I don’t closely follow covid related stuff. When I start to see or hear something about it, I move right along, I have from the beginning. I don’t talk about it either as some people are zealous about their position, not willing to reason with others. It’s also a tar baby, getting you stickier and stickier when you touch upon the subject with no end in sight – ugh.

With that said, the omicron variant is spreading super-fast, doubling the number of infected worldwide every 2 – 3 days. So a lot of people are super scared all over again, like they were when this all started, or when the delta variant came on. I guess it will sweep through the world in the next couple of months. If covid is something we’ll be living with forever in one mutation or another; omicron might end up being a relatively good thing in that it is a far less deadly than past variants, thereby giving the world natural immunity (better than vaccine immunity) without the much higher death rates of the previous variants.

“For behold, I proclaim to you good news of great joy that will be for all the people. For today in the city of David a savior has been born for you who is Messiah and Lord.” Lk 2:10-11

It is my sincerest hope that the divine person of Jesus Christ, fill you with life and light this Christmas. If that is true, then you join me in being the most fortunate of people; for most people live without the knowledge that God became man, born of a virgin, to love us to death, and guide us to our true home – heaven. Imagine the world being without a savior, we’d be doomed to confusion and hopelessness. Many people throughout the world live like that now, as most people aren’t Christians and most Christians don’t practice their faith.

As the title of this column suggests, I have a few things to share about the Church as we roll toward Christmas and the end of another year.

The first is the state of the Catholic (universal) Church. Some of you are aware that Pope Francis has called for a synod on synodality. The words synodality or synod are a bit ambiguous, but its basic meaning in the context of the Church, is a body which gives the pope a way of discussing the issues of the day, and receiving feedback and advice from the episcopacy (bishops). Popes have always done this, consulting with their bishops on different matters, in one form or another. Pope Francis has used synods as a way of giving him legitimacy for making changes in the Church that he wants to see. Pope Francis wants to use the coming synod on synodality like previous popes have used ecumenical councils, such as Vatican II, to make permanent changes in the Church.

October is the month of the Rosary, and so today I submit another pastor’s column on this incredible devotion. I ran this column last year and plan to do so annually, as the mysteries in it release phenomenal graces for those who put them into practice.

While the Joyful, Sorrowful, and Glorious Mysteries of the Rosary have been around for centuries, it wasn’t until 2002 that Pope Saint John Paul II (St. JPII) introduced the Luminous Mysteries. He got his inspiration from a priest he canonized only the year before, Saint George Preca (1880-1962). St. George was a Maltese priest who founded a society of catechists which endures to this day, yet his greatest contribution to the Church was a set of private mysteries that he would pray the Rosary with. He called these the Mysteries of Light, hence St. JPII’s “Luminous Mysteries.” You can see here how they inspired St. JPII and how closely they paralleled his own Luminous Mysteries

Most of you reading this have heard by now that Archbishop Etienne is ending the dispensation from the obligation to attend Mass. The dispensation meant that attending Mass wasn’t an obligation as long as it was in effect. The dispensation ends this Wednesday, December 8th, the Solemnity of the Immaculate Conception. Mass times that day are 7am, 11am, and 7pm. If you know of other Catholics in Western Washington that have stopped going to Mass since the pandemic began, please pass this column onto them, either in paper or through our website (mouse over the “Resources” tab and click on “Pastor’s Columns”).

I include in this pastor’s column two things. The next couple pages are from a previous pastor’s column on the precepts of the Church, specifically the first one about the obligation to attend Mass. The final page has a letter from Archbishop Etienne about ending the dispensation from attending Mass.

In our Gospel this Sunday we hear Jesus describe himself as a King, and not just any King, but The King. Kings have Kingdoms, so where’s Jesus Kingdom? Everywhere He Is, and since He’s God, that means everywhere. If only he had subjects that would listen to Him and obey Him.

We live in a world that doesn’t recognize Jesus’ Kingship or authority at any level. That’s a tragedy for only in Him can we hope to find the fullness of goodness and peace. One day all political parties will cease to exist. One day all republics or democracies will cease to exist. One day the United States of America will cease to exist. One day the earth as we know it will cease to exist. Focus on what exists forever: God and souls. Do not sell yourself out to things that are passing away.

You and I were made to be saints, for Jesus says, “Be perfect as your heavenly Father is perfect” (Mt 5:48). One day when we get to heaven, if not before, we will be saints. Yet many will not make it to heaven if people like us don’t do what we can to share our faith through our time, talent, and treasure. That’s not an exaggeration. In heaven we will be made aware of all the souls that made it there because of the sacrifices we made for Jesus and His Church in this life. Likewise, we will be made aware of all the souls who didn’t make it because of our poor example and lack of effort – that could be you. If God is our highest priority, and He should be, then He should be seen in our day planners and checkbooks.

October is the month of the rosary and as you know by now, I’m a big fan of every Catholic praying it daily (so is God). For these reasons, I’m in the midst of writing pastor columns on different aspects of the rosary. What follows is the second part of a brief history of the rosary taken from a small booklet called The Rosary – The Great Weapon of the 21st Century. If you missed the first installment from last Sunday, you can find it on Holy Redeemer’s website here, or click on the resources tab, then click on the pastor columns tab. Information to obtain a copy of the booklet can be found at the end of this pastor’s column. Enjoy reading.

Last week I wrote on the rosary and now I’m back at it again. October is the month of the rosary and as you know by now, I’m a big fan of every Catholic praying it daily (so is God). For those reasons the next few pastor columns will be on a different aspect of the rosary. For today and next Sunday, it will be a short history of the rosary, a very good place to start.

What follows in two parts, is taken from a small booklet called The Rosary – The Great Weapon of the 21st Century. Information to obtain a copy of the booklet can be found at the end of this pastor’s column. Enjoy reading.

Jesus Christ: Yesterday, Today, and Forever ~

I haven’t written on this subject in a few years, but a couple of very serious recent developments have come to light and they have given me pause to reflect and share.

The first is the “heart beat” law in Texas. In case you are unaware, the Texas state legislature passed a law allowing citizens to sue abortion providers who perform abortions beyond the detection of a heartbeat, which is about six weeks after conception. What makes this case so newsworthy, as opposed to hundreds of state laws in the past 45 years that have tried to restrict abortion, is that the Supreme Court didn’t stop it. This is a huge victory for life. Over 50 thousand babies a year in Texas will not be killed because of this law. The Supreme Court is set to hear a case this year on whether or not Roe vs. Wade, the 1973 Supreme Court ruling that forced abortion upon all 50 states, should be overruled. If it is, and much prayer and fasting are needed for this outcome, then abortion will go back to congress or the states to decide. If the Supreme Court overturns Roe, then legal abortion in this country, which kills hundreds of thousands of defenseless, innocent, babies a year, will still be legal in most states, but the number of abortions will begin to dramatically decline.

We live in an age unlike any other in the 2000 year history of Christianity. A spiritual “Dark Age” that has seen the loss of faith in Christ and His Church by family members and the world at large; the breakdown of the Church, marriage, family, and society; as well as a steep climb in the rate of addictions to all things: impurity, screens, internet, video games, alcohol, drugs, overeating, sports, gambling, news, and every other vice. We need supernatural help – a way to powerfully pray anytime and anywhere for consolation, hope, and miracles. To that end, God has given us a gift from heaven: the rosary – a light in the darkness when all other lights have gone out.

The vast majority of Catholics in America do not get their news about the Church from Catholic news outlets. Rather, like the vast majority of all Americans, Catholics get their news from internet news sites, television news, or their local newspaper. This is a problem. I can’t tell you how many times in the last 20 years I’ve seen a headline about something Catholic that is misleading at best. We must remember that news outlets exist to make a profit, and some of them make big profits. How they make profits is not by running detailed and balanced stories, but by running splashy ones. Hey, splash sells newspapers and makes you tune into that TV program.

Here’s an example. About 11 years ago the European Union was attempting to come up with a constitution for itself. The bishops of Europe got together and wrote up a long-winded series of suggestions for the politicians to consider such as Europe’s Christian heritage and how that heritage made Europe possible as a continent of law abiding nations. The headline in Europe’s papers: “Catholic Church Hung up on Sex” – huh?

Ever since the pandemic took hold and schools were closed in March of 2020, parents have been asking me questions about schooling.  I should have wrote this column then, however questions keep coming up 18 months later so here I go.

Due to the pandemic, most American kids lost more than a year of schooling.  When schools were closed in March of 2020, almost all schools were simply out for the summer.  When schools reopened 5-6 months later online, in August/September of 2020, the retention of what they learned the previous year was seriously lacking for most kids, so they didn’t simply pick up where they left off.  Then in the 2020/21 school year, the kids did online classes until the spring of 2021.  As a learning model, the internet is way worse for most kids (and most adults) than in-class.  Now kids are back in school, but between what they missed in the past 18 months and what they have forgotten, most kids are honestly a year or two behind where they would have been otherwise.  Which brings me to some recommendations.

I want to thank all of you who participated in the survey last Sunday about changing the Sunday Mass schedule. A majority of you chose the 8:30 & 11:00 option. The 8:30 & 11:00 Mass times fit our programing a little better than the other, so I was relieved to see that outcome in the voting.

I want to also thank all of you for being so understanding. Changing routine is annoying. Change that replaces something that one prefers with something that one doesn’t prefer can be painful, yet I have not heard one complaint (so far) which speaks volumes about your selflessness. Thank you for your understanding and patience as we move toward a new Sunday Mass schedule.

Starting on Sunday, October 3rd, we will be moving the Sunday Masses to 8:30 & 11am.

Our current weekend Mass schedule is as follows: Saturday 4:30pm, and Sundays at 7:30, 9:30 and Noon. At some point in the near future we are going to restructure our three Sunday Masses down to two, while keeping our Saturday evening Mass at 4:30pm. Here’s why.

1. Need: In terms of seating capacity, we don’t need four weekend Masses. Our church comfortably seats 700 people; 800 elbow to elbow, and 900 thigh to thigh. We have 900 people in the pews twice a year; for the first Christmas Eve Mass, and the 9:30 on Easter Sunday. Pre-pandemic we were averaging 400 people per Mass, or 1,600 per weekend. Meaning, that even before Covid we had 1,200 empty seats per weekend, or 57% of our full capacity (pre-pandemic). Currently we are averaging 1,128 people per weekend with 1,672 empty seats, or 40% full. While it remains to be seen how many Mass-goers will return when the pandemic is completely finished, we don’t expect that number to return to what it was before the pandemic; some people have gotten used to not going to Mass. By the numbers, we’re offering more Masses than we need.

I’m recycling this pastor’s column from six years ago because the subject matter never loses its importance. Devotions, religious practices that are not obligatory, 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. One of the devotions that I want to encourage is known as: First Friday & First Saturday devotions. I found a website that does a fantastic job explaining these devotions that I include below. We are blessed at Holy Redeemer to have confessions and Mass available every Friday and Saturday, making these devotions possible. I encourage you to start observing them.

After having been a priest for about five years I came across the stages of the spiritual life. That’s right; I got none of this in my seminary formation! Having the knowledge that there is a path or way in the spiritual life, common to all saints, is super helpful – if you know what it is. One of my sabbatical goals was to explore the stages of the spiritual life; specifically to answer the question: how does one go from living in habitual mortal sin, to the highest state of holiness? I’m not the first to explore this topic; as one day on my sabbatical a monk simply handed me the information you’re about to see.

There are three basic stages of the spiritual life (holiness), called the Purgative, Illuminative, and Unitive Ways. One passes from the lowest (purgative) to the highest (unitive) along a spectrum.

What you ask, is the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary? The Church has always taught that like her Son, the Blessed Virgin Mary ascended body and soul into heaven (not just soul). There are two differing traditions as to where this took place: Jerusalem or Ephesus in Turkey [much more likely]; both traditions relate that at the death of the BVM, her soul left her body, then returned a few days later to reenter and reanimate her body, and then ascended into heaven with apostles looking on. Along with Jesus, the BVM is the only other person in heaven with both her soul and body – who has died. Two others have ascended into heaven but have yet to die: Enoch and Elijah – Genesis 5:24 & 2 Kings 2:11. Tradition holds that they will return in a later generation and give witness against the Antichrist, be slain, rise from the dead, and ascend again into heaven.

Well where do I begin? I’ve been gone now for over three months, the longest absence (by far) of my 17 year priesthood. I was on a sabbatical for the first three months; two of them at Mt. Angel Abbey living as a monk, the third month staying by myself at my family home in Stevenson, in the woods without TV or internet. The last week away was a family vacation. It was arguably the best three months of my life.

A little refresher: diocesan priests (parish priests) are entitled to a three month sabbatical every so many years depending on the diocese, for the Archdiocese of Seattle, it’s every seven years. Most priests never go on one as they never feel like it, or more likely, they don’t feel they are worth the effort, given all that goes into planning one. In my case, I had to find the priest coverage and of course know that things wouldn’t fall apart in my absence. There is also a stigma that I wasn’t aware of until I was on my sabbatical: lazy priest, or more likely, problem priest.

So why did I go away on a sabbatical?

If you only remember one thing from this pastor’s column, let it be this:

Catholics who marry are obligated to wed in the Catholic Church.  Failure to do so would constitute grave evil and the union would not be a valid marriage in God’s eyes. 

I never heard this fact growing up Catholic, so it was news to me when I discovered it in my early 30’s, and it may well be news to you too. 

So what happens to a Catholic who weds outside of the Catholic Church?  Although the union is recognized by civil society as marriage, it is not recognized by God as such: thus the couple are sleeping together outside of marriage.