Funds collected in this special appeal will become part of the Bishops Emergency Disaster Fund and will be used to support the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops for pastoral and reconstruction needs of the Church as well as the efforts of Catholic Relief Services and/or Catholic Charities USA, the official relief agencies of the U.S. Catholic Church, as they and their local agencies respond to immediate emergency needs and aid in long-term rebuilding and recovery efforts. Funds will be used in response to the earthquake and Tropical Storm Grace calamities in Haiti and any other disasters that occur and will be distributed where they are most needed.

In keeping with the statewide mask mandate, masks are now required for all, regardless of vaccination status. Thank you for your attention to this important safety measure. As Father Ryan noted at Masses this past weekend, wearing a mask is an act of love!

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Introducing our new Assistant Director of Music and Organist, Christopher Stroh! Our final concert of the 2021 Summer Recital Series is on August 25.

Summer concerts, approximately 1 hour long with no intermission, are only presented in-person and are not livestreamed. Given the new statewide mask mandate, all are required to wear masks while inside the Cathedral.

PRAYER TEAM FOR THE NEEDS OF OUR LOCAL CHURCH Archbishop Etienne has asked each parish in the Archdiocese to establish a prayer team to pray for the mission of the Church. Pope Francis has called the whole Church to reflect on synodality (shared leadership) during the coming year. In our local Church, the Archdiocese of Seattle is in the midst of a pastoral planning process, to help us focus on Christ as we set our priorities. And on the parish level, the Cathedral Vision Council has been meeting to set the parish vision for the next five years. We have much to pray for! Will you join this team? All that is required is praying each day that we all may carry out the mission we have received from Jesus. You will receive a prayer intention each week by text or e-mail, as well as prayers you might wish to use in your own daily prayer. Information or to sign up, Corinna Laughlin, claughlin@stjames-cathedral.org.

VOLUNTEERS NEEDED TO HELP REFUGEES With US troops pulling out of Afghanistan, at least 2,500 people who served with US troops and are no longer safe in Afghanistan have been evacuated and have arrived at Fort Lee in Virginia, their first stop before being resettled in other areas. Our partner agency, Lutheran Community Services Northwest, will be welcoming some of these families to our area and helping them settle into their new homes. Can you help pick them up from the airport, drive them to appointments, show them around the community, or host them while permanent housing is secured? Information, Tammi Murray, tmurray@stjames-cathedral.org or 206-382-4511.

EARLY BREAKFAST VOLUNTEER OPPORTUNITIES On most Saturday afternoons, St. James parishioners come to Cathedral Hall to cook a hot breakfast which is served on Sunday mornings to our homeless and low-income neighbors. Our cooking team has some openings. If you are fully vaccinated and would like to help cook once or twice a month, contact Patrick Barredo, 206-382-4515 or pbarredo@stjames-cathedral.org.

CIRCLE OF WELCOME In his message for World Day of Migrants and Refugees, Pope Francis calls us towards an ever wider “we” and offers a prayer to bless each act of welcome and outreach that draws those in exile into the “we” of community and of the Church. St. James Immigrant Assistance will be answering this call by “co-sponsoring” a newly arriving or recently arrived refugee family. We are seeking 10-15 people to form a core group of volunteers that will make a one-year commitment to walk alongside the family. Volunteers may engage in activities such as gathering furnishings and household supplies, stocking the pantry with culturally appropriate foods, providing seasonal clothing, helping the family learn about their new community, assisting with transportation, helping develop conversational English, helping with financial literacy, and advocating for the family, but most of all, providing encouragement and building lasting friendships. Information, Tammi Murray, tmurray@stjames-cathedral.org.