|
|
Read Archbishop Etienne's letter
on the implementation of Partners in the Gospel
July 1, 2024
|
May 19, 2024
PENTECOST
An update from
Father Ryan
|
|
Dear Friends,
I’m sure you are aware that as of July
1, St. James Cathedral, Immaculate Conception, and Christ Our
Hope will become one parish family, and that Archbishop Etienne
has appointed me pastor of this family of parishes--an honor and
a challenge! I know that a change like this brings anxiety as
well as hope for what the future may hold.
Recently, I
met with leaders of all three parishes and we shared what we
each treasure most about communities. One thing is very clear:
we all love our parishes and want them to thrive! We honor their
rich histories, celebrate their unique qualities, and above all,
we are grateful for the people that make up our communities.
Happily, we are all also deeply committed to making the new
parish family structure work.
In the days ahead, I will
be working closely with the leaders of each community to make
sure that the life of each parish continues, that we lose
nothing of our identity, energy, or vitality. At the same time,
we will look for ways to collaborate on programs and projects.
We will also be offering a number of opportunities to get to
know each other, to pray together, and to celebrate together.
Over the next few weeks, I will be meeting with each of the
priests assigned to our parish family to make sure the
sacramental needs of our parishes are well provided for. I will
also be meeting again with staff leaders from each community to
talk about the months ahead, major events, and how we can best
welcome one another and get to know one another.
I am
honored and humbled to serve as pastor of these three parishes,
and look forward to the times I will be able to spend with each.
At the same time, you need to know that I have not mastered the
fine art of bilocating (let alone trilocating!). My primary
focus will continue to be the Cathedral, but I am working with
each parish to find ways that I can have a meaningful presence.
And of course, I’m not the only priest! Four additional priests
will be assisting in our family on a part-time basis: Fathers
Bryan Hersey, Gary Lazzeroni, Paul Magnano, and Alex Pablo. I
know you will enjoy getting to know each one of them.
As
we celebrate this great feast of Pentecost, the birthday of the
Church, I pray for an outpouring of the Holy Spirit--comforter,
fount of life, and fire of love—on each one of you and on our
new parish family.
Father Ryan
|
April 8, 2024
An important letter from
Father Ryan
Click here to download the PDF
|
Sunday, April 7, 2024
An important letter from Archbishop Etienne
Click on the image to download and read the PDF
|
|
February 3, 2024
Dear Friends,
I know you are all aware of a major
restructuring effort underway in the Archdiocese of Seattle
called
Partners in the Gospel. This process, which began well over
a year ago, will group parishes around the archdiocese into
“families” of two, three, or more parish communities. The first
draft of the proposed families came out in September. In
response to that draft, people across the Archdiocese (including
many of you) offered feedback and suggestions. Based on that
feedback, a second draft was issued at the end of November and a
new round of consultation took place. This week, the Archbishop
announced the final parish families, which will become a reality
in July of this year.
How does this affect us?
Two parishes are going to become part of a “family” with the
Cathedral. They are the historic Immaculate Conception Church in
the Central District, and Christ Our Hope. downtown. Those of
you who have followed this process closely know that other
options were considered for the Cathedral, but for various
reasons, this configuration was determined to be the one that
would work best for these three parishes.
What does this
mean? It means that over the course of the next three-plus
years, we will be looking for ways to work together and to
collaborate in ministry. It does not mean – and I repeat, it
does not mean - that any of these churches will be closed, or
that we at the Cathedral will be absorbing those communities, or
making significant changes to the way we worship, or to the way
we serve, or spend our financial resources.
Above all, I
want to assure you that St. James Cathedral isn’t going
anywhere! The Cathedral is strong thanks to your support, and I
have every confidence that we will remain strong. I invite you
to walk with me into the future and to join me in looking at
this new family configuration as an opportunity for us to extend
our mission and our ministry even further.
Father Michael G. Ryan
Pastor
Read the Archbishop's letter here
See the
families for the entire Archdiocese of Seattle here
__________________
|
|
November 28, 2023
Dear Friends,
I’m writing with an important update on
Partners in the Gospel. As you will recall, Partners in the
Gospel is an effort undertaken by the Archdiocese of Seattle
which will group our 160 parishes and missions into “families”
of two, three, or more parishes. The proposed families were
published on the Archdiocese of Seattle website and in Northwest
Catholic back in September. The family group proposed for St.
James Cathedral included Immaculate Conception Church in the
Central District and Christ Our Hope downtown, on Second Avenue.
A major consultation effort was undertaken with the
faithful across the Archdiocese, including here at the
Cathedral, to provide feedback on these proposed family
groupings. Hundreds of listening sessions were held across
Western Washington, and many more comments were submitted
online. All told, some 3,000 pages of input was received by the
Chancery over a three-week period!
Every piece of input
was read by at least two people, and a short synthesis was
created for each parish family. On November 8-9, two
consultative bodies, the Archbishop’s Council of Priests and the
Partners in the Gospel Oversight Committee, met with Archbishop
Etienne at the Palisades Retreat Center to review the feedback
and the proposed changes, and to make recommendations. As a
result of this consultation and listening to your feedback, some
changes emerged for 25 parish families, including St. James
Cathedral.
The new proposal is for our parish family to
include St. James Cathedral and Immaculate Conception (Christ
Our Hope would join Sacred Heart in a different parish family).
From now until mid-December, there is a new opportunity to
provide feedback before a final recommendation is submitted to
Archbishop Etienne at the end of the year. Final parish families
will be announced early in 2024. It’s a busy time, but I hope
you will take time to share your thoughts on the new proposed
grouping. Your input does make a difference!
Read the feedback
received for the Cathedral parish family.
Click here to provide your thoughts on this change.
Thank you for participating in this important effort.
Father Michael G. Ryan
Pastor
P.S. If you are interested in reading the feedback for the
entire Archdiocese of Seattle, you can find the complete report
here.
|
__________________
Read the Pastoral Letter from Archbishop Etienne
July, 2023
Updated Q&A
August, 2023
The Draft of Parish
Families is now public!
September 23, 2023
Visit the
Partners in the Gospel page at the Archdiocese of Seattle website
Father Ryan offers a brief overview and invitation here
-------
Prepare to attend an input session
by watching this presentation about
Partners in the Gospel and the Feedback Process
-------
Why Partners in the Gospel? Why now? This video provides context
for this effort.
|
