We had a nice visit from two Providence Sisters who taught at Holy Family School: Sister Rose Byrne, SP (AKA ~ Sister Kevin) and Sister Mary Aidan, SP (AKA ~ Sister Philomena Byrne). The picture (taken by HFS alum, Larry Zaborac) shows the two sisters with principal Glen Lutz and myself. We gave them a little tour of the school renovation. The Providence Sisters not only maintained our parish school for many decades; they continue to support with their prayers and even financially.

As we move forward with the ground floor renovation, we have received some unexpected and very welcome support from the Shea Foundation and the archdiocesan Fulcrum Foundation. It enables us to expand the renovation to include the four current classrooms on the ground level and to do some repair and renovation to the gymnasium and school entrance. These repairs will make our school more attractive to parents considering enrolling their children – and, of course, for overall parish use. I am most grateful for this support, which together with your ongoing support of the Capital Campaign is enabling us to make great improvements to our parish. On the bulletin board, I have put a few pictures showing the progress of the renovation.

One other improvement included in the Capital Campaign is the repair and re-striping of the parking lot. What we have done is much less costly than originally projected, but it will, nevertheless, give us an increased number of parking spaces. We are also hoping this week to make some improvements to the church sound system, also a part of the overall Capital Campaign. Keep up your prayers and support of these efforts.

Our prayers seemed to be answered this week by the decision of our state Supreme Court. You probably heard that they upheld the right of the Legislature to state the legal definition of marriage (which they did a decade ago in the Definition of Marriage Act). Archbishop Brunett sent a letter of gratitude which I have posted on our bulletin boards. Archbishop Brunett and others have pointed out that a re-definition of marriage to include the sexual union of two men or two women would not only undermine civil society - but would ultimately infringe on freedom of religious practice. It would force us to say something we can never say: that the sinful union of two men or two women is equivalent to marriage.

I couldn’t help notice the way some local media headlined the court decision: Supreme Court Upholds Ban on Gay Marriage. To understand why this headline is off-base, imagine this scenario: A group of 70-year-olds want to be legally declared teenagers and to have the rights which belong to that group (attendance at proms, free classes in biology, etc.). The Legislature replies by stating the obvious: only those between 13 and 19 can be considered teenagers. Unsatisfied, the 70-year-olds begin a legal battle. Finally, the highest court declares that the Legislature has the right to define who is a teenager and who isn’t. The Seattle newspapers then run a headline: Supreme Court upholds ban on 70-year-old Teenagers. Well, we don’t want to ban them. We just don’t think they fit into that category and to pretend otherwise would do no good either to them or to teenagers.

Lest someone say, “Father Bloom doesn’t like 70-year-olds,” I point out that the preceding paragraph is a parable. Teenagers and 70-year-olds have a different set of problems. Likewise, those struggling with same-sex attractions and those called to marriage face different challenges. I want to help people in both situations. And I note in passing that a person with some degree of same-sex attraction is not necessarily excluded from marriage to a person of the opposite sex. It has happened and still does - and those marriages sometimes achieve a remarkable degree of intimacy and fulfillment.

For us, these matters call us to prayer, to a deeper relationship with the Lord. I would like to invite you to join in a special prayer: every Friday, from 7:15 to 8:15 a.m., we pray the twenty mysteries of the rosary before the local Planned Parenthood facility. This July marks our second anniversary of this weekly prayer. We pray for not only an end to abortion, but a conversion to the culture of life, which includes peace in our world - a vital intention at this moment. Come and join us.

Finally, I ask you to support young pro-life pharmacists in their struggle for conscience rights. Please go to http://www.humanrighttoconscience.com/ for more information and to sign their petition.

Quisiera felicitar a nuestros jóvenes por su participación en el retiro espiritual en la parroquia de San Patricio, Pasco, WA. La foto los muestra antes de salir de Holy Familia, el día viernes en la mañana. Este fin de semana ellos van a invitar a otros jóvenes de participar en su grupo que se reúne todos los sábados a las 6:30 p.m.

En la parte en inglés di un reporte sobre el progreso de la renovación de la escuela y otros proyectos de la Campaña Capital. Seguro que Vds. hayan notado la reparaciones y nueva rayas en el estacionamiento (parking). El costo de este proyecto es menos de lo indicado en el presupuesto de la Campaña, pero, sin embargo, nos da varios puestos adicionales de parking. Gracias por su apoyo para la Campaña.

El próximo sábado Tendremos una oportunidad importante para apoyar la Campaña - y pasar un tiempo agradable. Les invito a todos venir al Kermes presentado por nuestro Grupo de Actividades Sociales. Todas las ganancias irán a la Campaña para el mejoramiento de nuestra parroquia.

En septiembre la escuela será mas atractiva para papás que quieren enviar a sus hijos a nuestra escuela parroquial. En todas las misas de español, el Sr. Glen Lutz (director de la Escuela de la Sagrada Familia) hará una invitación especial. El estará presente después de la misa y el día lunes, junto con la Sra. Frances Barron que habla castellano, para contestar a toda pregunta y aceptar inscripciones.