Last week I ran the first part of this two-part series on Catholic funerals.  If you haven’t already read the first part, please do so by visiting Holy Redeemer’s website and clicking on the resource tab, then on pastor’s columns.  It takes you here https://holyredeemervan.org/pastor-columns/funeralspartone.

1.           Eulogies are permitted at funeral vigils, receptions, the committal (graveside), in homes, etc., but as per the Order of Christian Funerals and Archdiocesan policy: we do not do eulogies at funerals.  The focus at a Catholic funeral remains God and His power to save. 

Over the past fifty years or so, Catholic funerals have fallen on hard times.  Most Catholics do not have a Catholic funeral upon death, and the number that do continues to drop.  This is very unfortunate and clearly reflects a loss of faith in general, and a lack of understanding of the meaning and value of a funeral.

In a funeral, the Church marks the “passing-over” of a soul from this life to the next.  Think of the Jews being freed from slavery in Egypt by passing over to the Promised Land. This is commemorated every year in the Jewish Passover meal.  The passing over of Jesus Christ from this life to the next is commemorated every day in the sacrifice of the Mass.  In each case, a monumental change from one life to the next is being memorialized through a religious ceremony marking the passing over.

This Sunday we launch our new combined bulletin for the three communities that make up Columbia River Catholic: Holy Redeemer, St. Thomas Aquinas, and Our Lady Star of the Sea. 

Instead of producing three different bulletins of roughly twenty-four combined pages, we are now producing one bulletin with roughly twelve pages.  This saves our staff’s time and our resources, and improves our ability to communicate across our three communities.  Now we can see in one place what is important for all of us to know as well as things that are site/community specific.

Lent is an extended penitential season when Catholic Christians try to become better Catholic Christians.  Specifically, we try to make some sort of special sacrifice for God’s glory, the salvation of souls, and atone for our sins and the sins of the whole world.  Some people do big things for Lent and some people just one small thing, but we should all do something for Jesus who did everything for us. Lent will begin this Wednesday with ashes, so now is the time to start making a resolution.

Let’s keep Pope Francis in our prayers.  As of this writing (Wednesday, February 19) Pope Francis has been in the hospital for six days and is getting better.  For an 88-year-old man with double pneumonia, one lung and obesity, he’s overcoming a big set of variables, but he seems to be on the mend.  This has made me reflect on the importance of the Papacy regardless of who holds Saint Peter’s Keys.  I find myself feeling both sad at the passing of someone that hundreds of millions of people and I have come to know so well, mixed with trepidation at the thought of the Church being “leaderless” if only for a month or so. 

As part of the multiyear process of reorganizing the Church in Western Washington, each parish family needs to create a regional pastoral council called a Parish Family Advisory Council.  Once we get it up and going, we’ll formally call it Columbia River Catholic Pastoral Council, and informally, the Pastoral Council (simple enough).

What is a Pastoral Council?  What does it do?  How does membership work?  How often does it meet? 

My definition of religious devotions is religious practices that are not obligatory.  After the Precepts of the Church which are obligatory, devotions are the surest way to reveal God to us and to deepen our relationship with Him.  To that end, I encourage all of you to develop a devotional life to grow in your relationship with God through Jesus Christ and the Communion of the Saints.  You will be richly rewarded for your efforts and so will others because of you.  A set of devotions that I want to encourage are the First Friday & First Saturday devotions. 

Last weekend in Parish Family 45’s bulletin, newly ordained priest, Fr. Kyle Rink, wrote a column on what he does with his time.  I’ve asked him if I can run it as part of my pastor’s column this weekend and he has agreed.  It is attached on the second page of this pastor’s column.

Beginning this Sunday, January 26, the Church will observe Catholic Schools Week.  This weekend and the weekend of February 2, we’ll have representatives in the narthex after Mass from Regina Caeli Academy, and Columbia River Catholic Preschool & Kindergarten to talk to any prospective parents or grandparents about a couple of local options for Catholic schooling.  In a couple weeks’ time, we might have representatives from other local Catholic schools in the narthex too. 

I take an “all of the above” approach when it comes to supporting parents in their educational choices for their children.

Greetings Columbia River Catholic Community,

I am blessed to be your Parish Manager, assisting Fr. Nathe, our wonderful staff, and so many volunteers with the leadership of our amazing parish family, Columbia River Catholic Community.  I have been in this role now for 18 months and am still learning so much all the time.  By the time I retire, I might have it figured out 😊.  I worked in business for forty years, and the differences between working in that world and the world of the Church are dramatic.  In many ways, I’m relearning so many things, especially priorities, such as how much the Lord and you matter.  

“And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, full of grace and truth; we have beheld his glory, glory as of the only Son from the Father.” (Jn. 1:14)

I had a great Christmas. I hope you did too.  Part of my joy came from visiting a small women’s monastery outside of Post Falls, Idaho called the Carmel of Jesus, Mary, and Joseph.  Not more than 20 women (who all seem to be in their twenties) are living out the universal call to be saints at the monastery. 

The Christ Child Reigns!

In this country, Epiphany is celebrated on the Sunday between January 2–8.  Epiphany is a Greek word that means revelation or manifestation.  This Sunday we celebrate the manifestation of the divinity of baby Jesus to the nations (as opposed to just the Jews).  Until the 19^th Century, this feast day was as significant to Christians as Christmas, in some countries it still is.   

“And in that region, there were shepherds out in the field, keeping watch over their flock by night.  And an angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were filled with fear.  And the angel said to them, ‘Be not afraid; for behold, I bring you good news of a great joy which will come to all the people; for to you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord. ..”

Family is super important; without it the human race would go extinct.  It is the source of most people’s greatest consolation.  Yet family members can be very difficult to get along with, let alone live with.  Throw in the divine person of Jesus Christ and His life changing expectations, and some family members become downright hostile.  Why is that?  Almost everyone loves Christmas, the day we celebrate the birth of Jesus, yet so many don’t care at all for who or what Jesus actually is and stands for.  We do.

As you know, Advent is a short season in which we prepare to meet the Lord at His birth at Christmas.  The Gospel reading (good news) this Sunday calls us to repentance.  Repentance, because we are all sinners in need of God’s mercy, lest we meet Him one day to discover His justice.  We hear that theme throughout the year because it is so important for our salvation.  We also hear that theme over and over again because we don’t respond.

Years ago, I asked 2^nd graders to forgive me for something I said to their class at school…

I was born in Pannur, a traditional Catholic village of about 750 families in northeast Tamil Nadu State, India, on December 17, 1965. Catholicism in this area goes back to Saint Thomas the Apostle, who came to India in 51 AD. He first landed in Karala and then he came to Chennai, the nearest metropolis to my village. Our Catholic Faith goes back to the Apostle; he is the founder of Christianity in India.

We are all sinners yet no one in heaven is, yet they were on earth.  How does the transformation from sinner on earth to sinless in heaven happen?  How are our sins atoned for after death?  God has a plan for all this – purgatory – a word derived from Latin, meaning purgation, purification, or cleansing.  Purgatory is the process after death, of the saved, by which God’s justice for our sins is satisfied through our remorse (which is very painful), and we are purified by God and prepared to enter the beatific vision of heaven.

A little over a month ago (9/29/24) I wrote a pastor’s column about us calling ourselves “Columbia River Catholic.”  This pastor’s column is a follow up to that one, furthering clarifying who we are, where things stand right now, and where we’re going into the future.

            Because some were confused by my previous pastor’s column on Columbia River Catholic, I need to clarify some things.

Notice how Jesus Christ is a King and not a President?  The Kingdom of Heaven is a monarchy not a democracy.  There’s never been an election in heaven, and never will.  There, God rules as an absolute sovereign, and we’re grateful for that because He’s infinitely good and perfect.  If we had to govern heaven, we’d mess it up and it wouldn’t be heaven anymore. 

In reference to helping his parishioners grow in holiness, a good priest friend of mine says, “I can’t make anyone do anything, all I can do is offer.”  He’s right.  With that said, my priest friend’s statement would be more accurate if it was: “while I can’t make anyone do anything, God has entrusted me with the responsibility to try to help people grow in holiness.”  If you know me at all, then you know this is something I take to heart.