This weekend we say “good-bye” to Fr. Ramon Velasco. As he makes the transition to a new assignment, we wish him well and assure him of our prayers and continued affection. In his seven years and seven months at Holy Family, he brought healing and reconciliation to many individuals and families through the sacraments, especially Anointing of the Sick and Confession. He has also celebrated many Baptisms, Weddings and Funerals. He has blessed homes and cars; he has blessed children as they return home from school; he has blessed families in times of need and times of joy. With his easygoing, cheerful personality, he has participated in parish events and celebrations. For all these reasons and more, we feel close to Fr. Ramon and will miss him.

During his years here at Holy Family, we have seen different sides of Fr. Ramon’s personality. He has brought many gifts and a rich background to his service here. The pictures above capture some aspects of Fr. Ramon. I am sure that many parishioners have photos of Fr. Ramon that they keep as a remembrance of his involvement with their family. I ask all of you to pray for Fr. Ramon as he goes to his new assignment. As I write this, we still have not received the final word – although it looks like he is going to a part of our city that has an historic fame for eating lutefisk and lefse. That is probably enough of a clue for any Seattleite. His new assignment will be important for the “incardination” process, that is, being released from his religious order and being accepted as a priest of the Archdiocese of Seattle. We certainly want to pray that the process goes well because we have experienced how much Fr. Ramon has to offer in terms of priestly service in our area. So this weekend we wish Fr. Ramon well and assure him of our prayers.

Last weekend we said our farewells to Mr. Glen Lutz. He has served our parish these past three years as principal of Holy Family School. At the end of the 11 a.m. Mass, we presented Glen with a framed painting of St. Thomas Aquinas, patron of Catholic Education. The picture below was taken by Macabe Mooney (our present Grand Knight) at the reception after the 11 a.m. Mass. As that reception we also blessed the permanent memorial plaque for the Capital Campaign. It was an appropriate moment to honor Mr. Lutz. Our prayers go with Glen as he begins his new work in Tacoma.

This Tuesday we welcome our new parochial vicar, Fr. Armando Red. I will tell you more about him in next Sunday’s bulletin. Fr. Armando will celebrate the 8:30 a.m. Mass on July 1 and will be available for First Thursday confessions (6 to 8 p.m., July 3). Next weekend Fr. Armando will be the celebrant and homilist at the English Masses.

The First Friday of July coincides with Independence Day. We will have a special Fourth of July Mass at 8:30 a.m. I invite you to join with me in giving thanks for being a citizen of this great country – and to pray for our nation as we face a time of crisis. As Christians we need to do all we can to counteract the breakdown that threatens the foundation of our society. The greatest thing we can do is pray – and the greatest prayer is the Sacrifice of the Mass. Please join me and Fr. Armando for the 8:30 a.m. Mass this Friday.

Another good way to pray for our country is the Novena in Honor of St. Paul. This weekend we begin the Year of St. Paul, commemorating his 2000th Birthday. Please pick up a copy of the Novena and pray it individually or with family members. The Novena has this basic format: It has an opening and closing prayer, which are the same every day. Between the opening and closing prayers are different intentions for each of the nine days. With each intention you will see readings from St. Paul. You can pick any one (or all) of the readings. For example, the intention for the sixth day is “For Freedom from Addictions.” Related this intention you will find short readings from Galatians and Philippians – and a longer reading from Romans. If your time is limited, use one of the shorter readings. If you want to go deeper, use the long reading. As you will see, St. Paul explains the root cause of addiction and shows how to attain true freedom. After completing the reading(s), spend some time in quiet prayer, say an Our Father, Hail Mary and Glory Be and then say the Concluding Prayer. If you faithfully pray this Novena, you will receive a great personal blessing. Also it is a good way of asking God’s help for those you are most concerned about. For instance, on the fourth day of the Novena we pray “For Those Who Have Left the Practice of the Faith.” The Novena is also a good way to pray for our nation. The Closing Prayer includes a petition for our country. As a nation, we have deep roots in the teachings of the Bible. This Novena in Honor of St. Paul can help us reconnect with those roots.

El domingo pasado tuvimos la bendicion de la Placa Permanente de la Campaña Capital. Abajo hay una foto de la parte centrar “Ad Majorem Dei Gloriam,” o sea, “Al Mayor Gloria de Dios.” Como se puede ver, en el segundo lugar es el Grupo de Eventos Sociales que recaudó unos cuarenta y tres mil dolares para mejorar y renovar nuestros edificios. En la parte en inglés he escrito más – tambien de las despedidas del Sr. Glen Lutz y el Padre Ramon. Nuestros oraciones estan con ellos en sus nuevos trabajos.

Este domingo comenzamos el Año de San Pablo. Les invito rezar la Novena en Honor a San Pablo. Es un momento importante para recibir la gracia de Dios. Al declarar el Año de San Pablo, hablando en la Basilica de San Pablo, el Papa Benedicto subrayó la unidad de Pedro y Pablo: "Una antiquísima tradición, que se remonta a los tiempos apostólicos, narra que precisamente a poca distancia de este lugar tuvo lugar su último encuentro antes del martirio: los dos se habrían abrazado, bendiciéndose recíprocamente. Y en el portal mayor de esta basílica están representados juntos, con las escenas del martirio de ambos. Por tanto, desde el inicio, la tradición cristiana ha considerado a san Pedro y san Pablo inseparables uno del otro, aunque cada uno tuvo una misión diversa que cumplir: san Pedro fue el primero en confesar la fe en Cristo; san Pablo obtuvo el don de poder profundizar su riqueza."

Parish Stewardship Giving Summary
Wk. 52 of Fiscal Year (July 1, 2007 – June 22, 2008)

Amt. Needed 1st Collection Each Sunday:	$  12,289.00
June 22 Check/Cash Envelope:	$    6,840.50
June 22 EFT (Automatic Deduction):$       767.93  
June 22 Loose Cash:			$    2,928.35
June 22 Total Offering:			$  10,536.78 

Weekly Income Difference:		       (-) $    1,752.22   

Fiscal Year to Date
Goal 1st Collection FY to Date:		$639,028.00   
Collected 1st Collection FY to Date:		$616,322.04   
Difference 1st Collection FY to Date:      (-) $  22,705.96 

Some of the Gifts from the Other Half of our Stewardship
2-bit Collection (Deanery Hospital):		$     1,348.00  


Annual Catholic Appeal Update as of June 24

Total Households Participating:	      437
Total Registered Households:		    1078
% of Households Participating:	     40 %	

Total Pledged To Date:		$75,976.11
Total Required Donation Amount:	$62,759.00

Total Potential Rebate:		$13,217.11