As most Catholics in the Archdiocese of Seattle know, there is an annual conference for priests of the archdiocese. Typically held during the week of Father’s Day, priests gather together with the archbishop and his auxiliaries in Ocean Shores for about three days. Although there is always a theme for the week, complete with a speaker and discussion questions, the real point – at least in my mind – is the fellowship. The majority of us never see each other outside of the Chrism Mass and priestly ordinations. This is our annual opportunity to get to know each other, catch up, and otherwise enjoy each other’s presence in a non-ministerial and responsibility-free environment.

This event is a massive undertaking. Each day has multiple events, often running concurrently. There are vendors and representatives from all aspects of archdiocesan life. We gather for prayer in the morning and evening, as well as for daily Mass. There is a banquet honoring our senior priests and a service interceding for those who have died over the last year. And of course, there is always some business to be conducted, what with all of these priests, bishops, and chancery employees gathered under one roof!

You might rightly wonder who runs this whole thing. In fact, it is an office of the chancery that affects every parish and priest in the archdiocese: the Office of the Vicar for Clergy (or OVC, for short). It is a modest staff – three priests, a deacon, and seven laity. If you’ve ever called about a question or difficulty in your parish (or with your priest!), you’ve assuredly talked with someone in this office. They are the face – or voice – of the chancery and, by extension, of the archbishop himself.

I am embarrassed that it took me so long (20+ years) to realize it, but it hit me during this year’s Priest Days that perhaps we should be making some effort to do something for these folks. In conversation with one of the OVC staff, I said just this…. but couldn’t really think of anything that was fitting or feasible, and we ended the conversation without any actionable ideas.

Maybe an hour later, that staffer found me – while I was playing board games with some brother priests, no less – with the sentence that kickstarted everything: ‘you know, Father – the Olympic Peninsula would be a great place to visit’.

And suddenly we were off to the races. What if our parish family hosted a retreat – complete with housing, food, and events – for the OVC? This could be a whole-family affair, with involvement from each parish and as many groups within the parishes as wanted to join in.

Over the months of September and October, the groundwork began to be laid for what came to be called OVC Days. I have to admit, I was nervous about how this idea would be received by staff and parishioners alike – this was going to be an investment of time, money, and effort for a group of people who could be seen at best as strangers and at worst as interlopers from the big bad chancery. I was pleasantly surprised to find that my worst fears were unnecessary; folks were excited at the idea of welcoming and offering care!

Though we initially hoped to make this a multi-day affair, the logistics of shutting down an entire chancery office and having them away from home & family brought us back to reality! It was settled that we would have a welcome dinner the evening everyone arrived, put folks up for the evening, and have the full day after to roll out the red carpet.

And what a roll out it was! Our efforts had several aspects, but the part that I am especially proud of our communities for creating was the gift baskets. Each OVC staffer was presented with a basket of goodies – goodies, I hasten to add, that were *all* local to the Olympic Peninsula! A parent provided handmade soap from their own business. A parishioner offered bottles of honey drawn from the hives they maintained. Bath bombs from a local business and (of course!) a bottle of Bedford’s Craft Soda completed the material offerings.

But the heart of this effort was – as all things ought be! – rooted in prayer. With a little bit of sleuthing and some discreet information-gathering, brief biographies of each OVC staffer were put onto postcards. Word went out to our parishes and school: would you be willing to adopt an OVC staffer, pray a novena for them, and sign & send a thank-you card to them? It was my hope that we would have two, maybe three cards for each member of the OVC.

We had nearly 60 groups (including each of our school classrooms) ask to adopt a staffer. For those doing the math at home, that is an average of just over FIVE cards per staffer! Not only that, but we had to turn away extra gifts people brought to the office for their adopted staffer and/or the entire OVC. 

This week, it came time to actually put our efforts to the test. On Monday night, we gathered at the home of a couple who generously offered to host the welcome dinner for the OVC. Deacon Dan, by the way, deserves kudos for donning an apron and serving as the maître d’! The hosting couple put on an amazing spread – I’m afraid that we provided quite the occasion of sin (that of gluttony!) for our guests! There were at least five appetizers, four different main dishes to choose from, and two desserts. Though they would prefer to remain unnamed, I would be remiss if I didn’t at least sing the praises of the three people who made all of this possible: it was amazing.

Food, by the way, was a not-insignificant theme of OVC Days. The very next morning, the Knights of Columbus provided breakfast, served in the gym with artfully decorated tables and (of course) more sausage, eggs, pancakes, and gravy than any doctor might recommend! Our entire staff showed up in force and joined the OVC staffers, kicking the day off with much conversation & laughter.

The OVC staff asked to have a presentation for their time together – they chose transitions as their point of reflection. One of their number is retiring at the end of this year, another was married last month, others have experienced difficult losses or changes in their lives, and everyone has Partners in the Gospel on the mind. They asked if I would give that presentation – something I felt quite unqualified to do! But as my priest support group reminded me, the focus always belongs on Jesus, so we spent about half an hour reflecting on the transitions that Jesus experienced and considered how we might join the movements of our lives to those of His.

Prayerful reflection being heavy work, another meal was called for! For this one, we wanted to provide the OVC with an opportunity to hang out among themselves – albeit with one of the best views & venues Port Angeles has to offer: Downriggers on the Water.

Our schedule after lunch was fairly modest – time for reflection, rest, or recreation. We gathered a couple hours later and concluded with Mass. It wasn’t hard to see Divine Providence in the liturgy: we celebrated the memorial of Saint Charles Borromeo (patron saint of parishes) and the first reading was from Romans, chapter 5: “We, though many, are one Body in Christ and individually parts of one another.”

After many thanks and hugs, the staff from the OVC piled into their cars to make the trip back home to Seattle. I got a photo that evening of them gathered on the bow of the Kingston ferry, smiling happily and offering their gratitude for all that our parish family had offered.

Foremost, I am so very proud of our communities. Parishioners from every single one of our churches joined in this effort, with folks offering support and encouragement at every step. There wasn’t just a willingness, there was an eagerness to throw open our doors and welcome chancery staff that many didn’t really personally know about at all.

Truth to tell, my motivations in this effort have been a mix. Foremost, I hoped that we would be able to make an offering of support and thanksgiving to a group of people who perhaps don’t often receive such from the average parishioner. By all accounts, this goal was not just met, but accomplished with flying colors!

But there is a local pastoral desire as well. Especially for us who live so far away from the chancery, who are separated from Seattle not only by geography but in our culture, viewpoints, and maybe even ecclesiology, there is a great temptation to see anyone who works for the chancery as ‘other’….or maybe even as antagonists. At least in my heart – and perhaps even at times in my actions – I have been guilty of this myself. It is so easy to forget that organizations are organizations of people – people who share the same hopes, fears, struggles, and triumphs as us.

The postcards we put together for our groups to get to know about and pray for OVC staffers – click to enlarge and/or navigate the images

For the better part of a month, our parishes had an opportunity – and took that opportunity! – to see chancery staff as they are: members of the Body of Christ, co-workers in the vineyard, and fellow Catholics. We learned a little about them on a human level, took time to offer of our gifts for their good, and prayed for them. In the process, the gap between ‘us’ and ‘them’ was revealed to be much smaller than we might have otherwise thought.

It is my hope that we do this kind of thing again next year – and that other parish families join in. How amazing it would be if every chancery office was hosted by a parish family (or group of parish families), if every parish family sought to connect annually with those who worked on their behalf, and every chancery office got to meet some of the people for whom they labor! 

I daresay that this is how we become partners in the Gospel – affirming the blessings we receive from each other and making of ourselves a gift in return. Certainly, we here on the Olympic Peninsula have experienced just this and are better for it! May the blessings of this effort continue to bear fruit for us all.