Habemus papam! After commending Pope Francis to the Lord, we have occasion now to celebrate the election of our new pontiff, Pope Leo XIV. And what a celebration it is, particularly for us who share his homeland of the United States! While we know that the pope is a man like any of us, the men occupying this office have always been not only physically but also culturally distant. Now we have a pope who is a White Sox fan, a Chicagoan, and - at least to see the Apple Watch on his wrist last week - quite possibly a bit of a technology geek to boot! Though it is has always been true, I find myself appreciating more fully the regular humanity of the pope.Image by Edgar Beltrán/The Pillar courtesy Wikimedia Commons (Creative Commons...

As you have undoubtedly heard, our Holy Father Pope Francis was called to his eternal reward yesterday, Easter Monday (April 21, 2025) after twelve years of papal ministry. We have been blessed by his faithful ministry and leadership - may he now enjoy the blessings of rest & reward with the Lord in heaven. There are many and varied traditions surrounding the death of a pope - our chancery has issued general guidelines and a liturgical guidelines document. Because of the priority of the octave of Easter - the climax of Christ's ministry and mission on earth - all Masses for the Dead must wait until after Divine Mercy Sunday. Already we here on the Olympic Peninsula are preparing several Masses across our parish family - we will have...

At last we arrive at Holy Week - the destination towards which all prior liturgical seasons and celebrations have pointed. The Annunciation, the Visitation, the Nativity, the finding of Jesus in the Temple, the Baptism of the Lord, the forty days in the desert, and His all-too-brief three years of ministry among us have culminated in this: Jesus' Passion and death. Though the Triduum takes place over just a few days, the Church will linger on the mystery of God dying - of man killing God - with a mixture of guilt, sorrow, and gratitude. 'By His wounds we are healed', we proclaim - and yet, it is our hand that inflicts them. How can we but tremble at the awesome mercy of the One Who above all others has a claim to vengeance - and wills...

I was away for nearly the entirety of last week and am only just in these last hours of the week finalizing what was supposed to be an early release pastor's post! So much for the plans of this man in the face of those of the Lord. Who needs sleep anyway! ¯\_(ツ)_/¯ So what has this pastor been doing so much of away from his parish family this week?!? A reasonable question, that. The first day (Monday) was dedicated to my priest support group, which meets once a month. We spend a holy hour together, spend time catching up over snacks & drinks (typically coffee and sparkling water!), and then go through a formal check-in according to a list of areas we've agreed to be accountable to each other: daily prayer (Mass, the Office, the...

Some weeks are busier than others, but boy has this one been a whirlwind! It is rare that I manage to go to every parish on the Olympic Peninsula in as many days, but that's exactly what I did this week. Mondays are my day each week to spend at Saint Mary Star of the Sea in Port Townsend, offering Mass and checking in with the staff there. I spent Tuesday with my family in Seabeck before returning home to my rectory in Queen of Angels. On Wednesday a couple of the staff and I made our way out to Saint Anne in Forks to complete some projects and check in with Father Ed & the office volunteers there. Thursdays are my day each week to spend at Saint Joseph in Sequim, offering Mass and checking in with staff there. Though I returned to my...

Today we celebrate the Solemnity of the Annunciation. I am reminded of one of my favorite readings from the Office of Readings. It is a homily by Saint Bernard titled "In Praise of the Virgin Mother" and the caption text in the breviary fittingly reads "The whole world awaits Mary's reply". The imagery of the anticipation all of creation - not just the archangel Gabriel and surrounding (if invisibly so) angelic choir but the heavens, earth, stars, sea, oceans, rocks, trees....everything leaning in as Mary draws her breath to respond. Through her 'yes', the floodgates of graces for which we so long were cast open and the Word of God became man, first in the Virgin's womb and eventually making Himself known to all. The unconscious mirroring...