Category: Pastor’s post

The Code of Canon Law defines a parish as “a certain community of the Christian faithful stably constituted in a particular church, whose pastoral care is entrusted to a pastor as its proper pastor under the authority of the diocesan bishop” (Canon 515 §1). But what is the purpose of a parish – why have them at all? The USCCB statement Communities of Salt and Light says “The parish is where the Church lives. Parishes are communities of faith, of action, and of hope. They are where the gospel is proclaimed and celebrated, where believers are formed and sent to renew the earth.”

This last Sunday – in both my homily and in the pastor’s notes of the bulletin (see page 4) – I made an appeal that I’ll repeat here: Saint Mark parish needs help. I need help. The work of our parish is at stake – without regular, committed, and on-going help, we will be unable to maintain essential ministries & programs. Please consider how you can help, both in prayer and action! Even the smallest of works help our parish proclaim and live the gospel more fully.

Speaking of small acts, there’s a neat story I want to share. Every month I send out birthday & anniversary postcards to my brother priests. My July anniversary cards happened to have a photo of the Basilica of the Annunciation in Nazareth, Israel on the front, a brief description of which I included on the bottom right corner of the message side of the card.

By some machine glitch of the USPS – and despite me properly addressing the cards and only paying for regular postcard postage – all of them were accidently sent to Nazareth! From there, Israeli Post delivered them all to the basilica, where they were received by the bemused and more than slightly confused Franciscan community who cares for the church.

To my great delight, one of the members of the community went to the effort to help me out. Initially, he simply forwarded the first postcard to its proper destination. When twelve more arrive, he gathered them all together and sent them back with a kind note explaining what had happened. I’ve since gotten them to their intended recipients (sent in envelopes that do not have potentially machine-confusing labeling 🙄), but now with a story of how their card not only has a picture of the Holy Land…but actually went there and back! In the words of the Exultet: ‘O happy fault!’

I hope that this week also brings you many ‘happy faults’, with all the blessings & delights that come with them. Know of my prayers for you throughout.

Yours in Christ,
Father Maurer

P.S. The photo that triggered this whole saga (above) is of the altar in Mary’s home, where the angel Gabriel appeared to her to announce the conception of Christ.

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Monday, September 4 – In 1981, Pope John Paul II published his encyclical Laborem Exercens, itself celebrating the ninetieth anniversary of its predecessor Rerum Novarum. Our annual Labor Day celebration is an excellent cue for Catholics to revisit the Church’s teaching on the dignity of laborers, the gift of work, and how the exercise of our talents & skills fits into the Lord’s plan for mankind and eternity!

September 8 – The feast of the Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary is a traditional celebration of the birth of Mary, celebrated since at least the sixth century. Though Scripture does not give an account of her birth, the apocryphal Protoevangelium of James offers a non-historical expression of Christian piety on the development of the tradition of her birth. Read more at Loyola Press.

September 9 – Today is the memorial of Saint Peter Claver, ‘apostle to the slaves’. When he was just 20 years old, Peter joined the Society of Jesus. Ten years later he left for Cartagena in present-day Colombia – one of the primary hubs of the Spanish slave trade – where he finished his seminary training. The plight of the slaves he encountered so touched him that at his final profession to the Jesuit order he signed his vows ‘Peter Claver, the slave of the Africans forever’. For 40 years, he served them while also preaching to slaver traders, criminals, and the wealthy before eventually catching the plague. He was canonized in 1888, together with his friend & mentor Alphonsus Rodriguez. Read more about him at Word on Fire.

This Sunday we offered our goodbyes and thanks to Deacon Kirk Altenhofen as he celebrated his last Masses at Saint Mark parish. As I mentioned in last week’s pastor’s post, he has served faithfully at nearly every liturgy, coordinated our faith formation programs, and offered himself in ministry for the last several years. We have been blessed to have him. Please join me in praying for him as he discerns how God is calling him in his vocation as husband, father, and deacon.

This last week also saw the last of our ‘Ask Me Anything’ summer series. Thank you to Dane for leading the conversation on suffering, as well as fielding the many questions that were offered across a variety of topics. Despite it being the final session, we had 30+ folks come to share in food, fellowship, and faith sharing. This is definitely something we hope to revisit in the future.

There was one question asked that comes up with some regularity in parishes: ‘why don’t we more frequently use Extraordinary Ministers of Holy Communion’? As you might imagine, this is especially relevant given that I will be the only cleric at Masses starting next month! The short answer is that that the name of such ministers gives away the intention of the Church: that they are extraordinary (ie, out of the ordinary).

In 2004, the Congregation for Divine Worship and the Discipline of the Sacrament (now called the Dicastery for Divine Worship and the Discipline of the Sacraments) released a document called Redemptionis Sacramentum. Among many other things, it explicitly speaks to how Extraordinary Ministers of Holy Communion (Redemptionis Sacramentum, 154-160) may only assist at Mass for sufficient reason. The teaching document even goes so far as to name brief prolongation of the Mass as insufficient reason for their use. If you’re interested in learning more about this, I highly recommend reading the whole section of the document – it is just a few paragraphs and is both enlightening & edifying.

This is not to say we don’t need help at our parish – especially at Mass! As the summer comes to an end, we are in real need of assistance for a number of ministries in & out of Mass: lectors, ushers, confirmation (youth) and RCIA (adult converts) teachers, in particular. And if there is some other way you’d like to be involved at the parish, please give us a shout!

Finally, please keep our parish and our archdiocese in your prayers, especially in the coming weeks. As you know, Partners in the Gospel is rolling out – we will be having our own input session on the draft family configuration on Thursday, September 28. As we discern how God is calling us locally and beyond, may we be sure to entrust ourselves to His loving will.

Yours in Christ,

Father Maurer

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Monday, August 28 – Bishop of Hippo and a Doctor of the Church, Saint Augustine not only had great influence during his lifetime but continues to provide inspiration & wisdom to modern Christians. One of the greatest Catholic minds of history, his works are cited throughout the Catechism, Church documents, and by Christians worldwide.

Saint Augustine never failed to credit his faith, rooted as it is in Christ, as having been placed in his heart through the intercession of his mother, Saint Monica (whose feast day, August 27, is not celebrated this year because it lands on a Sunday). Despite his wanderlust – and oh how he wandered! – it was his mother’s faith that ultimately brought him to Christ. Finally sharing the faith here on earth, they yet looked to heaven – one such conversation is recorded by Saint Augustine in his book, Confessions (you can read about it, and them both, at Aleteia). May we ask the intercession of these two faithful saints, and pray for our own conversion, and that of the whole world.

Tuesday, August 29 – Though he famously said ‘I must decrease, he must increase’, we nonetheless celebrate Saint John the Baptist in the liturgical calendar – on the feast of his birth (June 24) and today, the Passion of Saint John the Baptist. Though he was known on earth for his prophetic lifestyle (and wardrobe!) and his role in preparing the way for Christ, perhaps his greatest triumph was offering his life for the Lord – first in stepping aside when his role as “the voice of one crying out in the desert, ‘Make straight the way of the Lord'” (John 1:23), and lastly in his martyrdom at the hands of Herod.

May we, like Saint John the Baptist, humbly embrace our own vocations! Though we are small in comparison to the Lord, He no less treasures our part in His plan. Let us witness to Christ in our words and our work – perhaps asking along the way for the gift of humility in all we do.

A month of pastor’s posts! Thank you to everyone who has offered encouragement to continue these – I’ve been having a blast putting them together (and learning about the saints as I research the upcoming liturgical feasts!).

With the summer coming to a close, there’s a lot to look forward. The most immediate is our ‘End of Summer’ BBQ, happening this Sunday after Masses (11:30 am to 1:30 pm). These picnic-style barbecues started as a post-pandemic effort to rekindle our connections as a community. While we had hopes, we never dreamed how popular they would be and how much folks with rally around them. I hope you’ll come for some food, stay for some fraternity, and enjoy a pleasant afternoon with your fellow parishioners.

This Sunday is also the last weekend with Deacon Kirk at Saint Mark parish. He will be sorely missed. Even before he was ordained, Deacon Kirk was volunteering frequently at our parish. During the pandemic he was assisting at the altar at practically every Mass and building remote programs for baptism, confirmation, RCIA, and weddings. Though he has been away from Saint Mark parish every third Sunday, this wasn’t a day off – he travels north to his son’s parish to assist and preach at the Spanish-speaking Mass there. Though I suspect he might be embarrassed by our attention, I nonetheless hope you’ll join me in offering personal thanks to him for his generous sharing of his time & talents and for his faithful ministry to our community.

I would be remiss if I didn’t also point out that our community is going to need many hands to help assist in ministry in the coming weeks and months. As of right now, we have exactly one person to lead RCIA classes for new adult Catholics, confirmation classes for our youth, baptismal preparation for expecting parents, and wedding instruction for engaged couples: the pastor. And while I am eager to see these ministries through, the fact of the matter is that I will not be able to do this alone. Please prayerfully consider sharing your faith with new Catholics, with our youth, with expecting parents, and couples preparing for marriage. More to come on this, but it’s not too soon to invite the Lord to help you discern if He is calling you to assist.

Finally, I want to follow up on my homily from Sunday, albeit tangentially. In just a few weeks, we’ll be entering the next phase of the archbishop’s pastoral project Partners in the Gospel. The long and short is that every parish in the archdiocese is going to be part of a parish family – a joining of 2-3 parishes under one pastor and (possibly) a parochial vicar. The draft of parish family configurations will be announced in September – with an input session for parishioners to follow afterward. For many Catholics, this has not been something that has received a lot of attention – I strongly encourage you to visit our dedicated Partners in the Gospel page, read some of the materials there – perhaps starting with the most recent letter from the archbishop.

One of Deacon Kirk’s go-to lines that I especially appreciate is that “the Lord is going to do something amazing”. Of course, only He knows what that will be! As for us, we will simply have to follow the Lord, trusting – as we know we can – that He works all things for our good. Let us continue to pray for each other, and work so as to build up the Body of Christ.

Yours in Christ,

Father Maurer

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Monday, August 21 – Pope Pius X is often only associated with the schismatic acts of Archbishop Lefebvre, founder of the Society of Saint Pius X – a group of irregularly ordained clerics who have yet to be reconciled with the Church even today. Lost in the noise is the fidelity and example of Pope Pius X himself, whose motto was “Restore all things in Christ”. I encourage you to take some time to learn about him, his life, and his ministry as we celebrate his memorial today.

Tuesday, August 22 – As we celebrate today the Queenship of the Blessed Virgin Mary, we would do well to look to the Jewish tradition of the Queen Mother. Widow of the former king, mother of the new king, she was both advisor to the new king and advocate for the people. If that sounds familiar, good! Though Jesus has no need for an advisor, He nonetheless opens Himself to her intercession on our behalf – may we be sure to ask for her aid as we seek to follow Him.

Wednesday, August 23 – Saint Rose of Lima is perhaps most known for her persevering devotion and willingness to endure even great suffering on behalf of Christ and her love for Him. Read more about her at Franciscan Media as we celebrate her memorial today.

Thursday, August 24 – One of the twelve Apostles, Saint Bartholomew is said to have traveled to India to preach the Gospel before going on to Armenia. He is considered one of the co-patrons of the Church in Armenia. Unfortunately, apart from what is mentioned in Scripture, little of his life & work is known outside of tradition and legend. Nonetheless, we celebrate his feast today and thank God for his witness! Read more about him at uCatholic.

Good morning, and welcome to the third pastor’s post! Still searching for a geeky Catholic title for this thing, but I’ve been enjoying putting them up so far – I’ve been delighted to hear from folks now saying they are too. If you’re among that crowd, please take a moment to share this with other parishioners. My hope is that this is a(nother!) opportunity for us to connect with each other as we start each week.

Speaking of hopes, I want to take a moment to talk about dreams for parish life. As a priest and a pastor, there are loads of dreams I carry with me – but at the root of them all is a sense of community, of belonging, of looking forward to seeing friends old & new at Mass, in prayer, in learning together, and at social events. For myself, Sundays are at the heart of my own sense of parish community: greeting parishioners before Mass, praying together in our joint offering of the Mass, catching up afterwards, and enjoying coffee & a snack before going our separate ways. Truly, it is the high point of each week.

By the way, thanks to the work of our maintenance facility manager we have new coffee machines in our school cafeteria where we have our Sunday socials. Come for the fresh coffee, stay for the company!

There was an article from The Pillar last week that caught my eye, featuring the parish of Sts. Peter and Paul Basilica in Chattanooga, Tennessee. They have built a creative example of fellowship & community support, playing out in an edifying and (at least to me) new way. Pope John Paul II was fond of the phrase “legitimate diversity”, perhaps most famously used in his 1995 encyclical on ecumenism, Ut Unum Sint. I find this inspiring not only for ecumenical efforts (ad extra) but for parochial life (ad intra). Though there is a standard definition of what makes a parish (all the Christian faithful of a particular territory), there is no limit to how it might explore how it expresses that community life! What might the Lord empower us to create & build, if we but opened ourselves to His inspiration?

On a different note, I found myself talking music with one of the attendees at our AMA (‘Ask Me Anything’) session last night. We were geeking out about – of all things – video game music and how triple-A games (Skyrim, Halo, Breath of the Wild, et cetera) have amazing music composed by professionals, performed by talented artists, and thoughtfully placed within the story & play so as to immerse players in fully conscious, and active participation in the game.

If that phrasing sounds familiar, it should! “Fully conscious, and active participation” is one of the rallying cries of Sancrosanctum Concilium – the first document of the Second Vatican Council. I’m not saying we should shoot for music that energizes congregations for battle with aliens on a ring world against galactic danger – but this level of effort & energy should not be reserved to games; it should be reflected in our prayer, worship, and the general life faith!

For now, I hope this week is full of many blessings, creativity, and perhaps a little excitement (of both the earthly and heavenly variety). As always, know of my prayers for you – especially as we gather an extra time this Tuesday for the solemnity of Mary. May God bless you and your loved ones throughout this week.

Yours in Christ,
Father Maurer

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Monday, August 14 – World War II brought with it both great suffering & sorrows as well as inspiring extraordinary virtue in those who were caught in so many impossible situations. Saint Maximilian Kolbe, whose memorial is celebrated today (the day of his execution) – and one day before solemnity of Mary, to whom he had great devotion. Read more about him at Loyola Press.

Tuesday, August 15 – We celebrate today’s solemnity of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary, of such significance in the life of the Church that it is a holy day of obligation. Be sure to plan to attend Mass today (we’re offering Masses at 9:30 am and at 6:30 pm)! And consider checking out Bishop Barron’s homily ‘God’s Warrior Queen’ on the occasion of this feast in 2021. Let us together honor the Blessed Virgin, our queen mother!

Wednesday, August 16 – In our second AMA (‘Ask Me Anything’) session a few weeks ago, we had some enthusiastic conversation around the societal responsibilities (and culpability) of those who are wealthy. Today’s memorial honoring Saint Stephen of Hungary points us toward a man who took such responsibilities seriously. Whatever our place in our community, may we also seek to use our gifts for the betterment of ourselves and those around us.

Saturday, August 19 – Saint John Eudes, though appearing on the liturgical calendar in the form of an optional memorial today, is perhaps not as well-known as other saints. I must admit that this is certainly true for me, as I had not taken the time to look into his life & ministry. It turns out he was a French missionary who started two different religious communities and was also a member of a third! His particular devotion, it seems, was to the sacred hearts of Mary & Jesus. You can read a little more about his life & piety at Aleteia.

Hello and welcome to the second of the new weekly pastor’s posts. I’m still looking for inspiration for a geeky title for this thing, so if you’ve got a neat name idea to share, please let me know!

For the second time in two weeks, I have had the delight of spending time with parishioners at their home – we had dinner, swapped stories, and generally had a blast late into the evening talking & laughing. When talking with folks, I’m always surprised at what new facets there are for us to discover about each – hobbies, history, thoughts, and so on. This gathering was no different, and not least for a story that involved a hike up a mysterious mountain, a secret door only found through friendship with mysterious strangers, a trek to dangerous heights, and finally a return to home & safety. I’m not saying I’m pastor of famous hobbits…..but I’m not not saying I’m pastor of famous hobbits either!

It occurs to me that perhaps I don’t make the offer often or publicly enough, so I want to be sure to say that if you’d like to have your own dinner hangout with the pastor, I’d be happy to get to know you a little better, share a meal together, and enjoy each other’s company. It may take a little scheduling, but give me a call if you’re interested!

You all know I’m a Star Trek fan, but I’m also a fan of good music of both the secular and sacred variety. Among my favorites are chant, folk music, and poignant soundtracks from television, movies, and video games (among so much more out there!). The gift of music & song is a source of great joy. When this last week’s musical episode of Star Trek: Strange New Worlds (‘Subspace Rhapsody’) dropped, I was prepared to be disappointed even while holding out hope that it would be good. I’m happy to report that was an absolute banger of a good time – excellent Star Trek storytelling, a smattering of musical styles (sung well, no less!), and clever lyrics that developed the characters and showcased some real talent among the actors. The whole series is worth watching, but if you enjoy even a bit of Star Trek and appreciate music of various types, this is an episode you should watch!

Back here in regular – or at least, differently geeky – space, we’ve got a few neat things coming up at the parish. I’m especially anticipating our penultimate ‘Ask Me Anything’ sessions this Thursday. There will be a brief presentation (“Marriage in society and in the Church”) followed by an open period for questions asked in-person or anonymously. I hope you’ll come enjoy food, fellowship, and an opportunity to learn more about the faith together.

Be sure to also mark your calendars for Tuesday, August 15th – the Solemnity of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary. This is a holy day of obligation for all Catholics and we’ll be offering two Masses here at Saint Mark parish – one at 9:30 am and the other at 6:30 pm. If you’d like to prepare a little in advance, Pope Francis’ angelus address from 2022 on this mystery of our faith is a brief but lovely reflection that you may enjoy.

This last week also marked the memorial of Saint John Vianney, patron saint of parish priests. One of my brother priests pointed out that he is the sole saint canonized from among that demographic. A humbling reminder of our need for holy parish priests, both those already in ministry and those yet to hear & respond to God’s call. Please join me in prayer for our current clergy and those whom God is inviting to serve as priests in our archdiocese.

May your week be a blessed one. Know of my prayers for you all.

Yours in Christ,
Father Maurer

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Some neat Catholic tidbits from the week ahead:

Sunday, August 6 – Yesterday we celebrated the feast of the Transfiguration of the Lord. I had the privilege of visiting here in 2006 while on a study abroad pilgrimage at seminary. Of all the places we visited, this was perhaps the most impactful to me personally – something about both the church and grounds filled me with a sense of peace. I could understand why Saint Peter wanted to pitch tents and stay there forever! But the Transfiguration serves not only a place to visit, but a foretaste of the transformation the Lord desires for us. Check out Bishop Barron’s 2017 homily on this very idea and how it is meant to spur us closer to Christ.

Tuesday, August 8 – I sometimes joke that the Dominicans here in Seattle are just the worst – they’re intellectually rigorous while also being down-to earth, have their own special liturgical rite, dedicate themselves to ministry across the world, wear awesome habits, and otherwise make the rest of us look bad!

But serious, the Dominicans – particularly the men serving at Blessed Sacrament parish and the UW Newman Center – are an extraordinary blessing to the Church at large and in our archdiocese. If you are ever in the area, their parish church is worth a visit to both see and pray in. If you know one, be sure wish them a happy feast day and to pray for them & their ministry this week.

Thursday, August 10 – ‘Turn me over, I’m done on this side’ is perhaps Saint Lawrence’s most famous quip. This was offered as he was roasted to death for defying the prefect of Rome. The prefect had previously demanded that Saint Lawrence – deacon of Rome and steward of the material goods of the Church & responsible for giving collected alms to the poor – turn over the treasures of the Church. When the deadline came, Saint Lawrence showed up with the poor of the city, proclaiming that they were true riches of the Church.

We, too, ought to take care to attend to the needs of the poor in our midst. I suspect I am not alone in often overthinking my response to those who ask for my help – potentially to the point of avoiding the poor altogether. May we take the time to not only respond, but to meet, care for, and unite ourselves with the poor in our midst.

Saint Lawrence is also the patron saint of deacons. Let us be sure to pray for our own deacon, Deacon Kirk, and for all those who serve as deacons across the archdiocese and throughout the Church.

Friday, August 11 – Speaking of the poor, we are reminded this week of the ‘Poor Clares’, founded by Saint Clare, whose memorial is today. Inspired by Saint Francis of Assisi, she voluntarily embraced poverty and a life of radical dependence on the Lord, focused on meditation & prayer. A community of women – many of whom were also former noblewomen – sprang up in her stead and so was founded the Order of Saint Clare. Read about her life & work at Loyola Press.