Foremost, thank you for your support and prayers for Father Ed. He is doing well and continues to be in good spirits. I am grateful for his self-awareness and proactivity in checking himself into the hospital upon realizing signs of potential issues. He was given a clean bill of health & discharged on Tuesday – and promptly got on a plane to Italy for the canonization of Blessed Carlo Acutis! Last I heard, he landed and was enjoying what I imagine will be an exciting (but hopefully also restful) time abroad.

Thanks as well are due to everyone who quickly leapt into action to help implement our contingency Mass schedule, particularly Father Gali, our staff, and some key parishioners who made sure that word got out quickly & effectively. Well done one and all!

On a related note, I would like to ask your prayers for a couple of intentions. The first of these you likely already know about: the community of Annunciation church & school in Minneapolis. Especially as fellow Catholics and having our own parish school, our hearts go out to our brothers & sisters who are suffering so greatly from this senseless act of violence against the most vulnerable in our midst. We pray for the repose of the souls of Fletcher and Harper, and ask for God’s consolation for their family, classmates, and all the members of the school, parish, and surrounding area. For those who so desire, a special fund has been established to contribute to the financial needs during this time.

In your kindness, please also offer prayers for two other special (albeit private!) intentions. Suffice to say, there are some folks in our communities who are suffering greatly and could use our prayerful support. Placing our trust in the Lord, we entreat Him to send His consolation and healing.

Finally, thank you to everyone who has been so gracious in extending words of support as I change my office hours (see my pastor’s insert from last week – link below). I am more and more realizing what I can – and can’t! – do on my own. I have been especially grateful for all those who have been able to respond to the various calls for volunteers. It is a welcome reminder that no one of us can do all this alone – but together in the Lord can do all things!

September 3 – Saint Gregory the Great is a timely saint for any age, but perhaps especially so for our own. His book, Pastoral Care, reflects on the responsibilities and characteristics bishops – reflecting on the life and focus of those who lead their local churches. As we celebrate him, we would do well to pray for our own bishops – Archbishop Etienne, Bishop Elizondo, and Bishop Schuster – that by God’s grace and with our support, they may help us to live and proclaim Christ to the world. Read more about Saint Gregory at the Vatican News website.

September 4 – Shortly after I arrived to the Olympic Peninsula, Father Ed sent me an email with a video from a TV series about today’s saint – Saint Moses. Though it takes not a little creative license in characterizing the prophet and those around him, I deeply enjoyed it. Watching Moses’ leadership – in both its flaws and features! – I am reminded that God doesn’t only ask that we rely on Him, but that we rely on each other! Moses would learn this lesson more than once, not like some of us….. which endears him to me all the more! When you’ve got about an hour to spare, I heartily encourage you to watch the pilot (and sadly, final) episode of The Promised Land Series. Written and performed in the style of the show The Office, I think you’ll find it both entertaining and edifying.

September 5 – Today the Church celebrates the memorial of Saint Mother Teresa of Calcutta. For me and my generation, she was a living sign of the Church in the world – living out radical Christian poverty, serving the poorest of the poor, and proclaiming the Gospel to the lowly & powerful alike. I remember my disbelief upon hearing of death – the passing of an icon of faith that, like so many others, I had admired from afar. May she intercede for us all, that like her we may Christ to others. Read more about her at the Mother Teresa Center.

September 6 -Today is the feast of Saint Zachary or Zechariah , prophet from the Old Testament. He had a rough row to hoe – born during the return of the Israelites from the Babylonian exile. Given visions of the coming fulfillment of God’s promise, Zechariah was charged with bolstering the discouraged hearts of his people. Read more about him at Dynamic Catholic.