Category: community
The State of a Parish in Transition
Years ago, when we were parishioners at St. Rita, our long-time pastor retired. At that time, I wrote what has oddly become one of the most Googled posts on this blog, Hopes and Prayers for a New Pastor. At that time, I said: Being a pastor is one of the most difficult jobs in the world, I think. The responsibility […]
» Read moreConsolations of the Feast
Several things crowd my mind this morning. Chiefly, I’m still processing the Corpus Christi Masses and procession we celebrated at our parish yesterday. But first, a slight digression. Mary, Mediatrix of All Graces On the calendar used in the Extraordinary Form of the Roman Rite, today is the feast of Mary, Mediatrix of All Graces. I wrote an article several […]
» Read moreBody, Blood, Soul, Divinity
Depending on what calendar you use (Ordinary Form or Extraordinary Form), and whether or not it is a Holy Day of Obligation in your diocese, tomorrow (or last Thursday) will be (or was) the Solemnity of the Body and Blood of Christ (Corpus Christi). Happy Corpus Christi! Whereas Holy Thursday is a celebration of the institution of the Eucharist, Corpus […]
» Read moreCorpus Christi Mass and Procession
This coming Sunday my parish will participate in an outdoor Procession of the Blessed Sacrament following the Noon Mass. The Masses that day will be celebrated Ad Orientem. This will be the third year we’ve taken Jesus through the streets of Tacoma and amongst His people. If you are anywhere in the area, I hope you will consider joining us. […]
» Read more“I’m a bit of a Gyrovague…”
I have written several times about the Monks of Norcia. This video introduces their new CD of Gregorian chant. It’s a lovely peek into their life, and the dry wit of their Prior is delightful. You can pre-order the CD here.
» Read moreJust Call Me Godfaddah
Congratulations to my new Goddaughter Monique’ on her Baptism and Confirmation at the Easter Vigil! She took the name Anastasia, for Saint Anastasia of Rome, who is honoured in the Roman Canon. It’s always amazing to me to see the smiles on the faces of the newly Baptized. I remember it my own Baptism, and I’m pretty sure my jaw […]
» Read moreTenebræ Recap
Last night’s Tenebræ service was sublime. It lasted about an hour and a half, and just being in that gathering in deepening darkness as the sound of chanted prayer filled the church was an experience I’ll not soon forget. We had about eighty or so people there – far more than we had anticipated. We only printed about thirty service […]
» Read moreSchedule for Holy Week
The following is the Holy Week schedule for the parishes of Holy Rosary and Saint Joseph in Tacoma. There’s a lot there. One thing to bear in mind is that the Holy Triduum is essentially one giant liturgy (with some serious overnight breaks) that begins with the Introit of the Mass of the Lord’s Supper on Holy Thursday, continues through […]
» Read moreTen Years Catholic
Ten years ago today, on the night of the 26th of March 2005, I was baptized into the Church at the great Vigil of Easter. I used to think that it was a rare thing that one could point to a specific day, a specific moment, and say with certainty, “that’s it; that’s when everything changed”. As it turns out, […]
» Read moreOf Benedict and His Order
Although it no longer appears on the Universal (Roman) calendar, today is one of two feasts of Saint Benedict celebrated by Benedictines throughout the world. This is the day in the year 547 when Saint Benedict of Norcia died. Saint Benedict is generally considered the founder of western monasticism, and his Rule spread throughout the west as the Roman Empire […]
» Read moreWhortleberry Twigs
Today is the name day of one of our cats. Her name is Lucy, and most days she’s dumb as a bag of rocks. In her kittenish youth, she was quite acrobatic and active – in fact, she was named after Lucy Liu, rather than the more famous Lucy pictured here. The original Lucy, however, was a Sicilian martyr. She […]
» Read moreReflections on the Mass of the Immaculate Conception
Normally, we ask the servers, lectors, and extraordinary ministers to arrive thirty minutes before Mass. I was coming from work, and due to the train schedule I arrived an hour before Mass was scheduled to begin. I walked from the train station to the church in a refreshingly cool evening rain. Father was hearing Confessions, and there were a small […]
» Read moreAltar Servers on the Feast
This past Sunday, our parish celebrated its feast day with Masses (Ordinary Form, English with Latin responses) and a potluck. The feast of the Holy Rosary is actually today, but since it is our patronal solemnity, the Archbishop has given permission to move the celebration to the nearest Sunday. One of my volunteer gigs there is to coordinate the Altar […]
» Read moreHoly Rosary Celebrates 800 Years!
My parish of Holy Rosary will celebrate our parish feast day on Sunday October 5 with a special Mass at noon. Holy Rosary is located just north of I-5 overlooking downtown Tacoma, at 424 South 30th Street. Seriously, you can’t miss it. This year we’re celebrating 800 years. No, the parish church might be old, but it’s not quite that […]
» Read moreBlessing of the Animals at Holy Rosary in Tacoma
My parish of Holy Rosary will hold a Blessing of the Animals on Saturday, October 4 from 10:00 to 11:00 AM in celebration of the Feast of St. Francis of Assisi. Holy Rosary is located just north of I-5 overlooking downtown Tacoma, at 424 South 30th Street. You can’t miss it. Everyone is invited to bring their animals, as Holy […]
» Read moreOn Community
Today is the principal feast (at least among the Benedictines) of Saint Benedict of Nursia, author of the great monastic rule that in large part saved western civilization after the fall of the Roman Empire. Pope Benedict XVI took his name at least in part from Saint Benedict, and the life and work of the saint was a topic that […]
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