July
24. We celebrated the Feast of St. James and the Annual Parish Picnic on Terry Avenue. In his homily for the day, Father Ryan said: “Dear friends, St. James speaks to the pilgrim in all of us. He left everything to follow Jesus and he never turned back. His pilgrim’s staff and gourd, along with the trademark scallop shell, challenge us to do the same: to go forth in faith to a distant destination that would be altogether daunting if we had to travel alone. But we don’t. James is our companion along the way and Jesus is the Way. And so, today and until the day when our pilgrimage is ended, we enlist the prayers of St. James our patron, and we gather around the table of Jesus to receive the one thing we need more than any other for the journey: the food of pilgrims, the Bread of Life, the Blessed Eucharist.”
25-28. The Tallis Scholars brought their celebrated summer school to Seattle this year. St. James was privileged to host evening Vespers for the Tallis Scholars on the 25th, 26th, and 28th of July.

August
8-12. The Schola Cantorum gathered this week at the Cathedral for their annual Choir Camp. This is a unique opportunity for kids to become better musicians while exploring the history and traditions of our Catholic faith.
16. We were stunned to receive word of the murder of Brother Roger Schutz, founder of the ecumenical community of Taizé in France. For more than ten years, the music of this religious community has inspired our own weekly ecumenical prayer around the cross on Friday evenings. Prayer on August 19 was dedicated to the memory of Brother Roger, who once wrote: “Can there be no miracles on earth? Love which forgives is a miracle.” Father Ryan remarked at this special service of prayer: “May the tragic and untimely death of this great apostle who devoted his whole life to promoting peace and understanding—and in a most particular way, to promoting unity among Christians—be the grain of wheat that, by dying, will bear fruit far beyond his dreams or ours.”
30. We witnessed the devastation wrought in the Gulf Coast states by Hurricane Katrina. Father Ryan commented in his homily on September 18: “The recent and still unfolding national tragedy brought about by Hurricane Katrina and its aftermath prompts many questions. We wonder mightily. Wonder why, for instance, some people were spared and others were not. Or why it was largely poor people, and black people, and people living on the edge who got left behind while many of the more economically advantaged managed to escape. Or why the sick and the frail elderly in hospitals and nursing homes were in some cases abandoned or, at best, a low priority for rescue. Or why, in the richest and most sophisticated nation in the world, elected officials were so untimely, and governmental agencies so unprepared, in their response. Why does God allow such things? Why do we allow such things?” Read the entire homily here.

September
11. The Cathedral Choir returned in all its glory after its summer hiatus. In the evening, the Cathedral hosted a special forum, sponsored by the American Jewish Congress: “The Interfaith Agenda after 9/11.” The forum brought together speakers from Christian, Jewish, and Muslim traditions.
19. The Ninth Annual Charity Golf Tournament was held once again at Inglewood Golf and Country Club in Kenmore. This year the tournament raised more than $40,000 to support the Cathedral’s outreach ministries. Special thanks are due to Jeff Meder, who volunteered as Tournament Chairman.

October
2. We celebrated First Sunday Youth Celebration with the kids of the Children’s Faith Formation Program.
21. The Archdiocese of Seattle marked the conclusion of the Year of the Eucharist with a solemn Mass in the Cathedral. Bishop Eusebio Elizondo presided at this beautiful celebration.

M.L.

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