June 8, 2025

Dear Friends in Christ,
This weekend, we celebrate the great solemnity of Pentecost, which brings the Easter Season to a formal close. The outpouring of the Holy Spirit we celebrate commemorates the birth of the church of Jesus Christ, and our call in the present moment to allow the Spirit to empower us to renew the face of the earth with the Lord’s mercy, compassion, and love.
I see evidence of this renewal in several current realities in the Catholic Church. The recent election of Pope Leo XIV has sparked excitement and curiosity about the mission of the church in our time. His call for unity, peace, and care for the poor is central to the life of any Christian community. Pope Leo acknowledges the diversity of gifts, perspectives, and viewpoints within the Catholic Community, but also calls us to continue the synodal way of being church restored by his predecessor, Pope Francis. The synodal way calls us to regularly gather to listen, dialogue, pray, and discern the will of the Holy Spirit for the church.
The Holy Spirit is also at work in our lives as a family of parishes in the NE Seattle Catholic Community. This first year as a family has been a time of change, challenge, and excitement for many. This has been the experience of the church since the first Pentecost. We are on a journey to become more intentional “Partners in the Gospel,” which will lead to us becoming one canonical parish in 2-3 years. The phase we are now beginning is to reflect and dialogue on “Who are we” as Catholics in this part of the city? This will be a process led by our Parish Family Advisory Council (PFAC) to explore our strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats to our present and future as a Catholic Community in NE Seattle. The general parish population will have opportunities for input through a survey and listening sessions at all four of our parishes. Stay tuned for more.
Come, Holy Spirit!
Fr. William Heric, Pastor