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What Do We Do In the Absence of a Priest?

I would not mind being compared to Pope Francis. I am going to have the same surgery he had. Next week I will have minor surgery for a hernia repair. It is day surgery, but I will be home at least one week for recovery. Fr. Jim will cover the weekend Masses for us.

My recovery time is a good occasion to remind all what we do in absence of a priest. The two main areas of concern center on the Sunday Gathering for Eucharist and for people who are dying. If we were not able to find a priest to help, we do have people trained to lead a Liturgy of the Word with the distribution of Communion in place of the Mass. If the situation was not planned for, we may not have sufficient number of consecrated hosts in the tabernacle. We would need to request a neighboring parish to consecrate additional hosts for us or simply have a Liturgy of the Word.

When a person is near death, the Church has a beautiful ritual called, “The Commendation of the Dying.” This may be led by a priest, deacon, or layperson. If a priest is not available, we will have trained staff members and parishioners who can be with be with families at this difficult but holy moment.

The Anointing of the Sick, which requires a priest, is that prayer which we pray for healing and recovery from serious illness.

The term, “Last Rites,” has not been in official use for the past 60 years, since the reforms of the Second Vatican Council. The closest thing to a last rite would be the Commendation of the Dying or the reception of Holy Communion by the one going home to God. Neither of these require a priest. As a priest, it is always a privilege to be with people at these moments, and they are a priority.

With Partners in the Gospel, maybe a priest will be able to focus more on pastoral ministry. With fewer priests, there may be more occasions for the laity to be the presence of the Church for one another.

What do we do in the absence of a priest? We continue being Church.

Staff Changes Coming

We will be saying goodbye to Andrea Mendoza, who has served our parish as the Pastoral Assistant for Social Outreach and Advocacy. Andrea has accepted a position with Catholic Community Services. I would like to thank Andrea for all she has done for the parish and wish her well in her new role.

Since Partners in the Gospel will entail combining the staff of two or more parishes, we are thinking of waiting until our parish family is finalized and announced in January before deciding how to staff this important area of parish ministry. I am counting on the many parish volunteers in our outreach and advocacy programs to keep these ministries active and thriving in this “in-between-time”.

Anne Frederick, our Pastoral Assistant for Stewardship and Evangelization, by mutual agreement, has decided to reduce her hours to give her more quality time with her grandchildren. She will continue part-time in her current position.

Our Youth Minster position has remained vacant for over a year. We are currently conducting interviews and hope to fill this position in time for our fall programs.

One of the main roles of our pastoral assistants is to empower and support parishioners to be engaged in ministry. If you are feeling the nudge to participate in a parish ministry please contact Anne, any staff member, or myself.

Preparing for Mass

I prepare for Mass on my Sunday commute by listening to Charles Gounod’s, Messe Solemmelle de Sainte Cecile. This romantic style Mass was composed in 1855 for three soloists, mixed choir, orchestra, and organ. Not only does it ensure I am wide awake, it also helps my spirit soar as I make my way to the parish and our celebration of the Mass in a more modern style. I pull out of the driveway with Kyrie Eleison (Lord Have Mercy). As I pass by the Starbucks, the Gloria begins. With the first view of Mount Rainier, the Credo (I Believe) starts and the beauty and magnificence of creation reinforces the belief in the Creator. I enter the parking lot as the Sanctus (Holy, Holy) concludes. Once at the parish, I begin to think of the people and needs for which I want to pray. I also always think of at least one thing for which I am thankful.

Preparation for Mass can make the Mass more fruitful. That preparation could include looking over the readings, bible.usccb.org/. Most of us drive to church. You can use that time to listen to some relaxing or inspiring music. If you are traveling with family, you can ask each member old enough to speak what is a current need for which to pray and a blessing of the past week for which to give thanks. Remind children they can silently mention those things when we pause of our individual prayers in the Universal Prayers after the Profession of Faith as well as when the bread and wine are brought forward and placed on the altar.

Getting to church can be hectic, especially with little ones. How can you find a moment of peace to help you enter into more deeply the mystery we are about to celebrate? Let me know what works for you.

May Is Mental Health Awareness Month

I recently came across this article from National Catholic Partnership on Disability.

“One pastoral need facing the family as well as the parish family and larger community is the need for a better understanding of mental illness – what a mental illness is and what it is not. Mental illness is a biological brain disorder – physical disorder, not a choice, not a weakness, and not bad parenting.

Mental illness can be life-threatening and disabling for the patient and life-changing and traumatic for the family. People with a significant mental illness such as schizophrenia, bi-polar disorder, and major depression have a disturbance of brain chemistry. Irregular brain function causes people with these diseases to perceive their environment differently. With the onset of these diseases come difficulties in thinking, concentration, and organization.

Mental illnesses are treatable. With appropriate effective medication and a wide range of services tailored to their needs, most people who live with serious mental illnesses will be able to find a reduction in symptoms and a more satisfying measure of achievement and independence.

People with mental illness and their families face a stigma that they somehow caused this and are at fault and is a sign of disgrace. Somehow, they are not as good or smart as others. Mental illness, despite research, learning, and education, is still perceived by many people as a character flaw, a moral fault, or a sign of weakness, rather than what it is – a disease of the brain.”

The World Health Organization has declared that COVID-19 is no longer considered a health emergency on a global scale. Our government has also ended the “emergency” classification in our own nation. We, therefore, are relaxing some of our parish protocols and returning to the way we celebrated Mass prior to the Covid emergency.

There will no longer be a socially-distanced section in the Assembly. The hosts will no longer be kept covered on the altar. Eucharistic Ministers (EMs) will no longer be required to wear masks, as they distribute communion. It will be their option if they want to use one or not. EMs will sanitize their hands when they come up to the altar, not immediately before distributing communion. If a communicant receives communion on the tongue, the EM will sanitize his hands only if he believes saliva has touched his fingers. Sharing from the cup will return as an option. Because of the positive feedback we have received, we will continue to invite people to come forward with their tithe and food donations.

COVID-19 has not disappeared, and there still are tens of thousands of cases in the country. Here is what you can do to keep the community safe.

• If sick with any cold or flu symptoms, stay home.
• Keep updated with your vaccinations.
• If you have been exposed to COVID-19, follow CDC guidelines.

For the time being, we will continue to supply masks and hand sanitizer for those who wish to use them.