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...

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...

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...

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...

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...

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...