Pastoral Letter: Synod and Sabbatical

Dear Sisters and Brothers –

I have been reading through the notes taken and collated from Session I of our Parish Synod. (A shout out to all those who faithfully recorded what was shared and to Fr. John for carefully collating them.) They are remarkable, for many reasons, two of which I will mention here. First, I am moved by the trust that members of each group placed in one another. I expect that in most cases you were strangers to one another. But the depth of sharing revealed in the notes indicates a sense of being bound together by our common [and from the notes, clearly vibrant] faith and your deep desire that the Church nurture that faith, particularly by embodying the prodigal hospitality of Jesus. Second, as I savor my way through people’s experiences, I find myself pinballing between two emotional poles. If I were to put words to those emotions, they would be “I hope to be that holy someday” and “Why do we make it so hard for people to be Catholic?”

Praying my way through these holy pages, I am even more excited by what Pope Francis is asking of us. It’s like we’re taking our individual stories and weaving them together into a large tapestry, then taking a step back to look at the whole. It enables us to see more easily the breadth of the movement of the Holy Spirit through time and across varied lives; we can see, too, the ways in which her movement has been thwarted by some in the Church. In contrast, Francis wants us to listen and learn, and then to prayerfully make choices about how we are called – and how we want – to be Church together.
Last night, we began Session II of our Parish Synod; Session II continues this Sunday, February 27, at 1:30pm. Whether or not you attended Session I, we welcome your participation in Session II. Register online here to receive both the notes from Session I and the Zoom link. Please read the notes prior to the meeting, as the task for Session II is to spend time noticing with one another the themes that are emerging on that larger tapestry, to discern where the Holy Spirit is moving and giving life and where she has been hindered. I hope you join us.

On another note, nearly three years ago, we marked the 25th anniversary of my ordination to the priesthood with a wonderful Mass and a picnic afterwards. Some might remember the very generous gift given to me by many St. Ignatius parishioners and friends to honor that occasion – a trip to visit my family in Sicily. Originally planned for October 2020, the trip was postponed by Covid. I am excited to tell you that I will be taking that journey after Easter, about the time I will mark 10 years as pastor of St. Ignatius Parish. I will add to the time with my Sicilian family a couple of extra months, stretching my time away into a bit of a sabbatical, a time to rest and recharge. I will be gone from the parish until early August. During those months, Fr. John Whitney will be the acting pastor; his are capable hands, as you have come to know, having been pastor of St. Joseph Parish in Seattle for 11 years prior to coming to us. I am very excited about this time ahead, and I am to return with renewed energy to engage all that God has in store for us in the next few years at St. Ignatius.
The great season of Lent begins on Wednesday. You can access our Ash Wednesday schedule here. I look forward to making that sacred journey together as a faith community with you. And, as always,

oremus pro invicem.

Fr. Greg