Dear Parishioners:
PARTNERS IN THE GOSPEL – A Strategic Pastoral Planning
---Last Thursday, January 18, Archbishop Etienne had summoned over 750 people
includes: Priests, representation from each parish Staff, Pastoral Council members and
significant parish leaders for an all-day Convocation to prepare for the public launch of
PARTNERS IN THE GOSPEL on this weekend January 21 & 22. This is a strategic
pastoral planning effort taking place across the Archdiocese of Seattle to re-invigorate
and renew our local Catholic Church.
Today we face many realities that impact parish life and make it difficult to fully live out
our mission. This archdiocesan-wide renewal effort, lead by the Holy Spirit and
grounded in prayer, will help us better support vibrant, sustainable, mission-focused
parish communities across the entire Archdiocese of Seattle.
-You may ask WHY? It is necessary at this time to focused on our mission to more
effectively help all of us encounter Jesus, accompany one another on the journey of faith
and to live the joy of the Gospel.
-You may ask WHY NOW? It is because of the decline of engaged parishioners and
their celebration of the sacraments, fewer resources to carry out our missions, including
fewer priests and lay leaders, as well as our strained financial resources.
-We will show the Partners in the Gospel Introduction Video at all the Masses this
weekend. if you missed Mass this weekend or if you want to watch the video again for
the second time, you can find the link to this video on the parish website. For those who
received digital newsletter from the parish, we also include a link for you to watch also.
Here is a timeline of the key milestones for Partners in the Gospel:
-January 2023 Public launch
-Fall 2023 Invitation to provide feedback on parish families
-Early 2024 Final parish family structures announced
---We enter the Third Week of Ordinary Time, when Jesus heard that John had been
arrested, he withdrew to Galilee. He left Nazareth and went to live in Capernaum by the
sea, in the region of Zebulun and Naphtali.
Both today’s first reading from the prophet Isaiah and the Gospel passage keep alive the
memory of Christmas for us. “The people who walked in darkness have seen a great
light; those who lived in a land of deep darkness – on them a light has shined” (Isaiah
9:1).
The powerful words of consolation were addressed to those who were in darkness and
anguish, those who lived in the Galilean areas of Zebulun and Naphtali, lands located
between the Sea of Galilee and the Mediterranean Sea. In today’s Gospel, Isaiah’s
prophecy of the light rising upon Zebulun and Naphtali is fulfilled in Jesus’ residence at
Capernaum. Since so much of Jesus’ ministry takes place in Galilee, and around the Sea
of Galilee.
In the Gospel of Matthew, that first encounter with disciples is told very briefly (Matt.
4:18-22). Walking along the shore, Jesus calls Simon and brother Andrew; James and
John. For Jesus and for those whom he called, the Sea was a place and a moment of
conversion. It is along the Sea that Jesus calls others to join him in his prophetic ministry
and outreach to the poor and the sick
This week, in light of these rich biblical texts, take a few moments and ask yourself:
-What have been my own moments of conversion?
-What experiences or people in my life have been instrumental in deepening my faith?
-Who have been the instrumental people in my conversion?
-What concrete actions have I taken after a moment of conversion?
-How have I invited other people into conversion?
-In what ways can we, as disciples of Jesus, share in his mission of teaching and
healing today?
---January 20 & 21, a “March for Life” will be held in Washington D.C. and was the
fiftieth anniversary of the U. S. Supreme Court Decision Roe v. Wade. The Bishops of
our nation have asked all Catholics to fast and do extra penance as small reparation for
the millions of abortions committed in our country, and for the legal approval of these
actions.
---A word of thanks to the representative of CCS speakers who spoke at all the Masses
this weekend at Prince of Peace about the joy and happiness that many people have and
continue to experience through the help of C.C.S. (Catholic Community Services) in the
local office here in Kitsap County. Also, many thanks to everyone who had contributed,
financially, to the effort of C.C.S. work.
---HAPPY LUNAR NEW YEAR 2023 (Chinese New Year 4721) … So, if you have a
friend who is Vietnamese, Chinese or other Asian Cultures who celebrate Lunar New
Year; the year of the Cat (Chinese tradition – Rabbit) is this Sunday, January 22, 2023.
Please wish him/her a Happy, Good Health and Prosperous New Year. Lunar New Year
can be anywhere between mid-January to mid-February every year.
Christ’s Peace,
Fr. Phuong Hoang