St. Christopher Catholic Church

Dear Parishioners,
Recognizing and attending to the needs of our fellow man and women are responsibilities we all share as Catholics. This mission of the church is to follow Christ, to examine our lives, recognize our abundance of gifts, and acknowledge that God has not only blessed us with these gifts, but has entrusted them to our care. As we walk with Christ, the Catholic Church to which we belong calls upon us to respond not only to needs of individuals we know but also to wider community.

Through generous participation in the Diocesan Annual Appeal, we as a Diocesan family are able to work together. Through our many wonderful programs supported by our Annual Appeal, together we educate our youth, comfort our sick and dying, minister to our parishes, and care for the needy. 

Saint Christopher’s is one of fifty-two local parishes and missions, plus schools, other institutions and various ministries that make up our Diocese. “Supporting Our Mission Together” with Christ”. The Annual Diocesan Appeal goal of $6,773,145. allows us to live our discipleship in bringing the good news to all our brothers and sisters.

It is our dream and our hope that all who support the parish for the love of the Church will support the Diocese through the Annual Diocesan Appeal Supporting Our Mission Together”. For the same reason I would like to take this opportunity to thank all those who donated last year, especially those who had to make a sacrifice to give. Because of your generosity in giving, we were able to exceed our goal by $ $38,000.00. To those who have not supported the Appeal. I urge you to make a gift or pledge this year. Our 2005-06 ADA goal is $226.904.

I am very much aware that the economy is struggling — every day we hear the news of more plant closings, layoffs, and pay cuts. In spite of all of this, I continue to be amazed at the generosity of this community.

I am asking you to help with your most generous participation in this year's Diocesan Annual Appeal. I am most confident that you, as in previous years, will share your gifts and enable our Diocese to continue its many good works. Please bring your completed pledge card to Mass on the weekend of February 4th and 5th   and turn it in at that time or return it as soon as possible to the Parish Office.  This is an opportunity for us to prayerfully reflect and challenge ourselves to answer positively to the project and pastoral ministry of our Diocese and our Church.

We look back with pride that Sant Christopher’s has participated and exceeded its goal from the beginning of the Annual Diocesan Appeal. I thank you for your past generosity, for your sacrifices and for your presence to this community of faith. We will attempt to provide support for you in your journey with the Lord.

May God continue to bless you and your family.
     
May the winds of Grace blow gentle upon  you, and Blessings fall softly upon your days.
Yours in Christ,

  Fr. Chris  

Donate Today

Saint Christopher Church Restoration

[You are] built upon the foundation of the apostles and prophets, with Christ Jesus himself as
the capstone. Through him the whole structure is held together and grows into a temple sacred
in the Lord, in him you also are being built together into a dwelling place of God in the Spirit.
Eph 2:19–22

Dear Friends:
Seventy years ago, Msgr. John Healy had a dream.  His dream was to build a community of believers that would form the spiritual center of Willow Glen right here in Saint Christopher Parish.  For many, coming into our area from different countries and from cities across our country, Saint Christopher Parish has served as our spiritual home where our families and faith have flourished.   You and your family have celebrated many rites of passage through the sacraments in this sacred space.

Our Parish church was dedicated in 1957.  Countless times in those sixty-five years our church has offered our thanksgiving in the Eucharist, welcomed new lives in Baptism, united love in Marriage, and ushered our loved one’s home to our Lord.  True to our patron saint, as Christ-bearers, we take care of each other and our neighbors in need.
Built well and with care, our church has aged well, but it has definitely aged.  For some time, the interior of our church has looked worn and tired.  Bundles of wires line the walls.  The wooden paneling and floor tiles in poor condition.  And other than being painted once or twice over the years and having carpeting added, little has been done to the interior of the Church to address the needs that any sixty-five year odd building inevitably has.

Now is the time to restor and refurbish the natural beauty of our church.  With the help of volunteer architects and designers, we have developed plans to beautifully restore our church to enhance our experience of worship so that it will continue to serve as our spiritual home, drawing us into communion with God and with our community.
But we will need the help of everyone in the Parish to restore our church.  The founding families of our Parish made many personal and financial sacrifices to leave our church as their legacy for their children’s children.  It is our time to ensure that our church retains its prominence in our community for generations to come and I ask for your prayers for the success of our efforts.

Unfortunately, the pandemic delayed our plans, but with so many unknowns I had to wait until now.  With the increasing cost of goods and services, it will cost nearly a million dollars to complete the planned renovation. We already have $200,000 toward the project to help us achieve this goal, I ask each family to prayerfully consider the sacrificial gift they are able to make.  If every registered family in our Parish donated $500, we would come close to our goal.  However, knowing that some in our community are on fixed incomes, I am hopeful that those who are financially able, will consider donating a larger amount, such as $10,000 or even more to help us achieve our goal.  

For families who are able to contribute to this wonderful project of restoring and renewing our beloved, St. Chrisotpher Church.

Donate to the Church Restoration

May the winds of Grace blow gently upon you, and Blessings fall softly upon your days.

Blessings,
Fr. Chris

 

Dear Friends,

There are few things that can be labeled “once-in-a-lifetime opportunities,” but I think a trip to the Holy Land must be one of them. I invite you to prayerfully consider traveling with us. I pray that you will begin to make your plans for traveling to the Holy Land in September 10-21. Let’s make this a trip that transforms our faith journey and draws us closer to God, to one another, and to our call to be the heart, hands, and feet of Jesus in the world. God loves you and I do too!

I would like to invite you to join me for a 11-Day Pilgrimage September 10-21, 2023., for a and walk in the steps of Jesus. The gospels take on a completely new meaning when we can picture for ourselves the places where they took place two thousand years ago.

During this pilgrimage to the Holy Land, we discover the roots of our beliefs as we see the sites, touch the stones, and pray the prayers that have formed the faith we hold as sacred. The experience of the Holy Land is like no other. At each location, we will read and reflect on the Gospels. You will never again see or hear these words of Scripture without vividly recalling the places where Jesus walked and taught.

Know that pilgrimages also are joyful experiences where not only do we spend time in prayer and reflection, but we also have fun as we experience each other as a Christian community, cultivating friendships that last a lifetime. We want you to have the most meaningful.

For more information downlaod a brochure here to our trip to the Holy Land.

Or contact rervbennett@sbcglobal.net. We have a limited number of seats, and once the pilgrimage fills up, we will have to start a waiting list since we will not be able to secure additional hotel rooms and airline seats.

ST. CHRISTOPHER PARISH
2278 Booksin Ave.
San Jose, CA 95125
408-269-2226
FAX 408-269-2784
Office Hours