Fr. Allen Navarro's Journey to Priesthood

Bishop McGrath and the seven newly-ordained priests. Pictured, left to right, are Fr. Justin Le, Fr. Andrew Nguyen, Fr. Ernesto Orci, Bishop McGrath, Fr. Roberto Gomez, Fr. Allen Navarro, Fr. Tan Nguyen, Fr. Thierry Geris.

Rev. Allen E. Navarro was among seven men ordained to the priesthood by Bishop Patrick J. McGrath on Saturday, May 23rd, at St. Frances Cabrini Church in San Jose. Fr. Allen presided at a Thanksgiving Mass here at the Church of the Resurrection the next day. Click here for pictures of Fr. Allen's Mass of Thanksgiving. (Pictures of the ordination will be posted soon.)

The following video was created by members of Fr. Allen's family to be shown at the reception after his Thanksgiving Mass. It describes his journey to the priesthood.

(This video can also be seen in a larger format on the Dailymotion website at: http://www.dailymotion.com/user/grleger/video/x9eaxy_fr-allen-navarros-journey-to-priest_people)

We congratulate Fr. Allen on his ordination to the priesthood and promise to keep him and his ministry in our prayers.

Allen Navarro's Ordination to Priesthood - May 23rd

[Deacon Allen Navarro is among the seven men who will be ordained to the priesthood by Bishop P.J. McGrath at 9:30 am, May 23rd, at St. Frances Cabrini Church in San Jose. Allen will preside at a Mass of Thanksgiving here at Resurrection on the next day, Sunday, May 24th, at 11:30 am and a reception will follow that Mass in Farana Center. The following is adapted from an article about Allen that appeared the "The Serran", a newsletter of the San Jose Serra Club.]

It has been quite a journey for Deacon Allen Navarro. Born in the Philippines in 1974, Allen was brought up in a traditional Catholic home. He attended Catholic schools and enjoyed the time he spent in church during his four years as an altar server. In high school he was inspired by vocation programs presented by priests and seminarians but, initially, had no idea that he would one day be ordained to the priesthood. His dream was to become a career soldier and pilot. However, the priests continued to influence him and in 1990, at the age of sixteen, Allen entered the Filipino seminary of the Somascans, an Italian order founded by St. Jerome Emilliani. He made his Simple Vows in 1996 and received a degree in philosophy two years later.

After earning his degree Allen was assigned to spend two years working in an orphanage. That proved to be a difficult time. By the end of his orphanage assignment in 2000, Allen had been in the Somascans for 10 years but found himself still not ready to make the permanent commitment to the order which he would soon be expected to make through Solemn Vows. He applied for and was granted a temporary leave.

A month after taking his leave, Allen called home to let his mother know that he was OK. She told him that she had received a call from Fr. Daniel Urcia, the current pastor of St. Elizabeth Parish in Milpitas, who had originally introduced Allen to the Somascans. Fr. Dan had left the Philippines and had become a diocesan priest in America. He invited Allen to meet with Fr. Mark Catalana, the vocation director of the Diocese of San Jose. Fr. Mark invited Allen to enter the seminary in California. Allen wasn't at all sure that he wanted to accept Fr. Mark's invitation but decided that if his visa came through he would come to our diocese. In May of 2001 he had an embassy interview and he was on his way. By summer he was at St. Joseph's Parish in Mountain View. He took English classes at Mission College and began adjusting to the new culture.

In August, 2001, at the age of 27, Allen entered St. Patrick's Seminary. Unlike the Philippines where most study consisted of memorization, Allen found himself conversing about and completing assignments that required more introspection. He took on a work assignment in the seminary library and played basketball in his off hours.

Allen's vocation journey soon took another twist. He was hit with a recurring medical problem that caused a severely painful spinal cord inflammation and put him out of study for three and a half years. While he recuperated, Resurrection Parish took him in and mentored him through this difficult time. Many times Allen thought he would not live through this period but God sustained him through the people he placed around him. Many times he thought of leaving the seminary but felt that it was God's plan that he stay. He thought the illness was a sign that he should leave but no one gave up on him. By 2006 Allen was healthy and returned as a full-time student.

"Ordination", Allen reflects, "is not a prize. The mandate is to serve the people of God." He now feels that he is in a peaceful place and looks forward to a life of service. He is fulfilled by community work and giving pastoral care. Giving time to the elderly and the sick will be the highlight of his parish life. He feels especially alive in this ministry.

Allen will miss the prayer time, the "necessary evil" of studies, as he fondly puts it, and the brotherhood of the seminary community. Prayer is his personal connection, whether complaining or grateful. His favorite Scripture passage is Matthew 11:30, "For my yoke is easy and my burden is light." With a laugh Allen says, "I was known as a naughty boy by friends in high school. The Dominicans used to have to spank me. Teachers, family and friends thought it unbelievable that I entered the seminary."

We are lucky he did! Best wishes and grateful prayers for Allen!

Ordinations to the Priesthood - Saturday, May 23rd

Seven men will be ordained to the priesthood for the Diocese of San Jose by Bishop Patrick J. McGrath at 9:30 am on Saturday, May 23rd, at St. Francis Cabrini Parish in San Jose.

They are Rev. Mr. Thierry Geris, Rev. Mr. Roberto Gomez, Rev. Mr. Justin Le, Rev. Mr. Allen Navarro, Rev. Mr. Andrew V. Nguyen, Rev. Mr. Tan Nguyen, Rev. Mr. Ernesto Orci.

One of the men, Rev. Mr. Allen Navarro, has been closely associated with Resurrection Parish for the past 7 years. Fr. Navarro will be celebrating a Mass of Thanksgiving here at Resurrection the next morning at 11:30.

Observing Lent

Lent, the period of preparation for Easter, begins on Ash Wednesday, February 25, 2009. Lent is a time for communal prayer and penance. It is a time for prayer, fasting and alms-giving.

Our parish Lenten observances include:

Ash Wednesday Masses & Distribution of Ashes: 8:15 am & 7:00 pm

Stations of the Cross each Friday of Lent at 6:00 pm

The Church especially encourages us to worship at daily Mass during Lent. Our weekday Masses are at 8:15 am & 5:30 pm in the chapel. (On Ash Wednesday our 5:30 pm Mass is moved to 7:00 pm. During Lent, our First Friday evening Masses will be at 7:30 pm.)

The following are the Church's traditional Lenten regulations on fasting and abstinence:

Abstinence from meat is observed on Ash Wednesday, all the Fridays of Lent and Good Friday by Catholics 14 years and older.

Fasting is observed on Ash Wednesday and Good Friday by all Catholics who are 18 years of age but not yet 59. Those bound by this may take only one full meal. Two smaller meals are permitted as necessary to maintain strength, but eating solid foods between meals is not permitted.

During Lent the Church encourages attendance at daily Mass, self-imposed times of fasting, and generosity (alms-giving) to local, national, and global programs of sharing.

STATIONS OF THE CROSS AND LENTEN SOUP SUPPER

In our Ash Wednesday Liturgy, the prophet Joel exhorts the community to "Return to the Lord with fasting, weeping and mourning." Various organizations in our parish are combining efforts to provide parishioners the opportunity to gather together and "pray, fast and give alms." Every Friday in Lent we will pray the Stations of the Cross in the Church at 6:00 pm and then proceed to Farana Center for a simple soup and bread supper.

Those who are not able to attend the Stations are invited to join us in Farana Center for the soup supper at about 6:30 pm. The soup will be donated by parishioners but a small, free-will offering is requested to support various community charities.

School WASC Accreditation Visit

For the past fifteen months, the school community has been working on the school's self-study in anticipation of the Western Association of Schools and Colleges Accreditation (WASC) review. What is WASC? The Western Association of Schools and Colleges is one of six regional accrediting associations in the United States. Within the state of California all secondary schools (high schools) must be accredited by WASC in order for the UC schools to accept students with valid units. At the elementary level, all schools, both public and private, should be accredited by WASC to ensure that the school's purposes are appropriate and the school is providing for successful student learning.

The criteria used by the accreditation team are research-based guidelines that address a central tenet: does the school operate with a clear understanding of its purpose. The criteria are broken down into 4 main areas; 1. Organization for Student Learning, 2. Curriculum and Instruction, 3. Support for Student Personal and Academic Growth, and 4. Resource Management and Development. This process entails a full in-depth review or self-study of the school's demographics, staffing, parent involvement, curriculum and academics, student connectedness, faith experience, test scores, facilities, budget, and 5 year plan.

The school received the maximum 6 year accreditation in 2003, and has just finished hosting the WASC Accreditation team for three days as they validated the school's self-study. The school will receive the final report on this year's accreditation process in June.

The chair of the committee was from Portland, OR, and the other 6 team members were local. The team visited Resurrection School on January 16th to tour the school grounds, pick up the self-study, and meet the school staff. They returned on February 11th, 12th, and 13th for a full three day evaluation and validation process. Input to this self-study was provided via student, staff, parent, and clergy surveys, as well as staff focus groups that worked on the document for the past 15 months.

The process was a wonderful opportunity for the school to look at its strengths, and areas for growth, and to ensure that we are fostering an environment for student learning that meets the rigorous criteria of the WASC Accreditation process. We welcome you to take a look at the self-study. Copies are available in the school office.

Father Barry Freyne, 1935 - 2009

Reverend Bernard Kevin Freyne, a retired priest of the Diocese of San Jose and former associate pastor of Resurrection Parish, died in the peace of the Lord on Monday, February 2, 2009 of heart attack in his hometown, Ballaghaderreen, County Roscommon, in Ireland, at the age of 73.

Bishop P.J. McGrath presided at a Memorial Mass for Fr. Freyne on Wednesday, February 18th, at St. John Vianney Church, San Jose.

Popularly known as Fr. Barry, he was born on August 10, 1935 in Ballaghaderreen to Bernard Freyne and Mary Phillips.

He finished his elementary education at De La Salle School and his high school and college education at St. Mary’s College, both in Ballaghaderreen.

In 1953, he joined the St. Patrick’s Missionary Society and received his seminary education at St. Patrick’s Missionary College in Kiltegan, County Wicklow.

He was ordained a priest of St. Patrick Missionary Society on April 17, 1960. Following ordination, he served as a missionary in Africa working primarily in the Diocese of Eldoret in Kenya. He worked in Kenya for ten years as teacher, pastor, retreat master, diocesan procurator and bishop’s consultor.

In 1970, the Superior General of the St. Patrick Fathers appointed Fr. Barry to work in mission promotion of the Society and was stationed in Saratoga, California for seven years.

From January 1978 to June 1980, he served as director of pastoral care at St. Mary Community Hospital in Walla Walla, Washington in the Diocese of Yakima.

He returned to the area and applied to the Archdiocese of San Francisco. In June 1980, Archbishop John Quinn appointed him associate pastor of the Church of the Resurrection where he served for seven years. During his assignment at Resurrection, the Diocese of San Jose was created in March 1981. Father Freyne was incardinated to the new Diocese on April 16, 1984.

His first pastorate in the Diocese was at St. John Vianney Parish in San Jose where he served from June 1987 to June 1996. He was transferred to Palo Alto and appointed pastor of St. Thomas Aquinas Parish on July 1, 1996 and remained in that assignment until his retirement from active ministry on June 30, 2002.

Aside from parish ministry, Father Barry served in many diocesan and deanery ministries. He was chair of the Council of Priests, a member of the Board of Consultors and the Clergy Personnel Board, and Dean.

Father Freyne belonged to a large family and since his retirement, upon returning to Ireland, he had lived with his sister Aileen.

We will keep him in our prayers.

Welcoming Fr. Dennis Gilbert

[We are happy to welcome Fr. Dennis Gilbert, a priest who has helped out at Resurrection several times during the past two years, to full-time, long term ministry here at Resurrection Parish. I asked him if he would write a short biography and he graciously penned the following. - Fr. Bob]

Fr. Dennis Gilbert was born and raised in the San Fernando Valley and is the eldest of the five children of the late Milton and Danette Gilbert. He studied at Queen of Angels Seminary and St. John's College, joining the newly re-created Diocese of Monterey in 1968 and completed studies at St. Patrick's Theology, Menlo Park.

Ordained in May 1971, Fr. Dennis served as parochial vicar at Carmel Mission, St. Angela's (Pacific Grove), Sacred Heart (Salinas - 1974-76 & 1994-97), Corpus Christi (Pacific Palisades) and at Old Mission San Luis Obispo. He served as pastor at the Shrine of St. Jude (Marina), Santa Rosa (Cambria) and Old Mission San Juan Bautista and was on medical leave in San Diego from 2006 until his most recent arrival at Resurrection Parish.

In the Diocese of Monterey Fr. Dennis served as the associate editor of The Observer, diocesan director of Communications & the Ecumenical Commission, director of Campus Ministry, and was Marketing Director for Paulist Productions and assistant Outreach Director for the Clint Eastwood Youth Drug & Alcohol Treatment Program in Monterey. He has also served as Chaplain and teacher at Santa Catalina School (Monterey) and was founder of Child Advocates of California, a non-profit program caring for abused, abandoned and neglected teens (1981-1996).

Contrary to rumors, Fr. Dennis was not married before (or after) being ordained a priest, but he is the adoptive father of two sons (Scott & Ben), a grandfather of five, and was a foster parent to more than thirty youngsters.

Hobbies and personal interests include travel (especially to Italy), foreign films, writing, and spoiling his now teen-age grandchildren.

Fr. Dennis admits he is "ecstatic" to be invited to live and minister at Resurrection Parish - especially when Fr. Bob insists that he "say something nice." [Truth: Fr. Dennis is very happy to return to the parish where he has been so warmly welcomed many times over the past two years].

Introducing Seminarian Sam West

We are very pleased and blessed to have Sam West, a seminarian from the Diocese of Stockton who is studying at St. Patrick's Seminary and will likely be ordained in 2009, helping out part time this year at Resurrection. He comes to the parish on Sunday mornings to participate in RCIA and help out in the church, and Monday evenings to visit/help out with our Faith Formation classes and our Infant Baptism Preparation classes. He recently visited Grade 6 and they had a lively discussion about why do priests wear black, "what was that white thing around his neck?", and what are a 'diocese' and a 'seminary'?

Welcome to Resurrection!