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Our Mission and goals
Members of The Thomas Merton Center strive to develop a spirituality based on Jesus Christ's message of love, compassion and forgiveness and to live his message in today's world. The TMC community seeks to attract those who are on a quest for a deeper spiritual life and invite them to share in this vision.
- To foster a variety of ways by which Catholics and others may develop a deeper spiritual relationship with Jesus Christ and, through him, with God.
- To augment, support and lead the development of ecumenical spirituality, bringing together Christians and non-Christians in areas of common interest and values.
- To build a lay community based on inclusivity and consensus.
- To develop and enhance the faith life of families.
Model of Thomas Merton
Thomas Merton (1915-1968) was a Trappist monk of the Cistercian Abbey of Gethsemani near Bardstown, Kentucky. Merton was internationally known for his religious profundity and insightful reflection, his interest in interfaith and social action work on the problems and possibilities of the world. Merton's courageous spirituality was the model for what we intend to do and be at The Thomas Merton Center.
Legal Organization
The Thomas Merton Center is organized as a private, tax-exempt, non-profit, independent religious education organization, incorporated under the laws of the State of California. A Board of Directors has legal and fiduciary responsibility for the organization, accountable to the applicable state and federal laws, to its Bylaws, its Mission Statement and its registered members. Though Catholic in its origins, intent, and liturgies, The Thomas Merton Center is an independent religious educational organization, not legally affiliated with any church.
Membership
Membership in The Thomas Merton Center is open to everyone without restriction, as are all liturgies, retreats, and spiritual education programs. Nominal membership dues are paid annually. -
Membership Application
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What's New
- Updated Board Minutes Section 3/17/19 see: (Home > Board)
- Added new page. selected Homily Excerpts by TMC presiders. (Here).
- Latest TMC Bulletin Posted 5/19/2019 (See Bulletin Section This Page)
- Added Information on ITMS convention in Santa Clara, CA- (Save The Date)
- Added latest Steeple Talk in Bulletin section 4/30/19
- Updated celebrant schedule 3/30/19 Thru May 2019
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Of Interest
San Jose Bishop Patrick J McGrath retired on May 1:
The Thomas Merton Center sends an abundance of well wishes to Bishop McGrath upon his retirement. The Bishop has been a steadfast friend of our community and a wise and just counsel to our parish. May his retirement years be blessed with good health, joy, and fulfilllment.
Story in the San jose Mercury News is linked ( here). Also see the article in the May 5 edition of the TMC Weekly Bulletin.
Move to Seton School Auditorium during reconstruction of church stairs:The reconstruction of the front steps at St. Thomas Aquinas Church, Waverly at Homer Streets will start on Monday, April 29.
Therefore it became necessary to move all the STA Sunday Masses to St. Albert the Great site--and the TMC-sponsored Mass to the Seton School Auditorium at the same site. Construction will be finished by July 3.
As of May 5, the 8:45 Mass will be held at Seton Auditorium (1095 Channing Ave., Palo Alto), with our regular after-Mass hospitality in the St. Albert the Great Hospitality Center adjacent to the auditorium. We will share this hospitality time and space with those who attend the 9:00 am Sunday Mass at St. Al- bert’s. There is parking around the school, which we will share with the 9:00 am Mass-goers.
Make a note of this change!
Notre Dame Fire
There are interesting articles in the April 21 edition of the TMC Weekly Bulletin regarding the tragic fire at the Notre Dame Cathedral in Paris. See page 3 of the bulletin (here).
March and April Means TMC Membership Renewal
Thomas Merton Center (TMC) membership materials have been sent or given to all current TMC
members. This Vatican II –inspired lay community has been in existence since 1995 and welcomes all who are interested in being part of an independent intentional faith community at home in the Catholic Church. If you would like to become a member of TMC, a membership application form is available in the church vestibule or an online form is linked below
. The Thomas Merton Center is a membership-based nonprofit religious education organization required by its bylaws to register its membership annually. Membership fees are minimal—$15 per individual or $30 per family. Your choice to become a member helps to keep this Catholic, lay-led, progressive faith community active. Your membership shows your support for sustaining the Sunday 8:45 a.m. Mass at St. Thomas Aquinas church, the adult spiritual education programs, and educational opportunities at St. Elizabeth Seton School in Palo Alto, CA.
Membership Form
Seton School Thanks Merton Center:
We received a letter of gratitude from Carmel Caligaris, Director of Advancement, and Evelyn Rosa, Principal, at St. Elizabeth Seton School:
“We thank the Thomas Merton Group for their significant contribution to St. Elizabeth Seton School for 2018 and years prior...Your donations go directly to supporting our students, and we thank you greatly...With your help, SESS is blessed to provide our students with a comprehensive education and solid faith formation that we hope wilo prove to be instrumental throughout their lives.” In addition, Carmel penned a personal note: “We are so very grateful to all that support our students, but the TMC group in particular gives even more every year. Our students succeed through help from the whole community. Blessed to have your help! Warm regards,
Carmel.”
GLOBAL CATHOLIC
CLIMATE MOVEMENT
This site has featured information on the Global Catholic Climate Movement (CCCM). See below left. The San Jose Mercury news printed in its December 5 edition that carbon emissions, directly related to the greenhouse effect, have started to rise again after abating for the last few years. We have provided a link to read the article. We hope that all people of faith do what they can to take care of and protect our common home.
Link to the article ( here)
The Power of Stability and Civility
".......there are times when laughter is not only impossible, but would be inappropriate. This past week in the United States, we have dealt with such times whether it be the mailing of bombs to current and past elected officials or the antisemitic assassination of eleven of God's children at the Tree of Life Synagogue in Pittsburg, Pennsylvania."
From The Vatican Observatory Blog by Fr James Kurzynski, amateur astronomer.. (Here)
Catholic Charities USA has forwarded the following Statement:
Families at the Border
The ongoing practice of separating children from their parents has already, as of May, left nearly 2000 children separated from their parents. As Bishop Vásquez, Chairman of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops' Committee on Migration, and Sister Donna Markham OP PhD, President and CEO of Catholic Charities, remind us - as a nation and people of faith, we can and must do better.
Learn More
Speak Up!!
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------Reclaiming Jesus: A Confession of Faith in a Time of Crisis
The
Most Reverend Michael Curry (Left), , presiding bishop of the Episcopal Church in the US and Reverend Jim Wallis (right), president and founder of
Sojourners, has authored a letter to church leaders reminding them of the declaration entitled
Reclaiming
Jesus:
A confession of Faith in a time of Crisis of which they are signatories. You are encouraged to read the letter. A copy can be accessed
(Here). A link to the declaration is included
(Here).
Note: Links in the letter are not active.
Excerpt from the declaration:"When politics undermines our theology, we must examine that politics. The church’s role is to change the world through the life and love of Jesus Christ. The government’s role is to serve the common good by protecting justice and peace, rewarding good behavior while restraining bad behavior (Romans 13). When that role is undermined by political leadership, faith leaders must stand up and speak out. Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. said, “The church must be reminded that it is not the master or the servant of the state, but rather the conscience of the state.”
.... ...... ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ No other commandment is greater than these. Mark 12:31”
SOME OF OUR FRIENDS AND NEIGHBORS ARE UNDER THREATStatement of the Board of Directors of the Thomas Merton Center on the Refugee Crisis:
Our brothers and sisters who have been forced to flee their homes around the world are crying out in despair, seeking help, safety, peace and love. Refugees, particularly those fleeing the conflict in Syria, have experienced horrors we can’t even im
agine. Now is not the time to close our doors, but rather it is the time to open our arms. Pope Francis says that "All those who flee their own country because of war, violence and persecution have the right to find an appropriate welcome and adequate protection in countries that describe themselves (as) "civilized.” Let us take this message to heart and welcome all who are fleeing persecution. Consider joining the Catholic Relief Services and the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops in making heard the voices of refugees waiting to find shelter within our borders. Let President Trump and your Congress member know that we support the needs of refugees. We trust our government to protect us while also welcoming refugees. Jesus called each of us to meet and welcome him "in the stranger." Let us follow his call. 3/9/17
The Board invites you to visit the following websites for more information on what you can do to support immigrants and refugees. Visit the following links:
US Conference of Catholic Bishops
Catholic Relief Services
For additional local resources, support, and ways to help, please contact the diocean ministry on Justice for Immigrants. More information (here)
TMC Board of Director's letter on the death penalty to California Gov. Jerry Brown.(here)
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Calendar
Sun Mon Tue Wed Thu Fri Sat 288:45 Mass29Month View April 29, 201930Month View April 30, 20191Month View May 1, 20192Month View May 2, 20193Month View May 3, 20194Month View May 4, 201958:45 Mass6Month View May 6, 20197Month View May 7, 20198Month View May 8, 201997:30p Monthly Board MeetingMonth View May 9, 2019-
Read MoreThursday, May 9, 7:30 PM
10Month View May 10, 201911Month View May 11, 201912Mass (Mothers Day)Month View May 12, 2019-
Sunday, May 12Fr PercellRead More
137:00p Liturgy MeetingMonth View May 13, 2019-
Monday, May 13, 7:00 PM - 9:00 PMLiturgy PlanningRead More
14Month View May 14, 201915Month View May 15, 201916Month View May 16, 201917Month View May 17, 201918Month View May 18, 20191911:00 Annual Meeting8:45p MassMonth View May 19, 2019207:00p Spiritual Education MeetingMonth View May 20, 2019-
Monday, May 20, 7:00 PM - 9:00 PMMonthly Planning MeetingRead More
21Month View May 21, 201922Month View May 22, 201923Month View May 23, 201924Month View May 24, 201925Month View May 25, 201926Mass27Month View May 27, 201928Month View May 28, 201929Month View May 29, 201930Month View May 30, 201931Month View May 31, 20191Month View June 1, 2019 -
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Today's Readings
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Reading 1 Acts 15:7-21Responsorial Psalm Ps 96:1-2a, 2b-3, 10Gospel Jn 15:9-11
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Save the date
TMC Annual Meeting May 19:
All TMC members are encouraged to attend the TMC Annual Meeting and Brunch, Sunday, May 19, 11 am -
1 pm. See your invitation for the location. Members will review activities and accomplishments of the past year, confirm newly elected Board members, thank retiring Board members, and discuss our visions for the coming year. Invitations have been sent to all registered TMC members. RSVP please!
International Thomas Merton Society 16th General Meeting at Santa Clara U. June 27-30:
This biennial meeting carries out the mission of the ITMS to promote an understanding and appreciation of the multifaceted character of Thomas Merton and encourages study and research to make better known the unique contribution he has made to the literature of spirituality and to American literature and religious life.
This year’s conference theme is “O Peace, bless this mad place,” a line from a poem by Merton.
Keynote speakers include Rose Marie Berger, Fr. Cyprian Consiglio, O.S.B. Cam., Robert Ellsberg, Ron Hansen, and Richard Rodriguez, a panel on Dan Berrigan, and many concurrent sessions on topics such as Merton and Racism, Merton and the Ignatian Tradition, Merton and Peace, Merton and Ecology. Sr. Kathleen Deignan, who has led several retreats for TMC in the past, will participate in a workshop, as will Morgan Atkinson, the filmmaker who has shown two of his films on Merton at TMC events.
Registration for the 3-day conference is open now at: merton.org/2019 (Not TMC of Palo Alto).. Registration fee is $350 for ITMS members (TMC is a member) or $400 for non-members and includes 3 days of meetings and meals. (There is no option for partial registration.)
Several members of the TMC Spiritual Education Committee will be attending. -
Catholic Women Preach
Link to Catholic Women Preach website and this week's video click (Here) -
Global Catholic Climate movement (Gccm)
“On climate change, there is a clear, definitive and ineluctable ethical imperative to act.”
— Pope Francis
The science is irrefutable. There are many ways to act. Please vis[t the GCCM Website to find out what you can do. (Here)
ENCYCLICAL LETTER LAUDATO SI’ OF THE HOLY FATHER FRANCIS ON CARE FOR OUR COMMON HOME,
