Rebuilding Together Silicon Valley
Saturday, April 19 and April 26.

T H A N K  Y O U 

On April 19 and 26, a total of over 30 parishioners supported Rebuilding Together at three houses. On April 19, St Francis of Assisi and Vice Mayor Dave Cortese's office painted a house on Burdick Way. Because of the many volunteers and great teamwork, we completed the house by 2pm on the first day. On April 26, St. Francis of Assisi volunteers were asked to support the work on two homes in Morgan Hill that were well behind schedule after the first work day due to lack of volunteers for the sponsoring company.  St. Francis of Assisi volunteers helped paint one of the homes and to install outdoor carpeting and siding on another. 

Thank you to all the volunteers for your support. Your support and dedication is very much appreciated. Thank You!!

Marcos Herrera’s White House experience

On April 16, I had the honor of being invited and attending the welcoming ceremony for Pope Benedict XVI at the White House hosted by President and Mrs. Bush. It was a wonderful experience, one that I will always remember. It was evident that the crowd was excited about seeing the Pope on this day as it began his 5-day visit to the US with the hope that he would address several important issues and invigorate the American church. The Pope spoke of the freedom and importance of faith in America. He encouraged American Catholics to contribute to American society and with regards to freedom he stated, "The preservation of freedom calls for the cultivation of virtue, self-discipline, sacrifice for the common good and a sense of responsibility towards the less fortunate. It also demands the courage to engage in civic life and to bring one's deepest beliefs and values to reasoned public debate. At the close of the ceremony, Pope Benedict walked up the steps of the White House along with President and Mrs. Bush where Happy Birthday was sung to him by the crowd on the south lawn of the White House. It was a special moment closing this special event.