News - June 2025

Dear Friends in Christ, Tuesday, July 1, will mark the one-year anniversary of our coming together as a family of parishes in the “Partners in the Gospel” plan to renew Catholic life in Western Washington. We will complete the first year of a three-year process, eventually becoming one canonical parish in NE Seattle. Next week, I will reflect on some of the highlights of this first year, but for now, let me offer some thoughts about our main ministry, which is to gather for the celebration of the Eucharist every week.

Looking for a fun and meaningful summer project with your kids? Help support our neighbors in need by making sandwiches or hard-boiled eggs for St. Francis House! Here’s how to help: Please wash hands before preparing food. Use inexpensive bread and fillings like lunch meat, cheese, tuna, peanut butter & jelly. No need to add mayo or mustard. Wrap each sandwich in a baggie, then place back in the original bread bag. We’re also grateful for donations of hard-boiled eggs, Cutie oranges, bananas, small apples, and cheese sticks. Every weekday, St. Francis House serves over 150 people, and your generosity makes a real impact! NEW Drop-off Times: St. Bridget: Mondays, 1–2 PM Our Lady of the Lake (OLL): Thursdays, 9 AM Donors from Assumption and St. Catherine parishes, please bring your donations to either St. Bridget or OLL. Questions? Contact Mary Jo Gasparich at [email protected] or Maria DeSouza at [email protected]. Thank you for sharing your hearts—and sandwiches—this summer!

Join YCP Seattle and Fr. Lawrence Lew, O.P.—author, evangelist, EWTN host, and Promoter General of the Holy Rosary—for a powerful evening of reflection and renewal. Discover how Marian devotion rewires the soul for deeper friendship with Jesus in this special Executive Speaker Series. In this inspiring Marian Talk, you’ll learn how the Rosary is intimately connected to the virtue of hope—a true Christian measure of resilience. Date: Monday, July 14 at 7:00 PM Location: St. Monica Catholic Church 4311 88th Ave SE, Mercer Island, WA 98040

You're warmly invited to join us on Wednesday, July 9, at 11:00 a.m. at St. Bridget’s for our Social Seniors gathering. Come enjoy a relaxed morning of coffee, conversation, and community—plus cookies and treats to share! Whether you're a regular or a first-timer, all are welcome to connect, laugh, and enjoy good company. We’d love to see you there!

Dear Friends in Christ, Let me start by thanking you from the bottom of my heart for your kind greetings and gifts as I celebrated my 70th birthday this past Tuesday, June 17. Your thoughtfulness means the world to me… as do all of you. I am particularly grateful for sharing this time in my life and ministry with all of you in our NE Seattle Catholic Community. Best I know at this point, I will retire after my time serving you concludes. Here’s to several more years of collaboration! Continue reading...

How can you help? We invite you to sign up to cook or buy items and drop off at Santos Place or help set up and work the buffet or both! When: Sunday, 6/22. We will host the dinner from 5:15 to 6:30. DROP OFF food from 4:55-5 and SERVERS should plan to be there from 5-6:30 to help set up, work the buffet, and clean up. Santos Place 6940 62nd Ave NE, Seattle, WA 98115 - kitchen/dining space is in the basement. Please use the lower entrance closest to the baseball fields.

A St. Vincent de Paul Donor Appreciation Event was held on Saturday, June 7th, at St. Catherine Victoria Hall. This was to thank our donors from all four parishes for their financial contributions to SVdP. There was good attendance, good food, and good fellowship. There were 12 SVdP trivia questions to challenge the attendees, and several people got 11 answers correct. Bravo! Sincere thanks to all our SVdP donors, and sincere thanks to the students and families of our three parish schools who provide donations of food and personal hygiene items for our pantries.

We’ve noticed an increase in car seats being left in the narthex for our PREPARE and St. Francis House collections. Unfortunately, we are unable to accept car seat donations at this time. If you have left a car seat at St. Bridget’s, please come by to retrieve it as soon as possible. Thank you for your understanding and cooperation.

Sign up for Tent City 4 Suppers on June 22 and July 27 Our NE Seattle Catholic Community of parishes will provide supper for 70 adults and children at Tent City 4 at their new site, 12531 28th Ave. NE, Seattle, WA 98125 (next to the Lake City Library), on Sunday, June 22, and Sunday, July 27. Please deliver food, beverages, and paper products between 5:00 and 5:30 PM. The site is just north of the Lake City Library on the old Lake City Community Center site—parking on 28th Ave. NE is accessible in front of Tent City. Sign Up Genius link to sign up to provide an ingredient for the meal. Continue reading...

Extra Extra - Read all about it! Pick up the first edition of the Social Justice Ministry Newsletter at the back of church, near the bulletins. Read the summer edition for info on how our NESCC community is actively caring for those in need. Also book suggestions and travel tips to keep social justice in mind this summer.

Dear Friends in Christ, The academic year is ending for schools in the area, including our three parish schools. I want to take the opportunity to offer my thanks to all our faculty, staff, and parent volunteers who make our schools such vibrant and faith-filled learning communities. Special thanks to our principals, Kathleen Conklin (ASB), Kate Orizotti (OLL), and Kathy Cox (St.C), for their excellent leadership of our schools. Congratulations and best wishes as well to our recent graduates. Continue reading...

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. Continue reading...