Yesterday the Washington State Catholic Conference held our Cornerstone Catholic Conference gathering. Once again this year this event needed to be a virtual gathering rather than in person. As the banner above indicates, the theme this year focused on Forming Disciples for Life and Justice. I hope and pray all Read more…
God in His wisdom and infinite goodness has filled the world with a great diversity which is wonderful to behold. Four years ago the Archdiocese of Seattle began a celebration to bring together all the different ethnic groups that make up the family of faith in Western Washington. This gathering Read more…
A successful Catholic School requires among other things a close working relationship between the principal and the pastor. Holy Family Bilingual Catholic School is on the rise in part because of the dynamic duo of Larkin Temme, principal and Fr. Jose Alvarez, pastor! Yesterday we celebrated the completion of a Read more…
The global pandemic has claimed millions of human lives. In addition, it has revealed clearly flaws in our society that need a closer look and remedial attention so we can build a better home for every member of the human family. All of us can see an increase of human Read more…
I have many great memories from my youth, and today’s Gospel brought one to mind. Jesus poses a great question: “What is the Kingdom of God like?” He goes on to say it is like a mustard seed that when fully grown becomes a place for the birds to dwell. Read more…
This 30th Sunday in Ordinary Time found me installing the new pastor of St. Vincent de Paul parish in Federal Way. It was a joyous celebration and a very good representation of the parish were on hand. If you have never been to an installation ceremony, it is quite instructive. Read more…
The village of St. Kateri in upper New York when she was a child of only 4 years of age, was attacked by a smallpox epidemic. She lost her parents and younger brother and was severely scarred and nearly left blind. Baptized into Catholic faith at age of 18 or Read more…
The Archdiocese of Seattle has entered into a phase of Pastoral Planning inviting individuals, families, parishes, schools and institutions to prayerfully renew our relationship with the Risen Christ and to embrace anew the mission of the Church. As we draw close again to Christ, we cannot help but be renewed Read more…
After a morning in the office, I made the short drive to the headquarters of our Catholic Community Services / Catholic Housing Services – in short, the Catholic Charities arm of the Archdiocese of Seattle. I cannot begin to express my pride and gratitude for this group of people Read more…
The past few weeks have provided numerous opportunities to be with God’s holy, faithful people in ways that give me pause for gratitude for the great grace granted me to proclaim the riches of Christ. Another source of gratitude is the faith which I see in and experience through the Read more…