In all your ways be mindful of him, and he will make straight your paths.

Dear Friends in Christ,

The end of summer has come and it is a time of transition in many ways. Not just from summertime to “normal” time, if there is such a thing, but also in terms of the workings of our parishes and school. Certainly, everything in the school is about transition these days, as we engage in remote learning and then, hopefully, to in-class learning with all safety precautions and protocols. Certainly, a lot to keep in prayer in this regard.

Our parishes too are seeing a lot of transitions. From quarantine lockdowns to limited re-opening for Masses; from no ministry meetings to Zoom meetings and many other changes. There are also changes in regard to staff and volunteers as well. Over the summer, Mark Petersen stepped back from the choir director position he has held for many years at St. Rita of Cascia. Mark is a talented and gifted director and we thank him for sharing his beautiful gifts with us these many years. Amy Gallwas, our music director at Holy Cross, will step in to guide our St. Rita Choir, hopefully sometime soon when we are able to once again sing praise to God!

All of our parishes are working under significant budget restraints these days. That will be a topic of another letter soon. But in addition to some large budget cuts due to our revenue downturn, I have made some difficult decisions regarding our staffing. A couple of staff are reducing their hours, and I have eliminated two staff positions at St. Patrick. At the end of September, we say goodbye to Tiffany Bone, who joined us as our Administrative Assistant for Stewardship and Sacramental Records. She has been an amazing addition to our team this past year. In addition, I eliminated the position of Facilities Manager, which has been held for many years by Gaylon Adams. Gaylon has been instrumental in keeping the St. Patrick physical plant at the church and parish center running. I am grateful for his work and the work of Tiffany as well. The elimination of these positions does not mean they are not needed or are not useful. It simply means that in times of challenge, we need to respond to how God is calling us to think and plan differently, so as to maximize your gifts of stewardship in the best way possible. In many ways, and it is already very apparent to me, parishioners are stepping up to lend support and assistance when needed. That is certainly very much appreciated and will be needed even more as we proceed to the months ahead. Be open to how God may be calling you to contribute in time and talent.

In addition to the above, Kevin Lovejoy, our Parish Administrator, will be leaving his position for new opportunities by the end of the month. You can read his letter to the parish here. Kevin started ten years ago when he was hired as the Parish and School Administrator, then asked by Archbishop Sartain to become the Pastoral Coordinator, and then asked again to be the Parish Administrator for all three parishes when I arrived. He has been a tremendous help to me and of great service and leadership, with much sacrifice, to all of our parishes. It has been a pleasure to work with him and I know you will join me in wishing him well! We will be taking some time before we hire a new person for the Parish Administrator position to discern the nature of the position, especially in light of the deanery pastoral planning process that is now underway. I don’t anticipate a new person in this role until next spring at the earliest.

So, that’s a lot to take in and digest for now. Again, more on the budget later. For now, I am simply grateful to God for all He is doing to guide us during these challenging times. As we learn from the above quote from Proverbs, and from St. Faustina’s reminder for us to say often, “Jesus, I trust in you,” we are called to lean on the Lord in times of challenge especially. But it’s another thing to live it all out in reality! In recent months, I have gone from saying, “Jesus, I trust in you” to “ok, Jesus, I am now actually trusting in you, so please help me!” And He has not disappointed! Let us lean on Him as together we go forward together in faith in our parish.

Blessings,

We look forward to gathering together with you at the Table of the Lord. Registration for Mass is required, especially for the 9 AM Mass at St. Patrick Church to help us maintain social distancing.

TEMPORARY SCHEDULE CHANGES

VIEW ALL MASS TIMES

We livestream Mass at 9 AM on Sundays from Saint Patrick Church and school Mass at 9 AM a few Fridays each month. Subscribing to our YouTube Channel is not necessary to watch the Mass, however it allows you to set reminders to tune in and provides us with the option of livestreaming from a mobile device when we reach 1000 subscribers. We are so close! Check-in on Facebook and invite your friends and family to watch and make your weekly offertory gift via Online Giving. [Keep scrolling to the bottom to find your parish link.]

The dispensation for Mass is still in effect.

Archbishop Etienne began Year of the Eucharist on the Feast of Corpus Christi for the Archdiocese of Seattle and asked us to spend this time pondering the true presence of Jesus's Sacred Body and Blood in the Eucharist. Read his pastoral letter, "The Work of Redemption."

Adoration resumes at St. Patrick Church on Mondays, 3:00 pm - 6:45 pm and Fridays, 9:45 am - 3:00 pm, except for the first Friday of each month when it will begin at 12 PM— after the 11 AM Mass and at Holy Cross Church on Wednesdays, 10:00 am - 5:00 pm. Click the links below to sign up!

Students in grades 7 - 9 interested in receiving the Sacrament of Confirmation in 2021 are invited to fill out an interest form now! Class will begin in early October. Invite your friends to join you in preparing for this sacrament too.

ALPHA Online

Share this registration link with a friend! Questions? Send us an email. To learn more about Alpha check out AlphaUSA.org

Walk virtually with us and help the Tacoma-Pierce County Society of St. Vincent de Paul raise funds—and awareness—to aid our friends in need who are struggling with homelessness, hunger, overdue bills, and more during these difficult times. Together we can make a difference in the lives our neighbors.

It’s easy to sign up to walk or to make a doantion! Go to www.fopwalk.org and follow the prompts to register.

An offertory collection basket is located at the back of the sanctuary during Mass for contactless giving. If you are unable to attend Mass in person, please mail in your gift or consider Online Giving, —Fr. David gives this way! It is safe and easy.

The 40 Days for Life fall campaign begins on September 23 and runs through November 1. Volunteers are needed for two hour shifts, one day a week to stand witness on the sidewalk in from the Cedar River Clinic, 1401-A Martin Luther King Jr Way in Tacoma. Masks and social distancing will be practiced.

To sign up email Tacoma40DaysForLife@gmail.com.

"Believe that St. Patrick School brings our children into the ever-present love of Jesus Christ, that our school delivers academic excellence, and that our school builds a community of responsible learners, critical thinkers and servant leaders."

The average gift to Annual Fund 2020 was $509, 100% of our 260 school families participated. Believe that your support is as critical now as it has ever been; as always we strive for full participation from our school families and hope to exceed our financial goal of $190,000 with the support of our parish community!

Ready to make your gift? DONATE today!