5pm Thanksgiving Mass - Thank You

My sister, Rachel, took this photo.

PUBLISHED IN PARISH BULLETIN

 

DEACON JUAN A MORENO: Deacon Juan is married to Olivia Cruz Moreno. They have four children: Jon Anthony (age 33) is married to Lena Placido and they have a daughter, Jazmine Aaliyah; Joshua Allen (age 32), Jerome Andrew (age 30) & Jennifer AnnMarie (age 19). The family also has a pet dog name Joker. Juan and Olivia were born in the Philippines, and at age 13 immigrated to United States. Juan spent his studies with the Dominicans in Manila’s St Dominic and University of Santo Tomas schools, and Olivia attended St. Paul school in Paranaque.  Juan spent three years active in the U.S. Army. While in active service, Juan and Olivia agreed to a lifetime commitment of loving each other in sacramental marriage, and were married at St Patrick’s Church in San Francisco. Before their marriage, Juan and Olivia knew each other since Junior High and as members of the Junior Legion of Mary at St. Patrick Church.  Juan joined the Discalced Carmelite Order and was admitted in 1985, and made his vows in December 14, 1991, the Feast of St. John of the Cross. It was in 2000 that he felt a deeper calling to serve Christ through His Church as a deacon under the guidance of Our Lady of Mount Carmel.  He served in various ministries at St. Catherine of Siena parish since he and his family came to Vallejo in 1983, and also returned to school to acquire a BS degree in Human Services in 2006.  In 2009, his calling to the order of deacons became almost a reality and was confirmed while serving Mass at Medjugorje at the Church of St James. Upon returning to the United States, he received the letter of acceptance into diaconate formation from Bishop Soto dated March 19, the Feast of St Joseph, the same day that he was serving Mass at Medjugorje; for it was while serving Mass that he received the answer to his prayer asking Jesus if it is truly His will that he should pursue being a deacon.

DEACON DENNIS PURIFICACION: Born in Sta. Mesa, Manila, Philippines, Deacon Dennis is the son of a career U.S. Navy sailor.  At age one, he immigrated to the U.S.  As a teenager he became more involved with his parish in Milpitas after his grandfather died, especially the Jr. Legion of Mary and as an altar server and catechist.  The Legion of Mary and the parish deacon planted seeds during his teenage years to become a deacon.  He attended USF where he graduated magna cum laude in Theology with a Philosophy minor and later completed an M.A. Theology degree from CUA with a thesis in moral theology.  He taught Religion at St. Patrick-St. Vincent High School and later earned a doctorate in education administration (Ed.D.) from USF with a dissertation on church-state relations.  Dennis first met his wife Tove Ann while she was Confirmation Coordinator at St. Catherine’s.  They were delegates for the Third Diocesan Synod.  She eventually completed her Ph.D., too, using St. Catherine’s as a research site.  As an administrator, Dennis co-founded and/or sustained five Catholic post-secondary institutes, taught over 1,000 students, and drafted a graduate catechetics degree.  He is Diocesan Director of Religious Education for the Santa Rosa Diocese and is a reviewer for the U.S. bishops subcommittee on the Catechism.  Dennis and Tove Ann married at St. Catherine’s on July 12, 2003.  Their 4 children are John Paul (age 9), Emmanuel Jeremiah (age 5), Mariana Mahal (age 3) & Faith Marie (3 months) whom Dennis baptized on the same day as his ordination.  Tove Ann is president of the Maris Stella Institute in American Canyon.  Their first family pet fish were named Admiral Ackbar and Nemo.  The Purificacion Family enjoys family time at the Vallejo waterfront.

NOTE: Both deacons were baptized at the same church but on separate dates.  Deacon Juan taught Tove Ann as her Confirmation catechist in 1995, and Deacon Dennis was Religion teacher for Deacon Juan’s son, Jerome, in 1998 when Jerome studied at SPSV High School.

Thank you remarks