Category: Pastor’s post

Can you believe that Ordinary Time is almost over?!? It seems like summer was just a few days ago – but recent rain & cold weather has certainly confirmed that fall is here, with winter not too far off! And there’s certainly plenty to enjoy of the season: the bright colors of leaves on trees, the taste of fall flavors (why yes, I will have a pumpkin spice latte, thank you!), and the contrast of crispy air outside with warm fires indoors.

Fall also means fall reading, and recently I had the opportunity to visit a used bookstore for just that purpose. I hadn’t dug into a good series in a while and I was well overdue for a good story. I was delighted to find all three books of a trilogy by one of my favorite authors, Mercedes Lackey. The stories – the Owl Mage trilogy – is set in her world of Valdemar, though later in the chronology. I finished it this last weekend and am greatly anticipating delving into the world she (and her co-authors) have created.

One of the things I especially appreciate about reading is how it introduces me to the interior life of others. How characters process their thoughts & feelings, interact with each other, and grow in the face of various challenges or struggles is often a source of inspiration for consider how I could do so better. Of the authors I enjoy, Lackey’s writing consistently offers this opportunity. One of my favorite series of hers is The Obsidian Mountain trilogy, which I heartily recommend!

Back out here in the exterior world, we’re coming up on a week full of wonderful celebrations. Along with my neighbors, I’ll be be ready for trick or treaters this Tuesday – it is always neat to see the various costumes of enthusiastic children (and their patient parents!). Wednesday has us celebrating All Saints day (from which Halloween – ‘All Hallows Eve’ – gets its name), but it is the celebration of All Souls on Thursday that has a particularly special place in my heart. The candlelight service at 6:30 pm is a high point at the tail end of the liturgical year, when we will gather together in the flickering light to pray for our beloved dead. Though a sober celebration, it is one full of hope, as we commemorate those whom the Lord has called to Himself.

As we come to the close of the liturgical year, may we together consider both our interior lives and join together in exterior prayer & worship! Know that you are in my thoughts and among my prayers daily.

yours in Christ,
Father Maurer

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November 1 – The Solemnity of All Saints, a holy day of obligation, marks the beginning of the end of the liturgical year. Our attention is (rightly!) drawn to our eternal reward: union with the Lord and His saints in heaven. Though we know the names of many of them, we don’t know all of them – thus we have a day dedicated to honoring everyone in heaven (all saints!). At Saint Mark parish, we’ll be celebrating Mass at 9:30 am and at 6:30 pm – come join us as we praise and ask for the intercession of all the saints!

November 2 – The Commemoration of All the Faithful Departed (All Souls) is a specially venerated day in the liturgical year. So highly does the Church value prayer for the dead that She gives all priests special permission to exceed the normal limit of two Masses per day, allowing for three Masses. All Catholics are not only invited to pray for the dead but have the opportunity to receive a plenary indulgence on behalf of themselves or the souls in purgatory. Read more about it at Relevant Radio.

November 3 – Today is the memorial of Saint Martin de Porres, the first black saint of the Americas. He is the patron saint of social justice and race relations – virtues we certainly need more of in our modern time & society! Read more about him at the Vatican News website.

November 4 – Today we celebrate Saint Charles Borromeo, archbishop of Milan and a cardinal. Highly intelligent, he became a doctor of both civil and canon law at the age of 21 and was ordained a bishop at the age of 27. But his greatest asset was his dedication to the interior life – and his desire for the reformation of the Church and her clergy. Read more at Franciscan Media.

This coming week sees the launch of our Confirmation and adult catechesis (OCIA) classes, on Wednesday and Thursday night (respectively). By the way, if you or your child(ren) are planning on attending, please be sure to register – you can use the links above to find the online registration forms. For everyone, please pray for our students. We are excited to meet the youth and adults who come to discover and explore the faith with us. It’s going to be a blast!

Over the last week I’ve found myself in various conversations involving plans for various gatherings of friends. One group of parishioners shared with me that they are starting a D&D campaign (I’m quite jealous!), another shared about their hosting of family over the holidays, and so on. All of these reminded me of how we must actually make time for and actively pursue opportunities like these! And its got me thinking about how we might do that at Saint Mark parish. Expect more on this front soon!

But if you’re looking for a bit of light-hearted fellowship, you don’t have to wait! This week Saint Mark Catholic Classical School is partnering with Domino’s Pizza. From 4pm to 7pm this Tuesday (October 24) 30% of all sales will go to our school. If you’re looking for an excuse to buy pizza, this is it! And what better way to kick-start a gathering of friends and/or family than with a pizza (or two) that you don’t have to cook yourself! I’ll be stopping by the Domino’s pizza at Ballinger Way myself to do just that 😏

Whether you indulge in pizza (or other food that Domino’s offers!), I hope you have a week filled with many blessings & graces. Rest assured of my prayers for you.

yours in Christ,
Father Maurer

P.S. If you’re on Facebook, you may have heard about an accident involving one of our archdiocesan priests, Father Thomas Tran. Happily, he has returned home and is doing the work of recovery. In your kindness, please continue to pray for him and his parish community.

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October 22 – Though Sunday celebrations generally trump lower ranked feasts, today’s memorial of Pope Saint John Paul II is one that I can’t fail to acknowledge. As with so many others of my generation, he was the pope for a significant portion of my life.

This photo of him in his papal cassock while making finger glasses encapsulates the impression he made on so many of us. Contrary to the assertions of the world, Pope John Paul II demonstrated how faithfulness to Christ and His Church went hand-in-hand with joyfully living in the world with Christians & non-Christians alike. Father Billy Swan over at Word on Fire has a lovely reflection on this theme.

October 23 – Today is the memorial of Saint John of Capistrano, a Franciscan friar of the fourteenth century, he turned from secular power struggles and dedicated his life to Franciscan spirituality. As a Franciscan, he worked to return the community to strict observance of the Rule of Saint Francis. Read more about him at Loyola Press.

October 24 – Saint Anthony Claret, whose memorial we celebrate today, was a young man when he turned away from his father’s manufacturing trade to pursue religious life. Though he initially wanted to be a Carthusian hermit, he realized that the Lord was calling him to priesthood – first as parish priest and later as a missionary, work that proved to be specially blessed and fruitful Read more about him and his life at Franciscan Media.

October 28 – Apart from what little is mentioned in the New Testament about them, little is known about Saints Simon & Jude, whose feast day is today. Simon the Zealot (or ‘the Cananean’, which is a translation of the Aramaic word meaning ‘zealot’) would have been one deeply committed to his Jewish identity – even to the point of deep opposition of the Romans, who greatly oppressed his people. Jude – who the scriptures are careful to distinguish from Judas Iscariot – is perhaps best known for his question to Jesus about His revelation of Himself to the world (John 14:22).

Despite what little we know of them now, the Lord nonetheless chose them to be among those He would entrust to proclaim the Gospel to the world! A helpful reminder to each of us that there each of us is chosen deliberately and for a purpose in God’s grand plan! Read a little more about Saints Simon & Jude at the Vatican News website.

Over the last weeks, the conflict between Israel and Palestine has ratcheted up dramatically following the October 7th terror attack by Hamas. As I write this, the world is waiting to see how the latest movements by Israel in Gaza unfold. Even as a full siege of Gaza is in effect – cutting off electricity, food and fuel – rockets continue to fly between Gaza and Tel Aviv. At the time of this writing (Sunday night), Israel is preparing for a major incursion aimed at destroying Hamas.

I don’t have any more insight into the solution to the problems of the Holy Land than anyone else, but during my graduate studies in seminary, I was blessed to spend two and half months there. My class of students was in Bethlehem during Christmas of 2006, two weeks of the new year (2007) in Galilee, and our last month Jerusalem. To be in the land where Jesus was born, lived, died, and rose again was an extraordinary blessing.

It was at times also heartbreaking, as the realities of division and strife were evident even in the holiest of places. Posters calling for jihad adorned an alley just a short walk from the birthplace of Christ. Rundown Palestinian marketplaces with netting to catch garbage – and human waste – throw down from Israeli apartments at people below not far from the location of Christ’s crucifixion and death. Jewish security officers stopping customers to scan for weapons & explosives at Burger King because a bomb had killed several at a fast food place a month prior to our visit. Islamic rioting at the base of the Mount of the Temple because of planned renovations. Machine gun fire in the distance – at any given hour or day of the week – that became an alarmingly normal part of the sounds of the region.

Here in a country where we enjoy relative peace from such terrible conflict and unable to materially assist, our best response is hope and prayer. We hope in Christ and His power to intercede in the hearts of men, knowing that even on the cross He touched that of the good thief so as to elicit his confession of faith and be saved. We pray, knowing that the our intercessions are joined with the cloud of witnesses in heaven who ceaselessly petition before our Heavenly Father. May God touch the hearts of each of us, that we may find true peace here and throughout the world.

As always, know of my prayers for you. May the Lord bless us all this week, with grace, joy, and peace.

yours in Christ,
Father Maurer

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October 17 – Today is the memorial of Saint Ignatius of Antioch. Patriarch of Antioch, he is one of Apostolic Fathers and among the early Christian martyrs killed in Rome. His writings are considered to be foundational texts in understanding early Christian theology. A portion of one of those letters is part of the Office of Readings for his memorial and can be read at iBreviary – I think you’ll appreciate why it is treasured by the Church.

October 18 – Today’s feast of Saint Luke is one that Catholics everywhere celebrate, but we do so with special joy, ourselves named after one of the evangelists and neighbor to a parish consecrated to his patronage. His Gospel is often depicted with an ox or calf – imagery taken from the book of Daniel and applied to Luke due to the nature of his Gospel. As we celebrate Saint Luke, may we likewise proclaim Christ to the world. Read more about the imagery of Saint Luke at Aleteia.

October 19 – Today’s memorial celebrates Saints John de Brébeuf, Isaac Jogues and their companions – the first martyrs on the North American to be recognized by the Church. Coming from France to proclaim the Gospel to Native Americans in Quebec (properly known as the Huron-Wendat Nation). Though these saints were ultimately martyred – sometimes under terrible torture – their witness led to the baptism of thousands and contributed to great growth of the Christian faith in North America. Read more about them at the Vatican News website.

October 20 – The memorial of Saint Paul of the Cross offers us a timely example of witness to the importance of Christ’s suffering as integral to knowing (and encountering) the love of the Father. During his lifetime, Saint Paul witnessed a growth in the idea that Jesus was simply a good moral teacher (sound familiar?). Holding a great devotion to the passion of Jesus, he committed his life to preaching this devotion to others – going so far as to found the Congregation of the Passion or Passionists. Read more at EWTN.

This last week I was able to sit down with not one, not two, but three different faith formation volunteer teams. Our First Holy Communion parent orientation was on Thursday, our adult catechesis (OCIA) team met that evening and our Confirmation team met on Saturday. With their help, Saint Mark parish is moving ahead with all three of these sacramental preparation programs. It is no exaggeration to say that without the generous help of these faithful & enthusiastic parishioners, our faith formation program would not be possible. I am so very grateful for their willingness to assist in the work of passing on the faith to our children, youth, and adults.

By the way, its not too late to volunteer for any of these programs! With all three programs scheduled & mapped out, it is easy to slip into any of them – and its a great opportunity to share your faith with others! We’d be happy to have you.

If you came to the 10:30 am Mass this weekend, you will have noticed that we are once again including the use of incense. Our altar servers were super excited at the prospect of re-introducing this to regular practice – and they weren’t the only ones! I love the smell of the incense, the sight of the smoke as it curls around the altar, and the symbolism of the gestures of incensing the altar, the Book of the Gospel, the gifts before consecration, the priest, and the people. Since this will be a feature of the 10:30 am Mass for the foreseeable future, I hope to offer more insight into the meaning of this rich tradition in our faith.

By the way, if you’re interested in doing reading on the liturgy yourself, you can’t go wrong with anything written by Bishop Peter Elliott. One of my favorite books is his Liturgical Question Box: Answers to Common Questions About the Modern Liturgy. Though written as a Q&A, it is pretty easy to read straight through – at least, if you’re a fan of the liturgy! I highly recommend this book, as well as any others written by him.

As always, know of my prayers for you. I hope you have a wonderful week.

yours in Christ,
Father Maurer

P.S. Remember that this is the last week to offer your input on Partners in the Gospel. The online form for general public input (click this sentence to use it) will be closing at the end of this week (Friday). If you haven’t yet offered your feedback – or have more feedback to give – take the time to offer it today!

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October 9 – “Lets make like Saint Denis and head off” was one of the go-to lines of one of my seminary classmates at Mundelein. Though we all found the pun hilarious, it always struck me as a mite inappropriate to tease about one of the early Christian martyrs in this way….. until I read up on Saint Denis and discovered that he actually did head off after his head was taken off!

Legend tells us that upon being beheaded, Saint Denis picked up his head and walked several miles – preaching all the while on repentance! Read more about Saint Denis and his companions at My Catholic Life, whose memorial celebration is today.

October 10 – As you may have heard, a priest of the archdiocese and one of my friends, Father Paul Kaech, died early last week after suffering a massive heart attack in his rectory at Saint Edward parish in Shelton. He was 59 years old.

I first met Father Paul at Saint John Seminary in Camarillo (California), where we both studied. Many years my senior, he nonetheless treated me – and all those around him – with a kindness and care that formed the foundation of his desire to serve the Lord. As priests, we had occasion to serve together briefly in Lewis & Pacific County and I was edified to see how his natural gifts were a blessing to his parishioners.

Whether by family & friends, brother priests, or parishioners, he will be deeply missed. His funeral Mass is today at Saint Edward parish. You can read a little about Father Paul at the Northwest Catholic. In your kindness, please say a prayer for the repose of his soul and the consolation of his loved ones.

October 11 – Today we celebrate the memorial of Saint John XXIII, most commonly known for having convened the Second Vatican Council. As I was reading up on him for this entry, I came across this National Catholic Register article about his preparation for the Council, which included a pilgrimage to Loreto and Assisi – on the feast of Saint Francis of Assisi, no less!

Though often misunderstood, Vatican II is the most influential movement of the Church in our time, though the vision of the Council fathers and the movement of the Holy Spirit therein have yet to be fully realized. Even as we explore how to fully live into the aggiornamento of the Council, we thank God for inspiring Pope John XXIII and for His continued care for the Church. Read more about Saint John XXIII at Word on Fire.

Last week we had our formal parish feedback session. I must admit that I was nervous about what it might look like – would there be torches and pitchforks….or possibly no one at all? I needn’t have worried about any of that: we had over 100 people show up and all of them came with thoughtful, enthusiastic, and generously offered input to offer. While some of the conversation was indeed charged, I found it to be fruitful and oriented towards being truly helpful. I look forward to having it transcribed for you to read yourselves – and most importantly, for the archbishop and his advisors to consider.

If you couldn’t make it to that session – or you have more input to offer – the archdiocese has gone live with their online public comment form. As I understand it, the window for submitting input ends towards the end of the month, so be sure to take advantage of the opportunity soon.

As I mentioned in last week’s pastor’s post, one of the continuing takeaways for me in all of this is the emphasis on community. There is such a blessing in coming together in prayer, discussion, and simply enjoying being together. It is a helpful – and timely – reminder that I need to be deliberate in choosing to spend time with others: family, friends, and members of the community.

On a lighter note, may I introduce you to Gravity Falls? One of our parishioners enthusiastically recommended this 2012 television series to me – even going so far as to offer a truly delightful 3-page write up on why the series is one of the best animated offerings out there. I promised to watch it when I had the chance, which I was finally able to do over the last couple of weeks.

I am happy to report that it was a joy to watch! Coming in at exactly 40 episodes (roughly 30 minutes each), the show is one that I think most adults & children will enjoy – though I think it is probably best saved for children in the later grades of middle school (11+ years old). If you’re looking for a wholesome – but frequently surprisingly thoughtful – light fare for you and your family, this might be just the thing to check out!

In any case, I hope you have a wonderful week! As always, rest assured of my prayers.

yours in Christ,
Father Maurer

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October 1 – Though Sundays always trump memorials in liturgical celebrations, today is nonetheless a wonderful celebration – the memorial of Saint Thérèse of Lisieux. She is also called ‘the Little Flower’ because of her dedication to great love through small actions. Read more at the Society of the Little Flower website.

October 2 – The memorial of the Holy Guardian Angels centers around Jesus’ words in Matthew 18:10: “See that you do not despise one of these little ones, for I say to you that their angels in heaven always look upon the face of my heavenly Father.” May we be sure to call upon the angels – especially our guardian angels – inviting them to guide us in our daily discernment of God’s will. And though it was posted on last week’s feast of the archangels, you may enjoy this art from Allan Rohan Crite of the angels at prayer with us.

October 4 – Every year we celebrate the memorial of Saint Francis of Assisi, both at Mass and with an annual blessing of pets. We’ll be having the blessing of pets around 8:45 am in the school parking lot this Wednesday. You are most welcome to bring your pet – leashed or well-contained – for the blessing. Later that day – at 6:30 pm in the parish church – we will celebrate the memorial with Mass and a light reception hosted by the Friends of Saint Francis group.

October 7 – Today is the memorial of Our Lady of the Rosary. This celebration holds a special place in my heart, as it is the namesake of my years as a priest and later, my first pastorship. Though the parish has since closed, it was that community who accompanied me through some especially formative experiences as a priest and as a leader. In your kindness, please join in me in praying for the parishioners of Holy Rosary, Tacoma, who are still finding their way to and in their new parishes.

The rosary itself is also dear to me. When I find myself without the right words or prayers – which is often! – reciting the familiar prayers of the rosary helps ground my thoughts & feelings. As the beads slip through my fingers, I am reminded that I, too, am a part of the Holy Family – both a brother of the Lord and an adoptive son of Mary & Joseph. Despite usually praying the rosary by myself, there is great comfort in knowing that this prayer is being echoed in the hearts and on the lips of Catholics throughout the world – there’s probably not a single second of any given day where the rosary is not being offered somewhere. If you’d like to learn more about the rosary – and pray it with some guidance – check out Bishop Barron on the rosary at Word on Fire.