March 19, 2002
Dear Friends,
We, the Catholic Church in Santa Clara County, are blessed with great opportunities and challenges as we seek to carry out the work that Christ has given to us. Blessed with the gift of faith and the vision it affords, we must renew our local Church by taking an honest look at our past and present circumstances and realistically plan for the future.
We are filled with great hope for the future of our Church. As members of the Body of Christ, our hopes and dreams are rooted in Our Lord’s life, message, death, and resurrection. This is the rock upon which our plans are based.
How can we, Christ’s Church in Santa Clara County, be a sign of unity and an instrument of God’s peace? How can we fulfill the work that God has given to us?
As your bishop, I have been entrusted with the shepherding of our local Church. An essential part of my ministry is to discern the promptings of the Holy Spirit as to how we might be both a sign and an instrument of Christ’s Kingdom.
I engaged in a broad consultative process over the course of more than a year. I am grateful to all who have taken part in the consultation process. Much, however, remains to be done. I rely upon you – and I thank you in advance – for the work you will do in the months and years ahead.
In these pages, you will find a brief description of the three pastoral issues and the organizational issue, including recommendations for strategies to be adopted. I pray that, in following this new Pastoral Plan, we will fulfill the mission Christ has given us to build the Kingdom promised by His resurrection. May we truly be a sign of unity and an instrument of the peace of God’s Kingdom.
I entrust our plan to the care of Mary, mother of the Church, and to Joseph, that just and faithful servant of God. With their intercession and example, may we truly be one holy people, Together in Christ.
With every best wish and kind regard,I remain,
Sincerely yours,
Patrick J. McGrath
Bishop of San José (1999 to 2019)
2002 Pastoral Plan Executive Summary
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2002 Pastoral Plan Full Text
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