Dear St. Gabriel Parishioners:
HAPPY PENTECOST
HAPPY BIRTHDAY OF THE CHURCH
Come Holy Spirit – Renew the face of the Earth and Renew the Church.
- When the event of Pentecost occurred more than 2000 years ago, the apostles were transformed by their “encounter with the Holy Spirit”. They were changed “spiritually”; the gifts of the Holy Spirit are given in order to build the Church on earth, so that the members of the Church might reach Heaven one day. Paul describes the Mystical Body of Christ this way: “There are different works but the same God who accomplishes all of them in every one. To each person the manifestation of the Spirit is given for the common good.” To each person, the Holy Spirit is given for the sake of service: “for the common good”, in the words of St. Paul.
The Holy Spirit makes the Christian experience truly Catholic and universal, open to all human experience. Babel symbolizes the divisions of people caused by sin, Pentecost stands for unity. In the joyous spirit of Pentecost this year, our parish community takes a step to be aware of everyone who are around us and cross from us whose faces look familiar but have not known by name. This weekend, with a “blank name tag, please write your name and one thing you want to reveal yourself” will help to introduce who YOU ARE with your pews’ neighbors.
- “A word of thanks” to the many families who have pledged and turned in your commitment envelopes to the Parish or Archdiocesan Office to support the Annual Catholic Appeal 2022 again this year. Your continue supports are the testimony of the commitment for us to be “Church” today in our time. If you didn’t have an opportunity of filling your commitment envelope, please join with many of your parishioners to pledge toward our parish goal.
- A “big word” of THANK to the combined team of Gabriel and Prince of Peace who had spent a lot of time in this calendar year, to help our two parishes participated and completed the Synodal Listening Process with many different listening sessions - small & medium size and Zoom Meetings - to gather inputs for our Archbishop Etienne to bring to the Bishops Synod called by our Pope Francis for 2023. The Closing Mass for the local phase of the Synod will be held on June 18th, 2022 at 5:30pm in St. James Cathedral.
Our two parishes had submitted the data collected to the Archdiocese for our Archdiocesan Church Report. The combined team of our two parishes is working on the report for us in the near future.
Thank you for many parishioners from both of our parishes who have taken the time and the interest through personal experiences to the Synodal Listen Sessions. May the Feast of Pentecost help us to see the journeying that we travel together in local parish to the Archdiocesan Church and to the Universal Church.
- Youth Groups – Middle and High School – are having gatherings and movie nights. Please check the bulletin or contact our new Youth Minister, Marilyn Flores.
- CONGRATULATION to new transitional Deacon John Paul Tomassi who was ordained on Saturday, May 21 at Holy Redeemer Catholic Church in Vancouver, WA. and Deacon Sylvester Chanda, who also was ordained on Saturday, June 4, at St. Benedict Catholic Church in Seattle.
- John Paul and Sylvester have ordained to the transitional diaconate, which means they are in formation to become priests for the Archdiocese of Seattle. For more information on priesthood in the Archdiocese of Seattle go to seattlevocations.com
- May the Joy and Blessing of the Feast of Pentecost (the birthday of the Church) continue to help us actively involved in the Ministry of Jesus in our Church’s today.
Christ’s Peace,
Fr. Phuong Hoang