Feast of St. James and Parish Picnic

This weekend we also observed Father Ryan's 40th anniversary of ordination. At the conclusion of the 10:00am Mass, Sister Anne presented him with a book of memories, stories, and thank yous on behalf of the whole parish.

St. James "the Greatest" made his annual appearance at the conclusion of the 10:00am and Noon Masses. It takes four people to bring James to life.

After Mass, all were invited to venerate a relic of our patron. The relic is housed in a beautiful 15th-century reliquary bust.

The shade on Terry Avenue was especially welcome on this day when temperatures reached 95 degrees! A HUGE, special THANKS to Anna Horton and Stephen Pace, who once again volunteered to coordinate this extravaganza.

Hundreds of us took a moment to sign a really, really long thank you card to Father Ryan, and to look at some fun old pictures.
(Special thanks to SunSigns for the banner!)

The Hunthausen Library team sponsored a book sale.

The Toucans Steel Drum Band added a lot of fun to the afternoon.

Dozens of kids took a whack at the pinata.

The Corrigan girls brought their graceful Irish dance
to the picnic again this year.

The Noon Servers shared their Hawaiian-style dance with us.
Photo by Sister Anne.

A professional face-painter transformed the girls into butterflies and flowers.

The St. James Young Adults staffed the huge inflatable toys which were a big hit with the kids.

It's not an anniversary celebration without a ceremonial cake-cutting.
Thank you and congratulations, Father Ryan!
Photo by Sister Anne.

O James, pray for us all with continual prayer.
Restore life to your own so that we may deserve
to be joined above on the fields in the stars.
Remember your children through the ages,
and never cease to pray for the pilgrims who beseech you,
so that we, removed from all the narrow places,
may deserve to possess together with you
the perpetual kingdom of heaven.

from a prayer by Calixtus, the medieval Pope
who helped popularize pilgrimage to Compostela

All photos copyright (c) St. James Cathedral, Seattle

804 Ninth Avenue
Seattle, Washington 98104
Phone 206.622.3559 Fax 206.622.5303