It has been my great pleasure to pen and publish so many books of personal, family, and organization stories. A few of these are listed below and available for purchase. Many more are treasured in my private client collection and available for preview upon request.
Our Lady’s Way
In the early 1960s, rural Santa Clara County, California forecasted an unprecedented population and housing growth. Keeping pace with the incoming faithful, the Archdiocese of San Francisco planned new parishes in the soon-to-be-established neighborhoods. One area, named “New Bethlehem” by real estate speculators, thus witnessed the peaked rooftop of Our Lady of Peace Church rise above acres of pear orchards and dirt roads. Though her seed was planted, an unexpected turn of events nearly shut down the poor, fledgling parish. This is the remarkable story of the priests and people who turned a futureless church into a mecca of faith and conversion with a simple hope for the future, zeal for souls, and unwavering love for Christ and His Mother.
Surrounded by high-tech, hotels, and highways, Our Lady of Peace Church and Shrine to the Immaculate Heart of Mary today sits in the heart of Silicon Valley where millions of visitors and passers-by receive her welcome. It started with a prayer.
“You can’t commit yourself to Christ without committing to people, because that’s where Christ is.” – Father Clement Davenport. The Church of the Nativity, known as the jewel of the Archdiocese of San Francisco, is renowned for its beautiful ambiance and beckoning gardens. Open around the clock, it welcomes individuals from the greater Menlo Park, California area to visit Christ in the Blessed Sacrament at any hour. Within this gem lies a faith community built on the strength of 140 years of commitment to Christ and each other. Step into Nativity’s past and meet just a few of the faithful who built this church and committed themselves to making the Catholic faith, the Sacraments and Christ’s love available to the community for generations.
Experience the personal memories that demonstrate the unique experience of being a Nativity parishioner. Encounter the generosity, dedication and faithfulness that became the heritage of today’s Nativity congregation. With Christ as the foundation, the Church of the Nativity stands firm as a beacon of hope for the future. “The parish comes together to support each other just like a family would. Generations pass and there are different people still doing the same thing. That’s the Nativity way. What strikes me the most about Nativity is that you can feel God is there.” – Russ Castle
I was sitting near Jesus being taught by his Word. Suddenly, I awoke from the dream and called out to my parents, who were playing pinochle with my godparents in the next room. “Mommy! Daddy! Jesus wants me to be a priest!” “Not my son,” my father replied. The smoke from his cigarette curled up toward the ceiling and faded away, and the game went on. I was eight years old. * * * Born into the turmoil of World War II while his father served the United States Army in France, Joseph Scerbo spent much of his early life trying to establish a connection with his father. He spent his entire lifetime, however, yearning for his heavenly Father.
Now a Catholic priest, Father Joe shares his life-long journey of the human call to relationship through stories of God’s interwoven graces pouring into his life.
To know Fr. Joe is to know joy, which makes the pain he encounters all the more surprising. Forty years in the healing ministry have enabled him to share the realities of joy and pain, and the importance of healing through reconciliation.
“’Father, can you teach me to find God?’” I’ll never forget that. The week before, he had a life that was ‘I don’t need God in my life.’ It gave me the shivers. We all need God.” In eighth grade, Art Davenport signed up for the seminary entrance exam so he could skip class. Thus began his unexpected journey of discovering a deep-rooted vocation to the priesthood, and bringing Christ to his fellow men at home and on foreign battlefields. Follow Fr. Davenport, retired U.S. Army Colonel, from his “priesthood by osmosis” to failing Latin class. Journey with him to his parishes that extended from the quiet gardens of Menlo Park, California, to the wartime battlefields of Korea and Vietnam. Encounter just a few circumstances that reminded him to cling to his motto, “Jesus, I trust in You.”
Fr. Davenport’s candid wit and joy blend into his memoirs, offering a riveting reflection of Christ’s strength, guidance and protection over a lifetime.
Rosemary Alva 