Fr. Joe Kim
Fr. Joe Kim was born in Poughkeepsie, New York but grew up in San Jose, attending grammar school at St. Frances Cabrini and Saratoga High School. He credits his paternal grandmother and his parents for initial evangelization and early discipleship at St Francis Cabrini and the Korean Catholic Church in San Jose. He credits his peers at the Newman Center at UC Berkeley for deepening his love for the Lord and the Church. Upon graduation from the College of Engineering at CAL, Fr Joe worked as a product engineer in Sunnyvale.
Fr. Joe credits the young adult Korean Catholic Community and the witness of St. John Paul II for challenging him to act on the call of God. He discerned the priesthood in the vibrant, Catholic young adult community in the Priestly Discernment Program at Franciscan University in Steubenville, OH. He grew further in the vocation to priesthood at St. Patrick’s Seminary in Menlo Park during which he spent his pastoral year at St John Vianney in 2007. Fr Joe was ordained in 2010 as a priest for the Diocese of San Jose by Bishop Patrick J. McGrath. Fr Joe comes to St. John Vianney after serving in parishes as a Parochial Vicar and Diocesan Vocations Director.
He has a License in Sacred Theology from the New Evangelization Program at Sacred Heart in Detroit, MI. He is working on completing a Doctorate in Sacred Theology from the University of St. Thomas Aquinas (Angelicum) in Rome. His vocation, his ministry and his studies are rooted in the desire to live joyfully as a beloved son of God in the Lord Jesus Christ and help others to be the same.
Jean Young
Jean is a Catholic wife, mother, corporate professional, and transformational coach. She currently resides in Los Angeles but she grew up in the Bay Area where she was a part of the San Jose Chinese Catholic Community at St Clare’s Church. She attended Notre Dame High School in San Jose and graduated from U.C. Berkeley with a business degree.
She has spent the last 20 years as a corporate Finance & HR professional for companies like Sun Microsystems, The Clorox Company, and Panda Restaurant Group. She recently got certified as a transformational life coach as she is passionate about working with people. She loves helping people connect more deeply to themselves, to others, and to God.
She also served as a catechist at Our Lady of Peace Church, St Clare’s Parish, and St Isidore’s Church. She taught 2nd grade through high school and prepared students for First Holy Communion and Confirmation. She also volunteered at Mother Teresa’s orphanages in Haiti and Peru.
One of her greatest joys in life is being a mother to her daughters, Chiara and Christiana.