I am pleased to share with you the audio of our monthly parish family townhall gathering. As always, you may watch the video here – and I’ve included the timestamps below for reference & easy access – but the best way to navigate the video is to watch it on YouTube and use the timestamps there.

Please accept my apology for the tardiness of actually posting this recording. I had intended to have this up & available before Easter but failed to accomplish that….and then forgot about it afterwards, especially with my vacation and the catch-up afterwards. I am sorry for the great delay – rest assured that this will not be the norm!

The eighth of our monthly parish family townhall gatherings. Held on the fourth Friday of each month and at a different church within the Catholic communities of the Olympic Peninsula, these gatherings are an opportunity for the pastor to provide updates on the state of the parish family and for parishioners to ask questions, receive answers, and offer feedback as we discern how we will become one parish family as part of Partners in the Gospel.

• 00:00 – recording start & opening prayer
• 00:31 – introduction & orientation to townhall gatherings
• 01:56 – introduction of Jason, our parish liaison from the chancery
• 02:49 – updates on the parish family
• 13:19 – updates from Jason on Partners in the Gospel
• 17:38 – update on the Parish Family Advisory Council & Parish Family Leadership Team
• 23:57 – a request for follow-up on a request to the office about announcement of devotions
• 26:53 – does Father Lappe (pastor of Star of the Sea, Bremerton) still offer Latin Masses?
• 27:46 – an excursis on Latin in the Mass (as opposed to the Extraordinary Form of the Mass)
  • reference to General Instruction of the Roman Missal, #41
• 30:56 – an excursis on Traditionis Custodes and the accompanying letter from Pope Francis to bishops
  • Pope Francis’ letter to bishops about Traditionis Custodes
• 33:09 – what is the status of banners – particularly the banners Father Randy introduced – in the parish?
• 35:15 – if someone comes up with their arms crossed, will you (Father) bless them?
  •  Father Maurer wrote about this issue in October of 2024 at his blog
• 40:22 – what about at a funeral when family or friends want to somehow participate in the Mass?
  • 45:41 – thoughts from Jason on his observations of how priests at communion
• 47:24 – an observation and question about the speed of Mass parts being slow and thus feeling less-than-joyful
• 53:22 – what do the altar candles signify?
  • no, Father *didn’t* make that pun on purpose ¯\_(ツ)_/¯
  • 54:42 – ‘Composition of Candles for Use in the Liturgy’ by the USCCB
• 57:02 – is there a plan on the archdiocesan level to survey the faithful on how things are/have been going with Partners in the Gospel?
• 01:02:00 – a request for consideration to spread out the Sunday Mass times at Saint Joseph, especially to allow for time for fellowship
  • Father Maurer wrote fairly extensively about Mass times changes in the parish family – about discerning scenarios in November of 2024 and the final decision in December of 2024
• 01:09:20 – dreaming of a single parish campus for the central region between Sequim & Port Angeles
• 01:17:41 – why do we not spend any money at our own parish (Saint Joseph)?
• 1:20:33 – could we have a the Rite for Distributing Holy Communion Outside Mass with a Celebration of the Word when a priest isn’t available for Masses?
• 1:26:13 – if there were no priest on a Sunday, would we be able to have a Sunday Celebration in the Absence of a Priest?
• 1:31:04 – have you considered a new parish directory?
• 1:34:05 – has there been any consideration about doing something about the crosswalk lights at our parish (Saint Joseph)?
• 1:37:10 – closing prayer