St. Joseph Catholic Church - Placentia, Ca

The Hands of St. Joseph is collecting donations of backpacks and school supplies at our parish center for the City of Placentia Backpacks for Success!

Kindly view our desired list below:

BackPacks
Notebooks
Lined paper
Graph paper
Folders
Erasers
Pencils (mechanical and wooden)
Lead refills for mechanical pencils
Scissors
Calculators
Crayons
Pencil sharpeners
Colored pencils
Markers
Pencil pouches
Binders and dividers
3x5 index cards
Highlighters
Sticky notes
Glue sticks
Rulers
Pens
Please submit your donations to the front office by August 5th.

https://stjosephplacentia.org/hands

“The joy of love experienced by families is also the joy of the Church,” proclaims Pope Francis.

Thus, in celebration of the love found in marriage and family, we, the Catholic bishops of California, are overjoyed to introduce ‘Radiate Love’ – a new initiative to encourage and inspire marriage. We are embarking on this journey over the next year to celebrate and support marriage and family life among the flock God has entrusted to us.

Read the full letter here: https://cacatholic.org/bishops-letter/

On the Road to the Steubenville Youth Conference! ☀️✝️
Please pray for our priest, Fr. Martin, and our Youth attending this weekends conference, ILLUMINATE ☀️✝️

✨✝️ Lord, help our youth listen attentively, to ponder prayerfully, and to speak wisely. May our pilgrims encounter your light, and emerge from a spiritual renewal as more committed Christians, better equipped to advance along the path You have laid out for them. We also pray for their safe travels and safe return home. I humbly ask in your name and through the intercession of Mary, Mother of Jesus, I pray, Amen. ✝️✨

Dear Parishioners of St. Joseph in Placentia,

It is a great honor and a privilege for me to be your new shepherd, father, teacher, leader, administrator, and fellow disciple of Jesus.
I'm humbled and grateful to Bishop Vann and the Diocese of Orange for this new assignment. Despite me being young in years and young in ministry (I'll be ordained a priest five years this July 27th), I have been entrusted with this very important and pivotal role. I hope to fulfill it well!
By the grace of God, I hope to preach the word of God faithfully, celebrate the Sacraments reverently, and lead this community lovingly. I am optimistic, hopeful, and enthusiastic for whatever new horizons God has planned for us.
I want to acknowledge the tremendous work of all the pastors, priests, religious and deacons who have shepherded this community since its inception over 70 years ago, especially our recent pastors Father Miguel and Father Carlos. I'm indebted to them, knowing that they leave behind a great legacy and work of God which we treasure and which I hope to build upon. Thank you, Fathers, for your tireless and dedicated ministry, and for now handing the baton to me.
No parish can thrive without great staff, leaders, groups, volunteers, councils, and all the people of God. I hope to work closely with you, discerning the will of the Holy Spirit for our parish, and moving forward boldly wherever He leads us.
A little bit about myself so you can get to know your new shepherd: I was born and raised in Orange County, attended Fountain Valley High School, received a Bachelors in Business Administration at UC Irvine, obtained a Master of Divinity and a Master of Arts in Spiritual Theology at St. John's Seminary in Camarillo, and was ordained on July 27th, 2019 as the first class to be ordained at the Christ Cathedral. Despite the fancy titles and credentials, I think I'm a pretty down-to-earth guy!
I love to read, write, learn, listen to audiobooks and podcasts, walk and pray--activities I engage in virtually every day. I'm currently listening to Death by Meeting by Pat Lencioni and reading Father Elijah by Michael D. O’Brien. I enjoy podcasts on church health, growth, and leadership, with the Carey Nieuwhof Leadership Podcast being one of my favorites, and I hope to bring those insights into my new role.
I'm blessed to be fluent in Spanish, having studied and practiced it for over a decade. My journey with the Spanish language began in high school, continued with a short stint in Mexico, a year of training at Immaculate Heart of Mary Church in Santa Ana, and in my recent assignments at Santiago de Compostela Church in Lake Forest and St. Cecilia Church in Tustin, I led and cared for the Spanish-speaking community.
That's a little sneak peek into who Father Martin is. I'm sure we will get to know each other more in the coming days. In the meantime, please know of my love and prayers for you ever since I received the news that I was coming to St. Joseph. I entrust you into the hands of Mary and Joseph as they lead us to their Son, Jesus.

Blessings,
Father Martin Vu

_____

Estimados feligreses de San José en Placentia,

Es un gran honor y privilegio para mí ser su nuevo pastor, padre, líder, administrador y compañero discípulo de Jesús.
Estoy humilde y agradecido con el Obispo Vann y la Diócesis de Orange por esta nueva asignación. A pesar de ser joven en años y en ministerio (seré ordenado sacerdote por cinco años este 27 de julio), me han confiado este papel tan importante y crucial. ¡Espero cumplirlo bien!
Por la gracia de Dios, espero predicar la palabra de Dios fielmente, celebrar los Sacramentos con reverencia, y guiar a esta comunidad con amor. Soy optimista, esperanzado y entusiasta por los nuevos horizontes que Dios tiene planeados para nosotros.
Quiero reconocer el tremendo trabajo de todos los pastores, sacerdotes, religiosos y diáconos que han guiado a esta comunidad desde su fundación hace más de 70 años, especialmente nuestros recientes pastores, el Padre Miguel y el Padre Carlos. Estoy en deuda con ellos, sabiendo que dejan un gran legado y obra de Dios que atesoramos y sobre el cual espero construir. Gracias, Padres, por su ministerio incansable y dedicado, y por ahora pasarme el liderazgo de la parroquia.
Ninguna parroquia puede prosperar sin un gran personal, líderes, grupos, voluntarios, consejos y todo el pueblo de Dios. Espero trabajar de cerca con ustedes, discerniendo la voluntad del Espíritu Santo para nuestra parroquia, y avanzando con audacia hacia donde Él nos guíe.
Un poco sobre mí para que conozcan a su nuevo pastor: nací y crecí en el Condado de Orange, asistí a Fountain Valley High School, obtuve una Licenciatura en Administración de Empresas en UC Irvine, obtuve una Maestría en Divinidad y una Maestría en Teología Espiritual en el Seminario de San Juan en Camarillo, y fui ordenado el 27 de julio de 2019 como la primera clase en ser ordenada en la Catedral de Cristo. ¡A pesar de todos estos títulos y credenciales, creo y espero que sea una persona sencilla!
Me encanta leer, escribir, aprender, escuchar audiolibros y podcasts, caminar y orar, actividades que realizo todos los días. Actualmente estoy escuchando "Death by Meeting" de Pat Lencioni y leyendo "Father Elijah" de Michael D. O’Brien. Disfruto de podcasts sobre la salud, el crecimiento y el liderazgo de la iglesia, siendo uno de mis favoritos el Carey Nieuwhof Leadership Podcast, y espero aportar esas ideas a mi nuevo papel.
Tengo la bendición de ser fluido en español, habiéndolo estudiado y practicado durante más de una década. Mi camino con el idioma español comenzó en la escuela secundaria, continuó con un tiempo en México, un año de formación en la Iglesia del Inmaculado Corazón de María en Santa Ana, y en mis recientes asignaciones en la Iglesia Santiago de Compostela en Lake Forest y la Iglesia de Santa Cecilia en Tustin, donde dirigí y cuidé a la comunidad de habla hispana.
Esta es una pequeña vista previa de quién es el Padre Martin. Estoy seguro de que nos conoceremos más en los próximos días. Mientras tanto, sepan de mi amor y oraciones por ustedes desde que recibí la noticia de que venía a San José. Los encomiendo a las manos de María y José para que nos guíen hacia su Hijo, Jesús.

Bendiciones,
Padre Martin Vu