Dear Friends in Christ,

On Thursday, January 22^nd, I gathered with staff to celebrate the birthday of Torrie Smith, our director of operations. This was an occasion to celebrate her life and her ministry in our NE Seattle Catholic Community. Torrie oversees our parish budgets, staff, and all facilities-related matters. We could not begin to manage this without her hard work and administrative skills. Thank you, Torrie!

Friday, January 23, I gathered with the priests and lay staff in the North Seattle Deanery of parishes. It was a helpful time of prayer and mutual support, including our work on behalf of the “Partners in the Gospel” planning process. Later Friday, I met with the St. Catherine school commission and finance council to discuss the budget for the next school year. These good people met on a Friday evening to accommodate my busy schedule. Their leadership and others like them in all of our communities are vital for our parish life.

Saturday was a mix of good and bad for me. I had the privilege of celebrating first reconciliation for about 33 of our children. They were all precious in their sincere desire to grow as Christians, and hopefully, they experienced a deep sense of Christ’s healing love and mercy. Speaking of needing that, later in the day, I learned with many of you about the tragic and senseless killing of a 38-year-old man who was peacefully protesting the behavior of ICE agents in Minneapolis, Minnesota. The video of this shooting clearly contradicts the official government version of the incident and has raised deep concerns in many about the conduct of federal agents in our cities. The whole episode has shaken me to the core. 

Sunday brought the blessing of students from our three parish schools serving in various roles at Mass as part of “Catholic Schools Week.” We also had a powerful retreat day for our PFAC. On top of all that, our Seahawks won the NFC championship and are headed to the “Super Bowl” on February 8^th. It doesn’t get any better than this, I thought! 

I was wrong about that. On Monday morning, January 26, a 4-year-old girl with her dad was waiting for me at the coffee shop on 35^th Ave, NE, which I like to frequent. She had participated in one of our parish Children’s Liturgy of the Word last Sunday and decided to give me a special gift. It was a red bag filled with all the money in her personal piggy bank, which she wanted to give to help the homeless in our city. It totaled $13.71, which I have offered to our SVDP. 

Whatever happens to our Seahawks on February 8, this little girl has already won the “Super Bowl.” That gives me strength and hope when I really need it! 

 

Blessings of peace,

Fr. William Heric, Pastor