Newsletter | August 10, 2021 |
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We miss you! We hope to see you for Mass in-person soon. Our Mass times are:
Saturday at 5:00pm
Sunday at 9:00am
Sunday at 11:00am
We strongly recommend wearing masks to create a safe environment for our brothers and sisters who are not vaccinated. Some changes you'll see at Mass to keep everyone safe - ushers seat you, no singing, and no Blood of Christ. Physical distancing no longer needs to be monitored. Clearly marked sections for worship are available for people seeking physical distancing.
Please continue to self-screen and stay home if you are not feeling well. Dispensation to attend Sunday Mass is still in effect. Sick, vulnerable, at-risk, and otherwise concerned persons are encouraged to celebrate Mass with us via live stream.
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DELTA VARIANT AND MASKING |
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The Delta variant, which is highly transmissible, is now widespread across the United States and has quadrupled the case count this month alone. Reports acknowledge that even people who have been vaccinated may still transmit the virus and be infected by this Delta variant. Because of this, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has updated its masking guidance, recommending that everyone wear masks in indoor public spaces - even if they’ve been vaccinated.
Due to the risks of the Delta variant and our desire to protect our children and the vulnerable in our community, WE ARE STRONGLY RECOMMENDING MASK WEARING during Mass celebrations.
Our goal with this guidance is to ensure safety, protect the vulnerable among us, and support the common good. Please remember that many people are unvaccinated and may not be able to receive the vaccine for various reasons. As a welcoming Catholic Church, we must ensure they feel safe and welcome to worship in person.
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Thank you St. John Vianney parishioners and community for your generous support to the Tri-Parish Food Bank. Your weekly donations of homemade adult and children’s masks, diapers and baby wipes, food panty items, and warm blankets for our farm workers is such a blessing to our food bank each week!
We are forever grateful for your continual support and generosity,
Lilia Ortiz, Tri-Parish Food Bank Director
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HIKING CLUB
Thursday, August 12 at 6:00pm - St. Edward State Park
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Are you interested in hiking but never find the time to go? Join us for the newly formed Hiking Club at St. John Vianney. We are open to hiking recommendations from our hiking enthusiasts. Since we have just created the club, we welcome your suggestions on when to meet on a regular basis so that it can fit everyone’s schedule as we head into the Fall. More questions please ask Susan Weaver, sweaver@sjvkirkland.org, and join us this Thursday, 6:00pm at St Edward State Park for our next hike. We will meet at the playground near the parking lot; $10 Discover Pass required to park.
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YOUNG ADULTS
Friday, August 13 at 6:00pm - 192 Brewing Co.
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Pints and Pizza at 192 with Fr. Vu are back! Join us and bring a friend for an evening of food, drink, and fellowship.
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Weekend of August 14th
Sturdy backpacks, pencil pouches, glue sticks, crayons, No. 2 pencils, markers, scissors, colored pencils, pens (red & blue), plastic 5-tab binder dividers, highlighters, rulers, wide-ruled notebooks
Weekends of August 21st and 28th
Graphing calculators (TI-84 preferred), college-ruled notebooks, 3-ring zipper binders (1.5 to 3 inches), graph paper, mechanical pencils, large erasers, 2-pocket folders, sheet protectors, academic planners for 2021-2022, Elmer's bottled glue, protractors
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Membership is open to males 18 years of age or older who are practicing Catholics. Meetings are every third Thursday of the month at 7:00pm via Zoom. For more information contact the Mike Myette, Grand Knight at 206-510-6536. |
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SENIOR SINGLES
Saturday, August 21 after 5:00pm Mass in the Social Hall
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If you’re single and 55 or over, join us on the third Saturday of the month following the 5:00pm mass for our monthly Senior Singles gathering, a time of food, conversation, and fellowship. After dinner we play a dice game called “Left, Right, Center.” You will need to bring 4 quarters for this game, and you might go home with the whole pot! For more information on our Senior Singles group, click on the button below.
Our next gathering is on Saturday, August 21, immediately following the 5:00pm mass. Because of COVID-19 guidelines, we cannot host a potluck, so this is a bring-your-own dinner; we can enjoy each other’s company while we eat the dinners we’ve prepared for ourselves. See you there!
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Infant Baptism is celebrated on the first Sunday of each month. If you would like to have your child baptized, please contact Laura, Lstanger@sjvkirkland.org, to get the online class materials and register for the Baptism session.
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WOMEN'S BOOK GROUP
Tuesday, September 7 at 7:00pm
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The first Tuesday of each month at 7:00 PM, our Women’s Book Group gathers with wine and chocolate to discuss a book that has been chosen by the group. The book for September is Between Heaven and Mirth by James Martin
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REFLECTIONS ON CARING FOR OUR COMMON HOME
From Laudato Si
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The cheese is a bit moldy, so let’s throw it out. The yogurt is past its expiration date, so let’s toss it. The jar of olives is far too large and takes up far too much room in the refrigerator, so let’s get rid of that too. These cans of soup are expired, so they should go as well. And the vegetables are overcooked; no one is going to eat them.
In 2018, according to the Environmental Protection Agency, 103 million tons of food were wasted in America, which amounts to about 40% of all food produced. This makes the United States the world’s leader in food waste. Only a portion of this is consumer waste. For example, a 2012 study by the National Resources Defense Council shows that non-consumer waste affects 16% of grain products while consumer waste affects 27%. The proportions for fruits and vegetables are 36% and 28%, and for meat 13% and 12%, respectively.
In the midst of this staggering level of waste, an estimated 42 million Americans, or about one in eight Americans, including 13 million children, are now food-insecure, according to data compiled by Feeding America. Disparities such as this, in which some are entitled to waste while others don’t have the ability to eat, are classic causes of unrest and violence; as Pope Francis points out in Laudato Si, where there is distributive injustice, violence often results.
In addition to its impact on the poor, food waste also contributes to the environmental crisis that we now face. Precious resources, particularly water and land, are used to produce food that is discarded. Much of this land and water usage is by large agriculture or agricultural businesses, which foster monocultures and rely on the intensive use of pesticides and herbicides. This wastes an enormous volume of resources to produce products that in turn are wasted, in the process undermining the ecological balance of the land.
But the ecological impact of waste is not confined to the waste of natural resources. Consumer waste also has a significant negative impact on the environment. Most food waste goes to landfills; in fact, food waste accounts for about a quarter of all material in landfills. As it decomposes, it emits methane into the atmosphere. The United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization estimates that 6.7% of all greenhouse gas emissions worldwide come from food waste.
Each of us, however, can take steps to ensure that we eliminate food waste and that our necessary food waste (such as vegetable peels, apple cores, meat bones, etc.) don’t contribute to the degradation of our environment. This is an area in which we can have an immediate and significant impact by taking steps like the following:
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Composting all food waste. Compost does not generate greenhouse gases and produces new, fertile soil; in contrast, the land devoted to landfills is unusable for a long time period.
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Planning meals and making a shopping list before going food shopping to avoid impulse buys.
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Buying only quantities that you will realistically use over a particular time frame, such as six months or a year. Those prices at warehouse clubs may seem unbeatable, but often the quantities are unusable.
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Managing portion sizes so that you purchase and prepare only enough food that can be eaten over a specified period.
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Buying fresh, locally sourced, organic produce. Organic, locally sourced produce entails far less waste in production and is pesticide-free. Typically, local farms support biodiversity as well.
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Focusing less on the aesthetic appearance and more on the nutritional value of fruit and vegetables. Large amounts of produce are wasted because they are not aesthetically pleasing, even though they remain completely tasty and nutritious.
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Understanding the expiration dates on food products:
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Use by indicates the date that perishable food should be consumed. It applies to perishable foods.
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Sell by Is intended for retailers to help with inventory management. A product past its sell by date should not be discarded; in many cases, depending on packaging, the product may still be good for many years.
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Best by provides the producer’s estimate of the latest date that the product will be at its peak flavor and texture. A product past its best by date should not be discarded; the date is subjective, and in many cases the product may be good for years after its best by date has passed.
- Regardless of the date, you should always examine canned or bottled products to ensure they are still edible.
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If you are placing food (especially leftovers) in storage contains, making sure that they are clean. Glass containers are better for this purpose than plastic ones, since they are easier to clean. In particular, containers that are greasy cause bacteria to grow, which in turn causes food to spoil faster.
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If you know owners or employees of commercial kitchens (such as restaurants) who don’t donate their leftover food to charitable organizations, urge them to do so. While such donations are encouraged, there is a misconception that such establishments are not permitted to donate prepared food.
Many of these measures not only reduce waste, but also save money and help us live healthier lives. In addition, reducing our food waste can have a long-term impact that’s far greater than the food we don’t discard. In a supply-demand economy, the effect of our purchasing decisions and our patterns of consumption will also eventually filter upward through the chain of production, where there will also be less waste.
Our wasting food also makes an important theological statement, which we will examine in a future reflection.
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KIDS FAITH FORMATION
Sundays at 10:15am
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Kids are invited to join Zoom Children's Liturgy of the Word. Monthly faith formation packets are also available. Email Laura, LStanger@sjvkirkland.org, for more information.
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High Schoolers and Middle Schoolers, mark your calendars for our kick off retreat on October 2 & 3 , Discernment & the Half Blood Prince (after the 6th book in the Harry Potter series). For more details or information about Youth Group, please contact Maybeth, mterashima@sjvkirkland.org.
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Ushers and seaters have a particularly special role to play at this time. Please prayerfully consider volunteering. If you would like to help usher or seat people at our weekend Masses please contact Greg, gleptich@sjvkirkland.org.
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We have had several “chip drops” for our gardens dropped by the front entrance and we need to spread them around. They are very useful for soil enrichment while keeping weeds down - and they don't cost us anything, just the labor to spread them around. If you feel called, please contact Greg at gleptich@sjvkirkland.org.
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The Sonshine Ministry prepares meals on a short-term basis for parishioners who are ill, recovering from surgery, elderly or with new babies. If you need help with meals, please consider a Sonshine ‘no contact’ meal delivered with our love and prayers! Please call the parish office if interested. If you would like to prepare an occasional meal for a fellow parishioner Sonshine welcomes your help! Please call the parish office at 425 823-0787. |
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JOB OPENING AT ST. TERESA OF CALCUTTA, WOODINVILLE
Pastoral Assistant for Administration
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This is a full time position which oversees many of the administrative responsibilities for the parish. A successful candidate will be an active member of the Catholic Church, proficient in Microsoft Office Suite, and posses strong communication, organization, and interpersonal skills. For more information and how to apply, please click on the button below. |
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