Nearly a dozen MVCS faithful gathered for the Diocese of San Jose Young Adult Mass and Concert on a beautiful spring evening on Saturday, April 13, 2002.

Bishop Patrick McGrath celebrated the Mass at Mission Santa Clara on the Santa Clara University campus. Around two hundred people filled the church, a replica of the 1825 mission church built on the same site. Bishop Patrick eagerly welcomed all and spoke enthusiastically about young adults as being the future of the Church. Afterwards, cookies and soft drinks were shared at a reception with the Bishop in the courtyard under a starry night sky. The bands were meanwhile setting up in the sanctuary for the concert.

Three bands in all performed: Friends of Jesus, followed by imagoXdei, and finally Revelation with Candy 4 Strangers. Each one offered its own charismatic brand of modern Christian music and energized the audience, which mostly clapped along and moved to the music. The Holy Spirit was definitely at work!

Len Radzilowski
April 23, 2002

Outside the main entrance (l-to-r): Yining,Kendall,Savio,Pat,Elvina,Yvonne,Len	Restored Altar**	Elvina in the historic churchyard	Interior South Wall**	MVCS Members near excavations (l-to-r) Kendall,Savio,Len,Elvina,Yining,Kim,Yvonne,Pat

"On Saturday afternoon, March 9, 2002, eight members of our MVCS group gathered together for a trip to Mission San Jose to learn more about Catholic history in the bay area. The mission, surprisingly, is not located in San Jose, but rather in Fremont. It was built in 1797 to connect Mission San Francisco and Santa Clara, such that on top of the tower one can see the other two missions."

"It turned to be a great trip for us. By the time we got to east bay, we saw great sun shine and beautiful green hills near the mission. Rows of olive trees welcomed us along the road. The museum at the mission consists several galleries, showing various Indian artifacts and church items during the mission era. One interesting thing I noticed is that during those day you could pay some money to get a front-row reserved seat in the church. The museum also shows a history of this area. We saw some familiar names of famous people in the early days. I did not know that Fremont was actually one of first two senators from California."

"After visiting the museum, we entered the church which was restored to its original shape during the 1980's on the old rock foundations. It has its unique old design, much different from the modern day church. For example, there are few windows in the church. Relics of the past are displayed, including large statues that survived the big earthquake that destroyed the old church in the nineteenth century. The artist who participated the church restoration left his signature by making one of the faces on the altar resemble his relative. The church is open for mass services if you are interested in attending. Alongside the church is a small cemetery, where pioneers of the mission were buried. I thought these people are lucky because there are still so many people visiting there tombs today. "

"Exiting the mission, we sat in a coffee shop and had a nice chat with each other for a while. Through the windows, hang gliders and parachutes could be seen on top of the hills. I enjoyed the visit to the mission, the beautiful views, the warm conversations, and the new fellowship being developed among us."

--Yining Deng, Mountain View, March 14, 2002

"We had our first MVCS hike on Saturday morning, February 9, 2002. Six Catholic singles met at 9 a.m. at St. Athanasius Church to start the drive to Sweeney Ridge, known for its historical significance, sweeping views and incredible natural beauty. We were promised spectacular views and we weren't disappointed! Within the first 5 minutes of our hike, we could already see clear across to Point Reyes and the Farralons Islands. It was a bit windy and chilly but that turned out to be great because, after hiking up hills and stairs, we warmed up quickly. Along the way to the top of Sweeney Ridge, we passed dog walkers and joggers, and we stopped many times for photos (see below)."

"It took us about an hour to reach the top, where the reward was the magnificent 360-degree views. Luckily, we had a clear day, so, again as promised, we could see 30 miles in every direction: San Francisco Bay to the east with the airport, the East Bay Hills and Mount Diablo. To the north, we saw the twin peaks of the Golden Gate and the Marin headlands. To the west was Pacifica and south we could see the dark mass of Montara Mountain. This site was marked by a dark granite cylinder dedicated to the late Carl McCarthy, an active supporter of public ownership of the Ridge. Carved around this monument were the silhouettes of the vistas that surrounded us. "

"The best part of the hike wasn't the views, or the clear, cool weather or the exercise but the fellowship of sharing this experience with other single Catholics who are committed to a similar faith journey. In addition to the usual small talk, the relaxed setting of the hike allowed some of us to open up and chat a bit about our family histories, our personal faith struggles and just why we love being Catholics. What better way to form new friendships - come join us the 2nd Saturday of every month for an outdoor activity!"

--Laura Castaneda

If you have more pictures from this hike, please send them to Kim. Click on the below thumbnails for larger versions.

	Sweeney Ridge 2/9/02 Here's a view looking towards the north-east. Mt Diablo can be seen in the distance across the San Francisco bay.
	Sweeney Ridge 2/9/02 Laura, Elvina and Savio about 1/2 way through the hike among the grassy hills. Come spring time, they should be covered with beautiful wildflowers. It was a wee bit windy though...
	Sweeney Ridge 2/9/02 Laura and Kathleen at the summit, where the a monumement marks the location of the Portola Expedition which discovered the San Francisco Bay on Novemebr 4, 1769. From this vantage point, we could see 360 degrees.
	Sweeney Ridge 2/9/02 View towards the north-east as a United airlines plane took off from SFO (lower right). It was fascinating to watch the planes take off and land, and observe their interesting flight routes. From this view, we looked down on the cities of South San Francisco and Daly City.
	Sweeney Ridge 2/9/02 View towards the north-west, seeing Point Reyes in the far distance. After the rainy weeks, the terrain was beautifully green. The color of the ocean was stunning.
	Sweeney Ridge 2/9/02 View of the Pacific from the top of Sweeney Ridge. Watching the breakers both near the shore and off shore was neat.
	Sweeney Ridge 2/9/02 The group (with Savio taking the picture!), from left to right, Kathleen, Laura, Kim, David, and Elvina, with the Pacific in the background, at Sweeney Ridge.