Notes on the Transitions,
Number 1 in a Series

The very clever amongst you no doubt noticed in my previous post that our new pastor was not named pastor of both of our parishes.

Let me explain.

The parishes of Holy Rosary and St. Joseph have been joined at the hip for something like twenty years. They were first consolidated under a single pastor during the last of our Benedictine pastors, and they’ve continued this way ever since.

No more.

Instead, Holy Rosary will be joining with Visitation parish – ultimately a very similar arrangement to what we’ve experienced in the past.

Saint Joseph, on the other hand, is once again forging its own path.

Saint Joseph Parish

A young parishioner of North American Martyrs posted a succinct summary on the Tacoma Catholic Facebook group:

It was announced at the Extraordinary Form Mass at Sts. Peter and Paul this past weekend that St. Joseph’s on 34th St. will become a personal parish administered by the Priestly Fraternity of St. Peter, and that Fr. Michael Stinson, FSSP, will be assigned by that fraternity to run the parish.

The Extraordinary Form is currently offered at 5pm by Fr. Kenneth Baker, SJ, on Sundays at Sts. Peter and Paul on Portland Avenue. … Currently the timeline for the change at St. Joseph is not solid but the transition should be complete by the end of the year.

Of course those of us who have been participating in the Extraordinary Form are excited about this news but we are keeping in our prayers the community at St. Joseph’s, that this transition could be as rewarding for them as we hope it will be for us.

The FSSP only celebrates the Extraordinary Form of the Roman Rite, which some of you may know as the Tridentine Rite or the traditional Latin Mass.

To say that this will be a big change for people is a big understatement.

Seattle’s North American Martyrs parish has maintained a “satellite” in Tacoma at Ss. Peter and Paul, and I imagine all of those parishioners will be moving over to St. Joseph.

Meanwhile, there will no doubt be some St. Joseph parishioners for whom the Mass in Latin will be a bridge too far. I expect these folks will leave St. Joseph for Holy Rosary or for other parishes.

What St. Joseph will be going through is essentially going to be a merger between two parishes. Even if everybody is on their best behaviour, there will no doubt be miscommunication, hurt, and anger. People are people.

I pray everyone at St. Joseph parish is welcoming of the FSSP and the folks moving over from NAM, and that everybody moving over keep in mind that they are the ones joining a new parish.

If this young man is any indication, I think the concerns are being admirably met.

Holy Rosary Parish

At my parish of Holy Rosary, meanwhile, Fr. Maurer has begun the work of putting together a transition team to help our incoming pastor, Fr. Wichert.

I’ve been appointed to that committee.

More news as events warrant.