Pictured: Bishop McGrath and Mary Morris of SVdP’s St. Victor Conference in San Jose.
[Story/Photo credit: Liz Sullivan/Valley Catholic]
It is an event that is older than the Diocese of San Jose.
On May 9, the Diocese held the 47th Annual Saint Pius X Awards Banquet at Villa Ragusa restaurant in Campbell. The event began in 1970 when the parishes in Santa Clara County were a part of the Archdiocese of San Francisco. In 1981, the Diocese of San Jose was created.
The Saint Pius X awards are named in honor of Pope Saint Pius X, 1835-1914, who as Pope encouraged daily reading of the Bible, directed liturgical renewal and encouraged Catholics, especially in Italy, to become involved in political issues to achieve peace and order. He was most noted for lowering the age of First Communion to the age of reason.
The evening honored 85 catechists for 10-to-50 years of service of religious education ministry. Overall, the honorees combined for 1,365 years of service to the Diocese.