At
the 10:00am and Noon Masses on Sunday, December 18, we marked the Golden
Jubilee of Father Ryan's ordination to the priesthood, December 17,
1966, in St. Peter's Basilica.
Youth readers proclaimed the scriptures at the Masses.
Lining up for the Gospel procession
Read or listen to Father
Ryan's homily here
At the conclusion of the 10:00am Mass, Mayor Ed Murray, who first met
Father Ryan nearly fifty years ago, proclaimed December 18, 2016,
"Father Ryan Day" in the City of Seattle.
Click here to
listen.
Father Ryan has known Ed Murray since the mayor was 14 years old!
At the conclusion of Mass, two gifts were presented by the parish
community to Father Ryan. On the left, a scrapbook of thanks, hopes, and
wishes, from hundreds in the parish community and beyond. On the right,
the parish set out to raise $50,000 for the Hunthausen Fund in honor of
Father Ryan's Jubilee. The Hunthausen Fund moves homeless families
into permanent housing by providing grants for first and last months'
rent and deposit. Hundreds contributed to the Fund, raising $155,500!
At the 10:00am Mass, the gifts were presented by Sister Anne Herkenrath;
at the Noon Mass, Bennett Buchholz did the presentation.
This
is the text from which Sister Anne spoke.
Click here
to listen!Father Ryan, we all want to
thank you and congratulate you on this milestone: fifty years of service
to God’s holy people.
You have made an impact on every single one
of us, and hundreds and thousands more. You’ve welcomed us, blessed us,
challenged us, comforted us when we were grieving, and celebrated life’s
greatest joys with us. There is no adequate way to thank you for what
you’ve done. And we know you wouldn’t want us to make a “big deal” out
of your fiftieth anniversary. But we do have a couple of gifts for you.
Instead of a more conventional Golden Jubilee gift, we have pooled
our resources to give you something that honors and recognizes your
priorities and your care for the poor. In 2001, you established
the Hunthausen Fund, which you named in honor of your mentor and hero,
Archbishop Raymond Hunthausen. The fund helps move homeless families
into permanent housing by providing grants for first and last month’s
rent and deposit. Over the years, this fund has moved 600 families into
permanent housing.
We set out to raise $50,000 in your honor. I’m
sorry to say that we weren’t able to hit that number. Instead,
your parishioners and friends—hundreds of them—have contributed $155,552
for the Hunthausen Fund in your name.
We would also like to
present to you a book of our prayers, memories, thanks, and best wishes
for you. We hope that in the days and months to come, as you take
time to look at this scrapbook, you will realize just how much we love
you and how much your ministry has impacted us. We join you in thanking
God for the gift of your priestly vocation.
No caption needed!
At
the 10:00am Mass, Father Ryan took special note of the presence of
Father William Treacy, the senior priest of the Archdiocese of Seattle.
Father Treacy was ordained in 1944 (!!); Father Ryan served Mass for him
when he was a young boy.
At
the conclusion of each Mass, the whole assembly prayed a prayer of
blessing over Father Ryan:
God of love and mercy,
we thank you for the gifts of grace
you have poured out on so many people
through Father Ryan’s ministry.
We thank you for his fifty years of service,
for the sacraments he
has celebrated with us and for us,
for the joys and sorrows he has
shared with us.
We thank you for his wonderful achievements
during
these fifty years,
and we praise you for his perseverance
in his
vocation of love and service
through times of discouragement.
We
thank you for his unfailing energy,
his enthusiasm for the Church,
his love of beauty and the arts,
his care for the poor, the
vulnerable, and the sick,
his open and welcoming attitude,
and his
deep respect for the holy people of God.
As he celebrates the
fiftieth anniversary
of his Ordination,
renew your blessings to
him.
May he know your living presence
in his life and ministry,
and be filled with the hope,
the love, the joy
and the freshness
of the Gospel
for years to come.
We ask this through Christ our
Lord. Amen.
Photo by Stephen Pace
Photo by Stephen Pace
The
procession led the way to Cathedral Hall where a festive reception had
been prepared.
At
the Noon Mass, Father Ryan was joined by Father Jim Johnson, pastor of
St. Jude Parish, Redmond. Father Jim served as Sacristan at the
Cathedral during the time of the Cathedral's renovation.
Thank you, Father Ryan!
The
receiving line!
Volunteers helped pass goodies and keep the line moving.
It was a wonderful day. Ad multos annos, Father Ryan!
Special thanks to our Golden Jubilee planning group: Larry Brouse,
Tami Kowal, Maria Laughlin, Glenn Lux, Margaret Lynch, Stephen Pace,
Rose Southall, Melissa Williams.
Thanks to Margaret Lynch, Melissa Williams, and Swift & Savory
Catering, for going above and beyond to make the reception so wonderful.
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