Social Seniors – Speaker Event in May Join us on Tuesday, May 14 at 11:00 AM at St. Bridget’s for a Social Seniors Gathering featuring two guest speakers discussing senior housing options in our community. This is a great opportunity to gather valuable information and ask questions in a relaxed setting. Come for the conversation, stay for the community! Light refreshments will be provided. We look forward to seeing you!

Dear Friends in Christ, Perhaps like me, many of you continue to reflect on the amazing life and ministry of our beloved Pope Francis. While his witness touches people of all ages and walks of life, I would like to reflect briefly on what his memory has to offer to the senior members of our community, those who are age 65 and older, a demographic I am proud to say I belong.

Dear Friends in Christ, ​ The joy of Easter Sunday this year was tempered by the death of Pope Francis the next day. I learned of the news early Monday morning and immediately burst into tears at the passing of such an amazing leader in our church, and really, the whole world. Continue reading...

Santos Sunday is SUNDAY, April 27 and we hope you can join us to lend a hand. The meal will be BBQ sandwhich themed with pulled pork, pulled chicken (for those that don't eat pork), buns, coleslaw, etc. Learn more and sign up using the link.

Dear Friends in Christ, After a process of extended discernment and consultation, I am happy to announce that the following people have agreed to serve on the new Parish Family Advisory Council (PFAC): Assumption Barrett Eastwood John Dougherty MK Rodgers St. Bridget Ilaria Hare Heiderich Emily Showman Eric Verzuh St. Catherine Cassandra Evandy Jim Hochstein Shannon Wilson OLL Judy Armstrong Chris Covey Edgar Gonzalez Thanks to the many other qualified people in our four parishes who were nominated but not selected because of limited spots available on the council. There will be other opportunities for them and others to contribute to the Partners in the Gospel Process. Role of the Parish Family Advisory Council This council is the pastor’s go-to group to consult about Partners in the Gospel, including changes that impact the parish family, shared events, collaboration across parishes, and more. Comprised of parishioners from each parish in the parish family, this council focuses on the health of the entire parish family, looking beyond the needs of each individual community. They will be the key consultative body for the creation of the strategic pastoral plan called the One Parish Plan that will be submitted to the archbishop prior to becoming one canonical parish. They will also help ensure the necessary discernment processes are in place for the completion of the strategic pastoral plan. You will regularly hear about the work of the PFAC in the months and years to come. Please pray for the success of this group as we plan to renew the life of our Catholic Community in NE Seattle. Thank you for your support! Blessings, Fr. William Heric

Luke came to Christ as we did, as our Christian neighbors did, not as an eyewitness to what Jesus said and did, but through the witness of other believers and his own experience. Luke’s stories of Gentile outsiders speak more directly to us about change and new life than the Jewish background stories in the other three gospels. Invite a neighbor or friend and come to hear more.

Dear Friends in Christ, The celebration of Easter is upon us again and invites us to pause from the business and occasional chaos of our lives and, as some have put it, “To make the main thing, the main thing.” What is that for Christians? It’s, of course, our conviction that Christ is risen from the dead, and through faith, hope, and love, we will find his new life in our individual and collective experiences of suffering and death. That’s the main thing this season invites us to make the main thing. Continue reading...

It takes 1,000 volunteer blood donors each day to maintain a safe and reliable blood supply for patients in the Pacific Northwest needing blood for surgeries, cancer treatments, and bleeding disorders. The need is great, yet less than 3% of eligible people donate blood. Local hospitals rely on all of us to give regularly, up to six times a year, to ensure lifesaving transfusions are available for all of the seriously ill and injured patients in our community. Giving blood is easy; in less than an hour and in one pint of blood, you’ve truly saved a life. Please make a blood donation appointment today and give at Assumption Catholic Church on April 22. To sign up, call 1-800-398-788 or visit https://www.bloodworksnw.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/08/redirectgroup.html?s=1485 As an added bonus, all donors who give in April can enter to win a dream vacation to Maui for two. For more information, visit https://www.bloodworksnw.org/win

Annual Spring Rebuilding Together Project, Saturday, May 3 Want to give back to the community and help a neighbor in need? Our Annual Spring Rebuilding Together Project will be held on Saturday, May 3 from 8 am to 4 pm. This year’s recipient of our home repair services is a kind, elderly veteran who has lived in his Kenmore home since 1970! He is no longer able to keep up on home repairs and sure could use our help to make his house safer. Please sign up for a project task on this SignUpGenius website: https://www.signupgenius.com/go/8050B44ACA62B0-56165356-spring Come on out for a day (or half a day) to work side by side with your fellow parishioners and help this homeowner who is already giddy about the prospect of an army of volunteers coming to his house to fix it up! It will be a good day! (Must be 14 years to help. This is a great way to learn some skills and get community service hours!) Questions? Contact Tim Lane at seattlelanes@comcast.net

Join Catholics from throughout Seattle at the Peace and Spirituality Center at St. Mary's by the Lake (Bellevue) for a day of prayer, fun, friends, and faith-sharing in observance of the Holy Year proclaimed by Pope Francis. Presenters are Debra Ricard and Kristen Holland from the Northeast Catholic Parish community, and Chris Koehler, Director of Missions & Immigrant Affairs, Archdiocese of Seattle. Lori and Robert Fontana, Directors of Catholic Life Ministries and parishioners of Assumption will facilitate the day. Write to them to register or with any questions at robert@catholiclifeministries.org . Cost: $30 (single), $50 (couple) Scholarships available! Drinks/snacks provided. PLEASE BRING A SACK LUNCH!

Tickets for ASB's production of Stephen Sondheim's and James Lapine's Tony Award winning musical, Into the Woods are on sale now! One of Sondheim's most joyous and beloved works, Into the Woods follows Cinderella, Jack (of beanstalk fame) Rapunzel, a powerful Witch, and the Baker and his wife as they journey into the woods to seek their "happily ever afters." Along the way, they meet a devious Wolf, handsome Princes, and two vengeful Giants--and discover what it might mean to have one's wishes come true. Click to purchase tickets.

The parish office will be closed at all locations for the Easter holiday on Friday, April 18 and Monday, April 21.

Dear Friends in Christ, The celebration of Holy Week, which starts this Palm Sunday, comes as it always does at just the right time. The list of concerns in our world, country, and church is growing, but so is the list of our reasons for hope in the new life revealed in the death and resurrection of Christ. This paschal mystery of the Lord is celebrated in a powerful way through a single liturgy that takes place over three days that we call the Triduum. My hope is that many of you will choose to participate in the Mass of the Lord’s Supper on Holy Thursday, the Passion of the Lord on Good Friday, and the Great Easter Vigil on Holy Saturday. Please take a few minutes to read the bulletin insert reflection on the meaning of the Triduum by Corinna Laughlin, pastoral assistant for liturgy at St. James Cathedral. Finally, please spread the word to family, friends, neighbors, and coworkers that we would love to have them join us for any and all of our coming celebrations! Blessings of peace, Fr. William Heric, Pastor

Dear Friends in Christ, One of my favorite tenets in the Catholic Tradition is our belief that we belong to the “Communion of the Saints,” those with whom we share the Christian journey in our lifetimes and those who have gone before us marked by the sign of faith. Continue reading...

For those ages 21 - 39, join our young adult ministry for bible study on Wednesday, April 9th at 6:30 PM in the Benicasa Center next to St. Catherine church. We will be exploring the seven themes of Catholic Social Teaching: Life and Diginity of the Human Person, Call to Family, Community and Participation, Rights and Responsibilities, Option for the Poor and Vulnerable, The Diginity of Work and the Rights of Workers, Solidarity, and Care for God's Creation. Please email seattle.gabriela@gmail.com for more details.

If you are grieving over the death of a loved one, you are not alone. Your grief may have taken away your sense of self through anger and depression, but there is hope and help for you. Our NE Seattle Catholic Community offers a grief support group that is a safe space to talk about loss and listen to others who are having the same experience as you. The Wednesday meetings are held at the Our Lady of the Lake Parish Office every two weeks at 7 pm. The next meeting will be on Wednesday, April 16. Join us and discover how life may not be the same, but that it can continue in a new and hopeful way. Father Bob Camuso will be there to introduce the new facilitator for the group.

Come connect with friends old and new at our Social Seniors Gathering on Wednesday, April 9 at 11:00 AM in the parish hall! Enjoy good company, great conversation, and light refreshments. All are welcome—bring a friend! We look forward to seeing you there!

Family Stations of the Cross at St. Bridget, April 4 at 5:30 pm. All ages are welcome, especially children aged 5-10. To volunteer or bring a potluck item. Click to learn more.

Dear Friends in Christ, This past Wednesday, we had an initial meeting of those who have been nominated to serve on the Parish Family Advisory Council, henceforth known as PFAC. This is the consultative body that will eventually serve as the pastoral council for the single parish we will become in NE Seattle. The “Handbook for Parish Families” describes the role of the PFAC as follows:

St. Francis House, a day center for working poor/homeless folks for over 50 years, really needs sandwiches. Please consider making them with your family, friends, and neighbors. It's an excellent way to earn service hours for your school! Sandwiches should consist of simple, inexpensive bread (white or whole wheat) with peanut butter/jelly or lunchmeat/cheese or tuna. Place in individual baggies, then back into loaf bag. Learn More...