July 20, 2025
Dear Most Holy Trinity Family: The Kingdom of God is at hand; the harvest is now.
I want to express my gratitude for being part of the team of harvesters at Most Holy Trinity. You do it by giving of your time, talent, and treasure, and as the Prayer for Generosity of St. Ignatius Loyola states, you toil, and you do not seek for rest.
As some of you are aware, the Diocese of San Jose has launched a long-range plan that encompasses all of the parishes in the Diocese. For a comprehensive review of the plan, please visit the web page of the Diocese (https://www.dsj.org/pastoral-planning-2/). In the upcoming months and years, you will continue to hear more about the plan. Some of the things included in the plan are already happening in our parish and need to be strengthened, while others still need to be activated. The focus of the plan is primarily ministerial, which means that it does not include the construction of new buildings.
Speaking of projects, after consultation with parish council members, staff, and vendors, we have agreed to install four large silent ceiling fans in the church. We came to this agreement with some reservations because this is not the ultimate solution. But for now, this is what we can offer. If all goes according to plan, the fans should be installed in about 6 weeks or less. They will provide some comfort through moving the air itself. Some of you have expressed frustration because a central air conditioning system has been talked about for years, and money for this project has been donated. The consultation for the installation of the air conditioning system was done, but there is significant work that needs to be done with an electric power unit that will be compatible with the air conditioning system. Also there needs to be proper engineering work done for the installation. Having said this, the proposal of having an air conditioning system remains standing.
I understand that there are other projects pending, such as the expansion of bathrooms in the vestibule area and installing a prayer garden, among others. I have been in conversation with Mario Lucas, Fr. Marty, and Finance Council members about the projects. I understand that they have been delayed for different reasons, but we will continue to push them forward. In the next couple of months, you will get a progress report on the projects. While the projects are important, it is more important that we continue to walk together as one multilingual and multicultural parish community formed by different members but guided by the same Holy Spirit.
In an unrelated topic, I want to acknowledge the ongoing news about the accusations against Fr. Theodore Gabrielli for the alleged sex abuse of minors. Many of you remember Fr. Ted, because several years ago, he had been assigned to MHT, and some of you have expressed a sense of sadness and perplexity about this. As a faith community, we always turn to God in prayer, and I ask that we do that now. As these accusations are being investigated, let us pray for all victims, and for Fr. Ted, for healing, justice, and mercy. In the meantime, if you need to have a conversation about these heartbreaking allegations, please contact one of the Jesuits at MHT, or Ms. Tracy Primrose, Assistant for Communications for the Jesuits West Province (tprimrose@jesuits.org).
Sincerely,
Fr. Elias Puentes, S.J.
Pastor
