December 2010 Volume 1, Issue 2

2

‘Tis the Season With December upon us it is easy to get caught up in the consumerism

that looms all around us. During this season of Advent, let us keep in

mind and in heart what this time of preparation is truly about: the birth

of Christ. For more information on Advent click here. Also see

„Upcoming Events‟ for Fr. Fran Smith‟s talk.

Congratulations to Jeannine Leichner! Professor Leichner recently received the Benedictus Award “for her outstanding leadership in catechesis and Faith Formation for the Local Church of San Jose.” Professor Leichner earned a B.S. from St. Mary's College in Notre Dame, Indiana prior to earning an M.S. in Mathematics from the University of Illinois and an M.A. in Religious Education from the University of San Francisco. She has worked in catechetical ministry in the Bay Area since the early 1980s. She is finishing up the quarter teaching the Practice of Catechesis. To see the full article click here.

Faculty in the Spotlight

Alumni Profile Tim Harden a 2010 graduate currently resides in Maryland. He is teaching 9th grade religion at Bishop McNamara High School. Tim says, “I had two reasons for pursuing an M.A. in Pastoral Ministries at Santa Clara. First, I wanted to teach high school religion, and a masters degree is almost essential for such a job. Second, prior to entering the program, I was hearing many messages about faith and what it means to be Catholic. I found many of these messages to be challenging and often in conflict with what others of authority were saying. I wanted to learn more through a demanding academic program that was rigorous and emphasized critical approaches to the material. Now that I am teaching, my degree allows me to serve students who are also exploring what it means to follow Christ while also hearing many conflicting messages about Christianity. As critical thinking was encouraged at Santa Clara, I encourage students to take this approach as well.” Keep up the good work Tim!

Graduate Program

in

Pastoral Ministries Connections

Mi

The GPPM Student/Alumni Association presents the 27th Annual

Christmas Gala Come join us

Sunday, December 5th 7:00 - 9:00 PM

Kenna Hall, Room 110 for

Food, Drink, Merriment and Caroling Followed by the 9pm Mass for those interested

Please email Candee Lucas at CLLucas@scu.edu with any questions.

Upcoming Events

Mission Church December Schedule

Mass times

December 5th: 10am, 6pm, 9pm

December 12th &19th: 10am

December 24: 5pm, 9pm

December 25th & 26

th: 10am

Feast of the Immaculate Conception Liturgies

December 8th: 12:05pm, 5pm

Festival of Lights Holiday Concert Come support current students Ceci Pesqueira and Katie Yankoski as they

join in song with the SCU Choral Ensembles.

Friday, December 3rd and Saturday, December 4 7:30pm

Mission Church

For more details please click here.

Advent Lecture Series Wednesday Dec. 1 and Dec. 15

7:00-8:30pm Bellarmine College Preparatory

with guest speaker Fr. Fran Smith, SJ

For more information on this event click here.

Fr. Smith is a Professor in the Pastoral Ministries Program at SCU. He is currently teaching The Mystery of Jesus Christ. To learn more about Fr. Smith click here.

Winter 2011 Courses Register Now “To stop learning is to stop living”

Alumni and current students, it is time to register for winter quarter.

Continue learning, living, growing, engaging, and experiencing the world of

Pastoral Ministries. To see a list of upcoming courses click here.

“A voice of one calling in the wilderness, „Prepare the way for the Lord.‟” Mark 1:3 Catherine Wolff presented a riveting talk on the role of the church laity at the 27th Anniversary of the Graduate Program in Pastoral Ministries on Nov. 7. She is but one voice, calling for many to take action. Wolff asks, encourages, and challenges us to start-up dialogue and conversations within parishes and dioceses concerning issues within the church. To see pictures from the event click here.

Spiritual Journey

Update your contact information. GPPM Student Association Events

SCU Website Pastoral Ministry Website

Comments/Suggestions

Graduate Student Reflective Hike On November 13, a group of twenty-one graduate students went to

Alum Rock Park for a beautiful morning of hiking. The event

organized by some graduate students in the Pastoral Ministries

program was a successful event as part of an effort to form a faith-

based community of graduate students from different disciplines. To

see pictures from the event click here.

Upcoming Graduate Student event: an inter-faith holiday potluck

dinner on Thursday December 9, from 6:30-8:30pm in Campus

Ministry. Bring a simple dish to pass and share with fellow students.

Un nuevo comienzo: Meditaciones diarias para Adviento y Navidad by Lupita Vital This Advent, Lupita Vital provides a guide for “preparing the way of the Lord.” Lupita Vital is an alumna of the Graduate Program in Pastoral Ministries. She is currently the Director of the Hispanic Apostolate for the Diocese of San Jose. With an extensive academic background, Lupita brings a wealth of knowledge, service, and leadership to the local Church. To order this book click here. Available in Spanish only.

A special thanks to Jane Najour for all of her hard work and dedication to the Graduate

Program in Pastoral Ministries. Jane will be leaving the program as the Senior

Administrative Assistant this Friday, December 3. Jane has taken up a position in the

Chief Financial Officer‟s office on SCU‟s campus. While she will be a wonderful asset

to that department, she will be missed in the Pastoral Ministries program. Jane had a

wonderful way of conversing with people, planning and preparing for events, working

with students, and being a welcoming face to the Pastoral Ministries office. Best of luck

Jane!

Thank You

Jane!