A possessed woman, snarled at Saint John Vianney and said: “If there were three like you on earth, my kingdom would be destroyed. You have taken more than eighty thousand souls from me.”

This statement by Satan toward St. John Vianney is very interesting, because St. Vianney is the only priest out of thousands whom the Church has formally declared a saint (canonized) who was just a parish priest.  Not a parish priest and a founder of a religious order, or a parish priest who went onto become a bishop, missionary, monk, theologian, etc.  He was a parish priest throughout his priesthood, the only one ever to be declared a saint in 2000 years of Christian history. 

This Sunday we have the honor of hosting a choral ensemble called “Chor Anno.”  This is a choir made up of music professionals that sing uplifting and, at times, Christian songs.  Holy Redeemer Parish hosted them last year and I discovered how impressive they are.  During those 90 minutes I was at times driven to goosebumps. 

The ultimate origin of music is God, so music has supernatural power.  At many points in our lives, we have listened to a favorite song over and over again.  Why?  Because it moved us in some powerful, mysterious way.

If you’ve heard at least a handful of my homilies, then you’ve heard me mention, at least in passing, how harmful screens our to our lives. Barring a chastisement (and one will come), screens of all kinds are here to stay: TVs, computer monitors, iPads, smart phones, and any others I don’t know about or that haven’t been invented yet. Screens can waste away a person’s life...

More than at other time in human history, people are swamped with information.  ...  We must be discerning not only about the information we access, but the degree to which we access it.  This is also true of where we get information about our Catholic faith.

At this point, it should simply be assumed that non-Catholic sources intentionally run misleading stories to undermine the Catholic Church, while championing heretical Catholics and denigrating faithful Catholics. ...Recently, The Seattle Times published a hit piece on the Archdiocese of Seattle’s handling of the sexual abuse claims.

This pastor’s column is an update on where things stand for the three communities that share me as their pastor: Holy Redeemer Parish (HR), St. Thomas Aquinas Parish (STA), and Our Lady Star of the Sea Mission (Star).

            As of July 1^st, we entered phase #1 of the Archdiocesan plan to reorganize.  What that amounts to at this point for us is sharing our priests (pastor and vicar) and staff. I do not know what the future holds.  I was told that the next phase (phase #2) will be shown to the priests and staff in September.  Whatever is in that phase would be worked on over a one-to-three-year period of time.

More than at other time in human history, people are swamped with information.  With the internet being in the palm of everyone’s hand, information is everywhere, some of it true and helpful, some of it misleading and evil.  We must be discerning not only about the information we access, but the degree to which we access it.  This is also true of where we get information about our Catholic faith.

This Thursday, August 15th, we celebrate the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary into heaven. It will be a holy day of obligation, so please treat Mass attendance with the same determination as you would Mass on Sunday. Masses at Holy Redeemer will be at 8:30am, 11:00am, 7:00pm. Masses at St. Thomas will be at 8:30am and 7:00pm. Mass at Star of the Sea will be at 4:30pm.

What you ask, is the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary?

“But whoever denies me before others, I will deny before my heavenly Father.” Jesus ~ Mt. 10:33.

I read an article over a year ago about the great loss of faith amongst Americans, and the rest of the world for that matter. I’ve attached the article below. How do we deal with this? The answer to that is the same in every age but especially in this one: sanctity. If you and I want to help people who have stopped believing what the Catholic Church has always taught, or more honestly, people who simply don’t care enough to live it, then the best we can do for them is to be a saint.

We know how to add, subtract, multiply, and divide; we know how to drive a car with all its myriad rules; we know about photosynthesis; we know what it takes to do our taxes annually; but when it comes to knowledge of our faith, we can be woefully uninformed. I thought I’d write this column on the basics every Catholic should know, or at least what can fit on one sheet of paper. You might want to save this and magnetize it to your refrigerator and share it with your family.

The Washington State Primary Election is August 6th and mail in voting opened on July 19th. As Catholic citizens we have the privilege and obligation to “see that the divine law is inscribed in the life of the earthy city...” (Second Vatican Council, Gaudium et Spes, no. 43).

As in years past, the United States Conferences of Catholic Bishops have written a voting guide on “Forming Consciences for Faithful Citizenship.” It may be of help in informing your conscience and guiding your decision making. It is worth a read if only once in your lifetime.

Parish Family #46: Holy Redeemer, St. Thomas Aquinas, Our Lady Star of the Sea

As almost all readers of this pastor’s column know, the Archdiocese of Seattle, to which all of the Catholic Church in Western Washington belongs, is undergoing the greatest restructuring in its history…As a result of this restructuring, called Partners in the Gospel, on July 1st I became the pastor of Holy Redeemer Parish in Vancouver, St. Thomas Aquinas Parish in Camas, and Our Lady Star of the Sea Mission in Stevenson. Over time, these three communities are expected to become one.

Human nature being what it is, we take what we have or know for granted, as if what one person experiences is normative for everyone else. It frequently isn’t. …We especially notice what we had when we lose it – “you don’t know what you’ve got until it’s gone.” It is important to acknowledge what is good, appreciate it, and give thanks to God for it. Holy Redeemer Parish is truly a parish to appreciate and give thanks to God for.

Last month, at the graduation ceremony for Benedictine College in Atchison, Kansas, a 28-year-old man gave the commencement speech, and it was the best commencement speech of all time. Harrison Butker is the Kicker for the Kansas City Chiefs NFL football team. … What Harrison did was call his fellow Catholics to faith in Jesus Christ and His Catholic Church, not shying away from truths that our world has rejected to its detriment. Harrison modeled courage.

Recently I came across the article on the other side of this page about decluttering. I thought it was good enough, and simple enough, to make a pastor’s column about it. More specifically about the importance of order…We see order in all of God’s work, the macro to the micro. From the universe and its billion plus galaxies, to the billion stars within each of those galaxies (average), to all the planets circling those stars (solar systems), to the moons attached to those planets, to all the creatures on earth (too numerous to count), to the order within our bodies, organs, billion cells within each human being, the immense order of our DNA, to the order of our relationships. Order is essential for families, government, workplaces, and the Church.

Our readings this Sunday feature two of hell’s most powerful demons, Satan and Beelzebul. So, I thought I’d use this column to bring up one way the fallen angels gain access to us, a way most of you are not aware of.

Jesus Christ left us an inestimable gift before he parted from this world, that gift is His Very Self in the form of the Eucharist. As most of us know, the bread and wine consecrated at Mass becomes the Body, Blood, Soul, and Divinity of Jesus Christ (who is God). This isn’t just what Catholics believe, as if others who believe differently might be right too, nor is this true because we want it to be; the bread and wine consecrated at Mass truly become the Body, Blood, Soul, and Divinity of Jesus Christ whether we accept this fact or not.

All Glory be to the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit. As it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be, world without end. Amen.

Today we celebrate or acknowledge, the One Triune God. A communion of Divine Persons: Father, Son, and Spirit. God exits in a family, and He created us to exist in them too. We need to honor that.

May the Holy Spirit be worshiped and praised ~

While Jesus Christ, the Second Person of the Holy Trinity takes center stage every Sunday, on this one Sunday, Pentecost, we specifically honor the Holy Spirit. Today I recycle a pastor’s column from five years ago about the fruits and gifts of the Holy Spirit.

This Sunday we celebrate the Ascension of Our Lord Jesus Christ into heaven. I found this good summary of the Ascension, abridged for space, written by Fr. Rick Poblocki at www.thestationofthecross.com/catholic-qa-the-ascension-of-the-lord/. I hope you enjoy it.

Within the past couple of weeks, you received a letter from Archbishop Etienne and me introducing you to this year’s Annual Catholic Appeal (ACA). Each year at this time we pause and consider all the good that is accomplished because of your support of the ACA: the homeless are sheltered, retired priests and nuns are cared for, our seminarians are prepared to serve as our future priests, and so much more.