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Parish Leadership Team

During January and February, the members of our Parish Leadership Team have been attending our synod conversations. They have been serving as scribes, not only to help prepare a summary report for the archbishop but also to use what parishioners are sharing to help formulate our own parish’s goals and priorities. Because of that commitment, we have not held our normal monthly meetings.

We did gather to discuss the parish budget. I asked the Team what values they would like to see in the upcoming parish budget. They were able to give me some valuable history of the impact of COVID on the parish budget. They also affirmed the values of our parish’s outreach efforts, faith formation, and liturgy for the budget as well as having a just and livable wage for our employees.

Another item we discussed was a recommendation from the Life, Justice, and Peace Commission on starting a new ministry for the incarcerated. Already, there is a group of dedicated volunteers who would like to start this ministry. We will be introducing this “corporal work of mercy” to the parish at the end of March followed by a period where parishioners can comment. Part of this parish’s identity is its support of ministries and programs that spring from the ground up, which fits in with the parish’s mission. I mentioned “corporal work of mercy.” Can you name all seven? The answer is some place in the bulletin.

Reconciliation

This past week we celebrated first reconciliation with some of our children. It was rescheduled from an earlier date due to the rise of Covid infections stemming from the Christmas school break. It is a joy to welcome these children to a new experience of God’s love for them. It is also a delight for me to see their openness and enthusiasm in celebrating this sacrament, though sometimes there is a little nervousness as well. For many, as we get older, that enthusiasm for the sacrament lessens, and the nervousness increases. Maybe it is because we become more self-conscious. Or worse, maybe we begin to doubt God’s love for us (or worry that a priest is not going to be a messenger of that divine love). When I was growing up, Confession (as it was called back then) was a regular part of our Catholic elementary school schedule, as it still is today. Not having a school, it falls on the parents to ensure their children have an opportunity to experience God’s forgiveness and the freedom from sin that God desires for us. What would it be like if children knew their parents celebrated this sacrament? Would they grow up knowing that God can open any door, that we are free to become our best selves and that sin never need be the last word but rather the occasion to experience God’s love and mercy? With Lent just around the corner, plan now to celebrate the Sacrament of Reconciliation in preparation of Easter.

Christ in the Tabernacle

The main reason we reserve the Blessed Sacrament in the tabernacle is to be able to bring the Eucharist to those who cannot get to church. The Eucharistic presence of Christ in the tabernacle also creates a very special place of prayer. During the week, you can pray at the tabernacle. However, the main church doors are locked, and you need to enter through the parish office. During COVID, we ask that if you are praying in the Eucharistic chapel, keep six feet distance from others and always wear a mask. It is how we keep one another safe. So that we know who is taking the Eucharist to whom, we implemented new procedures. The Eucharist for the homebound is never given during the communion procession at Mass. The one taking Communion to the sick should approach the Sacristan after Mass, so that the names of the minsters to the sick and the ill person/people are recorded. We need to know who the Eucharist is being taken to and by whom. There is a log book to record this information. The tabernacle should always be kept locked and secured. If getting the Eucharist after Mass, the Sacristan has the key. If taking the Eucharist to the sick during the week, the key is at the front desk of the parish office. If you need Holy Communion brought to you, or if you are interested in participating in this important ministry of bringing the Eucharist to the sick and homebound, please call Laurie Moloney of our parish staff at 253-639-0701 x111.

During this pandemic, I have been reading more. One book I have been going through is Robert Putnam’s The Upswing: How America Came Together a Century Ago and How We Can Do It Again. Robert’s thesis is that America’s Gilded Age — 1870s through 1890s — shows remarkable similarity to our own, including strong divisions in the country, a yawning gap between rich and poor, and a societal focus on “I” rather than “we.”

After the gilded age there was a steady improvement, with a growing sense we are in this together. The height of the curve was reached in the 1950s and early 60s, which represents the lowest gap between rich and poor; most favorable health indicators; highest social spending to help the poor; lowest political polarization; and the apex of America’s sense of moving forward together. Since the 1960s, we have fallen back to the level of the gilded age with the toxic fractionalization of today.

I found myself hopeful that our parish could be an oasis from the strong divisions and “me” mentality of our current situation. Yes, we do have differences, but those need not divide us. There was one quote in the book, “Where there is unity, there is openness to diversity.”

I was struck by the sharing at Mass a couple of weeks ago by some of our founding members. It was repeated a number of times how those first members were intentional about establishing an environment, where all are welcomed. I continue to be impressed by the outreach ministries in this community. It is one way we try to bridge the gap between rich and poor, not just through the material assistance we give but by the human contact we establish.

This pandemic may make us feel more isolated and alone, but our faith reminds us we are united to one another and to the Lord. Find ways to foster this unity: join together in the live streaming of Mass when you cannot physically be present; pray for the parish and its ministries; volunteer when you are able; learn more about your faith through our Faith Formation program; and support financially the mission of the parish.

We are living in the midst of a very “I-centered” time in our culture. We can choose to live as a “we” – united as God’s Holy People.

Pope Francis has called for a synod on the synodal nature of the Church. The word synod means journeying together. God journeys with us as we journey with one another. Journeying together calls us to listen to one another and to the Lord. Pope Francis states that the synod process “was conceived as an exercise in mutual listening… conducted at all levels of the Church.” This listening is not about garnering opinions or taking a survey. It is a matter of listening to the Holy Spirit as we listen to the experiences of one another, our hopes and dreams as well as that inner restlessness, which “impels us to consider what it is best to do, what needs to be preserved or changed.” The timing of this synod process on the parish level is great. It is time for our parish to review its five-year goals and priorities. As your new pastor, I want to know more deeply the hopes and dream as well as the needs and concerns of this particular community. We are now beginning our parish synodal listening sessions. Please sign up for one of these sessions that are currently scheduled through February. Your participation will helps us look at our parish and “to consider what it is best to do, what needs to be preserved or changed.” Information gleaned from these sessions will then be sent to the Archbishop for his diocesan report, which will be sent to the National Conference of Catholic Bishops and be included in a national report sent to the Vatican for a gathering of bishops from around the world in 2023. Be a part of this historic endeavor. Sign up for a parish listening session.