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Pastoral Council | God’s Table | VBS | CYO Adult Softball
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From our Pastor
Since Covid the size of our Pastoral Council has diminished. I talked with Fr. Khanh about this issue and asked if he wanted to start anew or wanted me to recruit new members to the Council. He asked me to recruit new members to the Council since he does not know anyone here. The term is three years, renewable for three more years. We are at half the size it should be. We need six more members on the Council. Three men and three women. The work of the Council is usually Goals and Priorities of the Parish. With the new configuration of the Parish Family, I am not quite sure how the three Councils from the three Parishes will work together. It will be an interesting time. Let me know if you are interested. There will be some time for training before Fr. Khanh comes on board.
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Father Khanh D. Nguyen was born and grew up in Vietnam. He has four brothers and five sisters. He came to the United States with his parents and three of his siblings in 1994. His parents live South of Seattle.
After studying in an underground seminary in Vietnam, Mount Angel in Oregon, and St. Patrick's in California, Father Nguyen completed his pastoral year at St. Francis of Assisi in Burien. Prior to being appointed our pastor he was assigned to St. Joseph in Vancouver and was priest administrator and pastor at St. Joseph in Ferndale, St. Anne Mission in Blaine, and St. Joachim mission in Lummi Reservation.
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World Day of Prayer for Vocations
Sunday April 21
A MESSAGE OF HIS HOLINESS POPE FRANCIS FOR THE 61st WORLD DAY OF PRAYER FOR VOCATIONS:
vatican.va/messages/vocations
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Calendar of the week of April 22 - April 28
Monday, April 22nd
Mass, Church 9:00 AM
Rosary, Church 9:30 AM
Knitters, UP3 11:00 AM
School Clubs, UP1 3:00 PM
CYO, Family Center 3:30 PM
OCIA, Parish Hall 7:00 PM
Tuesday, April 23rd
Mass, Church 9:00 AM
Rosary, Church 9:30 AM
School Mass, Church 1:45 PM
School Clubs, Parish Hall & UP1 3:00 PM
CYO, Family Center 3:30 PM
Book Club, Parish Hall 6:00 PM
Scouts, UP1,2 7:00 PM
Wednesday, April 24th
Bible Study Early Session, UP2 12:30 PM
School Clubs, Parish Hall & UP2 2:15 PM
CYO, Family Center 3:30 PM
Choir, Church 6:00 PM
Adult Basketball, Family Center 7:00 PM
Bible Study, UP2 7:00 PM
Thursday, April 25th
Mass, Church 9:00 AM
Rosary, Church 9:30 AM
CYO, Family Center 3:30 PM
Music Theory, Parish Hall 5:30 PM
Art & Music Night, EDP 6:30 PM
Friday, April 26th
Mass, Church 9:00 AM
Rosary, Church 9:30 AM
CYO, Family Center 3:30 PM
Funeral Service, Church 4:00 PM– live streamed
Boy Scouts, UP1,2 6:00PM
Saturday, April 27th
Boy Scouts, UP 1,2 9:00 AM
First Communion Rehearsal, UP1 3:00 PM
Confession, Church 4:00 PM
Mass, Church 5:00 PM– live streamed
Sunday, April 28th
Mass, Church 8:00 AM
Mass, Church 10:00 AM
UPCOMING MEMORIAL SERVICE
Lois Mullarkey
Friday, April 26th @ 4:00 PM
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We appreciate the support of the fine members of the business community whose ads appear on the back of the printed bulletin and at the bottom of this emailed bulletin. With their generosity we are able to have a printed weekly bulletin at no cost to us from LPi. | |
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SCHOOL NEWS
Rosemary Leifer | rleifer@stfoa.org
The end of the school year is less than two months away, but there is a lot going on between now and June 11th. Next Thursday, April 25th, from 6:30 PM - 8:00PM is Art and Music Night. You are welcome to join us to hear and see our artists and musicians in action.
On each April 27th and May 4th, a group of our second graders will receive their First Holy Communion at the 5:00 PM Mass. Please keep them in your prayers.
On Wednesday, May 8th, our fifth through eighth grade band students will join the band students from other local Catholic schools for the Band Festival at Kennedy Catholic High School. It's a fabulous event, and everyone is welcome.
Our 2024 Live Auction and Gala is Saturday, May 11th. Tickets are on sale now on our website. We would love to see you there.
Finally, we are currently enrolling students for the 2024-2025 school year and have openings in fourth and fifth grades. If you are interested in having your child attend our school, we would love to hear from you. Please go to our website to apply or for more information.
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St Francis of Assisi,
St. Vincent de Paul Conference
Helping Neighbors in Need.
Your help is needed in this ministry.
There are various ways to help out.
For more information, please contact Conference President: Pat Pomeroy at 206-280-6115
We collect after Masses the 1st weekend of the month with the exceptions of holiday weekends. Thank you for your continued support of this ministry through your prayers and financial donations.
https://svdpseattle.org/
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CATECHISM NOTES
Catherine Szeibert| cszeibert@stfoa-parish.org
The Catechism of the Catholic Church is so beautiful. It states, "God's love for Israel is compared to a father's love for his son. His love for his people is stronger than a mother's for her children. God loves his people more than a bridegroom loves his beloved; his love will be victorious over even the worst infidelities and will extend to his most precious gift: 'God so loved the world that he gave his only Son.' God's love is everlasting...God himself is an eternal exchange of love, Father, Son and Holy Spirit, and he has destined us to share in that exchange" (CCC 219-221).
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Sharing in the exchange of God's love is our destiny. He loves us and we love Him! God's love transforms us so that we can transform the world. As long as we have breath in our lungs, each of us has a specific mission to carry out God's will and share His love. He gave us the tools to do so-- the Gifts of the Holy Spirit infused at our baptism and sealed in Confirmation. He also provides food so we can be strengthened and nourished during this challenging journey--the Eucharist, His own precious Body and Blood. Our mission to spread God's love begins with the people closest to us that He has put into our lives for a reason. Let's be patient with them, kind, and joyful. Loving God and sharing that love is our destiny! | |
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Faith Formation
Cheryl Brooten | cbrooten@stfoa-parish.org
God’s Table
Society in Jesus’ day was as complicated and contentious as our own, if not more so. A clash of cultures played itself out in Israel with the Jewish people being considered less civilized, operating under Roman domination and Greek influences. The Jews struggled to maintain their identity, language, and religion as a minor bit player in the empire. The reigning high Priest, the Sanhedrin and other leaders of the day were doing everything within their power to keep up appearances, to keep control of the masses, and maintain their authority. The message of Jesus in this tumultuous time was met with resistance primarily because he threatened the status quo. He spoke to the underclass, the poor, the disenfranchised, those deemed outside of acceptable Jewish norms, inviting them to take a place at the table. Smelly fishermen, prostitutes and tax collectors were to sit next to Pharisees and scribes in God’s kingdom. The Pharisees and scribes declined the invitation.
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From the gospels we can infer that God’s kingdom is full of people who are not like us, whose language is different, who eat unusual foods, have a different perspective on events and maybe even smell different! Learning to understand, accept and even love people of different cultures and ethnicities is part of being Christian. In the early Church, the Jewish contingent had to swallow their pride and cultural insularity to allow Gentiles entrance into the community. For their part, the Gentiles needed to learn the basics of Judaism to comprehend the reality of God’s saving love through Jesus’ death and resurrection. They didn’t speak the same language, eat the same foods, wear the same clothes, or go to the same Synagogue as the Jews. Melding these two disparate groups into one Christian family was a mighty work of the Holy Spirit.
We will have a similar, albeit hopefully smaller, task in the upcoming months and years. Patience, self-sacrifice, humility, openness, and charity will be required of us all, no matter which parish community you claim as your own. The goal is to remove the word them from our vocabulary when referring to our new family members. The three communities are ‘us’. We might not speak the same language, wear the same clothes, eat the same foods, or celebrate the same cultural events, but we all participate in the one table of God’s kingdom at Mass. Prayer and attention to the Holy Spirit must be our primary means of discerning how best to navigate the transition. Pray for our new pastor, Father Khanh Nguyen, our new Vicars, Fathers Lewis and Vu. May we all hope our hearts and minds to the work and power of the Holy Spirit!
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Liturgy Updates– Welcome to the fourth Sunday of Easter tide.
In 1964, Pope Paul VI established a day of prayer for vocations to coincide with Good Shepherd Sunday.
For this reason, this day is also known in the Catholic Church as vocations Sunday. A day set aside to offer prayer, encouragement and support for those women and men who may be considering a religious life.
May is coming up quickly. What will be happening in May ? Wednesday, May 1st at 9 AM , we will be celebrating the crowning of our Blessed Mother. Students, teachers, family and grandparents are invited to attend. People will process into the church accompanied by beautiful music, while carrying a bouquet to be gifted to the Blessed Mother.
You can bring flowers from your yard, if you don’t have a vase, we can provide one for you. You can bring small statues of Mary. It’s just our way of showing appreciation, gratitude, and love for Our Blessed Mother on this day of Her crowning May 1st.
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The crowning of our Blessed Mother is offered during our liturgical year, at the time when spring is at its height of beauty. Spring is also connected with nature, renewing itself.
In her most precious and sacred way, Mary gave new life to the world when she gave birth to our savior, and Her Son, Jesus Christ.
How is the month of May related to Mary?
May is traditionally, dedicated and a specific and special way to honoring and seeking the intercession of Mary, as a Mother of God, and the Mother of our church.
Pope John Paul II approved and ordered its issuance in a significant and pious practice. “The queen symbol was attributed to Mary because she was a perfect follower of Christ, who is the absolute “crown” of creation. She is the Mother of the Son of God, who is our messianic King. Mary is the Mother of Christ, the Word incarnate. ‘He will be great, and will be called Son of the most high; The Lord will give Him the throne of His father David; and He will reign over the house of Jacob forever; and His kingdom there will be no end.’
I hope and pray that you will be able to join us in this beautiful celebration of our love for the Blessed Mother. We will come together in unity with flowers from our yards, and our hearts filled with love, and adoration for Her.
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Evangelization - May 12th - The Ascension of the Lord
The readings for the Ascension of the Lord, encourage us to be open to the Holy Spirit and willing to spread the good news. The first reading tells us of Jesus’ ascension into heaven and His promise to send the Holy Spirit.
The second reading asked for the Holy Spirit to come to us, so we can declare the kingship of Jesus Christ. And, in the gospel, Jesus gives us the great commission to go forth, and spread the good news of the gospel of the Lord .
The evangelization is alive and well here at St. Francis of Assisi parish through:
Adult Bible Study
Liturgical Ministries
a wide beautiful variety of ministries:
OCIA, OCIC, Children’s Faith Formation
Knights of Columbus
50 + Club
St. Joseph’s Circle
Adult Book Club
Music Ministry and educational opportunities
Vacation Bible School, Flower Ministry,
Liturgical Environment Designers and……many more
Mark 16:15 - And He said to them, go into ALL the world, and preach the gospel to everyone.
Matthew 24:14 - And the kingdom she’ll be preached in all the world, for a witness to all nations, and then to the ends of the world.
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Father Hayatsu’s Retirement Gathering - As you have seen for a few months, we have been announcing Father’s retirement gathering.
It will be held on Sunday, June 23rd from 11 AM until 1 PM in unity 1, 2 and 3. We will use EDP for overflow seating should that be necessary. Father decided that he wants to have a festive and scrumptious ice cream and dessert social to celebrate his retirement.
We will have an ice cream buffet with a delicious variety ice cream selections that will be hand scooped just for you. We will have a few toppings as well.
In addition to an ice cream buffet, we are inviting our parishioners to bring desserts, for our dessert buffet. Cookies, cake, brownies, sweet breads, maybe a pie, whatever your specialty, and what you are most known by to bring to gatherings.
Will be serving beverages to include: coffee, tea, punch, and water. There will be a basket for you to place your cards, and well wishes for Father. It will be a beautiful day filled with delicious treats, lovely fellowship, and so much love for our dear friend and Pastor. In lieu of gifts, Father is requesting that you remember him in your thoughts and prayers
Please continue to save the date Sunday, June 23rd from 11 AM until 1 PM.
We will be sharing reminders for you over the next months.
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The Printed Version of the Bulletin
Download and read our printed bulletin in PDF HERE. This one is what you will pickup after Mass when you come to church. It is a bit different than this emailed version which often has last minute updates.
These links go to the LPi St. Francis' page so you can see some of the ads and visit them and remark how nice they are for supporting our bulletins.
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STEWARDSHIP OF TREASURE
Year to Date Report
July 1 through April 7, 2024
Sunday Goal: $774, 625
Sunday Actual: $775,025 + $400
April Goal: $20,250
April Actual: $16,597 ($3,653)
Thank you for your continuous and generous support of St. Francis of Assisi Parish!
God bless you!
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Administration
This is Kick Off Weekend for the 2024 Annual Catholic Appeal. Our parish ACA goal is $114,800. Please read the special section for more details.
The Church Roof Leak: By the time you read this bulletin, these repairs should be underway. The leak has caused damage in the church walls below and in the St. Vincent de Paul storage room in Unity Place basement (the food stored there was move to another location.)
Updating the Parish Rectory: With Fr. Khanh, Fr. Dwight, and Fr. John living in the rectory, their living quarters require air conditioning. We have a proposal to make this upgrade. Our engineer for the furnace project will also do a study to make sure the solution will keep the living areas cool during hot weather. Other upgrades include new rugs to replace the 23- year-plus carpets and do interior painting.
Annual Catholic Appeal Refund for Parish Project: For years now, if a light burns out in the light fixture in the church dome, we cannot replace it. The light fixture cable will not move. The levers in the church dome move back and forth on a windy day. The pads are gone. When it is windy, the levers clang, metal hitting metal. The repair project glues new pads on them.
New 2024 – 2025 Parish Operating Budget: The finance council will start working on a new budget for the fiscal year 2024 & 2025. The final vote to recommend the new budget to Fr. Dick is June 11.
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Making Sunday Giving Easier: For fast access use the QR code. Point your smartphone camera to the QR code and say yes or OK.
https://www.stfoa.org/giving
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Life, Justice and Peace meetings:
We meet the 4th or last Monday of the month 7 pm via Zoom.
Email us your thoughts and comments at stfoa.ljp@gmail.com
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GOAL: the goal of having a Sister Parish is to be people who grow together in faith, work together in hope, worship together in love, bear one another’s sorrow, forgive one another’s faults, share one another’s joy, need one another, love one another, look for God in one another, see God in everyone.
CARING LOVING, SHARING, GROWING –
TWO PARISHES, ONE PEOPLE OF GOD!
The delegation is set to leave Seattle June 13th to visit our sister parish communities. We are collecting lightweight women’s scarves, men’s baseball caps, along with books and prayer cards in Spanish to take to the families there. You can bring any donated items to our next committee meeting,
Thursday, April 25th at 7 pm in the vestibule of the church, or drop them off at the parish office. Thank you for all of your prayers and support as our delegation travels there and back, bringing stories and pictures home with us.
Family to Family News:
We will be taking small gifts, pictures and letters to the children and families when we visit them in June. You can drop off your items in the parish office until June 12th. Please contact Maria Balsiger at smjdbalsiger@msn.com if you have any questions. Thank you for your support and prayers for these families. Below is a picture of the Good Friday procession in Las Vueltas.
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Technology Outreach
Rick Fleehart | rfleehart@stfoa-parish.org
[ Rick's note on the dark Altar from last week: The lights are back on either from intense praying, replacing switches or both. I pick both ]
Is SignUpGenius, Genius?
I do use SignUpGenius for adding our two live stream positions onto the schedules. In an odd twist, I assign the positions first, then get them confirmed, I then add them to SignUpGenius. This is exactly opposite of how you are supposed to do it. The way it should work is since everyone has the app, everyone can sign up for the best day and time, not what someone assigns you to. Us people in tech are always behind the tech curve.
In the SignUpGenius app, at the top-right of the app are three lines, those three lines are called the "hamburger menu". It reveals a "Logout" and a "Find a Sign Up". "Find a Sign Up" is where you can find all of St Francis' current signups by putting Kathi's email address in the "Sign Up Creator's Email Address" field which is "kswan@stfoa-parish.org" (without the quotes "). You will then see all our signups for the next few months. If you sign up for a particular day and want to sign up for a few more that month, after clicking on the assignment, continue scrolling to find the next assignments. Do not click on the "Submit and signup" button at the bottom until you are done with all your signups for that month. When you click on that "Submit and signup" button, it will show you a summary of all your assignments. Double-check them and click the submit button at the bottom. You will have signed up for all your assignments at once.
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Be sure to look at my web page with some in-depth notes on SignUpGenius: www.stfoa.org/signup At some point in the future, we will be transitioning to our Church Community Builder (CCB) app. It has all the same features that SignUpGenius has without any ads, and we are using it for Giving, Sacraments, email alerts, and pretty much everything else. I will be researching how it all works and produce some way to present it: maybe paper charts at the back of the church or seminars with 4000 PowerPoint slides…
Stay tuned.
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DID YOU KNOW?
St. Francis of Assisi Parish is a Formed Subscriber, which means all parishioners can stream the videos and programming available for free! Follow the instructions below and use our ZIP code, 98062, to find our parish. Sign up and start watching great Catholic videos and programs for adults and kids.
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PRAYER WORKS
In times of joy and sorrow we find ourselves reaching out to God. Sometimes we feel the need of a little extra prayer support. Our Prayer Ministry is designed to give anyone who desires the opportunity for others to pray for their needs. The process is simple. Use the request button below to submit your prayer request. Your intention will remain within the privacy and confidentiality of the prayer team ministers unless you request otherwise.
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Please support our Little Free Pantry
The Little Food Pantry is located on the west side of the church near the sidewalk. This little pantry has been such a blessing for so many, as we have noticed it being utilized more and more. If you feel so inclined to donate a few items to support our local community in their need, please consider items that don't require cooking such as pop top meals in a can, tuna fish, peanut butter, protein shakes, granola bars, fruit in a pop top can, etc.
Feel free to add the items yourself or drop them off in the parish office. Thank you so much for showing your support and generosity to our neighbors.
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