MARCH.
8. More than 300 gathered at O’Dea gym for a presentation on the controversial Mel Gibson film The Passion of the Christ. The fascinating discussion featured Father Jim Eblen and Rabbi James Mirel.
13. Readers, ushers, Eucharistic ministers, and others involved in liturgical ministry at St. James gathered for their annual “Liturgy Day.”

APRIL.
1. Hundreds from throughout the Archdiocese came the Chrism Mass, which features the blessing of the oils for use in sacramental celebrations throughout the Archdiocese.
4-11. Holy Week. Hundreds gathered for the solemn liturgies of this greatest week of the Church’s year.
9. At the solemn observance of the Lord’s Passion in the evening, Father Ryan concluded his homily with these words: “The passion of the Christ is found in many places. It lives on in our world, it lives on in each of us and in the lives of those we love. And it is here in the Church’s liturgy that we make sense out of it all because it is here that our meeting with the Christ is most real — here at the altar of his sacrifice... Only here, my friends, only here, can we begin to understand the sufferings of a broken world—and find hope for that same broken world. Only here can we say with quiet confidence and glorious assurance, I was ‘there when they crucified my Lord.’”
10. At the great Easter Vigil our 26 Elect received the Sacraments of Initiation: Baptism, Confirmation, and Eucharist. This year the celebration was filmed by New Group Media, who are creating a documentary about the RCIA program at St. James Cathedral at the request of the US Conference of Catholic Bishops! This documentary will be broadcast nationwide on Easter Sunday 2005.
11. The Resurrection of the Lord. It was a glorious Easter in Seattle, with temperatures of 80°! More than 5,000 came to celebrate the day at St. James.
24. Bishop Thomas celebrated the Sacrament of Confirmation with young people and adults at the Saturday evening Mass.

MAY.
2. A morning of celebrations: at 10am, the Rites of Acceptance and Welcoming; at Noon, thirty-four first communions!
4-6. A group of Cathedral pastors from all over the country gathered at St. James to plan the Cathedral Ministry Conference which will take place in Seattle in January 2006.
16. At the Noon Mass, Father Ryan blessed an image of the Virgin of Antipolo from the Philippines.
21. Priests of the Archdiocese and friends gathered at the Cathedral for a farewell Vespers service for auxiliary Bishop George L. Thomas, appointed bishop of Helena, Montana.
30. Pentecost. In his homily, Father Ryan said: “Let us pray earnestly this day that the Spirit will stretch minds that are made up and open hearts that are closed up so that, full of the courage and compassion of Jesus Christ, and on fire with the Holy Spirit, the Church can fulfill its mission to renew the face of the earth!”

JUNE.
12. Four young men were ordained to the priesthood for ministry in the Archdiocese of Seattle.
13. Miraculously, the rain held off and allowed us to have our great procession with the Blessed Sacrament after the 10am Mass. It has never yet rained on a St. James Corpus Christi procession!
17. Our wonderful annual Celebration of Ministries was more wonderful than ever this year. (See p. 7)
19. Five men were ordained for priestly ministry in the Oregon Province of the Society of Jesus.
 

—M.L.

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