By Carolina Scipioni & Marie Galetto
On October 14th, 2018 we gathered at Saint Christopher Parish as a community of faithful to thank and recognize the Founding Members of the Society of Saint Joseph at the Diocese’s first ever Legacy Mass.
Named after our patron saint, this honorary society is comprised of Catholic men and women who have chosen to make provisions in their estate plans to benefit a local parish, Catholic elementary school, the Diocese of San Jose or any ministry of the Diocese. Bishop Patrick J. McGrath and Bishop Oscar Cantú celebrated a beautiful liturgy that exuded the spirit of thanksgiving and the joy of knowing that these people will be part of this community FOREVER through their legacy.
Following mass, the Bishops, pastors and parishioners from different corners of our Diocese joined together at a reception and had the chance to meet each other, tell their stories and share our Catholic faith. It was a delight to see “strangers” come together to celebrate the hope they all share for the future of our Church. After hearing a lot of laughter coming from one particular table, I approached the parishioners and asked if they knew each other from Church. To my surprise, they were from three different parishes and did not know each other before this celebration, but within minutes of sitting down, had found multiple connections with each other. I smiled and said “I guess the Holy Spirit put you all together at this table!” To which they replied, “That is the only possible explanation.”
Throughout this celebration, it felt as though every single member of the Society of Saint Joseph was “rich,” whether the dollar amount of their provision for the Church was large or small. It was truly a celebration of “compound Catholic philanthropy,” the idea that many “small” gifts can make a big impact on the future of our community.
If I were asked to describe the afternoon with two words they would be FAITH SHARING. FAITH is why we came together to celebrate, and SHARING is how we are passing on our Catholic values to future generations. It is how we are leaving our legacy.
Visit our Society of Saint Joseph page to learn more about membership and becoming a Founding Member.