRANCE Let us pray for all who have died, that they may rejoice with the Risen Lord,

especially:

Leslie Trillo, Dioscoro Sarmienta, Pete DeVincenzi, Theresa Severino, Charles

Crannell, and Anthony Intravia

Women’s Bible Study Come and Join our reflections as we read the Book of Isaiah. Thursdays 7-9 pm in the Marian Room January through Lent.

ATTENTION PARENTS IN THE FOLLOWING PROGRAM: The Sunday Rel. Ed. Program will not be in session on Jan. 17th because of the Mar-tin Luther King, Jr. holiday. It will resume on Jan. 24th. JUNIOR HIGH REL.: Next meeting is Jan. 10, 2016 from 4:30 p.m-5:45 p.m. in Walsh Hall. The next Jr. Hi. meeting will be Jan. 24th from 4:30 p.m- 5:45 p.m. in Walsh Hall. LITURGY OF WORD FOR CHILDREN: This program is open to all children in the parish in grades 1st through 4th. Next Liturgy of the Word is on Jan.10th. On Jan. 17th we will not have Liturgy but will resume on Jan.24th. SACRAMENTAL 1ST EUCHARIST PARENT MEETING: There is a 1st Eucharist Parent meeting next Tuesday, Jan. 12th at 7:00 p.m. in the church.

At least one parent needs to attend. ATTENTION PARENTS WHO HAVE CHIL-DREN IN THE SUNDAY AND TUESDAY REL. ED. PROGRAMS: The Safe Environment Pro-gram –Protecting God’s Children is a mandated pro-gram by the Diocese of San Jose. This program will be offered to the Rel. Ed students for grades 1st through 6th. The lesson will be taught on Sun., Jan. 24th during the children’s regular Sunday Rel. Ed. class. The lesson will be taught on Tues, Jan. 26th during the regular Tuesday Rel. Ed. class. If parents do not want their child(ren) to attend this presen-tation, parents must to go to dsj.org/ministries/protecting-gods-children/, click on “Family Re-sources” and “Parent Opt-Out Form” tab. Print the form, sign it, and send it in to the Religious Education Office ONE WEEK PRIOR TO THE PROGRAM BEING PRESENTED TO THE CLASS. For Sunday Religious Education, we need the form in our office by January 17th; for Tuesday Religious Education, we need the form in our office by Jan. 19th. The students do not attend class on Jan. 24th (Sun.) or Jan. 26th (Tues.) if their parents have turned in the Opt-Out-Form. If you have any questions, please call Sister Feli-cia at 408-264-8764.

A Jubilee Year of Mercy Pilgrimage to Poland & the Czech Republic

Including: Warsaw, Czestochowa, Krakow, Wadowice, Auschwitz, Brno & Prague

13 Days: October 5th to 17th, 2016 Under the Spiritual Direction of:

Most Rev. Patrick J. McGrath & Rev. Christopher Bennett

For more information Email: revbennett@sbcglobal.net or pick up a flyer in the Parish office or the back of the church

Social Justice ANNUAL MEMORIAL MASS A special Mass of Remembrance for all our loved ones who died in 2015, will be held on Wednesday, January 20, 2016 at 7:00pm. If your loved one passed away in 2015, whether or not they were a parishioner here, you are invited to attend. If you would like them included in the photo presentation during Mass, please submit a photo of them as soon as possible. Include the name of the deceased, the name & address of the person the photo should be returned to. You may mail or drop off to Loretta Pfaff, Msgr. Allen Center 2278 Booksin Ave., SJ 95125 or by email to: loretta.pfaff@stchrissj.org. All parishioners, family and friends are invited to join in this special com-memoration of our deceased loved ones. There will be a light reception following the Mass sponsored by St. Christopher Grief Ministry. Questions, call Loretta, 264-5114.

St. Christopher Young Adults

WHEN: Sunday Afternoons, 1:30-3:00 pm (see below for exact dates)

WHERE: Walsh Hall @ St. Christopher Parish,

DETAILS: St. Christopher Young Adults are a group of parishioners ages 18 to 39, single and married, who are connected by our Catholic faith and who actively partici-pate in the life of the Church. Our mission is to “continue lifelong learning in a Catholic environment through spiritual growth, reflection, and service as we strengthen our relation with God though each other, our faith, and our community." The group strives to offer the following programmatic com-ponents on a rotating basis: faith sharing, social events, and service opportunities. Par ticipants are also encouraged to get involved with the liturgical ministries at the Parish.

Please join us on the following Sundays as we build communi-ty, break bread (lunch will be included), and deepen our faith and relationship with Jesus Christ:

Sunday, January 10 from 1:30 until 3 pm Sunday, January 24 from 1:30 until 3 pm

Sunday, February 21 from 1:30 until 3 pm

Please contact youth and young adult ministry coordinator Chris Miller at 408-395-7949 or cmiller@dsj.org.

We look forward to seeing you at an upcoming event!

The Gospel reading today is a reminder of Je-sus' full embracement of His humanity. He was/is truly one of us. As a product of First Century Palestine, He was influenced not only by the culture of the time but also by being a Jewish citizen under domination of Rome. His was a patriarchal society in which women and children were, if not the property of the males in the family, one step above. Despite this, Jesus professed a message of inclusion. To mention a few examples: His reminder that if we do not become as little children, we will not enter heaven; His dialogue with the Samaritan woman at the well; His extensive interchange with the Syrophoenician woman pleading for her possessed daughter (Mark 7:24-30); His ap-pearance after His resurrection first of all to a woman. Throughout His ministry, Jesus championed for the poor, marginalized, discarded members of society. He was an inclusive force within the downtrodden Jewish people; a voice speaking against the dominate element in control at that time, both cultural and political. Might we reflect on the current struggles of those not included in the white, male dominated social/political structure in which we live: the vic-tims of xenophobia, the homeless, the poor, women in the workplace, the existence of hu-man trafficking/slave labor, etc. During the Jubilee Year of Mercy ought we pray for meaningful discernment as to the manner by which we might bring Jesus' humanity into the 21st Century? Comments or input please direct them to: Doug Harper socialjustice@stchrissj.org

Did you know that we have an Online Giving pro-gram here at St. Christopher Parish? Our Online Giving program allows you to donate using your VI-SA, Mastercard, or bank account. Donations can be made for the Sunday Offering as well as most Sec-ond Collections and the Parish Renewal Fund. Why use the Online Program? Because gifts are done electronically you will no longer need to worry about remembering to bring your envelopes to church. It also allows you to use VISA or Master-card so you will be able to earn your miles or other awards on your credit cards. You can access our secure site by using the link on our parish website at www.SaintChris.com. Thank you in advance for you support of our parish.

Events

If you left a picture of your loved one in the church during the month of November for All Souls, you can pick it up in the parish of-fice, during office hours. Mon—Friday, 8:30am to 12:00pm and 1:00pm to 4:00pm.

Lord Jesus Christ, you have taught us to be merciful like the heavenly Father, and have told us

that whoever sees you sees Him. Show us your face and we will be saved.

Your loving gaze freed Zacchaeus and Matthew from being enslaved by mon-

ey; the adulteress and Magdalene from seeking hap-piness only in created things; made Peter weep after his betrayal, and assured Paradise to the repentant thief. Let us hear, as if addressed to each one of us, the words that you spoke to the Samaritan woman:

“If you knew the gift of God!”

You are the visible face of the invisible Father, of the God who manifests his power above all by for-giveness and mercy: let the Church be your visible face in the world, its Lord risen and glorified. You willed that your ministers would also be clothed in

weakness in order that they may feel compassion for those in ignorance and error: let everyone who approaches them feel sought after, loved, and

forgiven by God.

Send your Spirit and consecrate every one of us with its anointing, so that the Jubilee of Mercy may be a year of grace from the Lord, and your Church, with renewed enthusiasm, may bring good news to the

poor, proclaim liberty to captives and the oppressed, and restore sight to the blind.

We ask this of you, Lord Jesus, through the intercession of Mary, Mother of Mercy; you who live and reign with the Father and the Holy Spirit

for ever and ever. Amen.

Alumni

Join us on Sunday January 31st at 9:30 mass

to start off Catholic Schools Week All Alumni are asked to meet

in the back of the church before mass to process as a group

We will have a special blessing and to-ken of recognition for all Alumni

MARRIED COUPLES. How would you like to spend a weekend away with your spouse – just the two of you? Away from everything: the kids, job, phone, bills and house? Plan to get away to a World-wide Marriage Encounter Weekend. The next Mar-riage Encounter Weekend is February 26-28, 2016 in Mountain View. For more information visit our website at: sanjosewwme.org or contact Ken & Clar-anne at applications@sanjosewwme.org or 408-782-1413.

Holy Name Society presents the Annual Family Pancake Breakfast. Please join us on Sunday January 24h after the 9:30 am. mass in Healy Hall. The menu will include all you can eat pancakes, bacon, sausage, scrambled eggs, orange juice and coffee and the cost is FREE to all. Come visit with your friends and fellow parishioners to welcome in the New Year.

Vigil Location: Planned Parenthood 1691 The Alameda, San Jose, CA 95126

Vigil Hours: 7AM—7 PM every day Local Contact: Pat 408-497-7270

INFORMATION FOR REPORTING COMPLAINTS OR ALLEGATIONS OF

SEXUAL MISCONDUCT: DIOCESE OF SAN JOSE

THE OFFICE FOR THE PROTECTION OF CHILDREN AND VULNERABLE ADULTS

1150 North First Street, Suite 100 San Jose, CA 95112

Complaints or allegations of Sexual misconduct may be reported via:

PHONE: 408-983-0113 EMERGENCY HOTLINE: 408-983-0141

EMAIL: protection@djs.org FAX: 408-983-0147

The Christopher Ministry provides meals to parish-ioners during times of temporary crisis or hardship. If you or a fellow parishioner needs the help of the Christophers’, please contact the Ministry Chairper-sons. Also, please consider becoming a Christopher and helping provide this important and comforting service to members within the community. Thank you in advance for your support.

Caroline Begg Karen Warford (408) 267-7820 (408) 266-7441 fcgardhouse@yahoo.com karenvijil@yahoo.com

Attention Online Giving Donors: If you have donations posted to your credit card and you have been issued a new credit card by your bank for what ever reason, please be sure and log on to your Online Giving Profile and update your account information. You can access the Online Giving Site by using the link on our Parish Website, www.SaintChris.com. If you have any questions

Thank you for your continued support of our Parish.

Please Pray For Us

We continue to pray for all the men and women serving our country

in this time of war:

Alex Ngo, Tim McCullough, Joey Bellomo, Nick Badagliacco, Matthew Ward, Angelo

Totanes, Ciro LoBono, Tyler Hammerness, Branden Alwine, Greg Cook, Connor

McDonald, Christian Dietz, Connor Quinn, Adam Christopher Madewell, Richard Stayskal,

Larry Chartier, Andrew Morgan, Derek Carroll, Al-len Ellerbee, Obadihah Petteway, Eric Gentrup,

Michael Arnone, David Wells, Ryan Trapani, Rafi Miranda, Spencer Fishman, Ryan A. Johnson, Da-

vid Ryan, Benjamin Owens-Filice, Christopher Healy, and Christine Doudell

Rick Lovoy Alec Giurlani

Nina Ratulowski Connie Himmelsbach

Lois Nemeth Shannon Flynn Vera Gutierrez Dorothy Mariles

Ed Dimsey Gregoria Poole Roberta Enright,

Dave Paul, Anthony Cardoza,

Lily Rabanal, Virginia Dalziel,

Carol Whelan, Valerie Shupp,

Michael Scullion, Lenore Luedeman,

Paul Russo, Marcus Espinoza,

Cornell Wade, Marty Rattay, Roy LeFevre,

Martha & Charles Gregersen,

Dave Oliverio, Margret Gaffaney,

Al & Jean Trznadel, and Lena Iaconis

Pray for the ill in our Parish

St. Christopher Catholic School invites you to ap-ply for the 2016-2017 school year. Applications for Kindergarten through 8th grade will be accept-ed from December 2nd through January 11th. Applications can be found online at www.schris.us or picked up at the school's office. Any questions please call Stephanie Houlihan at 408.723.7223 x0