St. Vincent de Paul
Parish Newsletter
January 21, 2021
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During this pandemic, I have been reading more. One book I have been going through is Robert Putnam’s The Upswing: How America Came Together a Century Ago and How We Can Do It Again. His thesis is that America's Gilded Age — 1870s through 1890s — shows remarkable similarity to our own, including strong divisions in the country, a yawning gap between rich and poor, and a societal focus on "I" rather than "we."
After the gilded age there was a steady improvement, with a growing sense we are in this together. The height of the curve was reached in the 1950’s and early 60’s which represents the lowest gap between rich and poor; most favorable health indicators; highest social spending to help the poor; lowest political polarization; and the apex of America's sense of moving forward together. Since the 60’s we have fallen back to the level of the gilded age with the toxic fractionalization of today.
I found myself hopeful that our parish could be an oasis from the strong divisions and “me” mentality of our current situation. Yes, we do have differences, but those need not divide us. There was one quote in the book; “where there is unity there is openness to diversity.” One of the hallmarks of our parish is our appreciation of our cultural diversity. Our Eucharistic unity makes that a possibility. Last week you heard about how the parish cares for our neighbors in need though our St. Vincent de Paul Society chapter. It is one way we try to bridge the gap between rich and poor, not just through the material assistance we give but by the human contact we establish.
This pandemic may make us feel more isolated and alone, but our faith reminds us we are united to one another and to the Lord. Find ways to foster this unity: join together in the live streaming of Mass when you cannot physically be present; pray for the parish and its ministries; volunteer when you are able; learn more about your faith through our Family Faith Formation program, your subscription to FORMED, or other resources mentioned on our web page; financially support the mission of the parish.
We are living in the midst of a very “I-centered” time in our culture. We can choose to live as a “we” – united as God’s Holy People.
-Fr. Bill
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Parishioner Year-End Statements of Contributions were sent out this week. If you have an email address on file with us, your statement was emailed. If you have an email address, but you did not receive your tax statement, please email us at the address below with your current email address, and we will resend your statement. If you do not have an email address, your statement was mailed out. If you have an email address, but are unable to print a copy, please let us know and a hard copy will be mailed to you.
Please note: The parish no longer accounts for your St. Vincent de Paul Society contributions. The Society now does the bookkeeping and tracking of donations, and you will receive a statement of your 2020 contributions directly from the Society towards the end of the month. In addition, we do not record your payments to the Annual Catholic Appeal. This is an Archdiocesan campaign, and the Archdiocese tracks your contributions, and you will receive a year-end statement directly from the Archdiocese for your 2020 contributions.
We thank you for your continued support of St. Vincent de Paul Parish. Your faithfulness to the mission of the Church is keeping the flame alive in this challenging time.
-Tracey Rockwell
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Mass Times:
Sunday - 10:30 AM (Live Streamed)
5:00 PM
Monday - 9:00 AM
Thursday - 6:30 pm
Reservations are required to attend Mass in person
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Daily Mass and Reconciliation Changes |
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Daily Mass
beginning February 1st
Mondays: 9am
All are welcome,
we are no longer requiring reservations for Daily Mass
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Reconciliation Times
beginning February 1st
Saturdays: 3pm-4pm
During Lent:
Saturdays: 3pm-4pm
Sundays: 3pm -4pm
Reservations are required
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WATCH
The Bible Collection - Paul the Apostle
LEARN
Formed Now! Letters of St. Paul
LISTEN
Saint Thomas Aquinas with Randall Smith
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For those who have died:
For those who are sick:
Daniel Dudziak
Owen Heitman
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Ash Wednesday Schedule
February 17th, 2021
9am Mass
Noon Liturgy of the Word
5pm Mass
7:30 pm Mass
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St. Vincent de Paul School
Hosts Fundraising Shoe Drive
Now thru January 31, 2021
The parish is invited to participate in a shoe drive to raise funds for First Grade Service Project and to Raise Funds for Tuition Assistance. Donations of gently worn, used and new shoes will be accepted. The amount of money raised is determined by the total weight of the shoes collected.
All donated shoes will be redistributed to micro enterprise partners through Funds2Orgs, a for profit social enterprise, and used in developing nations for impoverished people to start their own businesses.
In the US alone, over 600 million pairs of shoes are thrown away per year. The materials used to manufacture a pair of shoes are created from chemical compounds that will create health hazards if left to disintegrate openly or in landfills. By donating your gently worn, used and news shoes to the First Grade Service Project and to Raise Funds for Tuition Assistance, your shoes are given a second chance to make a difference.
Shoes can be dropped off at the School Office, Monday - Thursday from 8:30 am to 3pm.
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The COVID vaccine is available for all people 65 and over. Katie can help you find and make your appointment for the vaccine if you meet the following criteria.
- You are a parishioner who is 65 or older.
- You do not have access to the internet.
- You are unable to find the information even if you have the internet.
If you meet the criteria call the parish office at 253-839-2320 and Katie or a member of our community will help you.
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St. Joseph’s Council #7528 of the Knights of Columbus is selling Brown Bear Cash Wash tickets to raise funds to support charities.
The cost of each ticket is $10.00.
To purchase tickets please contact Mike Fay, Financial Secretary, at fs@7528.org.
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What's happening at the
St. Vincent de Paul Society?
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"The Real Presence of Jesus Christ in the Eucharist"
As we celebrate the Year of the Eucharist in the Archdiocese of Seattle, Fr. Bryan Dolejsi will offer a presentation on the real presence of Christ in the liturgy, especially in his Body and Blood.
Saturday, February 6th with 9:00am Mass followed by the presentation on the real presence of Jesus Christ in the Eucharist.
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Little Books can be ordered directly from the website at littlebooks.org. They are available in paper and ebook formats. You can also get all the seasonal books on the Little Books app available for iOS and Android devices. To learn more about the app, go to littlebooks.org/app
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Sunday Giving:
Like you and your families, the church still has fiscal responsibilities, and your Sunday Contributions make up 90% of our parish income. If your household income has been affected by circumstances due to the corona virus we ask you to please offer up prayers for our church as your Sunday Giving.
Ways to give:
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Online - signup to give onetime, weekly or monthly, click the link on the below to sign up.
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Mail - you can mail your contribution to 30525 8th Ave S, Federal Way, WA 98003.
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