Dear Friends in Christ, Now that the summer recess is more or less over and students are returning to school, the stores are beginning to market upcoming holidays, including Halloween, Thanksgiving, and even Christmas!

Dear Friends in Christ, Happy September to all! Over the next couple of months, we will focus on the 7 principles of Catholic Social Teaching (CST). The first teaching calls us to family and community, to participate in the social process of supporting and creating a better world for everyone. Continue reading...

Dear Friends in Christ, We’ve had some excitement this week in our NESCC, with the filming of a movie titled “Friend Thing.” Local Villa Academy is the setting of the story, set in Seattle in the mid 1990’s and based in part on the experiences of some Villa students at the time. Continue reading...

Dear Friends in Christ, One of the popular holiday songs that makes its way into many homes in late August is the one titled “It’s the Most Wonderful Time of the Year!” Many children (and their parents!) hum this tune as they prepare to go back to school. Continue reading...

Dear Friends in Christ, August 15th this year is the Solemnity of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary, Body and Soul into Heaven. Ordinarily, this is a holy day of obligation for Catholics to attend Mass, but that is dispensed this year because of its proximity to Sunday. Continue reading...

Dear Friends in Christ, One of the challenges of being a family of four parishes is staffing the various ministries and administrative responsibilities that make up our local church life. These past two years, we have worked hard to form a staff to serve the wide range of people at our four worship sites and three school locations in NE Seattle. Continue reading...

Dear Friends in Christ, This Sunday, a group of high school students from St. Catherine’s will journey with their adult chaperones on the annual Esperanza Mission Trip to build homes in Tijuana, Mexico. Thanks to Katie Fleming and all those who support these young people by donating their time and labor to help families who could not otherwise afford a home.

Dear Friends in Christ, The next question we will discuss in our Partners in the Gospel discernment process in October is “Who do we want to become as a single parish community?” I bring a perspective on that question shaped by a man named Joe Wolfe. Continue reading...

Dear Friends in Christ, One of my favorite saints is St. Benedict of Nursia, whose feast we celebrate on Saturday, July 11. He is regarded as the patron of Europe, Kidney Disease, Monastics, Poisoning, and Schoolchildren. His famous “Rule for Monasteries” is a much-loved guide for any spiritual seeker. I have read it many times and found it very helpful on my spiritual journey. I think you will too!

Dear Friends in Christ, This July marks the second anniversary of the Partners in the Gospel Plan to renew Catholic life by reforming our parish communities. Two years ago, we became the NE Seattle Catholic Community, a family made up of St. Catherine, Our Lady of the Lake, Assumption, and St. Bridget Parishes. Continue reading...

Dear Friends in Christ, A happy Father’s Day this Sunday to all the dads in our community! Thank you for the important role you play in your children and grandchildren’s lives. Prayers and blessings as we celebrate your loving presence in our families! Continue reading...

Dear Friends in Christ, This coming July 4th is the 250th anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence. This is an important milestone for all those who live in the United States of America. Continue reading...

Dear Friends in Christ, The coming month of June marks the start of the “Graduation Season” in schools everywhere. Congratulations to all students in our NE Seattle Catholic Community who will graduate this month, including those from our three parish schools, ASB, OLL, and St. Catherine. Continue reading...

Dear Friends in Christ, This Sunday is Pentecost, which, after Easter and Christmas, is considered the most important feast in the church’s liturgical year. The church of Jesus is not our idea but is born through the power and gifts of the Holy Spirit.

Dear Friends in Christ, The month of May has begun and is already moving right along with the next wave of significant moments in our life as a NE Seattle Catholic Community. This Saturday, May 9th, is the first of our two celebrations of First Holy Communion for some 80 children in our family of parishes.

Dear Friends in Christ, Every week throughout the Easter season, the first reading at Mass is from the Acts of the Apostles. It tells the story of how the church was born of Jesus' resurrection.

Dear NE Seattle Catholic Community, While Fr. Bill Heric is away celebrating a family wedding, I’ve been thinking a lot about what it means to belong to a parish family. Continue reading...

Dear Friends in Christ, Over the next two weekends, you will hear speakers at Mass offering reflections on the “Seven Principles of Catholic Social Teaching.” These principles have been a special focus of our own Archbishop Paul Etienne and, more recently, of our Holy Father, Pope Leo XIV. Continue reading...

Dear Friends in the Risen Lord! My thanks to all who helped make our recent Holy Week and Triduum celebrations so prayerful and beautiful! Our common Holy Thursday, Good Friday, and Easter Vigil celebrations were served by liturgical ministers from all four of our parishes, including our combined choirs, whose music was beautiful and uplifting.

Dear Friends in Christ, Many stories we watch on cable television or internet streaming channels are told over a series of different episodes that, at times, will continue over many seasons. The Catholic Christian narrative has done this for centuries in its celebration of the climactic moments in the life of Jesus in his suffering, death, and resurrection. Continue reading...