July
10.
Two sisters Lovers of the Holy Cross of Go Vap made
their solemn profession during a special Mass in the Cathedral.
Click here for the
album.
18-22. A dozen of our Cathedral teens
participated in the Youth Migrant Project, spending a
week learning about the challenges faced by migrant workers and their
families in our own state.
25. We celebrated the Jubilee year of our patron,
St. James the Greater, with festive Masses and our
annual Parish Picnic on Terry Avenue. In his homily for today, Father
Ryan noted: “The fact that this is a jubilee year doesn’t make the
feast any greater (any more than calling James ‘the greater’ makes him
any greater), but perhaps it can make us stand a little taller, pray our
prayers a little stronger, and sing our hymns and acclamations a little
louder. And most of all, perhaps it can challenge us to roll up
our sleeves a little higher as we do what James did: let go the dreams
of glory and make the long pilgrimage from selfishness to the selfless
service of others.” Click
here to read Father Ryan's homily.
August
7. Twelve Sisters of Providence
celebrated their jubilees of religious profession during a special Mass
in the Cathedral.
9-13. Our annual
Choir Camp gathered
thirty young people for a week of music, fun, and learning. At the
end of the week, they were invited to sum up their experience in one or
two words. They described camp as: Fun, welcoming, challenging,
interesting, tiring, awesome, joyful, different, amazing, inspiring,
cool, entertaining, helpful, singaful, rejoiceful, friendship,
adventure, grace.
14. The Cathedral’s Eco-Justice group
co-sponsored a tour of the Duwamish River, one of the most contaminated
sites in the U.S. The day included prayers and reflections on our
call to practice environmental justice.
15. We celebrated the great feast of Mary’s
Assumption and the conclusion of Choir Camp.
September
11. The Cathedral Choir of St. James
returned in all its glory after its summer hiatus.
16. A red-letter day in the history of the
Archdiocese of Seattle: we received word that Pope Benedict XVI
had named the Most Reverend
J. Peter Sartain the next Archbishop of Seattle. Archbishop
Sartain spent the day meeting with the press and the Chancery staff, and
celebrating a simple Mass of Thanksgiving in the Cathedral. In a
statement to the press, he said, “I love being pastor, and I look
forward to my ministry as shepherd of the Church in the Archdiocese of
Seattle. I especially welcome the opportunity to get to know the
priests, deacons, religious women and men, and the dedicated laity of
the archdiocese, because I know you will teach me about the countless
accomplishments of the Church and the opportunities now before us.
This archdiocese traces its roots back to 1850, and I have much to learn
about its history, its faith, its growth, and its heroes and heroines.”
20. The 14th Annual
Hunthausen Charity Golf
Tournament raised $68,000 to support the Cathedral’s outreach
ministries, especially the Cathedral Kitchen. Special thanks to
Jeff Meder, who chaired the tournament for the 14th straight year!
25. Archbishop Brunett presided at a special Mass
remembering the deceased women religious of the
Archdiocese of Seattle.
October
3. Children, parents, and catechists received a
special blessing at our First Sunday Youth Celebration.
31. Thanks to the generosity of hundreds of
Cathedral parishioners, the Cathedral’s worn-out kneelers were replaced
this week with comfortable new ones.
November
2. We observed the Commemoration of the Faithful
Departed with the Solemn Mass of All Souls with the
sublime music of Mozart’s Requiem. Father Ryan noted in
his homily for tonight: “In an age often called secular or ‘post
Christian,’ Mozart’s Requiem is nearly always performed as a concert
piece – a magnificent work of art but a slightly quaint relic: a
leftover from another time and place, a glorious form lacking substance.
But tonight we dare to say something different. We dare not only
to perform a Requiem but to celebrate a Requiem. In doing so we
are making a statement, an act of faith. We are allowing a
magnificent musical composition of Mozart to help us plumb the depths of
the great Christian mysteries of life, death, and resurrection, to help
us transcend the limits of time and space, to put us at table in an
Upper Room.” Click here to
read Father Ryan's homily.
6-7. In his homily for this
Sacrificial Giving
weekend, Father Ryan challenged parishioners to increase their
giving if possible, as the parish faces a deficit of $375,000 in the
coming year. Our annual Ministries Fair in Cathedral Hall
highlighted a few of the many ministries made possible by the generosity
of our parishioners.
11. A special Mass honored and remembered the
fifty-four homeless men and women who died on the
streets of our city in the past year.
12. The Chancery Staff gathered in the Cathedral
for a special Mass honoring Archbishop Alexander J. Brunett.
19. Priests and people from across the
Archdiocese of Seattle gathered to honor and thank Archbishop
Brunett as he prepares to retire. In an interview,
Archbishop Brunett said, “When you’re a bishop, you don’t think of
yourself as doing anything other than what you’re called to do: to
minister to people and to serve them. When you say ‘somebody’s
legacy,’ that’s for other people to decide. They have to look and
see: Does this mean anything? Has it made any impact on the life
of the church here? Are there more people who are committed to their
faith? Are the re more people that are reaching out to help the others?
Are the poor being better served? Are Catholic schools stronger?”
20. At our annual Liturgy Day,
more than 150 readers, ushers, altar servers, and “E.M.s” (Extraordinary
Ministers of Holy Communion) gathered for a day of workshops and renewal
in ministry.
25. We celebrated a beautiful (snowy) Mass on the
morning of Thanksgiving Day.
30. The Cathedral was packed for
Evening Prayer with our
new Archbishop, J. Peter Sartain.
December
1. In a joyous celebration,
Archbishop Sartain was
installed as the ninth bishop, fifth Archbishop of Seattle.