News - Reflections by Father William Heric

Dear Friends in Christ, On the 3rd Sunday of Lent, the church celebrates the first of three “Scrutinies,” or deeper examinations of the conversion process the Elect are going through as they prepare for Baptism, Confirmation, and First Eucharist at the Easter Vigil. The purpose of the Scrutinies is “to uncover, then heal all that is weak, defective, or sinful” in the hearts of the Elect and to “strengthen all that is upright, strong, and good.” Continue reading...

Dear Friends in Christ, One of the main purposes of Lent is to prepare us to celebrate the paschal mystery of Christ’s suffering, death and resurrection. This is the central belief of the Christian Church, and the reason for our hope in the face of whatever is before us. This is no abstract or sentimental exercise. Through the Lenten disciplines of prayer, fasting and almsgiving, we prepare our hearts and minds, bodies and souls to be transformed into Christ. Continue reading...

Dear Friends in Christ, Sometimes a voice from the past speaks to us just at the right time. A popular author I read a few years back is Robert Fulghum, perhaps best known for his top selling book “All I Really Need to Know I learned in Kindergarten.” Continue reading...

Dear Friends in Christ, As we slog through the final weeks of winter, there are reminders that spring is coming. One of them is the annual “Spring training” for professional baseball teams. Our Seattle Mariners gather in sunny Peoria, Arizona, at the end of February through March to prepare for the coming regular season. Many folks in our area journey to Arizona to offer their support. Could this be our World Series year??? Continue reading...

Dear Friends in Christ, One of the recent announcements at Mass is that tax statements indicating your financial gifts to the church in 2024 should have been emailed or mailed to you by now. If you have not received yours yet, please contact Colleen at [email protected]. Thanks to all of you for your support. Continue reading...

Dear Friends in Christ, The essence of the Partners in the Gospel plan we have begun is to collaborate more deeply in the mission of the Catholic Church here in NE Seattle. And what is that mission? The late Pope Benedict XVI summarized it this way: 1) To worship Christ in the Eucharist. 2) To proclaim the gospel, the good news of Christ’s love for everyone. 3) To care for the poor and vulnerable everywhere. Continue reading...

Dear Friends in Christ, The “Partners in the Gospel” strategic plan invites us to identify as a family of four parishes in the process of eventually becoming a single canonical parish. Part of that process is still belonging to our immediate parish family while also beginning to relate more and more to our extended family of parishes. Continue reading...

Dear Friends in Christ, You will notice that our family's four parishes—Our Lady of the Assumption, Our Lady of the Lake, St. Catherine of Siena, and St. Bridget of Kildare—all gather under the patronage of holy women. Someday, when we become a single parish family, we might do well to name our community after another holy woman. Continue reading...

Dear Friends in Christ, One of the most important ministries in the life of the church is to pass on Catholic faith and practice to our children and youth. The catechism of the church reminds us that parents are “The first teachers of their child in the ways of faith.” Continue reading...

Dear Friends in Christ, The Christmas season continues with the Solemnity of the Epiphany this weekend, the revelation of Christ’s light to all nations. That light is offered to everyone everywhere through the lives of the people of God, the Body of Christ, and the church. Our mission as Catholics takes on a special focus in 2025. Continue reading...

Dear Friends in Christ, This week, the church returns to the liturgical season of “Ordinary Time.” While we pause for special seasons of our faith, like Advent/Christmas and Lent/Easter, most of our lives revolve around the ordinary moments of everyday life. Continue reading...

Dear Friends in Christ, I hope the calendar year 2025 is off to a great start for you and your family! The central theme of the Jubilee Year that Pope Francis initiated this past Christmas is a call for the church to be more intentionally “Pilgrims of Hope.” Continue reading...

Dear Friends in Christ, The Christmas season continues with the Solemnity of the Epiphany this weekend, the revelation of Christ’s light to all nations. That light is offered to everyone everywhere through the lives of the people of God, the Body of Christ, the church. Our mission as Catholics takes on a special focus in 2025. Pope Francis officially launched the Vatican’s 2025 Jubilee Year on Dec. 24, encouraging Christians to use the milestone occasion to dream of a “new world where peace and justice reign.” Continue reading...

Dear Friends in Christ, The church’s Christmas celebration continues this weekend with the beautiful feast of the Most Holy Family: Jesus, Mary, and Joseph. This feast reminds us that our families of origin and our families of choice are essential to experiencing Christ’s peace, healing, and love in our lives. Continue reading...

Dear Friends in Christ, The 3rd Sunday of Advent is traditionally known as “Gaudete Sunday,” which means “Rejoice” the Lord is near. As the winter darkness and cold increase, making many people feel sad and listless, this Sunday pulls us into the light and warmth of the coming celebration of the birth of our savior.

Dear Friends in Christ, The 3rd Sunday of Advent is traditionally known as “Gaudete Sunday,” which means “Rejoice” the Lord is near. As the winter darkness and cold increase, making many people feel sad and listless, this Sunday pulls us into the light and warmth of the coming celebration of the birth of our savior. Continue reading...

Dear Friends in Christ, In our Catholic Tradition, the most prominent character in the gospel of Jesus is his mother, Mary. She is the first disciple of the Lord who consents to the divine invitation to give her life completely to God’s plan to save us from sin and death and show us what it means to be fully alive. Continue reading...

Dear Friends in Christ, One of my favorite musicals is from the early 1990s, titled “Children of Eden.” It’s the story in Genesis of God’s children, that’s all of us losing the life of Eden by our disobedience and selfishness

Dear Friends in Christ, As the Thanksgiving holiday comes upon us this week, I am drawn once again to the main character in George Bernanos’s classic novel “The Diary of a Country Priest.” The young priest who is slowly dying of stomach cancer writes in his journal toward the end of his life that “Tout est grâce which in French means "All is grace" or "Grace is everywhere.” This is a central part of the mystery of faith that gathers us as Catholics; that everything good and bad, happy and sad, reveals the presence of a gracious God who loves us and desires fullness of life for us in Christ. Indeed, we have much to be thankful for.

Dear Friends in Christ, This past week, I attended the funeral of Thomas Allsopp, who served for many years as a chaplain at the local Seattle Children’s Hospital. He worked with our Deacon Denny Duffel and numerous volunteers who serve as a part of the Camillus Ministry sponsored by St. Bridget Parish. Continue reading...