Tell me how long you have been involved as co-president of San Jose Catholic Professionals and a bit of your overall leadership experience within the organization.

I agreed to the position in August 2021.  Before then, I had no leadership experience other than consistent attendance and serving as an Extraordinary Minister of the Eucharist if needed. I joined out of curiosity and stayed because of the combination of Mass, fellowship, and speakers. My business was still growing initially, so part of my interest was to see if I would pick up any new clients. That did not happen, but I was always happy to answer any business/tax questions that came my way, and they often did. 

What about your leadership as co-president of San Jose Catholic Professionals has impacted you the most spiritually?

I am primarily a facilitator at the monthly meetings and a reliable, participating member of the board, which meets monthly. I am one of those early people, so I can meet and greet the people as they arrive in the mornings. Through SJCP, I have had to become comfortable speaking before a group, whether at a regular or board meeting. I also speak monthly at the 5:30 Mass at Santa Teresa, inviting parishioners to join us. 

How did you first find out about the San Jose Catholic Professionals?

I learned about Catholic Professionals from my parish bulletin (Santa Teresa) about 20 years ago. My husband, Jim, decided to join as well. At the time we joined, he had just retired.  The regular opportunity to worship, socialize, and be inspired after having two busy careers was a revelation of its own.  We were still navigating our way through this new set of circumstances, and SJCP gave us a bit of a reprieve.  We seem blessed with “holy moments” that would take us by surprise.  SJCP has become a monthly holy moment because it is a gathering outside our regular routine.

What unique challenges do Catholic professionals have in San Jose encounter in your personal experience?

Some local businesses have developed a company culture centered on their faith values. One of the benefits of SJCP is learning which ones might be Catholic. I am an income tax professional, and our business clientele is very diverse. My business partner and I endeavor to bring an ethical, kind, compassionate spirit to our work. 

How does San Jose Catholic Professionals offer inspiration and support in response to these challenges? 

Our mission statement sums it up better than I can: The Mission of Catholic Professionals is to encourage men and women of all vocations to apply their Christian ethical beliefs in their everyday personal and working lives. We do this by conducting events with speakers who exemplify and enact ethical principles, practicing our faith by celebrating Mass together, and encouraging members to network.

Briefly describe the types of opportunities, spiritual, social, or otherwise, that San Jose Catholic Professionals offers its members.

We meet ten months yearly, from 7:15 to 9:00 am, for Mass, breakfast, brief socializing, and a speaker. One of the most enjoyable speakers we have had was Mark Purdy, who used to be a sports columnist for the San Jose Mercury News.  His experiences covering Bay Area sports, and especially his coverage of the Olympics, gave us all a humorous insider view of a challenging profession.

We have been fortunate to have fascinating individuals share their faith and expertise with us. Recently, we had two memorable speakers. One was Bridget Balajadia from Catholic Charities, who introduced us to Parish Engagement, a program inspired by her experiences in developing countries. My worldview certainly expanded that day. The other was Dr. Brian Patrick Green, Director of Technology Ethics, who educated us on ethics and artificial intelligence.

With these interesting speakers and topics, we all leave with worlds a little wider, beliefs a little deeper, and ready to see what God has in store. It is comforting to belong to a group of professionals facing the same challenges and balancing on the same tightrope. We try to catch one another if we can.