Weekly pastor’s post (October 20 – 26, 2024)

Weekly pastor’s post (October 20 – 26, 2024)

After spending a week on private retreat here at Mundelein seminary, I am joining my classmates for a 15-year anniversary reunion. About 20 of our class of 37 us are able to come and I am looking forward to reconnecting with friends, hearing about the various experiences of life & ministry, and generally having a good time together. During my retreat, I spent most meals with seminarians from various dioceses around the country. Throughout the many (delightful!) conversations, several things struck me. One is how young seminarians are - nothing like being among students to be reminded that though not (yet) old, I am very much not of the same generation! But what I find most edifying is the sense of fraternity and friendship as we sat...

Liturgical changes within Parish Family 49: communion

Liturgical changes within Parish Family 49: communion

Last week I kicked off a series on this blog about liturgical changes within parish family 49 (colloquially, the Catholic Communities of the Olympic Peninsula). My first post in this series was a prologue - an attempt to lay a basic foundation for us in preparation for our reflections on individual areas within our liturgical celebration. In this post, I would like to focus in on communion at Mass. While some are less apparent, other changes may be more visible to the average parishioner. Below is a list of the newly instituted changes, with links to specific sections for those who wish to jump directly to them: 1) Changes to for our Extraordinary Ministers of Holy Communion (EMHCs) no longer part of the entrance procession wear their...

Weekly pastor’s post (October 20 – 26, 2024)

Weekly pastor’s post (October 13 – 19, 2024)

This week sees me off to the University of Saint Mary of the Lake/Mundelein Seminary in Mundelein Illinois - I fly out on Monday for my annual retreat as required by the Code of Canon Law (CIC 276 §2) and archdiocesan policy (Many Gifts, One Spirit: Priestly Ministry, PM 88). It is a great gift that the Church requires of Her clergy  & religious that they make time away from normal ministry & life! Though it would likely be burdensome to most to require this of all Catholics, I heartily recommend it to everyone: we all could benefit from time away from day-to-day busy-ness, burdens, and work - instead sitting with the Lord in prayer & quiet, allowing ourselves to simply be.Meanwhile, life at the parish family continues onward...

Liturgical changes within Parish Family 49: prologue

Liturgical changes within Parish Family 49: prologue

This month begins the implementation of several liturgical changes at two of our churches in our parish family - Queen of Angels (Port Angeles) and Saint Joseph (Sequim). This was preceded by an extensive series of meetings, emails, and generally a lot of discernment & discussion - a pattern that will continue as we both refine current practices and consider new ones. Similarly, there will be explanations at Masses, in the bulletins, and here on my blog. But before we turn our focus to the particulars of changes current and upcoming, I'd like to take some time to talk about liturgy and law more generally. You may recall that I offered a heirarchy of values in my August post about liturgical celebrations in our parish family. The short...

Weekly pastor’s post (October 20 – 26, 2024)

Weekly pastor’s post (October 6 – 12, 2024)

The last two weeks have been pretty wild. The installation Mass on the memorial of the Holy Guardian Angels was wonderful. Despite having made the Oath of Fidelity several times in my life, I was surprised at how nervous I was before the Mass. I am particularly grateful to Bishop Schuster for setting me at ease throughout the liturgy and to all of those who greased every skid before, during, and after the celebration.We also our third parish family townhall gathering. Held at Queen of Angels in Port Angeles, it was well-attended and featured a good number of topics. Unfortunately, my phone & app failed me about 45 minutes in and I didn't notice to restart the recording until 30 minutes after that. However, you can still catch the...

Our third parish family townhall gathering (September 27, 2024 – Queen of Angels, Port Angeles)

Our third parish family townhall gathering (September 27, 2024 – Queen of Angels, Port Angeles)

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. I want to take a moment to offer my apologies to those who showed up at 6 pm thinking it was starting then.....because the pastor (that's me ¯\_(ツ)_/¯) wrote the wrong time in his bulletin insert. I am sorry for the bad information and for leaving you waiting an extra half hour - though I am very grateful for your willingness to stick around! It should also be noted that we had some sort of technical difficulty with the recording itself. For...

Weekly pastor’s post (October 20 – 26, 2024)

Weekly pastor’s post (September 29 – October 5, 2024)

Though only half-way done, this week has already been a whirlwind. The installation Mass this Wednesday at Queen of Angels turned out quite nicely, especially for an evening celebration in the middle of the week! I was pleasantly surprised at how many people were able to come - and from nearly all of our churches. Though I only had minimal speaking parts, if you will, I was caught off-guard at the intensity of emotions that hit me as I pledged to collaborate with our parish councils and renewed the Oath of Fidelity. It isn't that these are new things to me (on the contrary, this is the third or fourth time I have made this oath!), but the weight of it all hit me square between the eyes as I recited - hand on Gospels - this promise before...

Weekly pastor’s post (October 20 – 26, 2024)

Weekly pastor’s post (September 22 – 28, 2024)

A visitor (on top of the crucifix) at Queen of Angeles - he stuck around for several days before departing, but impressed me with his reverence at Mass This pastor's post from last week is going up late due to my website being down most of the week - what was supposed to be a simple server change became a bit of a saga to clear previously unknown DNSSEC settings. Fun times! In addition to unusual virtual activities, this week had me driving more than usual. After visiting all five churches with a three-day period (Saturday-Monday), I also went to Tumwater on Friday for a mandatory Department of Corrections orientation. This was the last step before being issued credentials so that I could visit and celebrate the sacraments with residents...

Weekly pastor’s post (October 20 – 26, 2024)

Weekly pastor’s post (September 15 – 21, 2024)

While I seem to be in the minority, I've been delighted by the turn to cooler weather these last few days - suddenly several layers of vestments doesn't seem quite so burdensome! 😉 Mario joins Yoshi and...himself (!) on my entertainment station table in the rectory But the change in season isn't the only reason for cheer; the return of our students to Queen of Schools is its own joy. Spending time with our students & parents at drop-off in the morning, visiting classrooms on Thursdays, and having school Mass on Friday are some of the highlights of my week. One of the students happened to have gone to the summer vespers & board games and, having enjoyed Mario Kart on the Switch, gave me a little Mario figurine in a kart! But it's...

Our Lady of Sorrows and the triumph of Christ

Our Lady of Sorrows and the triumph of Christ

Landing on a Sunday, today's memorial of Our Lady of Sorrows is superseded - we (rightly!) offer Mass for the solemnity of the 24th Sunday in Ordinary Time. I nonetheless celebrate this day each year - it was on this day, nearly twenty years ago, that a drunk driving accident at my alma mater Mundelein seminary claimed the lives of two of my classmates (Jared Cheek and Matty Molnar) and forever changed the lives of the two surviving seminarians. The driver, Rob Spaulding, would eventually be convicted of two counts of reckless homicide. The story did not end there, thank God. The parents of Jared & Matty advocated for their sons' friend, offering him forgiveness of a kind which I can only hope to model should it ever be asked of me -...

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