Dear Friends in Christ,

Greetings on what promises to be a great weekend of warm sunshine! Look who reaches out to grab us as we sink…..the Lord Jesus. He is our hope and our strength! Always!

I would hope that in the week ahead, you can focus your prayer on all the efforts being undertaken to begin to open our parishes, first for prayer, then hopefully for Holy Communion and Mass. The Archdiocese and the Governor are in communication now to make this a reality. Many thanks to our staff and volunteers who are working from home but beginning to think about how we can relate to each other in person as the Body of Christ once again.

We are also preparing for graduation as well. Thanks to our 8th-grade girls who crowned Mary and for the entire class of 2020 who are finishing their time at St. Pats in a very unique way. We are proud of you and wish you all the best! Our teachers and school staff have done an amazing job “teaching at a distance” and ensuring that our students get the best education possible. Without exception, everything they are doing is done well and with care, love, and dedication to our students. We are blessed to have them and I join our parents in commending them. Bless you, all!

Spiritual Reflection
Jesus tells us in the Gospel this Sunday that “I am the way, the truth, and the life. Nobody comes to the Father except through me.” In the times of Jesus, the Jewish people viewed “the way” as a metaphor to describe “life with God.” It’s yet another way that Jesus equates himself with the very nature of God our Father. To follow Jesus as the way is to live with the Father; to be one with the Father. And to rely upon the Father for everything.

Living through a pandemic is a powerful reminder that we are called to life with God. We are not meant to be isolated from him or each other. That kind of isolation is not natural. It causes us to want to rely upon ourselves; to try to fix things on our own and save ourselves. During this time, we must be very intentional in our prayer and thought . . . to not rely upon ourselves but instead to look to God for our help. He is the only one who can save us in any situation we find ourselves in. Keep this image of Jesus grabbing a sinking Saint Peter with you this week. If you get stuck in some way; something weighing upon you; some burden you are trying to fix . . . set your gaze upon Jesus and allow him to save you from sinking! He will not let you sink. He will raise you up!

Blessings for the week ahead,

Fr. David Mulholland
MASS Livestream
Subscribe on YouTube then set reminders to tune in to the scheduled livestream. Check-in on Facebook when you attend Mass so we can be together virtually as a faith community. Remember, our church is not empty— our church is deployed! And yes, the audio will be better this Sunday! We've made some changes that should help.
May Crowning

Traditionally we celebrate May Crowning with an all-school Mass and feast together on hope as Mary did. May Crowning in the time of Coronavirus looks a little different for the community. May Crowning is a...

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PRAYER
In response to the Pope's invitation, we will be praying the rosary via Zoom every Friday at 4 PM during the month of May. Email Kim Ward for log-in details.
On May 11, 6 pm - 7 pm, the Mayor of Tacoma, Victoria Woodards, is calling local faith-based organizations to gather in collaboration for a live prayer service at Cheney Stadium’s parking lot. This gathering will be a drive-in format, aligning with social distancing requirements, with the goal of uniting the City of Tacoma during the uncertainty of COVID-19. Local leaders will provide encouragement, prayers, and inspiration to attendees of various faiths and walks of life. Included will be live music and a message from the Mayor of Tacoma and local faith leaders from various faith traditions. For those can’t attend, the gathering will be live streamed on  http://www.bdlocal.us/
PASTORAL CARE
Food banks throughout the city continue to provide nourishment and support to our brothers and sisters in Christ. These vital organizations are seeing a drastic reduction in donations. Consider donating essentials at the food drive or making a monetary gift online at www.foodconnection.org .
ADVOCACY
Help repeal the radical Comprehensive Sex Education curricula.

Read the letter from the Washington state bishops to regarding Referendum 90, indicating their support for gathering signatures on church premises to put the issue of Comprehensive Sex Education on the ballot in Washington state this November. Signature-gathering may be conducted within the current rules for social distancing.

Check out the link to current drive-thru petition signing, drop off & pick up locations including the parking lot at St. Patrick Catholic Church.

If you are unable to get to a signing location, please call 253-383-2783 and will make arrangements to get the petition to you using social distancing guidelines.
STEWARDSHIP
School & Parishes receive Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) Loans from the Small Business Administration 

As you may know from following the news, the Small Business Administration has awarded thousands of loans to small businesses and nonprofits across the nation in response to the financial impact of the COVID-19 pandemic.  Our three parishes and school were eligible for this program and were recently awarded the following loans based upon the size of their respective staffs:
 
St. Patrick School $532,167
St. Patrick Church $144,568
Holy Cross Church $33,831
St. Rita of Cascia Church $6,962

These loan amounts represent two and a half months of our normal personnel costs (salary and benefits).  The intent of the program is that businesses will use the proceeds to keep their employees working for the next two and a half months.  If we use the funds for this purpose, the loans will be fully forgiven and become grants.  

Most of the 169  parishes and missions and 73 Catholic schools in the archdiocese applied for and were awarded loans based on the economic impact of having to cease public celebrations of Mass. The PPP loans will keep 5,000+ church and school employees in their roles, continuing to serve the pastoral, spiritual, and educational needs of more than one million Catholic faithful in western Washington. 

A great deal of uncertainty remains regarding when we will re-open our parishes and school and what that will look like when we do. Fortunately, this PPP loan/grant gives us valuable time to develop a sustainable financial plan for the continued long-term successful operations of our parishes and school.  

Please continue to pray for one another, caregivers, first responders, and all those suffering as a consequence of this pandemic.  
Your donation to the Annual Catholic Appeal (ACA) supports the mission of the Catholic Church in western Washington by funding Catholic social ministries, programs for youth and young adult ministries, Catholic Schools, faith programs, plus administrative support for 169 parishes and missions, such as liturgy guidance, evangelization, human resources, and much more.

This year, 10% of the funds collected from the ACA, excluding parish rebates, will be placed into a special Parish Solidarity Fund. Through this special tithe, your donations to the ACA will help our parishes continue our core mission of Word, Sacrament, and Charity.

Your contributions and generosity are deeply appreciated, much needed and make a real difference in the lives of many. Archbishop Etienne’s letter reached homes this week, officially kicking off the 2020 Appeal. Gifts can be made by mail or you can make your gift online now.
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