|
|
St. Vincent de Paul Parish Newsletter
April 30th, 2020
|
|
The old television commercial told us that there was no one lonelier than a Maytag repairman (implying that the product never broke down). Many of us are now struggling with the loneliness of not being able to be with family and friends. As introverted as I am, I am lonely at not being able to gather with the parish for Mass (I am glad we can have eight people present for our live streaming). I am lonely that our staff cannot gather, except on our computer zoom meetings. I am lonely that I cannot be with parishioners who are in the hospital or other care facilities. I’m lonely that I cannot visit family or friends. But when I am at prayer, I am not as lonely as I remember you in my intentions, especially you who have lost jobs, you who are stressed at home being teacher, day care attendant, worker and homemaker all at once, you who are experiencing great anxieties. You are all in my prayers. This takes on special meaning for me at Mass. Surrounded by empty pews I look into the camera and pray for all who want so much to be present for the Eucharist but cannot. It may be like survivors’ guilt, but when I receive Holy Communion, I am thinking all who cannot and I feel a bit more connected.
I hope you are finding ways to stay connected. Make that phone call. Use social media. And be sure to pray for others.
-Fr. Bill
|
|
|
|
Do we have your current phone number?
|
During this pandemic, the parish staff is trying to touch base with parishioners through a phone call. We are discovering many phone numbers are no longer active. If you have changed your number or switched from a landline to cell phone, please let us know.
|
|
|
|
We have recently seen an increase in fraudulent emails being sent out. Please be careful about who you are sending private information to. Always look at the email address of the sender. When in doubt call the company, do not use the link on the email.
|
|
Phishing
-
the fraudulent practice of sending emails purporting to be from reputable companies in order to induce individuals to reveal personal information, such as passwords and credit card numbers.
|
|
Stay connected with your
St. Vincent de Paul Community
|
|
 |
St. Vincent de Paul Parish Live Streams Mass Sundays at 10:30
No Facebook, No problem:
You can watch our Live Mass with us even if you don't have a Facebook account. We will be putting the link to our live broadcast on our Parish Homepage. You can also access our web page on your IPad or Smart Phone, just pull up your web browser and type in
www.stvincentparish.org.
|
|
|
|
St. Vincent's
Prayer
Initiative
|
We invite parishioners to sign up for a 30 minute prayer period so that prayer is constantly being offered throughout the day for our parish, for those suffering because of this pandemic and for those on the front lines of caring for sick and engaged in essential businesses for the common good. Pray as you like. It could be a rosary, liturgy of the hours, silent meditation, scripture reading or just talking to God.
|
|
|
|
Your Parish Staff is still working and can be reached via email.
|
LifeTeen Band is putting on a LIVE Praise and Worship Concert.
Please join us Friday, May 8th from 7pm to 8pm. Find us on Facebook or follow the link on our webpage!
|
Sunday Worship at Home
We are using a new resource for leading Sunday Worship at home with children. This resource has links to songs for children to enliven your family’s worship experience.
|
|
Being Church looks very different during this pandemic. Though our buildings may be closed our hearts are open. Church is now taking place in our homes, community is being fostered through social media, our dining room tables are now our school desks and work stations, our parish mission and vision are still being lived out and deepened. Send us pictures of how you are "worshiping, serving and growing in the knowledge and love of Jesus" at home.
Check out our parish web page stvincentpariish.org to see how we are being Church together.
|
|
|
Can the Church open for Private Prayer?
Some of our parishioners have asked if the church could be open for private prayer. It can, but we need help to meet all the requirements to have the building open. We need volunteer hosts to be present in the church and enforce social distancing and supervision. We also need volunteer cleaners to sanitize every place someone may have been. If volunteers step forward, we will be able to have the church open a couple times during the week. Volunteers should not be in any vulnerable category for Covid 19. Sign up on the parish web page.
|
|
Renewal of the Consecration of the United States of America to the Blessed Virgin Mary May 1, 2020
|
|
|
|
This prayer of consecration will be offered on behalf of the entire country by the Most Reverend José H. Gomez, Archbishop of Los Angeles and President of the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops. The prayer of consecration incorporates language used in consecrations of Popes Pius XII, John Paul II, and Francis, and also from prayers from Masses of the Blessed Virgin Mary. Use this text to pray along with Archbishop Gomez and our archbishop, Peter Etienne.
Families or individuals can adapt it for their own households. When prayed in common, a leader might say the parts in bold, and others might read the Scripture passage and lead the decade of the Rosary. The prayer of consecration could be proclaimed by the leader alone or prayed together.
|
|
|
|
Archbishop Etienne has called for a new Pastoral Plan to build a thriving and more mission-oriented Catholic community in Western Washington. Because all Catholics share in the life and mission of the Risen Jesus, their voices are critical to inform the plan.
Today we are excited to offer the first of many opportunities for ALL Catholics to participate via the online surveys. Responses are anonymous and confidential. The initial questions seek to better understand the experiences, beliefs, needs, desires and faith trajectories of Catholics across western Washington. The final section of the survey includes several opportunities for all Catholics to provide open feedback on the church’s strengths, areas for growth, and to share hopes for the new plan’s priorities. Participants should allow
at least 15-20 minutes to complete the survey.
Our goal is to achieve representative feedback from across the region, the generations, and many demographics. This would provide critical insights for the many ministries of our church and highlight opportunities to deepen engagement with Catholics.
|
|
|
Emergency Sandwich
Brigade
|
Thanks to our many volunteers the Parish is
now providing a daily
sack lunch to the Reach Out Shelter homeless in
the area.
|
It's not too late to fill out your Census Form. Click the button below to read the letter from Archbishop Etienne about the importance of participating in the Census.
|
|
|
|
Urgent invitation to join our CCS SEWING BEE and help make 10,000 MASKS!
|
Help Support our
Parish Schoo
l
Parishioners can purchase scrip gift cards on Wednesdays. Call the office on Wednesday morning to place the order. When you arrive at school, call the school office and they will take the order out to your car.
|
|
|
|
We the Bishops of Washington state wish to notify you of our support and encouragement for gathering signatures for Referendum 90 (R-90).
R-90 is a referendum to reject or approve a new law requiring all state school districts to provide Comprehensive Sexual Health Education (CSHE) for grades kindergarten through 12. Formerly Senate Bill 5395, this law was passed by the Legislature and signed by Governor Inslee on March 27, 2020. Signatures are being collected now to put R-90 on the state’s fall ballot.
The Washington State Catholic Conference is the common voice of the Catholic Bishops of the Archdiocese of Seattle, the Diocese of Spokane, and the Diocese of Yakima. We oppose the new CSHE law for the following reasons:
·
CSHE prevents locally elected school boards from fully determining their own policy in this sensitive area. The law does not allow local communities to protect their own values. The Catholic principle of
subsidiarity
holds that certain issues are best dealt with locally. The sensitive matter of sex education is one such example of the appropriateness of handling some governmental issues at the local level.
·
The CSHE law does not ensure meaningful curricula review by parents and guardians nor provide for public comment prior to implementation. Additionally, CSHE curriculum fails to adequately address complex moral issues tied to human sexuality. As the bishops of the Second Vatican Council taught, the “family is a kind of school of deeper humanity … the right of parents to … educate their children in the bosom of the family must be safeguarded.”
Gaudium ed Spes,
The Pastoral Constitution of the Church in the Modern World, no. 52.
·
There are over 130,000 public school students in the state who do not speak English at home. There is no plan to communicate the new curricula or opt out information to these families.
|
|
|
For 175 years, the Society of St. Vincent de Paul has offered person-to-person services to the most vulnerable in communities throughout the United States. The Society's nearly 100,000 trained volunteers throughout the United States provided 12.5 million hours of volunteer service, helping more than 5.4 million people.
Around the country, we are adapting our daily work to practice social distancing, as directed by federal and state agencies. In these unprecedented times, SVdP is shifting our service model from personalized face-to-face service to meeting basic needs while social distancing... to protect the health of our volunteers, staff, friends in need, and communities. We are tailoring our services to meet the unique needs of all the communities we serve.
Our local conference at our parish continues this outreach ministry. Requests for help have risen dramatically. You can help by financially supporting our local St. Vincent de Paul conference by giving online, click below for online site, o
r mailing to the parish the monthly, purple SVdP envelope included in your regular monthly packet
For more information on our local conference or to volunteer to help make deliveries with our members, contact Mike Fay at mwfay@comcast.net
|
|
|
|
Please continue to give:
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
:
- Online - signup to give onetime, weekly or monthly, click the link on the below to sign up.
- Mail - you can mail us your contribution to 30525 8th Ave S, Federal Way, WA 98003.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
