Prayer for God's love

Jorel and Spencer

As promised, below is the prayer for my good friends' wedding reception last Saturday, which is based on the Rite of Marriage. These two have gone through a lot in their (I believe) 14 years together as a couple, and their faith has grown stronger because of these trials and smiles, highs and sighs. Spencer says that I am a faith-filled witness and role model in her life, but I can easily say the same about her and Jorel's faith and how they live it out.

May this prayer be (1) a prayer for all married couples, serving as a reminder of the love they have committed to each other and to the Church and (2) a reminder for all Catholics to be a witness of God's love in the world through acts of kindness.

Almighty and ever-living God, we pray for your children, N. and N., now joined by the Sacrament of Matrimony. Grant that they may grow in faith and enrich your Church. May you keep them of one heart, in peace and love for one another.

We ask your blessing upon all of us joyfully gathered here this day [, and upon this food]. May it nourish us and provide us with the strength to grow in faith, hope and love for you. We ask this and all of our prayers, through Jesus Christ, our Lord. Amen.

Day of Fasting and Prayer for Peace

By now I would think that many of you have heard or read about Pope Francis calling for this Saturday to be a day of fasting and prayer for peace in Syria, the Middle East, and throughout the world.

 Click here for a number of liturgical resources and a memo from Archbishop Sartain and Bishop Elizondo to their brother priests, which gives permission to priests in the Archdiocese to celebrate specific Masses for Various Needs and Occasions at this coming Sunday liturgies.

Mary, Queen of Peace, pray for us.

Prayer at a Wedding reception

A friend of mine from Seattle University is getting married this Saturday at the Chapel of St. Ignatius. In addition to asking me to altar serve, last night the bride-to-be invited me to offer a prayer at their wedding reception. Some may see this either as a daunting task with no where to begin or as an opportunity to give a mini-toast on the couple. I, on the other hand, am thrilled at this opportunity to pray the prayers from the Catholic Rite of Marriage.

This prayer at the wedding reception is a great opportunity to incorporate these prayers that were prayed at the Rite of Marriage within a Mass, just hours before the reception, during which many of her guests would have likely tuned out because they were so focused on when the presider would say "you may now kiss the bride!"  

Anyhow, a copy of the prayer will be posted sometime this week.

Liturgy of the Hours

I have a confession to make as somewhat of a foreword to this post. I am not familiar with how to pray the Liturgy of the Hours (LotH). Not because there is no interest on my part, indeed quite the opposite. But yes, one who ministers in the Liturgy Office and is called to serve as a liturgical resource for the Catholic Archdiocese does not know how to pray the official public worship of the Catholic Church (aside from the Mass, of course.)
 
On that note, here's my new read that arrived a few days ago! I’m pretty excited about what seems to be a great yet simple resource that is more of a practical handbook rather than a theological guide on the LotH.

I hope and pray that this walk-through step-by-step handbook will allow me to become more familiar with the LotH, in hopes that we all may be able to “…live as we pray…” (Catechism of the Catholic Church,  # 2725)

A special appearance...

The Most Reverend Joseph J. Tyson, former Pastor of St. Mary of the Valley parish in Monroe, WA from 1993-1995, who currently serves as the bishop of the Diocese of Yakima, was present to celebrate the parish's Centennial Mass and celebration this weekend. 

Pictured from far left is former pastor (from 1966-1971) Fr. Joseph Petosa (far left), current pastor Fr. Phil Bloom, Archbishop Sartain, Deacon Gene Vanderzanden, and Bishop Tyson.

The Art of Sacred Symbols...

...may apparently be a lost art.

"Symbols that Surround Us" is a workshop being held at St. James Cathedral on Monday, September 30th with Dr. Johan van Parys, director of liturgy and the sacred arts at the Basilica of Saint Mary in Minneapolis.

Seems like a fascinating workshop to attend...care to join me?

Liturgy Line

Last week, we published yet another rousing issue of Liturgy Line, our seasonal liturgical resource from the office. The welcome article is from Andrew on the feast of the Transfiguration and a reflection on how we all are invited to see God's glory manifest in all we do.

Join our mailing list, won't you?

Claretian Martyrs

An inspirational story on the Martyrs of Barbastro, on this, their feast day. Let us continue to pray for them, for their intercession, for all Claretian Missionaries, and in a special way for my uncle, Fr. Art Gramaje, CMF.

Claretian Martyrs of Barbastro, pray for us.

NPM ministerial position

The search for a new President and CEO of the National Association of Pastoral Musicians (NPM) has begun. Here is a link to the job description. Please spread the word if you know of someone who may be interested.

Relics of St. Thérèse of Lisieux

First-class relics of St. Thérèse of Lisieux are coming to the Archdiocese of Seattle this September! Here's the flyer with more information and details.

I just had a conversation with Tony about this over lunch yesterday, before I saw the flyer from our Missions Office. The relics will also be making an appearance in the Diocese of Metuchen in October. He was telling me that at a planning meeting, their Knights of Columbus agreed to guard the relics for a good number of hours, but that they would need breaks. We then continued to talk about a possible ritual for the changing of the guard! Fun times for us liturgical nerds! (Meanwhile, his two sons just continued to eat their pizza.)

Coming Events

This past week was the first full week of Andrew's ministry with us in the Archdiocese. He is a blessing from God! He brings many gifts and talents, and we give God praise and thanks for his ministry in the Archdiocese of Seattle. Looking forward to ministering with him as stewards of the Liturgy Office. Next week Andrew will be giving a presentation for Wine and Wisdom on the Sacred Liturgy for all young adults in the Archdiocese. Here is the flyer for that event. (Andrew is pictured in the flyer wearing the suit and tie, in case you were wondering.)

Archbishop Sartain will honor, recognize and bless Catholics who teach at local public and non-Catholic private elementary and high schools, colleges and universities as witnesses of the Faith. Teachers, all staff, and their families are invited to attend Mass at 5:30pm on August 24, 2013 at St. James Cathedral. All are welcome! For more information, contact the Office of Catholic Faith Formation by email or by calling (206) 382-4593. You may also view their flyer for the event.

Earlier today was an initial meeting to discuss preparations for the Mass for Life, which is scheduled for January 21st at 9:30am at Marcus Pavillion on the campus of St. Martin's University. And yes, we even have a flyer for that event.

After the meeting, I was reflecting on how quickly the summer has gone by, in that we're already beginning preparations for the Mass for Life! But we still have a few weeks left, and with the beginning of Seafair Weekend and my third and final week of staycation for the summer beginning on Monday, I hope and pray you are taking some time out for rest and relaxation as well in these last few weeks of summer and will be able to begin the new school year with energy and excitement as we continue to build up God's kingdom and give Him glory and praise.