Beloved brothers and sisters in Christ,
I am filled with joy, because of the wonderful celebrations of Corpus Christi. At the 6:00 pm First Friday Mass I heard about 90 confessions. First Fridays are a devotion to the Sacred Heart by making nine First Fridays: a holy hour, confession and receiving Eucharist. That was the start of a weekend of Eucharistic Adoration and the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass. We had processions inside the church and in the streets. St. Mary had two processions on Sunday with Adoration and Benediction at altars in the parking lot near the Lutheran Church and at St. Mary School. We sang praises to God and processed with a cross, incense, a canopy over the priest with monstrance and candles.
By tradition, Catholics process through the streets of the parish following Mass. The Blessed Sacrament in a monstrance is held aloft by the priest under a type of canopy called a baldacchino. The procession returns to the church where a final benediction takes place. At various altars outside the church during the Eucharistic procession, hymns are sung, readings may take place and there is benediction by Christ in the Monstrance. This annual celebration is in honor of the presence of Jesus, the Son of God, truly present in the Eucharist.
Next year, we will plan one Eucharistic Procession for the combined parishes, as we need at least seven altar servers, a Knights of Columbus honor guard, four men for the baldacchino, readers and choirs. I would like prayer groups, parishes, and guilds to carry banners. It would be great if we could have a lunch in the parish hall and courtyard as a symbol of our unity in Christ.
I wish my very best to Father Reynaldo Yu this coming year as he is being transferred to another assignment. Unfortunately, we have not been informed about where Fr. Yu is going, so I do not have address information. We will be planning a series of goodbyes as Fr. Yu celebrates his final Sunday Masses in your parish or mission. Father Yu will be replaced starting July 1 by Father Brian Thompson who is currently at St. Michael Parish in Olympia. Fr. Thompson was ordained to the priesthood last September. He grew up in Holy Redeemer parish in Vancouver, did his college seminary at Bishop White Seminary at Gonzaga University and completed major seminary at Catholic University of America in Washington, D.C. Please wish Father Yu your best as we thank him for his service to our seven parishes/missions and prisons. I will introduce Father Thompson to as many parishes as possible after he arrives in July. Please keep us all in your prayers, as transitions for priests are happy but stressful life events.
Your servant in Christ, Father Paul