Liturgy and the Flu

With news of major outbreaks of and even deaths from influenza (the flu) these past few weeks, thought it best to post a couple of informative reminders addressing the liturgical implications of the transmission of dangerous pathogens.

Although created a few years ago with the outbreak of H1N1, the USCCB published a helpful Q & A on the flu and the liturgy.

Around that same time, the then Archbishop of Seattle, Alex J. Brunett also sent a memo to the priests and pastoral coordinators of the Archdiocese, encouraging them to be vigilant and conscious of the liturgical practices of their assembly, especially in this peak of the flu season.

Sandy Hook shootings: one month later...

Today marks the one month anniversary of the Newtown, Connecticut shootings at Sandy Hook Elementary school that left 20 children and 6 adult faculty dead.

Here's an article that shows an interesting perspective on the deadly massacre: one that serves as a reminder to continue to pray for our brothers and sisters in Christ who minister to those affected by the Sandy Hook shootings, including Msgr. Weiss and Father Luke.

Although after the Christmas season, this could mean so much now more than ever! A simple word of encouragement, a letter of support, a card of appreciation, and even a moment of prayer can bring so much hope and consolation to a town still grieving.

GIA choral reading session

 

The Seattle Chapter of NPM is sponsoring a choral reading session this Friday the 18th. This is an opportunity to experience seasonal choral offerings as well as take a sneak peek at the content of the next generation of GIA hymnals. Please join us and invite your fellow music leaders!

Fri, Jan 18th at 7:00pm

St. Ignatius Chapel at Seattle University

Music directors, choral directors, accompanists, choir members, instrumentalists - all are welcome! 

Pre-registration is encouraged by emailing Paula Schmitz, secretary of the Seattle Chapter of NPM.

 

For more information on the Seattle Chapter of NPM, including pictures from their previous events, check out their website.  They do wonderful work and are open to suggestions for events, resources and their arms are always wide open for new members and ideas!

Liturgy Line

Our office publishes a seasonal liturgical resource called Liturgy Line every couple of months. Here's the one for this coming Ordinary Time, just released last week.

Didn't receive this email? Want to receive all the latest liturgical events and resources in the Archdiocese? Subscribe to our email listserve!

Year of Faith resources

In this Year of Faith, the Vatican has approved a new Holy Mass for the New Evangelization. There’s

also a Year of Faith Hymn that all are welcome to use and download the score to. The Mass formularies are available in various languages, in case your pastor wishes to celebrate this Holy Mass in Hungarian or Croatian. [I’m surprised (maybe a little disappointed) it’s not available in Tagalog.]

The Archdiocesan Year of Faith website also has some pretty neat resources, including various events, prayers and sample intercessions, information on plenary indulgences, and more.  Take some time to browse around the site!

Mass of Thanksgiving for Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.

As the nation prepares to celebrate the birthday of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., people from across the Archdiocese of Seattle will gather on Saturday, January 19th, 11:00am at St. James Cathedral to honor him. 

Archbishop Sartain will celebrate a Mass in Thanksgiving for the life of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., and in celebration of the presence of African and African American Catholics in the Archdiocese of Seattle. My sister, Valerie and I have been going to this Mass for a couple of years now, and it's an inspiring celebration.

This year, I was invited to proclaim a prayer of the faithful in Tagalog (each prayer will be proclaimed in a different language), and Valerie will be one of the candle bearers! We're very excited and honored that each of us are able to have a liturgical role in this year's celebration.

Here are pictures from last year's Mass, courtesy of St. James Cathedral website. Featured towards the bottom of the site is a fun video clip as well.

All are welcome to join in this celebration!         Hope to see you there!

Music and the Rites of Holy Week webinar

The National Association of Pastoral Musicians is sponsoring a series of webinars on Music and the Rites of the Church. The next one is being offered on Thursday, January 24 on the Rites of Holy Week.

The webinar will be presented by Mr. Paul Inwood, Director of Music and Liturgy for the Diocese of Portsmouth in England on Thursday, January 24, at 2:00 pm et, 1:00 pm ct, 12:00 noon mt, 11:00 am pt. 

You may register online this one session for just $25. You may also take advantage of generous discounts for groups. 

Can’t view the webinar at the scheduled time? No problem. Take advantage of the option to purchase a recording of this and other webinars. See www.npm.org for more details.

Evangelization: Acts of Love

Deacon Mark Kiszelewski

Just had dinner with Deacon Mark Kiszelewski before he heads back to the seminary for his final semester of studies. Mark was ordained to the diaconate last August and is currently studying at Sacred Heart Seminary in Hales Corner, WI.

During Mass, when he receives the gifts of the people, Deacon Mark briefly greets the people bringing up the bread and wine, asking their names and where they are from, and giving them a blessing before returning to the altar to prepare the chalice. In this simple greeting, Deacon Mark demonstrates God's love to those who bring up the gifts on behalf of the entire Church.

During times of desolation, Mark continues to be a source of encouragement and support for me. His sense of humor always brings a smile to my face, even during challenging times in my life. He was one of the first people I called when the evil spirit plus the pressure of our office transition got the best of me this past fall. Before we spoke, he led a prayer over the phone to begin the conversation which was so grace-filled. These simple acts of prayer demonstrate how Mark offers everything he does for the Lord.

May we all find ways to evangelize, through simple acts of love...both in our worship and in our daily lives.

P.S. Please continue to pray for Deacon Mark Kiszelewski and all of our seminarians in the Archdiocese.

Happy Three Kings!

"Nativity of the Homeless" scene, outside Christ Our Hope
Catholic Church on 2nd Ave in downtown Seattle.

As we celebrate the Solemnity of The Epiphany of Our Lord, we recall the journey of the three magi to the child Jesus. In the gospel reading from today's great feast, we learn a lot from the three wise men's journey.

They were persistent in their search for Jesus: "Where is the newborn King of the Jews?" they asked. Using King Herod's words, they searched "diligently" for the child. No matter where we are in our vocation to follow Christ, we must continue to search for Him in our lives.

Upon finding the child, they opened their treasures and offered them. We too are called to give of ourselves to Christ and offer up all that we have for his greater glory.

During the wise men's journey, they were also open to change after a warning not to return to King Herod. We too, must be open to the will of God in our lives.

Epiphany comes from a Greek verb meaning "to reveal." The events of the Epiphany are revelations of Christ to man.

What gift will be bring to the infant Christ? How can we experience Christ's revelations in our lives?

USCCB launches Catechetical Website on the Mass

The USCCB has launched a new catechetical website on the Mass, as part of its effort to engage the New Evangelization with three focuses on Faith, Worship, and Witness.

Divided into sections similar to the Roman Missal, Third Edition, the Mass website offers various articles, background materials, and frequently asked questions. The Secretariat of Divine Worship hopes to add additional content to keep the pages fresh. In preparation for catechetical efforts surrounding the future Misal Romano, Tercera Edición, a Spanish version of the Mass website is also now available. These pages will be expanded as proximate preparation for the introduction of the Misal Romano begins.

Living Liturgy

Today was the Funeral Mass for Marilyn Maddeford, the long-time secretary for Archbishop Raymond G. Hunthausen. 

In his homily, Father Michael G. Ryan described Marilyn as someone who truly embodied the Word of God. “When I think of Marilyn,” Father Ryan continued, “ I think of holiness and happiness.”When speaking with his brother priests and Marilyn's close friends, Archbishop J. Peter Sartain, after the Prayer after Communion, said that he heard nothing but “praise and thanksgiving” for Marilyn. 

Archbishop and Father Ryan’s words brought to mind Marilyn as a person who lives the liturgy.

Liturgy does not simply describe the worship of the people, but it can also refer to our response to the Sacred through acts of praise and thanksgiving in our day-to-day actions.

Like Marilyn, may we continue to exemplify holiness and happiness, not only in our worship, but in our lives, knowing that God is always at our side.

Eternal rest, grant unto her O Lord.

and let perpetual light shine upon her.

May she rest in peace. Amen.

May her soul and the souls of all the faithful departed,

through the mercy of God, rest in peace.

Amen.