It is hard to believe the month of July has nearly passed us by! This month has been far more engaging than normal, including a few unscheduled encounters.
In early July we held an annual chancery BBQ for all our employees. We are so blessed with the dedicated people who work for this archdiocese, and they truly understand that our primary purpose is to support our parishes, schools and institutions as well as personally carry out the mission of the Church, which is to proclaim the Gospel of Jesus Christ. There is also a great and growing culture of community and working relationships within this group of dedicated disciples. For them I am truly grateful!
There have also been an above normal number of meetings with the leaders of our Catholic Healthcare systems and Universities. Congratulations to Seattle University who announced the appointment of a new President and the first woman in the universities history, Dr. Maura Mast! On another note, I have two weddings this summer, which are a rare joy for me.
In addition, as you know, Pope Leo XIV in May published an amazing encyclical entitled Magnifica Humanitas, On Safeguarding the Human Person in the Time of Artificial Intelligence. This is leading to another layer of responsibility and an opportunity to meet and work with leaders in the AI world of technology and others. I assure you there will be more forthcoming on this front. For now, suffice it to say, this encyclical is more about the human person and the common good of humanity than it is specifically about artificial intelligence.
Occasionally there are opportunities that arise and the calendar permits or requires adjusting. The first of such moments occurred on a Sunday morning when I received a rather concerning text from our pastor in Olympia and Shelton that ICE agents had been showing up on church property and even in the church. Our newly ordained priest was making his first visit to St. Edwards for the weekend and the largely Spanish-speaking community was nervous. So, I jumped in my car and headed to Shelton arriving in time to visit with people and celebrate the 1:00 Spanish Mass which just happened to be the 17th anniversary of the dedication of the church! It was one of those moments when I truly felt like a pastor and the people were very grateful for the presence of their chief shepherd.
The following weekend I received word that two leaders of the Missionaries of Charity would be on a layover at the Seattle Airport and were curious if I had time for a visit. So, I met them at the airport one Saturday morning at 7:30am and drove them to our nearby parish, Vietnamese Martyrs church where I celebrated Mass with them and had a nice visit over coffee and breakfast. Please join me in prayer as we discern the possibility of some of their sisters coming to serve in the Archdiocese of Seattle.
In addition to the impromptu meeting with the Missionaries of Charity, I enjoyed a very nice visit with the Sisters of St. Joseph of Peace one day this month. I arrived early enough for a stroll on their beautiful grounds before celebrating Mass with them. From there we shared a nice lunch followed by an engaging Q&A session. The sisters are the sponsors of the Peace Health Catholic hospital system and I also had the opportunity to visit with the relatively new CEO of Peace Health.
The Feast of St. Kateri falls on July 16 every year and this summer found me celebrating with the Lummi Native community. The church, hall and front lawn were filled with nearly 500 people who gathered for Mass and the salmon crab feed that followed! This community has a strong connection with St. Kateri, as one of their members was miraculously healed through the intercession of St. Kateri, paving the way to her canonization!
Our Partnership for a World Without Nuclear Weapons is also in full swing. We are presently involved in planning another Pilgrimage of Peace, this time with a delegation coming from Japan to the United States. Stay tuned for more exciting details about this visit in late November – early December. In the meantime, make a note that our annual Mass for Peace will be held at St. James Cathedral August 6 at 12:10pm. Please continue to pray for peace in our world and especially for a change of heart in leaders of nations who have the responsibility to engage in the dialogue necessary to end the many wars and conflicts that afflict our world.
This past week I spent four days with our seminarians who came together for their annual retreat at our Retreat Center. God is blessing our vocation efforts as we have 23 young men now enrolled in our seminary formation program! I truly appreciate spending extended time with these men to pray, share meals and share conversations about their discernment and progress in formation. Please continue to pray for each of these men and for all the young men and women God is calling to a consecrated life of prayer and service.
Finally, as already mentioned to some extent, most weekends find me traveling to one parish or another to celebrate Mass and preach. Preaching continues to be one of the great joys of episcopal ministry. Last Sunday I celebrated the 10:00 Mass at the cathedral and this weekend I celebrated the 5:00 Saturday evening Mass at Our Lady of Lourdes in Seattle. This is one of our predominantly Vietnamese parishes and this weekend they are celebrating Our Lady of La Vang. Last night we held a special Mass in memory of the Vietnamese Martyrs, and were blessed with the presence of the Archbishop from Hanoi as well as several other visiting Vietnamese priests.
The pastor, Fr. Khanh Nguyen surprised me at the end of Mass when he presented the Archdiocese with a check for $30,000 to go towards our priest retirement fund. Thank you, Fr. Khanh and all the good people from Our Lady of Lourdes parish!
Finally, I hope to share an upgrade to this blog in the near future. I often wish to post various homilies and my blog guru is looking into a potential enhancement for this need. Thanks for reading and know of my prayers for all of you.
Keep living the faith and being a credible witness to Jesus Christ!
Peace!
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