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Dear Friends in Christ,
Last weekend, Archbishop Etienne announced the largest number of priest assignments in the history of our archdiocese. This is part of the Partners in the Gospel plan to eventually consolidate the current 130 parishes in Western Washington into 61 dynamic faith communities. I am humbled, honored, and grateful that the Archbishop has appointed me to be the pastor of Assumption, Our Lady of the Lake, St. Catherine, and St. Bridget parishes beginning July 1, 2024. This family of parishes will also be served by Fr. Duc Nguyen as full-time parochial vicar, and senior priest Fr. Bob Camuso as a regular part-time presence. Please pray for us and for all the priests of the archdiocese that we commit to serving our local church with great generosity, compassion, and love.
As I mentioned at the end of Masses, this announcement is not only about the priests who will serve but all of us! The hope of this new model of parish life in Western Washington is that the mission of the church and the role of all the people of God, men, and women alike, will become more central and vibrant in growing the Catholic faith in our local communities. I would note here that the four parishes in our family all gather under the patronage of holy women. I would also note that all four parishes have offered support for the Discerning Deacons program that seeks to expand the role of women in the pastoral leadership of the church. This is something I will continue to support and encourage in our family.
One of the ways we are doing this is through the creation of two large and beautiful icons that will soon grace the sanctuary of our worship space. One is of our patron St. Bridget of Kildare, and the other of St. Francis Xavier Cabrini, who is famous for creating dozens of hospitals, orphanages, and schools including our neighbors at Villa Academy. This weekend after both our Masses, Kathy Sievers, the iconographer who is creating these sacred images for us, will be available to discuss the icons and show us sketches of what they look like. Please plan on staying after Mass for a few minutes to hear Kathy’s presentation.
St. Bridget of Kildare and St. Francis Xavier Cabrini…pray for us! Live Jesus in our hearts…forever!
Fr. William Heric, Pastor
