News - March 2021

Gary dos Santos carries himself like a good-natured little league coach. Comfortably in his forties with a career in biotechnology, house in Ballard, and a family (his grey zip-up hoodie with logo that reads “St. Benedict School” is a dead giveaway). He stuffs his hands deep into his pockets to ward off the chill morning air because Dads are known to bravely underdress for the weather. . . . .

It is with heavy hearts that we offer this statement regarding the recent acts of violence and hatred against our Asian American brothers and sisters. The recent attacks, both nationally and locally in our own archdiocese, are indicative of a new era of hatred that must come to an end. . . .

Attached is the letter from Archbishop Etienne regarding the pairing of St. Benedict and St. Catherine Parishes. As the letter indicates, this has been discussed as part of the deanery planning process for many years. Practically, this means that Fr. Bryan and I will continue in our roles until June 30 when a new pastoral leader will be assigned for St. Benedict and St. Catherine collectively. . . .

Today’s response, issued by the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, offers nothing new on the Church's teaching on the Sacrament of Matrimony. Regardless, it needs to be read in the context of the teachings in the Catechism and the encouraging statements of Pope Francis to LGBTQ persons about their relationship to the church . . .

In some ecclesial contexts, plans and proposals for blessings of unions of persons of the same sex are being advanced. . . .

This past year, nurses, who day-in-day-out tread quietly at patients’ bedsides somewhat unnoticed, find themselves suddenly very visible during the pandemic. Typically, because we want them to be unobtrusively present in our illness, they are at their unassuming best when delivering critical care that, in some other years, may have gone unnoticed. Ross Dawson is one of those nurses. . . .

In this March bulletin, all the updates you need for local and national policies that affect you.

"We know not only the cost and the suffering that's been a part of this past year, but hopefully how we've been able to unite that to the cross of Jesus, and how we've been able to draw from the life of the risen Jesus as our real sustenance and as our real source of hope and strength," the archbishop said.

The Holy See’s Dicastery for Promoting Integral Human Development has recently published a resource kit to help communicate with the faithful regarding COVID-19 vaccines. The resources include materials about the COVID-19 vaccine for varied audiences, relevant quotes from Pope Francis and Episcopal Conferences, links to useful information, and short messages for websites, parish bulletins, or other media.

From an apartment in Maple Leaf, Audrey Reuter steals an hour in the quiet of her newborn’s nap. Fresh faced and sacrificial tired, she sits in front of a window with a leafless winter tree behind, rosy cheeks a telltale sign of a household kept warm, the way you do when you have an infant. Today is a stop-shutter moment filled with love and a great sense of duty, vulnerability even. . . .