Dear Prince of Peace Parishioners:
Congratulation to new transitional Deacon John Paul Tomassi who was ordained last Saturday, May 21 at Holy Redeemer Catholic Church in Vancouver, WA.
Sylvester Chanda will be ordained on Saturday, June 4, at 10:00 AM at St. Benedict Catholic Church in Seattle.
John Paul and Sylvester are being ordained to the transitional diaconate, which means they are in formation to become priests for the Archdiocese of Seattle. For more information on priesthood in the Archdiocese of Seattle go to www.seattlevocations.com
The early Church community in Jerusalem was not without its problems! In this Sixth Sunday of Easter, several of the controversies are evident in today's first reading from Chapter 15 of the Acts of the Apostles. Recognizing the authority of the Jerusalem church, Paul and Barnabas go there to settle the question of whether Gentiles can embrace a form of Christianity that does not include Jewish obligation. The Apostles and elders gathered for deliberation and came to an agreement with the Mother Church at Jerusalem that the Mosaic laws were not to be required, nor the many traditions of the rabbis.
The Council of Jerusalem therefore settled a doctrinal issue about circumcision and the Mosaic law, but did it in a way to preserve peace. This is a very good model for handling questions of tradition, continuity and conflict today. Both the theological issues and the feelings of people are very important. Peter and Paul show a remarkable respect for the manifestation of the Holy Spirit in the lives of ordinary people and situations.
Our local Church in the Archdiocese of Seattle and particularly from Prince of Peace Parish continues on the Annual Catholic Appeal Campaign for 2022 and to ensure “A future full of hope”. I invite you to please consider in prayerful way, to make a gift to support the ACA this year. I’m convinced that with your help and support, together, we will fulfill our parish goal this year. I’m counting on each of you to join with me and other parishioners in supporting the common Ministries that we share together as a local Church of the Archdiocese of Seattle.
A “big word” of THANK to the combined team of Prince of Peace and St. Gabriel who had spent a lot of time in this calendar year, to help our two parishes participated and completed the Synodal Listening Process with many different listening sessions - small & medium size and Zoom Meetings to gather inputs for our Archbishop Etienne to bring to the Bishops Synod called by our Pope Francis for 2023. The Closing Mass for the local phase of the Synod will be held on June 18th, 2022 at 5:30pm in St. James Cathedral.
Our two parishes had submitted the data collected to the Archdiocese for our Archdiocesan Church Report. The combined team of our two parishes is working on the report for us in the near future.
Thank you for many parishioners from both of our parishes who have taken the time and the interest through personal experiences to the Synodal Listen Sessions. May the anticipation of the Feast of Pentecost in two weeks, help us to see the journeying that we travel together in local parish to the Archdiocesan Church and the Universal Church.
Congratulation to all the children who have received Eucharist – “encountered the Risen Christ in the Sacrament of Eucharist” at the 11:30 AM Mass on Sunday, May 15. A word of thanks to all the catechists, classroom volunteers, parents and Religious Education Staff who have shared their faith to these children and help them to continue to be opened to receive the Eucharistic nourishment from the Lord.
May the Joy and Blessing of the Easter Season continue to help us actively involved in the Ministry of Jesus in our Church’s today.
Christ’s Peace,
Fr. Phuong Hoang