Ruminations of an Amateur Monastic
Forty-one days ago, we learned that our parish of Holy Rosary was to be suppressed. Twenty-five days ago, we celebrated our last Confirmations as Holy Rosary ceased to be a parish in the Archdiocese of Seattle. Eleven days ago, Archbishop Etienne celebrated the final Mass for Holy Rosary parish. And then, six days ago, we received this in the mail. […]
» Read more
Depart from me, I will weep bitterly; labour not to comfort me. (Antiphon 1 of Monastic Lauds for the Feast of Our Lady of Sorrows) Two days ago, Archbishop Paul Etienne celebrated the final Mass of Holy Rosary parish in Tacoma. Perhaps appropriately, today is the Feast of Our Lady of Sorrows. In his blog, his excellency had this to […]
» Read more
Current and former Holy Rosary Parishioners are invited to attend our farewell outdoor Mass with Archbishop Etienne and several former pastors on September 13th 2020 at Noon. Guidelines to Attend We are strictly limited to 200 in the congregation, and parishioners MUST sign up ahead of time.Those who are vulnerable are encouraged to stay home and participate in a Mass […]
» Read more
As of yesterday, I am no longer a catechist, at least in the formal sense. Yesterday, Archbishop Etienne and Holy Rosary parish welcomed the Boylan-Nims family into Christ’s Church. And with them, our parish RCIA comes to an end, and by extension my role as its director. This was our penultimate Mass as a parish, and it seems fitting that […]
» Read more
The monks of Saint Martin’s Abbey in Lacey, Washington have elected their ninth abbot. This is the abbey where Francine and I are Oblates. Here is the official announcement from the Prior, Brother Nicolaus Wilson, O.S.B.: It is with great joy that the monks of St. Martin’s Abbey announce the election of our ninth abbot, Abbot Marion Qui-Thac Nguyen. Abbot […]
» Read more
For seven years, on the Sunday Solemnity of Corpus Christi, my parish of Holy Rosary had an outdoor Procession of the Blessed Sacrament following the Noon Mass, taking Jesus through the streets of Tacoma and amongst His people. Rev. Jacob Maurer in the Corpus Christi Procession, 2013 This is a particularly special solemnity for our parish. Back in 2013, this […]
» Read more
UPDATE. Unfortunately, we were unable to get everything properly organized in time for this event. There are quite a few rules and regulations regarding gatherings that I was unaware of. This is entirely my fault. Mea culpa! So we will have to cancel. I can only offer my sincere apologies to everyone. All is not lost, however, as we are […]
» Read more
A century ago, on May 30, 1920, the cornerstone of Holy Rosary Church in Tacoma was laid. It was the feast of Saint Joan of Arc, who had been canonized just ten days before. Here’s what our parish history says about the day: May 30, 1920 The cornerstone of the new Church is laid by the Most Rev. Joseph McGrath, […]
» Read more
Since my conversion, May the second has loomed large in my life. Shortly after my baptism, I became an Oblate of the Order of Saint Benedict. Each year, we read through Saint Benedict’s Rule three times, a chapter or so each day. May 2 is one of the three days of the year where we begin the Rule again. This […]
» Read more
For the Order of Saint Benedict, today is the Feast of the Transitus of Saint Benedict, the anniversary of his death, in the year of our Lord 547. Of this event, his biographer Pope Saint Gregory the Great writes: The same year in which he departed this life, he told the day of his holy death to his monks, some […]
» Read more
You may have noticed that I’ve not been posting our “Camino Photo of the Day” recently. There’s a story behind that. We’ve been in South Lake Tahoe in Nevada. Oh, not for any vacation – well, not really. We were there to complete our training as hospitaleros. But I’m getting slightly ahead of myself. Prologue: Virginia City We arrived at […]
» Read more
Who doesn’t like top ten lists? These are the top ten post hits on the blog for this past year. Not all of the posts receiving the hits were necessarily written this year. Apparently, their appeal is enduring. In addition, for posts that are part of a numbered series (Novena to the Holy Deacons, I’m looking at you), I’ve only […]
» Read more
This Advent, as in past years, our parish of Holy Rosary in Tacoma will be chanting Vespers on Sunday evenings. Because of the damage to our beautiful church, this year we’re celebrating Vespers the school auditorium again. The school has an elevator, so getting to the auditorium is no problem! Please join us! There’s nothing like chanted Vespers to pull […]
» Read more
Today is the great feast of Christ the King. Later this afternoon, we will have our “Franksgiving” feast on this day. Franksgiving 2017 And it is right that we celebrate God’s bounty and God’s blessings in our lives. But today, on the Feast of Christ the King, it is perhaps better that we read about the nature of Christ’s kingship, […]
» Read more
Today is the 98th anniversary of the dedication of my parish church of Our Lady of the Holy Rosary. The church, now in danger, was dedicated on November 21, 1921. Here is what the parish history has to say about the event: Nov. 21, 1921 Thanksgiving Day. The new Church building is dedicated by the Most Rev. Edward J. O’Dea, […]
» Read more
I was out of town this weekend, so of course I missed Archbishop Etienne’s first Sunday Mass as Archbishop of Seattle. It was celebrated, rather improbably and unexpectedly, at our parish of Holy Rosary. He reportedly began by saying, “today I’m just here to pray with you.” How I wish I could have been there! This was exactly the sort […]
» Read more
Today, on the feast of Pope Saint Gregory the Great, Pope Francis accepted the resignation of J. Peter Sartain, Archbishop of Seattle for these past nine years. His Coadjutor Archbishop Paul D. Etienne has automatically succeeded him as head of the Archdiocese of Seattle. Welcome Archbishop Etienne! The Northwest Catholic introduced him: Archbishop Etienne (pronounced AY-chin), 60, was archbishop of […]
» Read more