This week has me feeling a bit like Dorothy in the Wizard of Oz – but instead of lions, tigers, and bears (oh my!), its Christ the King, the coming of the Advent season, and Mass schedule changes (oh my, indeed!). Though it makes for a super-compressed work week, Thanksgiving brings a welcome break from the intensity of all that we’re celebrating and the celebrations for which we are preparing.

Especially over the last several weeks, I have been more consciously giving thanks for the blessings I’ve experienced in these first five months of my being with you here on the Olympic Peninsula. Though the geography is impressively large, more impressive has been the largesse of both the Lord and His people here. Despite the extraordinary challenge of discerning, implementing, and adapting to Partners in the Gospel,  people have been quite wonderful. We have wonderful staff members, devout & dedicated volunteers, and excellent priests throughout our parish family. Not only that, but folks have consistently and regularly gone out of their way to express their care & support, even in the midst of great personal and communal turbulence.

Know that as we celebrate Thanksgiving, a great part of my prayers will be in gratitude for you. I am deeply grateful for you all and continue to delight in the gift of being your pastor.

P.S. You’ll likely have noticed that the blog has had some design changes on the front page. The biggest changes are smaller & re-positioned featured images and a simplified sidebar. I’d be grateful for your thoughts & feedback on how it does (or doesn’t) work for you!

P.P.S. Though I have not (yet!) approved and/or responded to the many comments offering feedback on the upcoming Mass schedule changes, please know that I have carefully read and appreciate all of those that have been offered. Thank you to all those who so thoughtfully shared their concerns, ideas, and preferences.

November 24 – At long last we reach the last Sunday of Ordinary Time – the Solemnity of Our Lord Jesus Christ, King of the Universe. Typically shortened to ‘Christ the King’, this is the last big feast before we conclude the liturgical year. I recently shared in a homily an observation of a priest friend of mine that many (most?) of us look at Jesus’ return much as we would getting pulled over! But if we truly believe and understand the Lord to deeply and desperately love us, we have nothing to fear. Read Elizabeth Scalia’s lovely reflection on the kind of King we find in Christ.

November 25 – Today is the memorial of Saint Catherine of Alexandria. Devoted to Christ and filled with wisdom, she converted many through her ability to debate pagan philosophy. She was pursued by the emperor but refused his advances. He sentenced her to torture and execution on a spiked wheel, but when Saint Catherine touched it, it shattered. She was instead beheaded. Read more about her at Patheos.

November 28 – Happy Thanksgiving! I hope that you enjoy this celebration with loved ones, fine food, and many blessings. As one friend recently pointed out, today is the rare secular celebration that is entirely wholesome and grace-filled. Even for those who have not yet experienced the light & life of the Gospel, the natural human tendency to give thanks shines forth! We join in the festivities, expressing our thanks to God for the gifts He bestows upon and entrusts to us. Enjoy this reflection on Thanksgiving and the Eucharist from Word on Fire.

November 30 – Today is the feast day of Saint Andrew, apostle and martyr. It was Saint Andrew who went to his brother Simon – later Saint Peter – to share with him the good news that “we have found the Messiah”, bringing him to meet Jesus. When he was to be killed for his preaching of the Gospel, he asked that his crucifixion be on a diagonal cross in reference to the Greek initial for Christ. Read more about him at the Vatican News website.