Siete jóvenes de nuestra parroquia están asistiendo al Día Mundial de Juventud en Colonia, Alemania. Rezamos por ellos y todos los jóvenes que están participando en este acontecimiento. Seguro que habrá muchas noticias, especialmente de le misa y homilía del Papa Benedicto XVI.
El seminarista Meter Mactutis será ordenado al diaconado de transición el 4 de septiembre. El arzobispo Brunett celebrará la ordenación a las 10 a.m. aquí en Sagrada Familia. La misa se llevará a cabo a las 10 a.m., así combinando los servicios de 9:30 y 11 a.m. Como la ordenación diaconal del Padre Armando Pérez, se celebrará en ingles con cantos y otras partes en español. ¡No la pierdan!
El trabajo sigue en el sótano de nuestra escuela. Como Uds. saben, en el mes de julio – gracias a su apoyo de la Campaña Capital – hemos podido quitar los asbestos del piso, las pipas y otros lugares. Resulta que el piso tiene quiebras significantes que tenemos que reparar y nivelar antes del comienzo del año escolar. Haremos las reparaciones en una manera para facilitar la renovación que se realizará en el verano de 2006.
Gracias por sus contribuciones la semana pasada para el sistema de seguridad. Un motivo para esto es el vandalismo de la estatua de San Miguel. Esa estatua, igual que la del Sagrado Corazón, está ahora en un lugar seguro. Gary Samaniego está trabajando con la compañía de seguros en cuanto a la reparación de la estatua de San Miguel. Les avisaré cuando tenga mayor información.
Seguro que han escuchado del tentado contra la Iglesia de San Marcos en Shoreline el domingo pasado. Esto, junto con las cosas aquí en Holy Family, indica que la vigilancia de todos es necesaria para prevenir este tipo de crímenes. Si ves alguna actividad sospechosa, llamara a 911 y notificarme a mí o el Padre Ramón, Diacono Abel u otra persona que trabaja en la parroquia.
El día lunes es la Solemnidad de la Asunción de la Virgen María. Habrá misa en español a las 7 p.m. María es madre de todos, incluyendo a los no nacidos. Si quieres ayudar a mamás en embarazos difíciles, favor de considerar la posibilidad de ser un voluntario para Birthright (Derecho de Nacer). Se puede llamar a Mónica, 767-6220, para mayor información.
It was a beautiful feeling last Sunday to give the blessing to the members of our parish attending World Youth Day. As you know, seven young people from Holy Family Parish are participating in that event. The events in Cologne, Germany, will receive a lot of publicity this week, especially the Mass and homily of Pope Benedict XVI. Please pray for our young people and all those present at this life-changing event.
Speaking of life-changing events, seminarian Peter Mactutis will be ordained to the transitional diaconate on September 4. Archbishop Brunett will celebrate the ordination Mass here at Holy Family Parish. The Mass will take place at 10 a.m., thus combining the 9:30 and 11 a.m. services. The ordination Mass will be in English with some elements, such as songs, in Spanish. Don’t miss it!
The work goes on in our school basement. As you know, earlier this summer – thanks to your support of the Capital Campaign – we were able to remove the asbestos from the floor, the pipes in the ceiling, and other places. It turns out that the floor has significant breaks and cracks, which need to be fixed and leveled out before school begins. We have been working on getting the best bids to do the work in a way that will facilitate the renovation that we will do in the summer of 2006.
Speaking of the Capital Campaign, I would like to make the following apology on behalf of our Follow-up Chairman: As many of you may have noticed, there were a couple of errors concerning the amounts in your pledge in the August Capital Campaign pledge reminder for our monthly donors. The "Total Amount Pledged" and the "Total Balance" was incorrect. The "Total Paid to Date", however, as well as your "Pledge Rate" should be correct. The error was caused by an overlooked incorrect date when running the letters and not by any inaccurate information in our Data Base concerning your pledge. Next month's reminder should reflect the correct amounts. Thank you for your patience during this process!
Thank you for your contributions last weekend toward improving our parish security system. A major impetus for this has been the vandalism of the St. Michael statue. That statue, as well as the Sacred Heart, is being stored in a safe place. Gary Samaniego has been working with our insurance to have the St. Michael statue repaired. I will let you know when we have worked out the details.
I am sure you all read or heard the news about the firebombing attempt against St. Mark’s church in Shoreline. It makes one wonder about what is happening in our society. At the same time, good Stewardship requires us to do all we can to protect the material goods entrusted to our use. I ask your vigilance if you see suspicious activity anywhere on parish property. Call 911. Then notify me, Fr. Ramon or someone else on the parish staff.
This Monday is the Feast of the Assumption. Although when it falls on a Monday, it is not a Holy Day of Obligation, I still encourage you to make every attempt to attend Mass on this important feast day. We will have Mass at 8:30 a.m. (English), 6 p.m. (English), 7 p.m. (Spanish) and 8:30 p.m. (Latin).
One of Mary’s titles is “Mother of the Unborn.” A way of honoring her is by supporting Birthright, even becoming a volunteer. Another thing you can do is to join us at our Friday morning prayer vigils. We gather in front of the Ailbe House at 7:15 then walk to the Planned Parenthood clinic, reciting the rosary on the way. We do not condemn those who work for Planned Parenthood, but pray for them and for all of us so that we can resist those things that lead to death and embrace a true culture of life.
Crisis magazine had a review of Valley of Bones, a novel by Seattle author Michael Gruber. Here is part of what they said:
Michael Gruber could not be more respectful and serious about the Catholic Faith in this novel. Creating a female protagonist as a virtual St. Joan among the Dinka people of the Sudan is a very bold and brave act that he just manages to bring off. A sense of genuine faith shines through, as unorthodox though the setting may be. In his own way, Gruber shows us the makings of a saint in an all-too-horrible, secular world. This author is clearly someone to watch.
The review piqued my interest, and I checked the novel out of the White Center Library. It was a real page-turner. I recommend it with the following caution: the novel depicts some extreme forms of human evil, such as child abuse and torture. It takes a strong stomach to read certain sections of Valley of Bones, but that is part of the world we live in. On the positive side, Michael Gruber not only writes accurately about Catholic practices, but he gets inside the Catholic faith in a way I have seen in very few novels.
One more recommendation: check out the display of art works by parishioner Joe Keppler at Zeitgeist (171 S. Jackson). Using metals such as steel and copper, Joe has created a variety of works: Steel Guitar, Learning to Dance, Maria and others. If you are near Pioneer Square, take a look at some of the talent we have among us at our parish.