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Dear Friends in Christ,
Those of you who were at our 9:30 am Mass last Sunday, heard me confess in the homily that I am a “News Junkie.” My mind is often cluttered with the text message acronym “TMI,” too much information. In order to listen more deeply to the will of God, I need to intentionally spend less time on the news, and more time in quiet prayer, meditation, poetry, spiritual reading, and beautiful music.
That’s not to suggest that being well informed about public affairs is not important, it is. Ignorance is not bliss for a Christian, including within the life of our church. Recently Pope Francis elevated Robert McEvoy, the bishop of San Diego, to the rank of cardinal. This is the body of church leaders who will elect the next pope after Francis. The secular and ecclesial press like to make mention who was not chosen for this role on the west coast, but I would encourage us to focus on now Cardinal McEvoy’s core emphasis as a bishop.
He has been a consistent supporter of the rights of immigrants who come to our country. San Diego is near one of the most trafficked borders in our nation, and the Catholic Diocese there makes it a high priority to help those who come to the U.S. seeking a better life for their families, especially those fleeing bitter poverty or violations of their basic human rights. May we feel the same compassion and solidarity for immigrants who make their way to the Seattle area.
Cardinal McEvoy is also a strong supporter of the “Synodal Way” of being a church that has been a central focus in the papacy of Pope Francis. Prayerfully listening to the voice of the Holy Spirit speaking through all constituencies in the church is a process we have begun here at St. Bridget’s. Listening to your hopes and concerns for our parish remains very important to me as your pastor.
One of the highest priorities for Cardinal McEvoy is calling the church to marshal its resources in addressing the threat of global warming and preserve the natural resources of the planet for future generations. We’ve yet to focus on this much as a parish, but it’s something we should encourage each other to embrace. I will be asking our social justice committee to plan more environmental awareness education here at St. Bridget’s.
p.s. Blessings to all students, teachers, and staff who begin a new school year!
Fr. William Heric, Pastor