We had a good presence at White Center Jubilee Days last weekend. Roger Thibodeau (see picture) had a booth with JMJ Hearth Breads and information regarding our parish. Also, Paul and Brandy Grady sold rosaries and provided information on how to pray the rosary. Jubilee Days attracts people from our neighborhood and beyond. The delicious and nutritional Hearth Breads sold well, but more important, we reached out to people who might want to know more about Holy Family.

Perhaps you know someone who is interested in the Catholic Church. Enrollment is now open for R.C.I.A. (Rite of Christian Initiation for Adults). Please call Gary Samaniego, 206-767-6220, ext. 114, for more information and to sign up.

This weekend our new principal, Mr. Francis X. Cantwell, will speak at all Masses. He will be available after Mass to answer your questions about our parish school and to provide information for registration. Frank is a retired Air Force lieutenant colonel and most recently has taught math and served as administrative intern at Chief Sealth High School. Frank brings a great enthusiasm and vision for Holy Family School. I ask you to please listen attentively to Frank’s message and to offer a prayer for the vital work of our parish school. Our current enrollment is 157, but we will see that climb as we get closer to the beginning of a new school year. If you know parents who might be interested in sending their child or children (pre-K to eighth grade) to Holy Family Parish School, please pick up a brochure for them.

Summer is a good time to consider prayer before Jesus, truly present in the Blessed Sacrament. Our Adoration Chapel (Ailbe House, 9641-20th Ave SW) is open twenty-four hours a day. On Wednesdays, from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m., we have Eucharistic Adoration in our main church, but otherwise the Adoration Chapel is open seven days a week. If you are troubled, come to Jesus. If you are burdened with many problems, come to Jesus. If you have a grateful heart, come to Jesus.

I also invite you to join our Friday morning prayer vigil at the West Seattle Planned Parenthood. Holy Family Respect Life Committee began these vigils in July of 2004, and we have held them almost every Friday morning since then. As you know, Planned Parenthood is the largest abortion provider in our country and throughout the world. According to their own statistics, Planned Parenthood killed 289,750 tiny children in single recent year. They provide abortion and birth control to minors without informing the parents. There are documented cases of Planned Parenthood covering up statutory rape.

Planned Parenthood has a long history of targeting minorities, opening clinics in neighborhoods like ours with significant minority populations. A website that opposes the “black genocide” of abortion made this statement:

"Planned Parenthood had an income of over a billion dollars and a profit of $114 million. Even though Planned Parenthood has profits of millions they continually try and get special favors from us by way of our taxes and last year they received $336 million of our hard earned money to murder prenatal infants. Planned Parenthood kills more prenatal infants than any other corporation in our country. Planned Parenthood and the rest of the abortion industry kill over 1000 Black Babies a day all around the country." (see: http://www.preciouschildrenofportland.org/)

At our Friday morning prayer vigils, we pray for our country and for our Church, that we will reject a culture of death and embrace a culture of life. We pray for those tempted by abortion and those who work in the abortion industry. We pray for moms (and dads) who have been wounded by abortion. And of course we pray for our selves, aware of our own sins, for a deeper conversion to the Lord. Join us on Fridays in front of the Ailbe House at 7:15 a.m. or 7:30 a.m. on 28th Ave (in front of Safeway).

Every day we need to ask God for a respect for the dignity of each person we meet. Abortion is prejudice against the unborn. At the other end of the life spectrum, we are seeing a great attack on human dignity. You are probably aware that there will be an initiative on our ballots to legalize physician-assisted suicide. 'Physician' means a licensed M.D.; 'assisted' means helping; and 'suicide' means deliberately ending life. You will be hearing more about this initiative (I-1000) in coming weeks. I am deeply concerned about the message that I-1000 could send to our young people – that a person somehow has “right” to take their own life. We do not. Our lives belong to God. If a person is contemplating suicide, we want to talk with them and help them understand that their life is a gift from God – and that, no matter what they are suffering, their life has a meaning and purpose given by God.

Este fin de semana el Sr. Francis X. Cantell dará una presentacion en todas las misas. El Sr. Cantwell es director de nuestra escuela parroquial. “Frank” es un coronel teniente jubilado de los Fuerzos Aereos de este pais. Recien enseñó matematica y servió en la administracion de Chief Sealth High School. Les pido escuchar con atencion a su mensaje. Despues de la misa el Sr. Cantwell estara presente para contestar a sus preguntas y dar informacion sobre como inscribir a su hijo en la Escuela de la Sagrada Familia.

En la parte en ingles hay una invitacion a participar en las vigilias pro-vida, todos los viernes a las 7:15 a.m. He escrito algo sobre el daño que hace Planned Parenthood, no solamente en la destruccion de tantos niños no-nacidos, sino en su historia de racismo que continua hasta hoy dia. Recien una organización pro-vida denunció a la Planned Parenthood Federation of America (PPFA), una de las trasnacionales abortistas más grandes del mundo, de concentrarse en las latinas que viven en Estados Unidos, para que cada vez más se sometan a un aborto:

"Desde su fundación en 1916, Planned Parenthood ha concentrado sus esfuerzos y programas en las minorías. Desde el 'Proyecto Negro' en 1930 hasta el día de hoy, hemos visto que la cadena abortista trabaja duro para evitar y prevenir los nacimientos de los hijos de las minorías."

Roger Thibodeau - Holy Family Parish booth at White Center Jubilee Days (June 19-20, 2008)

Roger with Paul Grady (his wife Brandy made rosaries for the booth)

Greg Miller to right