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Presidents message for January 2023
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Our November Retreat was a great success. Somewhat due to the great food at the St. Francis Retreat House, but mainly due to the efforts of Pete DeLisi who pulled it together and provided much of the material for discussion. See Pete’s description in this newsletter, and join in the feedback at the Tuesday meeting.
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December will provide several service opportunities. Your assistance could help with the Christmas trees harvest scheduled for Monday, December 12, or slightly later with the assembly of the church Creche on Saturday morning, December 17.
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Plan to come to our December meeting on Tuesday evening, 7:00 in the church hall to get more information on the above. Also, come for the details about our special Christmas gathering. I heard a rumor that those who wish to pay their annual dues could be moved to the top of the invite list. See you at the meeting.
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Yours in Christian Brotherhood,
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The 2nd Annual Men of St. Joseph's
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Christmas Tree Expedition
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An aged but spry and hardy band of volunteers ventured forth in mid-December to quest for not just three but five tall live towering trees suitable for dressing Christmas in St. Joseph Mission San Jose's Main Church, Mission Church and Peace Park.
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If not for the fact that it was a chilly grey morning at the outset, (insert dramatic effect here) it could have been a dark and stormy night … the intrepid quintet of Dave Rossetto, Tom Leen, Greg Stephens (President for life), Chris Jeramiah, and Steve Radigan ventured forth, fueled by coffee and donuts against the influx of valley commuter traffic.
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The determined band arrived at the secret destination of $75 trees (any tree, any size), but … Gasp, they arrived too early, an hour before the 11 AM opening time! However, finding the gate open and unguarded and free saws ready and available … they proceeded in.
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Meeting no resistance, the tree searchers spread out looking for the perfect trees. Too many to choose! The group got separated by the many tantalizing choices. They eventually found themselves, bit-by-bit and agreed on each tree.
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But like little kids in a candy shop, they bought off more than they could carry under ordinary circumstances. Fortunately, they had St. Dave Rossetto with them. With a jangle of his truck keys, all five large trees were on his trailer. Christmas was saved!
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Greatly relieved and mission accomplished, the two truck, one trailer caravan arrived at Mission San Jose and deposited the trees – all before 1 PM. MERRY CHRISTMAS to ALL!
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Christmas Creche Setup
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The annual Christmas creche setup led by Lou Zenzen was completed in
record time on Sat Dec 17th. The team included Lou, Bill I., Jerome,
Ben C., Greg, Gary D. Ron B. and Tom and we were well armed with trucks and
power tools. The setup was done in the original location that has been
used for many years before last year's relocation closer to the
confessionals. The new and improved design is easy assemble and the
whole job was completed in under 2 hours.
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The planned take-down date for the creche and Christmas tree tear-down
is “scheduled” for Jan. 14th.
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After Three Years - A Different Christmas Gathering
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The St. Joseph Men shared the Yuletide spirit with the Women of St. Joseph in a first ever Mass and Christmas Gathering on December 17th. After a busy year of supporting the Parish along with Mission San Jose’s 225th Anniversary, it was time to relax with long-time friends at our first Christmas get-together since 2019. The evening started by attending the 5:30pm Mass in the Mission Church. Ushers, Lectors, and Eucharistic Ministers….our folks had all the bases covered in support of the Mass.
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New this year we tried holding our pot-luck get-together in the Mission Museum. How often do you get to walk from Mass to a reception? So, with a little furniture re-arranging (thanks to Greg Stephens, Tom Leen, Ashley Weerpass, Loren Gross), we converted the 213 year-old structure into a multi-room journey through history and food. Each room provided a different food experience and an opportunity to visit with friends against unique backdrops of the Mission’s history…”Let’s get some coffee and dessert in the Rancho Room!”
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At the end of the evening, we heard from many how much they enjoyed the new venue. When it was time to clean up and put everything back in place for Sunday’s visitors to the Mission, we had plenty of help from the Phairs, the Samuels, Jerome Hubacek and daughter Julie, Greg Stephens, Ashley Weerpass, and Tom Leen. Photos were kindly provided by Jerome Hubacek for everyone to enjoy. See additional photos at https://stjosephmensclubchristmas.shutterfly.com/
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Gary Dorighi, Fellowship VP (with tons of help from Nancy Dorighi)
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Year at a Glance
Here is a link to our "Year at a Glance" calendar:
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