1. Saint Patrick Catholic Church King County Seattle, Washington U.S.A. 2. What were common or important themes that emerged from the listening sessions? Here is our response to the first query from Pope Francis, “How are the faithful journeying together at Saint Patrick parish?” We have found humanity meeting divinity at St. Patrick’s, where diversity, equity and inclusion are the very life and breath of the community. The troubles of this world dissolve with anyone’s passing in through the doors of this beloved St. Patrick Church where the presence of the Holy Spirit pervades with continuity in its sacred space. How is it so, with war in Europe following a worldwide pandemic, with crippling isolation suffered by so many? The Holy Spirit pervades in abiding presence at St. Patrick Church as youth, adults and elders alike gather together to listen, learn and know their deepest value through the loving arms of humanity and our Creator God. From two young St. Patrick’s members: “I like the dancing and the music. We get to do something. I like that people accept you and forgive you if you do something wrong. The plants and flowers are beautiful. The activities we do are awesome. We have a kind priest and deacon. The whole community is like a family. I love how the people care about you.” From a parent: “So many people participate as Eucharistic Ministers, in the music, as lectors, or in the many other ministries of the church. It is very warm and welcoming. I am happy that St. Patrick’s welcomes the contributions of young people and there are many ways for them to participate in the liturgy and beyond in parish life.” From another youth: "Not all understand the gospel, but the movement (dance and ASL signing) helps interpret the gospel - we all learn more!” A widow in St. Patrick's Bible study “finds contemplative and centering prayer to be life-giving. We need to teach youth different ways of interpreting the bible and praying, extending liturgy. We need to rethink how the Church should be! That is what worship and prayer is all about.” A talented musical director “found while at another church, when the charism changed, she felt stifled, not helped to grow. At St. Patrick's she had a sense of welcoming and inclusion. Saint Patrick's looks for ways to include people, to increase a sense of education / outreach.” An ASL lector found it “Life-giving to be married by a signing priest.” She asked, “Could the Eucharistic minister please sign: the Body of Christ, the Blood of Christ.” From a L’Arche member: “Life-giving St. Patrick Church! I love St. Patrick Church!” An interpreter “has received life-giving spiritual direction and joy through music ministry, with women’s retreats and discussion groups. It’s been so life-giving to see deaf members reading! Filled with joy that St. Patrick’s parish embraces signing!” From a former parishioner: “The community strives to live the Gospel values and Social Justice by reaching out to our sister parish in El Salvador, the homeless and marginalized. Community desires to be inclusive and there is an environment of connection where everyone is welcome.” 3. Which particular stories or real-life experiences were shared related to the way our church currently journeys together? (Give examples with identifying information, but without names – e.g., a young Hispanic woman shared a story of her faith in God increasing as a result of her First Communion or a middle-aged African American man saw his faith grow through participation in a faith-sharing group.) A homebound parishioner “loves it when Deacon Dennis and Fr. Bryan wave to those people connecting from home, she feels a part of things and feels present.” Another cited Jeremiah 17: 5-8, “Jeremiah warned his readers to trust no living person, but to put their trust in God. Jesus proclaimed his contraposition, explaining that we can encounter the reign of God, God’s active presence among us, in a community of flesh and blood people. Not only that, but we are invited to be those people in our moment of history.” Yet another shares: “I have enjoyed and been immensely enriched by all four of the women’s retreats that I have attended over the years. In all the places I’ve lived and where I belonged to so many parishes, none of them come close to the outreach at St. Patrick’s, especially women helping other women. Another wonderful example of the Holy Spirit within St. Patrick’s family has been our neighborhood groups, especially meetings in one another’s homes where we discussed Pope Francis’ encyclical Laudato Si in a series of meetings and other church topics.” From a young adult woman: “Celebrating mass together is nourishing; communion is really about people together at table. St. Patrick's is an example of the People of God who live that experience, who share a meal, engaging in nourishing liturgies. All participate and everybody is welcoming, like a family: the body of Christ with many parts. Openness to new ideas gives hope for continuation.” A parishioner from another faith background: “We are all different parts of one body of Christ; we are many parts toward a common goal. The love of God shows for those with disabilities and for those whose disabilities are not so visible. Love is poured out to heal brokenness, such as the hand of an elder parishioner touching to heal the loss of a grandparent. Our Saint’s communion in heaven is with us, a conduit between earth and heaven.” A father of daughters shares that he “appreciates the range of voices providing homilies, especially women parishioners, relevant for situations in our lives.” A mother “Loves the Synod call to the faithful and the world to discern how the Spirit calls us.” A woman loves “Catholic Social Teachings and Works of Mercy; People supporting others in their joys and sorrows.” Another appreciates “our St. Patrick Community celebrations, including funerals.” She appreciates Pope Francis and prays “he may live long enough to help transform the Church.” An elder couple notes: “the Pandemic has added problems, and we have been so grateful to have mass on-line, and have appreciated the times we’ve been brought Eucharist to our home, as well as having the life-giving connections on Zoom with Choir practice, Women’s Encountering God, enlightening Wednesday night movies, and our ‘Grief Group’ sessions once a month when we lift up others, as well as ourselves, who lost significant others. We know that our St. Patrick’s community ‘has our backs’!” 4. What dreams, desires, and aspirations for our Church were expressed by participants? Here is our response to the second query from Pope Francis, “How do parishioners at Saint Patrick’s envision growing in their faith journey?” Hearts in our parish burn with the Holy Spirit’s vision for breathing into new life, daring to hope our children thrive and theirs for generations to come with acceptance in a resurrected church. We thank dear Pope Francis for this “gift of Synodal listening, inviting us all to take part.” We pray for “courage and freedom of heart” in loving our Creator God and in “loving the best of what church offers,” deeply mourning its grave failures, grieving its losses of relevancy. We envision opening “priestly ordination to women and married people. To rebuild the status of the family in society, we need priests who are also mothers and fathers. We welcome LGBTQ people as full and active church participants, honoring humanity’s truth and God’s truth that each person is a unique, unrepeatable likeness of God.” We “call out racism with a unified voice” and fully “embrace nonviolence as followers of Jesus.” Healing harmful injustices against the People of God and mother Earth, “we embrace Laudato Si with Pope Francis.” We commit to “advocating in accord with the Gospel, to being the hands and feet of Christ in the world,” revitalizing “our mission of evangelization.” We aspire to life-long learning by partnering with schools and universities, by “honoring cultures with varied music, art and prayer traditions.” Let us now “re-engage the indwelling of the Holy Spirit, as in Christ’s victory over sin and death.” We dream of our parish’s continuity, ever possessing its “charism and culture that is all about community.” Strengthening communities “build greater intimacy, belonging and vulnerability, that nourishes each person and develops organic leadership.” When you know and “deeply understand people you can see and bring out all their gifts to contribute for the whole community.” For example, “a member of the St. Patrick’s laity was recognized as a leader and one who could give reflections on the gospel; this leader wound up organizing an expanding committee of laity members offering reflections!” It has been “life-giving to see continuing growth and unfolding potentials in so many parishioners at St. Patrick Church.” Children who have grown up in the parish have “learned to embody the Word by their choices and the work they choose to pursue in the world.” Our sister parish relationship with Nueva Trinidad in El Salvador has transformed many families at St. Patrick’s and has also transformed youth and young adult career pathways for those who have participated. “Lay leaders at St. Patrick Church cultivate emerging lay leaders.” Several examples include: “Children’s Liturgy of the Word (with all members involved from the laity) and Betsey Beckman’s movement ministry, involving St. Patrick’s youth, including all ages with ASL interpreting and dancing. Inclusive ministries such as these are leavening for youth and young adult involvement in social justice issues.” 5. What challenges or opportunities do these reflections pose as we journey together? Expressed by nearly every participant, here is a teacher’s personal heartbreak: • The exclusion of women’s voices in leadership: Women are unable to be priests so churches must “bend the rules” to allow them a voice, e.g., having to call preaching on the gospel by women, even those with Catholic theology degrees, “reflections” rather than “homilies.” • There is much division in the church because of the patriarchy / hierarchical structure which does not have to be there if the church were not exclusive of women, LGBTQ. • Exclusivity of the Eucharist: You can’t come to the table if you don’t profess the doctrine. A therapist shares her frustration “that the Church continues to fight married couple’s use of birth control. I see the damage that both children and parents experience when parents don’t get a say over when they have children or how many they have. Couples are told to put God in charge of how many children they have. But God gave us discernment. We don’t tell people to avoid doctors when they are sick, for fear of getting in the way of God’s will. Why is the important area of procreation different?” As did other women, this therapist voiced frustration on the Church’s “distortion of sexuality. Women continue to be seen as the cause of any sexual harassment or assault they experience.” An academic advisor states that the “Institutional Church lacks recognition of its own limits,” and that “Clerics have and use power.” Many at St. Patrick’s find the Church “oppressive and racist to local cultures not European.” Most, like this parishioner, find the Church not only lacking in respect for “local cultures and cultural expression” but also that “women are not valued.” For example, she shared that her “mother mended, ironed and cared for a priest’s vestments, and when her mother was dying the priest didn’t even cross the street to visit.” A leading, compassionate voice from the laity shares: • There is little place for women to offer their fullest gifts, which the Church truly needs. • Over the past decade, women in the Archdiocese of Seattle had more ability to be involved in offering reflections, serving as pastoral administrators, etc. However, this role has been diminished and is still second to the role of men. • The hierarchy continues to hold power with a death grip, similar to the “I can’t breathe” racist situations in the U.S.; those perpetrating power are disconnected from the destructiveness and harm of their ways. Clerics are attracted to power or martyr syndromes and are not necessarily servant leaders. Deepest sadness expressed by laity: • Message from hierarchy is not relevant to young adults or people with mature spirituality. Humans seek community, not a power dynamic. • Hierarchy does not place value on listening or responding to the laity; this seems a complete retraction from the Vatican II message, where the intent is for clerics to serve, creating lay leadership. This dismantling of the intent of Vatican II is most heartbreaking. 6. What did participants share related to the question of “what steps does the Holy Spirit invite us to take in order to grow in our journeying together”? Participants shared they do not want St. Patrick's parish to be closed. There are decades-long-standing commitments within this parish to life-long faith formation and development. As a magnet, St. Patrick's could mentor lay leaders in the Seattle diocese, preparing to serve their own parishes. Life-long faith development weaves together continuously at St. Patrick's. It: · Begins with pre-school age children in Catechesis of the Good Shepard; · Continues with active faith formation for primary, middle and high school youth; · Offers opportunities to all ages for engagement in experiencing the Gospel message through music ministry, liturgical dance and signing with the deaf & deaf-blind; · Shares hospitality with all who enter St. Patrick's doors; · Connects with Seattle Prep and their outreach ministry for synergy with St. Patrick's; · Reaches out for social justice, involving people of all ages; · Partners with our sister parish in El Salvador, as our parishes walk together in solidarity; · Educates with inspiring films for all ages; · Develops adult faith through Thursday morning women's group and bible studies; · Further develops adult faith through theologian's presentations from Seattle U, Villanova; · Develops faith in community for all ages, four hours every Saturday morning through “Saturday Crew,” to work on parish maintenance needs; this is our community in faith with the Holy Spirit, sharing coffee, pastries and our stories; · Evangelizes by testifying at Seattle Council Meetings in favor of helping the homeless; · Evangelizes by leading support for Central Americans fleeing violence, hosting families in our homes, and creating legal assistance funds for refugees with legal asylum cases; · Leads against nuclear armament, exploitation and abuse of mother Earth; · Leads for restorative justice, including all of God's creation. Our parish devotion over many decades to continuing faith development is hard-earned through everyday actions, the very lives that are led. Each and every one is honored and treasured at St. Patrick's as envisioned by our Creator. This parish may serve for inspiration and learning by other parishes in the Seattle Archdiocese and in the world, by its very example of a Catholic Church. St. Patrick’s Church invites the Archdiocese to engage in Restorative and Transformative Justice: Transformative justice centers on creating an environment that is “race, gender, class and disability accessible, equitable, safe and welcoming for all.” Experiences of “harm emerge in historically patterned ways, perpetuated by social and religious hierarchy,” affecting members of the Catholic Church in adverse and “inequitable ways.” This approach “addresses systemic issues underlying harm with commitment to transformation, bringing together those who have been harmed with those who have done harm in the presence of religious and lay community members who aim for reconciliation, restoration and reparation.” “Through listening to truth, restorative justice can: 1) surface remorse, empathy, and accountability; 2) enable interactions to begin healing wounds; 3) inspire restoration; and 4) facilitate working together to prevent future harm.” In a context of “growing affinity,” mutual accountability means “implementations of transformative justice” in which the laity and Catholic hierarchy “participate on equal terms.” 7. How many listening sessions did you have? Seven parish-wide listening sessions. 8. Did you have different listening sessions for different groups? Yes, there were seven parish-wide sessions via Zoom with small break-out groups, a session for the children, the choir, the coffee hour group via Zoom after mass, smaller neighborhood group sessions, and numerous one-to-one listening sessions. 9. Did you seek to invite unrecognized voices? If so, how? We reached out to all current parishioners, former parishioners, and we talked with extended family members, friends and others who are no longer attending mass. We additionally held one-to-one listening sessions with a theologian, a retired priest, a church employee, associates and Sisters of Saint Joseph of Peace. 10. What other methods, structures, or approaches did you use in your plan? Invitations for Synodal Listening were extended in parish-wide emails on Fridays and through neighborhood group emails. Invitations were extended via email from our two Synodal coordinators, as well as a group of listeners and scribes. A number of parishioners accepted the invitation to write individual reflections. These were very rich along with the small group break-out sessions we had via Zoom. Parishioners who didn't list an email address were contacted by phone and contributed via hand-written notes from a dedicated listener and / or scribe. There were over twenty parishioners who volunteered to serve as listeners and scribes for St. Patrick's parish. Listeners and scribes participated in the break-out groups of the Zoom sessions, and they also reached out to individual parishioners, then listened and recorded responses.

1. Saint Patrick Catholic Church King County Seattle, Washington U.S.A. 2. What were common or important themes that emerged from the listening sessions? Here is our response to the first query from Pope Francis, “How are the faithful journeying together at Saint Patrick parish?” We have found humanity meeting divinity at St. Patrick’s, where diversity, equity and inclusion are the very life and breath of the community. The troubles of this world dissolve with anyone’s passing in through the doors of this beloved St. Patrick Church where the presence of the Holy Spirit pervades with continuity in its sacred space. How is it so, with war in Europe following a worldwide pandemic, with crippling isolation suffered by so many? The Holy Spirit pervades in abiding presence at St. Patrick Church as youth, adults and elders alike gather together to listen, learn and know their deepest value through the loving arms of humanity and our Creator God. 3. Which particular stories or real-life experiences were shared related to the way our church currently journeys together? (Give examples with identifying information, but without names – e.g., a young Hispanic woman shared a story of her faith in God increasing as a result of her First Communion or a middle-aged African American man saw his faith grow through participation in a faith-sharing group.) From two young St. Patrick’s members: “I like the dancing and the music. We get to do something. I like that people accept you and forgive you if you do something wrong. The plants and flowers are beautiful. The activities we do are awesome. We have a kind priest and deacon. The whole community is like a family. I love how the people care about you.” From a parent: “So many people participate as Eucharistic Ministers, in the music, as lectors, or in the many other ministries of the church. It is very warm and welcoming. I am happy that St. Patrick’s welcomes the contributions of young people and there are many ways for them to participate in the liturgy and beyond in parish life.” From another youth: "Not all understand the gospel, but the movement (dance and ASL signing) helps interpret the gospel - we all learn more!” A widow in St. Patrick's Bible study “finds contemplative and centering prayer to be life-giving. We need to teach youth different ways of interpreting the bible and praying, extending liturgy. We need to rethink how the Church should be! That is what worship and prayer is all about.” A talented musical director “found while at another church, when the charism changed, she felt stifled, not helped to grow. At St. Patrick's she had a sense of welcoming and inclusion. Saint Patrick's looks for ways to include people, to increase a sense of education / outreach.” An ASL lector and deaf member found it “Life-giving to be married by a signing priest.” She asked, “Could the Eucharistic minister please sign: the Body of Christ, the Blood of Christ.” From a L’Arche member: “Life-giving St. Patrick Church!!! I love St. Patrick Church!” An interpreter “has received life-giving spiritual direction and joy through music ministry, with women’s retreats and discussion groups. It’s been so life-giving to see deaf members reading! Filled with joy that St. Patrick’s parish embraces signing!” From a former parishioner: “The community strives to live the Gospel values and Social Justice by reaching out to our sister parish in El Salvador, the homeless and marginalized. Community desires to be inclusive and there is an environment of connection where everyone is welcome.” A homebound parishioner “loves it when Deacon Dennis and Fr. Bryan wave to those people connecting from home, she feels a part of things and feels present.” Another cited Jeremiah 17: 5-8, “Jeremiah warned his readers to trust no living person, but to put their trust in God. Jesus proclaimed his contraposition, explaining that we can encounter the reign of God, God’s active presence among us, in a community of flesh and blood people. Not only that, but we are invited to be those people in our moment of history.” 4. What dreams, desires, and aspirations for our Church were expressed by participants? Our response to the second query from Pope Francis, “How do parishioners at Saint Patrick’s envision growing in their faith journey?” Hearts in our parish burn with the Holy Spirit’s vision for breathing into new life, daring to hope our children thrive and theirs for generations to come with acceptance in a resurrected church. We thank dear Pope Francis for this “gift of Synodal listening, inviting us all to take part.” We pray for “courage and freedom of heart” in loving our Creator God and in “loving the best of what church offers,” deeply mourning its grave failures, grieving its losses of relevancy. We envision opening “priestly ordination to women and married people. To rebuild the status of the family in society, we need priests who are also mothers and fathers. We welcome LGBTQ people as full and active church participants, honoring humanity’s truth and God’s truth that each person is a unique, unrepeatable likeness of God.” We “call out racism with a unified voice” and fully “embrace nonviolence as followers of Jesus.” Healing harmful injustices against the People of God and mother Earth, “we embrace Laudato Si with Pope Francis.” We commit to “advocating in accord with the Gospel, to being the hands and feet of Christ in the world,” revitalizing “our mission of evangelization.” We aspire to life-long learning by partnering with schools and universities, by “honoring cultures with varied music, art and prayer traditions.” Let us now “re-engage the indwelling of the Holy Spirit, as in Christ’s victory over sin and death.” 5. What challenges or opportunities do these reflections pose as we journey together? Yet another shares: “I have enjoyed and been immensely enriched by all four of the women’s retreats that I have attended over the years. In all the places I’ve lived and where I belonged to so many parishes, none of them come close to the outreach at St. Patrick’s, especially women helping other women. Another wonderful example of the Holy Spirit within St. Patrick’s family has been our neighborhood groups, especially meetings in one another’s homes where we discussed Pope Francis’ encyclical Laudato Si in a series of meetings and other church topics.” From a young adult woman: “Celebrating mass together is nourishing; communion is really about people together at table. St. Patrick's is an example of the People of God who live that experience, who share a meal, engaging in nourishing liturgies. All participate and everybody is welcoming, like a family: the body of Christ with many parts. Openness to new ideas gives hope for continuation.” A parishioner from another faith background: “We are all different parts of one body of Christ; we are many parts toward a common goal. The love of God shows for those with disabilities and for those whose disabilities are not so visible. Love is poured out to heal brokenness, such as the hand of an elder parishioner touching to heal the loss of a grandparent. Our Saint’s communion in heaven is with us, a conduit between earth and heaven.” A father of daughters shares that he “appreciates the range of voices providing homilies, especially women parishioners, relevant for situations in our lives.” A mother “Loves the Synod call to the faithful and the world to discern how the Spirit calls us.” A woman loves “Catholic Social Teachings and Works of Mercy; People supporting others in their joys and sorrows.” Another appreciates “our St. Patrick Community celebrations, including funerals.” She appreciates Pope Francis and prays “he may live long enough to help transform the Church.” An elder couple notes: “the Pandemic has added problems, and we have been so grateful to have mass on-line, and have appreciated the times we’ve been brought Eucharist to our home, as well as having the life-giving connections on Zoom with Choir practice, Women’s Encountering God, enlightening Wednesday night movies, and our ‘Grief Group’ sessions once a month when we lift up others, as well as ourselves, who lost significant others. We know that our St. Patrick’s community ‘has our backs’!” 6. What did participants share related to the question of “what steps does the Holy Spirit invite us to take in order to grow in our journeying together”? Participants shared that they do not want St. Patrick's parish to close. The parish has an enduring commitment to life-long faith formation and continuing faith development. As a magnet parish, St. Patrick's could mentor young lay leaders in the diocese, who are preparing to serve in their own parishes. Life-long faith development weaves together continuously at St. Patrick's. It: · Begins with pre-school age children in Catechesis of the Good Shepard; · Continues with active faith formation for primary, middle and high school youth; · Offers youth and adults of all ages opportunities for engagement in experiencing the Gospel message through music ministry, liturgical dance, and signing with the deaf & deaf-blind; · Shares hospitality with all who enter St. Patrick's Church doors; · Connects with Seattle Prep and their outreach ministry for synergy with St. Patrick's; · Reaches out for social justice, involving youth and adults of all ages; · Partners with our sister parish in El Salvador, as our parishes walk together in solidarity; · Educates with inspiring films for youth and adults of all ages; · Develops adult faith through Thursday morning women's group and bible studies; · Further develops adult faith through theologian's presentations from Seattle U, Villanova; · Leads against nuclear armament, exploitation and abuse of mother Earth home; · Leads for restorative justice, including all of God's creation. Our devoted commitment over decades to continuing faith development is hard-earned through everyday actions, the very lives that are led. Each and every one is honored and treasured at St. Patrick's as envisioned by our Creator. This parish may serve for inspiration and learning by other parishes in the diocese and in the world, by its very example of a Catholic Church. As expressed similarly by nearly every participant, here is an individual's shared personal heartbreak: • The exclusion of women’s voices in leadership: Women are unable to be priests and churches must “bend the rules” to allow them a voice. Example: having to call preaching on the gospel by women, even those with Catholic theology degrees, “reflections” rather than “homilies.” • There is much division in the church because of the patriarchy / hierarchical structure which does not have to be there if the church were not exclusive of women, LGBTQ. • Exclusivity of the Eucharist: You can’t come to the table if you don’t profess the doctrine. • Our parish is being closed without much listening from the clerics. This makes me very sad. I don’t know what I will do. 7. How many listening sessions did you have? Seven parish-wide listening sessions. 8. Did you have different listening sessions for different groups? Yes, there were seven parish-wide sessions via Zoom with small break-out groups, a session for the children, the choir, the coffee hour group via Zoom after mass, smaller neighborhood group sessions, and numerous one-to-one listening sessions. 9. Did you seek to invite unrecognized voices? If so, how? We reached out to all current parishioners, former parishioners, and we talked with extended family members, friends and others who are no longer attending mass. We additionally held one-to-one listening sessions with a theologian, a retired priest, a church employee, associates and Sisters of Saint Joseph of Peace. 10. What other methods, structures, or approaches did you use in your plan? Invitations for Synodal Listening were extended in parish-wide emails on Fridays and through neighborhood group emails. Invitations were extended via email from our two Synodal coordinators, as well as a group of listeners and scribes. A number of parishioners accepted the invitation to write individual reflections. These were very rich along with the small group break-out sessions we had via Zoom. Parishioners who didn't list an email address were contacted by phone and contributed via hand-written notes from a dedicated listener and / or scribe. There were over twenty parishioners who volunteered to serve as listeners and scribes for St. Patrick's parish. Listeners and scribes participated in the break-out groups of the Zoom sessions, and they also reached out to individual parishioners, then listened and recorded responses.

Synod 2021-2023: Communion, Participation, and Mission Testimony of Jim Thomas February 21, 2022 Thank you, Pope Francis, for the great gift of inviting everyone to take part in this historic synodal listening process. I am grateful to the pope and all his collaborators who developed such a hope-filled Preparatory Document for this kairosmoment. My heart leapt for joy in reading the main objectives in paragraph 2 of the Preparatory Document. I feel the presence of the Holy Spirit. In preparing my remarks, I have prayed for the same “courage and freedom of heart” that we need throughout this process, as stated in paragraph 9 of the Preparatory Document. I love God. I love the best of what the church offers to humanity, and I grieve the major failings of the church. The church must come to grips that in the US, the church is widely regarded as irrelevant. The church is dying but I do not want to live the rest of my life as a pallbearer. I want to be one of the faithful who breathes new life into the church. I want to open wide the church to the indwelling of the Holy Spirit. Can we incarnate excitement in our church so that we attract new members the world over, perhaps even to the extent that our children will talk about the synodal process resurrecting the church? Can we dare to hope such a thing is within our grasp? For the church to live out its mission to evangelize the culture, we need to take drastic action to make our message understandable to our fellow citizens in the 21st century. There are three actions I feel the church must take in the next few years if we want our evangelizing efforts to have any chance of succeeding. Each of these must be rooted in a rededication to seek the truth. 1. Open priestly ordination to women and married people. Recall that Saint Peter was married. By limiting ordination to only celibate males, the church diminishes the model of the family as the “domestic church” (Lumen Gentium, no. 11), and “a school of deeper humanity” (Gaudium et Spes, no. 52). By only ordaining celibate men, we diminish the God-given equality of women. We diminish the sacredness of the marriage vows. We diminish the spiritual vigor of the laity. For the church hierarchy to insist that the priesthood is only open to men because Jesus only chose men as apostles begs several questions. Why is the priesthood not limited to circumcised men? Why is the priesthood not limited to men who did not eat pork? All of Jesus’s apostles were circumcised. None of them ate pork. Please reflect on paragraphs 21 to 24 of the Preparatory Document with these questions in mind. To rebuild the status of the family in society, we need priests who are also mothers and fathers. 2. Welcome LGBTQ people as full and active participants in the church, in keeping with the truth that each human person is a unique and unrepeatable likeness of God. The church must seek to understand what God is revealing to us through their love. Whatever rationalizations some might offer to not welcome LGBTQ people into full communion, such arguments are discriminatory and unsupportable. Such discrimination is an affront to the freedom of God our Creator. 3. Jesus is the pure manifestation of the nonviolent love of God. As Pope Francis has written, “To be true followers of Jesus today includes embracing his teaching about nonviolence.” Therefore, the church must disavow the just war tradition as incompatible with following Jesus who commands us to love our enemies. To do anything short of a complete embrace of nonviolence is to rob the Church of the most powerful witness we can give. It is in committing ourselves to a rejection of violence that we give the clearest witness that God is the only security we seek or need. By living and teaching nonviolence as essential to Jesus, we will revitalize our mission of evangelization. It will purify our faith, strengthen the church, and heal our world from the pandemic of violence. Through these three actions we will open ourselves more fully to the indwelling of the Holy Spirit. We will re-engage with the dynamic faith that swept the world in the first three centuries following Christ’s victory over sin and death. Such bold actions will shock the world. May the Holy Spirit blow wherever it will. Do we dare to dream that we can collaborate in setting the world aflame in a New Pentecost?

Good Friday reflection by Jim Thomas (April 15, 2022) Theologian Leonardo Boff once wrote, “Jesus continues to be crucified in all those who are crucified in history.” “Jesus continues to be crucified:” in the hungry, people mutilated by war, the marginalized, people persecuted for their thirst for justice. Each Good Friday is an invitation for us to get closer to Jesus as the suffering servant, to better comprehend his nonviolent love, to reflect on the nails of today that are piercing his hands and feet. The nails of nuclear weapons. The nails of climate destruction. The nails of racial injustice, war, hunger, and on and on. Every time we celebrate the Eucharist, we commemorate Jesus’ passion and death, the sacrificial offering of his body and blood. When Jesus asks us, “Do this in memory of me,” he calls us to surrender our own bodies and blood, even to the point of having the nails of today pierce our flesh. One of the chief ways Jesus has called me to surrender is working to abolish nuclear weapons. Forty years ago today, I stood near Archbishop Raymond Hunthausen at the ammunition gate of the Bangor Trident base. I was one of twenty members of the Bethlehem Peace Pilgrimage. On Good Friday 1982, 500 supporters joined us to walk the first six miles. Archbishop Hunthausen blessed us as we set out on a twenty-month journey for peace and nuclear disarmament. We turned our backs on the mega-death of the Trident nuclear weapons system and walked to Bethlehem, the birthplace of the Prince of Peace. Those were some of the darkest days of the Cold War—the fear of nuclear war was palpable. The pilgrimage was an opportunity to empty ourselves, surrender to poverty, and rely on the hospitality of strangers. Along the way, we walked through areas of violence in Northern Ireland and the Occupied West Bank. We encountered hatred and opposition when we vigiled in front of nuclear weapons factories. Across 7,000 miles, we suffered blisters, drenching rain, and scorching sun, as well as the exhaustion of being constantly on the go and the lack of privacy. With every step, we confronted the specter of nuclear war. While there has been a significant reduction in nuclear arsenals over the last four decades, there are still thousands of missiles. As Russia’s war on Ukraine has shown, the prospect of nuclear war is still with us. The Trident subs at Bangor, less than twenty miles west of this church, are armed with more than 1,000 nuclear warheads. To achieve disarmament, I believe we must be willing to risk our security. To address the climate crisis, we must cut our use of fossil fuels, simplify our lifestyles, and accept more vulnerability. In offering his body and blood on the cross, Jesus surrendered and embraced radical vulnerability. He beckons to us, “Do this in memory of me.” He calls us to sacrifice ourselves for others. Certainly, this entails discomfort, even pain. There is a part of us that recoils from such an invitation. Forty years ago, I initially dismissed the suggestion of trekking to Bethlehem. But after walking those first six miles and getting my body involved in praying for peace, something changed deep inside. My heart was flooded with joy. In putting my body and blood on the road to the Holy Land, I became part of the solution instead of part of the problem. Such is the mystery of the cross. It is through dying to ourselves and engaging with the wounded of the world that we are born to new life. The pain does not go away but it is transformed in some mysterious way. I am sure this has been the experience of our own parishioners who have made the sacrifice and embraced vulnerability to visit our sister parish of Nueva Trinidad. Those who reach out to people in poverty with Sacred Encounters and St. Vincent De Paul know this, too. When we seem to be at the limit of our endurance, when we want to quit, Jesus beckons us to remain faithful—to keep carrying our crosses, “Do this in memory of me.” For us, such an invitation seems like an impenetrable mystery. We cannot see the other side. Jesus, being fully human, could not see the other side either. Nearing death, Jesus felt totally abandoned by God. In giving our all, we fear losing our identity. There seems to be no other way but to surrender and embrace vulnerability. This Good Friday, many of us at St. Pat’s feel the nails of injustice piercing our faith community as the Archdiocese plans to close our parish. We peer into the darkness. We struggle to know which way to go. Wherever we find ourselves in a year’s time, let us remember our connectedness in the one body, the one blood of Jesus and all of those crucified for life, justice, and peace. “Do this in memory of me.” As we accompany Jesus in his passion, let us pray for him to remain with us in our suffering.

SYNODAL LISTENING SESSION REPORT 3/20/2022 Talker - Silvana Hale Listener - Vicki Tiberio Scribe - Anne Baisch/Silvana Hale It breaks my heart that the Catholic Church seems to act evermore like a corporatocracy than a heart-filled, Christ-Centered religious and spiritual body. Where is the love and accountability to that standard with regard to: · The clerical pedophilia scandal which the hierarchy has perpetuated and enabled the problem by covering it up and moving the abusers from one location to another? · The sense of entitlement of the clergy when bishops and some priests hide behind rules and power when too many bishops and priests exude a sense of superiority and callous disregard for the people in the pews; when they don’t engage with the laity as Christ-like servant leaders and avoid accountability for their action? · The subordinate role of women in leadership that is demeaning, makes us/me feel less than equal, and limits our collective ability to serve the mission of the church. · The failure to include parents in guiding their children in their religious and spiritual journeys. · LGBTQ+ people who have been treated so inhumanely and caused/allowed them to die feeling that they were destined to go to hell. It fills my heart to be a member of a church that lives love, values the legacies of spiritual leaders such as Pope John XXIII, Archbishop Hunthausen, and Bishop Remy De Roo and sustains itself in the spirit of Vatican II. I find love, sustenance, and growth from: · inspiring eucharistic celebrations · friends who share my values · an inclusive and welcoming community · compassionate outreach to the sick, homeless, and needy · commitment to justice, Catholic Social Teachings, and engagement with the vulnerable · ecumenical and interfaith events and activities · parish sisters and brothers with special needs and active in ministries and councils · affirming LGBTQ+ people · youth engaged in the celebrations · strong lay leadership · shared value in the role of women at all levels in equity with men

Notes on Elaine Clark’s synod sharing: 4/7/22 By Barb Kearney-Schupp Bringing a medieval stance to our world/Church today does not make sense. We know one another at St. Pat’s, and have been through previous difficult times. We are in a most vulnerable place right now. Our world is in a vulnerable place. Deep religious integrity, linked to the signs of these times, is necessary for human survival and well-being of all living things. The institutional church is not God, but rather a vehicle to journey toward God-given fullness of life. God is able to cope with deep questions about the church, as should its leaders. She believes we are a community meant to confront the system. We are summoned to trust that the Spirit is bigger than the institutional church, and we need to hold the hierarchy’s feet to the fire. She’s been meeting people who have stopped going to church, who say they are spiritual and not religious. What causes people to leave? What’s going on that is making the Church be “out of joint?” St. Pat’s is a small parish. Small is where we can support one another. We need communities like this to get beyond individualism and getting people to care about each other. Disturbing about current Catholicism Language: certain required language, the imagery of 3rd century Rome (and translated into colonial English) doesn’t fit my lived experience, scientific understanding or a way of prayer I can relate to. Structure not what Jesus intended / men only Rule bound / out of balance Hierarchy does not listen to the people / who we are No input in our leadership Women are not empowered We are the Church and have rights Lack morality of authority / clerics Hierarchy has monopoly on ‘the way’ if only one way / no growth fear of anything new if only one way - idolatry Faith Filling Liturgies: liturgical movement / song / signing / peace drum which is appropriate to the readings / celebration Community: growth / ups and downs of life Laity is educated Deaf, deaf / blind come to St. Pat’s because they are part of our community Everyone is involved in parish life

Sr. Helen (April 7, 2022) What disturbs or breaks your heart about the Catholic church today? Clericalism: they are boss, and “we” are nobody. Everyone has a voice, a right to be heard. Having a “Shepherd” who never comes to know us or support his flock. It is raunchy that we have to fight with everything directed at us. St. Joes is not our parish, we have to stand up and say “no”. It's like mixing apples and oranges, each parish has its own charism. Rome cannot close ethnic parishes: everyone is important, I hope bishop went to meeting [East Coast] about Vatican II, about working together, with everybody involved together. Everybody has a right to say how they feel. Why doesn't bishop involve the people? Very discouraging. We are All the Church, not just the clerical!!! What fills your heart about the Catholic church? How, guided by the Holy Spirit, could we nurture that experience at St. Patrick Parish, in the Archdiocese of Seattle, and the world? We are the church: St. Pat's has something that no other church has in the diocese. Creative, welcoming, energizing, because there is an aliveness there. People are welcomed at the door: We see who you are! 90% participation says a lot about who we are. We have community at St Pat's. I know I'm wanted, they appreciate my presence. We care for the deaf/blind, L'Arche etc. We provide rides for those in need. Everyone participates in many and varied ways. It brings new life and energy to come to St. Pat's! Come and experience "New Life." This is called "Community."

Kay Farrell (April 7, 2022) What disturbs or breaks your heart about the Catholic church today? Church has discriminated against women. Ignoring us. Their way and that's it! At confirmation, Bishop Eusebio talked talked talked, did not give kids any opportunity. He had to be in control. Sad, so few people coming, but our two sons have no interest. They don't see the need for church, doesn't enter into their lives as much. Not much leadership from bishop, just orders. Discouraged with church, no desire to go elsewhere. It would take years to get to the place of St. Pat's. Very hard to find anything close. Miss what we have had as parish. Catholic church hasn't kept up with times, not doing much about it. We don't know hierarchy, Bishop Eusebio only came to confirmation, but that's it. They don't share much. What fills your heart about the Catholic church? How, guided by the Holy Spirit, could we nurture that experience at St. Patrick Parish, in the Archdiocese of Seattle, and the world? • We might be better people by having hierarchy around to really have a conversation.

John Farrell (April 7, 2022) What disturbs or breaks your heart about the Catholic church today? Don't like being treated like a serf. Feudalism. Am I an animal like a sheep or a cow just because somebody wants another place full? Anti-feminism and celibacy of whole tradition really bothers me. Almost like boot camp, where we have to follow orders. “High” feeling from [worship at] St. Pat's doesn't follow when considering the whole hierarchy or system as it is set up. Like our own parish, and not the way they [archdiocese] did it. Not happy about it. Sometimes I get fired up, can't think. What fills your heart about the Catholic church? How, guided by the Holy Spirit, could we nurture that experience at St. Patrick Parish, in the Archdiocese of Seattle, and the world? Heart filled with love and joy when we sing & pray with St. Patrick community (a “high” every Sunday). Church experience (in Ireland): everybody says words of mass, including words of consecration. It could be that way here. Want to be on a more equal footing.

What fills your heart about the Catholic Church? How, guided by the Holy Spirit, could we nurture that experience at Saint Patrick Parish, in the Archdiocese of Seattle, and in the world? - Our musical traditions. Let’s keep welcoming Gregorian chant, plainsong, folk music, spiritually-oriented rock ’n roll, hip-hop, hymns, and any other form of musical praise to the diviine! - Our prayer traditions, both contemplative and lively. We such have a wealth of ways to grow in love with God that anyone can find something that works for them. - Same for sacraments. - Parishes like St. Pat’s that live out the gospel both in the larger world and with each other. Other intentional communities. - We have many dedicated clergy, monks, and sisters all over the world who really care about making the world go better. I am awed when I think about the dedication of clergy and nuns serving poor communities in Central America. In the U.S. the “Nuns On The Bus” approach was brilliant. In our own community we have so many dedicated nuns. - The firm commitment of laity to the Gospel and of being the hands and feet of Christ in the world. - Many of our schools and universities are places of discovery and transformation. - So many cultures with different music, art. - If every Catholic-connected piece of land were cared for according to Laudato Si, this planet would be healed. I’d love to see our Archdiocese as a leader in this area. - When we do advocate according to the Gospel. Same for direct service. - St. Pat’s: do more ritual, Mary connection. · What disturbs or breaks your heart about the Catholic Church today? - The stubborn refusal to allow any kind of flexibiity that would include women and non-celibate leadership. It’s bad enough on its own, but then the hierarchy uses the lack of celibate men priests as an excuse to close vibrant parishes like St. Pat’s. We have had women as pastoral administrators. They have been placed in parishes dealing with substantial conflict and have done well. There is clear historical precedent for having women deacons. And when parishes are required to merge, it’s so hard on our aging priests to be expected to serve an even larger congregation. How are they going to avoid strokes and other stress-induced health conditions? Often the Spirit has placed the answer to our problems right under our noses. This is one of those times. - That the U.S. Catholic Bishops Conference has shown no leadership on addressing the climate crisis and instead has seemed to go out of its way to support climate change denial. With climate anxiety being the major mental health stressor for youth, they shouldn’t be surprised when youth continue to leave the Church. And what a huge insult to the Creator! - That the Church continues to fight married couples’ use of birth control. As a therapist, I see the damage that both children and parents experience when parents have too many children or don’t get a say over when they have them. My own mother, despite being a careful practitioner of NFP, had an unplanned pregnancy and ended up on bedrest when I was 4 months old. That long stretch of being unattended to until she miscarried twins has had profound negative effects in my life. Couples are told to put God in charge of how many children they have. But God gave us discernment. We don’t tell people to avoid doctors when they are sick for fear of getting in the way of God’s will. Why is the important area of procreation different? Also, our use of resources is depleting our planet. If we do have more than a few children, we need to commit to decreasing our use of resources to match those of a sub-Saharan African or Asian Indian family. - The distortion of sexuality. Women continue to be seen as the cause of any sexual harassment or assault that they experience. - The poor treatment of GLBTQ people. Even if a leader believes it is wrong to be gay, there is absolutely no excuse for threatening and marginalizing this group of people or holding beliefs that they are pedophiles. I know a lot of GLBTQ/non-binary people. They are just as, if not more, competent in committed relationships as heterosexuals. Their children turn out the same way other couples’ children turn out, except that the experience of being hated makes everything difficult. Through the ages the Church has had shifting views on gay relationships. Jesus spoke very little about sexual behavior but volumes against hypocrisy, stealing, and mistreating people with less power. Let’s see the Church pursue the same agenda, including holding the financial sector of Vatican City accountable. - Continued minimizing of the challenges people of color face from racism. If the Catholic hierarchy called out racism with a unified strong voice, change would come. It’s the least we can do given our history of harming so many ethnic groups. I am angry that Fr. Junipero Serra, who was responsible for the enslavement and beatings of so many Native Americans, has been rewarded with canonization. He is not the kind of role model we need.

Synod Listening Session – March 20, 2022 Johanna Campbell What breaks your heart? That the St. Patrick community will be split up and torn apart, especially with how much the community helps each other. Johanna said she looks forward to mass every week. She said it’s like being promised Thanksgiving dinner and you get peanut butter sandwiches instead. The archdiocese is on a power trip, their priorities are so screwed up. There is so little in this world that is caring and now they are tearing the community apart. She thought it was like Jesus in the temple – throwing the tables of the money changers, the destruction of the temple. They are creating a lot of pain for a lot of people. It is cruelty to the little ones, who will care for the least of our brethren. God will be the judge and she expects God will say “when you did this to the little ones, the least of these, you did this to me. What fills your heart about the Catholic church? The tenets of our faith, the creed. The warmth and caring of the community. The music. Johanna loves it when Deacon Dennis and Fr. Bryan wave to those people connecting from home, she feels a part of things and feels present. The archdiocese are acting like naughty children, operating from an emotional place, can’t evaluate and reexamine their decision and change. Andrea Hoekstra What breaks your heart about the Catholic church? The institutional church rewards bad behavior. Their emotional growth and faith formation is halted. What fills your heart? The triumph of the least of the brethren, when they have prevailed. Specifically, the nuns and other instances like canon law challenges that have been successful. Jackie McWalter-Huff What breaks your heart about the Catholic church? Church closures and there are examples of how to solve the issues they are facing yet they don’t see how it adds to the decline of the Catholic Church. They know scripture, Matthew 18:20, where two or three are gathered in my name, I am there among them but do not honor it. Bigger parishes are not always better. Jackie’s husband has gone to larger parishes where they have parts split off. The issues with decline of priests and they don’t open it up to all those called to be leaders in the church. They say their primary objective is the care of the souls and they know that 20-50% of people leave the church in a merger, yet they choose the easy thing of closing churches and not the right thing which is value every community and work with every community to operate with less clergy. What fills your heart? Jackie enjoys the rituals and traditions of the Catholic church. The community of St. Pats and how they have supported her daughter, Lily. How encouraging they have been, welcoming, encouraging her to participate. The call to be led by the Holy Spirit and she wishes the church would follow this. Loves the music, various kinds of music. The commitment to interfaith of St. Patrick’s and other churches too. Loves the Synod call to the faithful and the world to better discern how the Spirit calls us.

St Patrick Papal Synod Listening Session Date: March 27, 2022 Speaker: Lisa Dennison Listener: Michelle Lirette Scribe: Michelle Lirette What breaks your heart about the Catholic Church? · There is very little place for women to offer their full gifts as men have the opportunity to do (be ordained, become a deacon. · Sadly, these are gifts the institutional church really needs. · In our current Archdiocese of Seattle, women in the former decade had more ability to be involved in offering reflections, serving as pastoral administrators, etc. This role has been diminished but is still second to the role of men. · Hierarchy of the church continues to hold power with a death grip with no understanding. IT is similar to the “I can’t breathe” racist situations here in our country; those perpetrating the power are disconnected from the destructiveness and harm of their ways. · Because of the power dynamic, the clerics attracted to this are those who are attracted to power or martyr syndromes and are not necessarily servant leaders. · Great sadness: message from the hierarchy is not relevant to young adults and/or to people with mature spirituality. People seek community but not a power dynamic. Example: Spiritual Exercises in Everyday Life runs w/out a hierarchy by anyone called to lead; there is no power structure. · Except for this synod process, a high value is not placed by leadership on listening or responding to the laity; this seems to be a complete retraction and/or ignoring of the message of Vatican II where the intent is for clerics to serve the people and create a lay leadership. This dismantling of the intent of Vatican II is what breaks my heart the most. Example: closure of St. Pat’s, a vibrant community, without any real dialogue with the people of the community about ways to sustain it; just assuming that is it’s small and there isn’t a priest, it should be shut down. Big disconnect of leadership from the people. · The exclusion of the LGBTQ community as whole persons in the church also breaks my heart. Pope Francis says not to judge these persons and yet the Bishops here put out a position that being LGBTQ is immoral and/or abnormal. Is this the message of Christ, really? · When power trumps compassion hypocrisy wins. EG. Church tradition over the gospel of Jesus. What do I love/fills my heart about the Catholic Church? · There is not a lot about the wider institution that currently fills my heart; it’s hard for me right now. · I love the beauty of the liturgical ritual, it is nourishing (I don’t like the pomp: bells, bowing, etc. since it is not really accessible to all persons everywhere and is only for clerics to use/do.) · I love Catholics that still speak out and live out the message and way of Jesus. · The Ignatian way captures my heart; discernment, reflection, prayer, personal conscience. · I admire the Jesuits and women religious orders who have begun to embrace that their own numbers are dying and how to include lay persons in their missions/communities. How are we journeying together at St. Patrick church? How do you experience the Holy Spirit at work here? · When reflecting on our parish, there is a culture that is “all about community.” · The strong community builds intimacy, belonging, vulnerability, and strength that nourishes each person and develops organic leadership. · When you know people deeply you can see and all out their gifts to contribute. Example: this person was recognized as a leader and a person who could give reflections on the gospel and wound up organizing the committee of those giving reflections. · Other parishes I have been to still rely a lot on the model of minister/priest giving all and community/lay receiving all. What has been life-giving about this journey? · Seeing the growth and unfolding potential in many parishioners at St. Pat’s. · Children who have grown up here have learned to embody the Word in the choices and work that they choose to do in the world. · The sister parish relationship with El Salvador has been transformative for our family and for our youth who have participated. · Lay leaders cultivate lay leaders here. Some examples include: Children’s Liturgy of the Word (all lay persons), Betsey’s ministry including all ages of persons and our youth, dancing in the liturgy. These inclusions are leavening for involvement in social justice issues.

From: Joan Bergman My Synod Response/St. Patrick’s Parish March 24, 2022 Citing from- Jeremiah 17: 5-8 “Jeremiah warned his readers to trust no living person, but to put their trust in God. Jesus proclaimed his contraposition, explaining that we can encounter the reign of God, God’s active presence among us, in a community of flesh and blood people. Not only that, but we are invited to be those people in our moment of history.” From an article in NCR by Sr. M. Mc Glove who is on the Leadership Team of the Sisters of St. Joseph of Carondelet The above is what the Holy Spirit began calling the parish of St. Patrick to decades ago and what all parishes are called to be…to live out…God’s active presence in a community of flesh and blood people. It breaks my heart that this action of the Spirit is not recognized, and apparently not valued, by diocesan leaders who don’t have the time to “taste and see”, only to look at statistics on a spread sheet. We have invited them to “taste and see”. If they did come and see they would recognize God’s active presence in the flesh and blood community of St. Patrick/Seattle. They would see arms open wide enveloping and answering the physical and faith needs of those in the congregation who have vision, auditory, cognitive and movement challenges. All are planned for, welcomed and embraced here. This form of flesh and blood community doesn’t come about because it is decreed on a piece of paper….it take years of learning and reaching out to develop to the point of comfort for all. It is indeed the work of the Spirit in the hearts of a flesh and blood community. My hope is that Catholic Church leadership will take time to see…to recognize…the depth and breadth of the St Patrick community and other communities before they put asunder what the action of the Spirit has brought about. I call upon the church leadership to go even further by working to nurture and sustain it.

Small group with Eddie from L’Arche, Jennifer Huxtable, Bernadine Wentland, Ann Mescher Written responses from Sunday February 13 Listening Session via Zoom starting 2pm What has been life-giving? Eddie: Life-giving church!!! So happy! Jennifer: Life-giving to be married by signing priest. Life-giving to have children in Catholic school and in faith formation, but it’s also challenging. She has lots on her mind. She wants to help more with her children fully integrating in community and in school. Bernadine: Has received life-giving spiritual direction, music ministry, women’s retreats and discussion groups. It’s been so life-giving to see deaf members including Jennifer and Branden Huxtable reading! She is filled with joy that Saint Patrick parish embraces signing! Jennifer: Branden and I take great care, practicing to ensure every word and signing used in the readings are correct. Ann: Feels the Holy Spirit is fully engaging with us when deaf members are reading. What will bring joy in your life? Jennifer: The Eucharistic minister should please sign: the Body of Christ, the Blood of Christ.

Question 1: There have been times when I have questioned my Catholic faith and even my belief in a personal God. At these times, things that I have heard or read have often offered helpful insights. I don’t even know if I realized at the time that it was the Holy Spirit speaking through the words or examples of others. Question 2: A few years ago, the joy seemed to have left the liturgy for me and, once again, I found that joy at Saint Patrick’s. Was that the Holy Spirit at work again, directing me to a place where the teachings of Christ are more revered than some rigid rules of a hierarchical Church? The latest edition of Northwest Catholic listed slightly different questions. Their first question is much like our second question and their second question asks what steps the Holy Spirit is inviting us to take to grow in our “journeying together”. I think the threat of closure may be the Holy Spirit forcing us to think about the future of the Church. Should it be a hierarchical institution that is run like a business or something more personal? Should it be ruled by the man-made “Laws of the Church” or should it be a more open and accepting entity? Should the hierarchy continue to protect itself at great cost to us all? What would Christ think about the Church today? I think we are being asked to address these and other questions. At times, these questions seem to overshadow any personal attempts at a more spiritual journey. Our added question concerning what breaks our hearts about today’s Church could have so many answers but I will just list a few. I feel that the Church has lost its moral authority due to the sexual abuse scandal and coverup. It has failed to communicate its most important messages and has allowed the media to focus on things like discussions of denying Communion to President Biden and declaring Baptism invalid because one word was changed. The rigidity of some members of the hierarchy has turned off so many people that young people are not drawn to the Church - especially young women who are treated like second class Catholics. There was a time when even those who didn’t attend Mass considered themselves culturally Catholic and lived many Catholic values. Who knows what Catholic values are today? Is it all the Catholics on the US Supreme Court?

March 2022 St. Patrick’s Church Synodal Process What has been life giving and/or how have you experienced the Holy Spirit in St. Patrick Church? I have felt and continue to feel the Spirit at St Pat’s in the amazing gifts that I have learned to see, more-and-more, in everyone in the parish. I won’t name individuals (because the list would be indefinitely long), but I think we all recognize how blessed we are to have passionate and compassionate members of our community who are exceptionally gifted in the arts, in preaching, in care for our physical home at St Pat’s, care for creation, and care for the marginalized, just to name a few. And I worry what would happen to our community if we were to lose “so-and-so” who is so important to us. But we have lost valuable members of our community over recent years, and we continue to thrive and grow (with some bumps in the road), perhaps with their spiritual guidance. I’m sorry to say, that it has only been during the pandemic that I have begun to know and appreciate even more (often in zoom gatherings) the unique gifts that the Holy Spirit has given to every individual in our community, and how everyone is committed to bringing their gifts, their talents to benefit the care of St Pats and its ministries. Is St Pat’s unique in the nature of its welcoming community of spiritually gifted and giving people? I hope, for the sake of our larger church, that it is not. I’ve learned in our Canon Law workgroup reading that a parish is considered as a juridic person with rights to be protected according to canon law. It has characteristics, defined by its members, that comprise a community charism, which I believe to be to the reason that parishioners come from 52 different zip codes in western Washington to participate in the life of St Patrick Church. What is a charism? I love a definition I found from a Sr. Annie Kapheke, SC, that helps me understand what the spirit at St Pat’s represents. She states that “charism is a gift from God for the church and the world, given as different ways of living out the Gospel.” And, in addition, “a Charism may also be described as the spirit of the community. Like the strong, driving wind in the Pentecost story, it is a powerful energy that permeates through the community members and the way in which they do their ministries. It does not define what they do, rather it defines why and how they do it. So, how does a community name or articulate its charism? Charisms are partially defined by the founding of the community, but also the on-going deep story of community – how the charism plays out through time, in particular places and circumstances, is also an important part of defining the charism. The charism helps guide how the community responds to the ‘signs of the times’. I feel the spirit of the community, like the strong, driving wind in the Pentecost story, in our liturgies and many other parish activities. Finally, I will draw attention to just one of many lifegiving experiences at St Patrick Church, and that is the time that one of our parishioners contacted me (Sandy was away) about a group of Russian orphans visiting the Seattle area. She knew that one in particular would become our son. Sandy welcomed Sasha into our home (while I was on a delegation to El Salvador) and we proceeded with adoption. It was the most lifegiving experience we could imagine, and Sasha’s involvement with the youth at St Pat’s filled our hearts with joy, as it did with our earlier exchange students from Ukraine and Russia.

February 2022 St. Patrick’s Church Synodal Process What has been life giving and/or how have you experienced the Holy Spirit in St. Patrick Church? Seven years ago I walked into St. Patrick Church, searching for a new parish that would welcome me as I am with religious beliefs that might be somewhat expanded from my cradle Catholic/twelve years of Catholic schools upbringing. I sat in the very back of the church to observe and be unnoticed. Suddenly from behind me came the embodiment of the Gospel as the most spirit filled person I had ever seen, Betsey Beckman, sang and danced her way up the aisle followed by happy children doing the same. I had heard of liturgical movement ministry, but I had never experienced it before. The congregation was as delighted as I was, and I knew from the start that I had found my people, my church, my spiritual home. Once the Mass began, the wry and witty priest, Father Patrick Clark, seemed so in tune with his parishioners that it felt like a room filled with old friends who loved and enjoyed one another so very much. The choir, led by Laura Ash, a musician singer with the voice of an angel, sang so beautifully while Sister Judith Desmarais signed to not only the deaf community in the first few rows on the left, but also to the entire congregation who also signed back, something I had not witnessed in any other church. This was a parish family filled with love and respect for one another, people who made every effort to share in the holy banquet that is the Mass. Surely this was a community filled with the Holy Spirit and I wanted to share in their communal joy. Once Mass was over, I followed people down the stairs to “Paddy’s Place,” the church hall, where coffee, tea and donuts were welcome treats. One kind woman spotted me, came over and said, “Well, here’s a new face!” We began to talk and shared names; hers is Jan Thomas. While Jan and I were talking, another sweet woman, Maureen Little, joined in. They both wished I had been there a week earlier as that March weekend was the women’s retreat, but I told them they were welcoming enough and that I hoped to be there for the following year’s retreat. I certainly was and have enjoyed and been immensely enriched by all four of the women’s retreats that I have attended over the years. In all the places I’ve lived and where I belonged to so many parishes, none of them come close to the outreach at St. Pat’s of especially women helping other women. Another wonderful example of the Holy Spirit within the St. Pat’s family has been our neighborhood groups, especially the meetings in one another’s homes where we discussed Pope Francis’ encyclical, Laudato Si in a series of meetings and other church topics. With St. Pat’s being a “destination parish” and people coming from so many surrounding neighborhoods, it was wonderful to meet the people from Shoreline and Northwest Seattle. Our neighborhood contact person, Rosemary Ryan, keeps us all informed with whatever is happening in the church and diocese, plus she and her husband, Mike O’Connell, are active in every aspect of our parish life from serving as Eucharist Ministers and Ushers at Mass, to giving rides to parishioners not only to church on Sunday, but to get groceries and anywhere they need to go. Rosemary was an angel to bring me Holy Communion during the quarantine part of the covid pandemic. Through Rosemary and Mike, I’ve come to know so many of our fellow parishioners who are neighbors as well and we’re able to enjoy each other socially. I’ve always thought of Jesus as the religious Outsider, the One who came to change the world and move forward with a new outlook on religion. He chose to live as a humble working man and ministered to the downtrodden and poor of his time. This example of ministering to people in need is very strong at St. Pat’s from our work with immigrants and unhoused people to visiting the sick and working towards a cleaner environment. Also being good citizens who vote and keep up with what’s happening around us is a part of our church community that I love. The Holy Spirit is strong within this community, helping us to fulfill the ministries that Jesus taught us were important to be simply good people and followers of His Word. Since joining St. Pat’s, I’ve also been to many interfaith services and feel recognizing the goodness and similarities in major religions is very important in our fractured world. Dwelling on our differences only leads to wars and chaos but sharing our views on keeping the Golden Rule of loving God and our Neighbor in our own ways has been enlightening for me. God’s heaven is a mansion with many rooms, enough for good people of all faiths. To me, the Holy Spirit is the embodiment of love and wisdom of God that inspires us to live our faith in the ways that Jesus taught us to do. In so many ways, the community of St. Pat’s has taught me to listen more to the Holy Spirit and act accordingly. After first walking into our church seven years ago, I’m still here in this parish and hope to never leave. Whatever happens to St. Patrick’s Church in the future, I do hope we can stay together as the spirit filled family we are, loving and supporting one another through all of life’s joys and sorrows. I don’t know how I would have made it through health concerns, deaths in the family, my daughter-in-law’s recurring cancer, and so many other trials without the love and prayers of my St. Pat’s family. This is what a true faith community is all about – love, support, and true fellowship.

Synod notes with Jim Kavanaugh (St. Pat’s parish elder) 3/11/22 What at St. Pat’s gives you joy?...The spirit of the parish, the wholeheartedness of the people, and of the atmosphere. There are fewer members now but that sense is still there. What is the Holy Spirit calling us to?...Be open, but not overly impulsive to change. Keep in mind individual needs. Maintain an integrity of understanding for the world. What breaks your heart about the Church?...Knowledge of the structural scandals that have occurred. Warts had been covered up, not admitted, and are often dismissed. What do you hope for the Catholic Church?...I hope these revelations might help Church authorities wash their dirty linens and to better understand and maintain the doctrines. Barb Kearney-Schupp

Reasons St. Patrick's is our Parish Community As I think of the faith journey my husband and I have made in the past 17 years since our move to Seattle to help care for our grandkids, and the part St. Patrick’s has played in it, I can only feel gratitude to the Holy Spirit. We enjoyed most of our first 4 years in our neighborhood parish, where much of our spiritual nourishment came from my women’s bible study. We did become aware of a conservative group within the parish which tended to be a threat to our Vatican II principles however. This came to a head at a liturgy committee meeting I was a part of, when a conservative member of the committee raved about a Latin mass he’d attended in Seattle, inferring his support for masses said in Latin. When I asked if anyone had read the history of the reasons and difficulties the participants at Vatican II had with the change to “mass in the vernacular?” I’d hoped to have a discussion about the issue, instead, the committee member told me I should be excluded from the committee’s general meetings, and be informed of the general principles of the Catholic church. To make it worse, the young priest in attendance had not been instructed in treating all people with respect, or honoring what each had to say, so he said nothing. (I wonder if anything has changed on this issue, in that parish as Pope Francis tries to push for mass in the vernacular 15 or more years later?) Within a short time, similar incidents occurred and we were invited by another parish member to attend mass at St. Patrick’s. We were heartily accepted and respected by laity and clergy alike at St. Patrick’s, as were all we met. Classes and discussions that invoked differing opinions were welcomed and helped us grow. We became involved with choir, and my husband became a member of the Saturday morning “Maintenance Committee” where he made new friends easily, and was grateful for being able to help in a concrete way. When I brought up a suggestion to parish member, John Hale, about bringing soup to donate for those in need on “Super Sunday”, he helped me get it started, and let me handle the project myself. We soon felt ourselves a part of a vibrant community. We found it worthwhile to travel extra miles to the parish of St. Patrick’s, although the extra miles have not been easy, as we both have several serious health issues. Although we’ve been able to get to mass when the Pandemic risk has allowed it, the Pandemic has added problems, and we have been so grateful to have Mass on-line, and have appreciated the times we’ve been brought Eucharist to our home, as well as having the life-giving connections on Zoom with Choir practice and videos we’ve been part of, Women’s encountering God, Paul Sampson’s enlightening Wednesday night movies, and discussions, and my Encountering God sessions on Thursday morning, and our “Grief Group” sessions once a month when we lift up others, as well as ourselves, who lost significant others. We know that our community of St. Patrick’s “has our backs”! The announcement that the Archdiocese plans to close our parish is of deep concern to us. We understand the shortage of priests, and trying to make the archdiocese more efficient, as we’ve worked with these issues for over 60 years, but when I think of church history and how the small community started in Jerusalem, to grow in their appreciation of a God who cared for them and walked with them, amid the larger structures of their day, I wonder if our church hierarchy understands how precious true community is, how rare it is, and how sinful it is to destroy community, for then the Spirit has no place to dwell and to bring about Divine Change?

As I read the Catholic Lectionary readings, I see two themes sum up New Testament well: Luke 1:1-4; 4: 14-21 ‘The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because God has anointed me to bring glad tidings to the poor. God has sent me to proclaim liberty to captives and recovery of sight to the blind, to let the oppressed, go free, and to proclaim a year acceptable to the Lord.’ Love and the recurring call I see from Jesus: Love all and extend love even to enemies and outcasts and do not let fear get in the way of love. “Love” is further developed by St. Paul: 1 Corinthians 13:4-8a Love is patient, love is kind. It is not jealous, [love] is not pompous, it is not inflated, it is not rude, it does not seek its own interests, it is not quick-tempered, it does not brood over injury, it does not rejoice over wrongdoing but rejoices with the truth. It bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things. Love never fails. I no longer see love or compassion listed above reflected in the hierarchy of the men running the church in the United States. I know only a handful of parishes in my state that respect the dignity of the other and support inclusion. Social Justice or human rights is not the theme of homilies in most parishes. Those exceptional parishes that came to life in the Second Vatican Council and Medellin, are being shut down by their Catholic Conferences. There is a failure in evangelization when the majority of practicing Catholics cannot accept immigrants and support exclusion and making USA alone great are the themes and social justice means nothing. The post pandemic time of the 1920s resulted in fears that were manipulated to hate others. This occurred graphically in Italy in the 1920’s, Germany in the 1930’s and Spain in 1940 and in each there was Catholic support for fascism. It is happening now in the US. Most US Catholic Bishops are so tied to right wing politics they do not believe climate change is real and there is hate of sexual minorities. The social dimension of Catholicism is being lost in parishes and a “God and me only” individual salvation fundamentalism is becoming dominant. Our churches, schools and hospitals are run not as loving communities but as businesses with the bottom line as the driver, not the hospitals for the poor as they were established to be by the sisters but now run as a non-profit for profit and run by CEO’s paid big dollars and hospitals and schools fight worker unionization. In Seattle, WA a Second Vatican II parish where more than 90 percent of parish members are engaged in social action ministry and the Spirit is felt in liturgy and actions is slated to be closed as are those parishes with a special charism for Catholics of color: Latinex, Black, Asian. Racism and Paternalism is alive in Washington State Catholic Hierarchy as elsewhere in the United States. In my hometown of Omaha, Nebraska, a Social Justice Vatican II Parish also was shut down and its members left spiritually homeless last year. These closings being done at a time of pandemic when everyone’s fear cycles are on over-drive. One could call this spiritual abuse. This is what I see the Catholic Church needs to do to recover and be communities the Holy Spirit can move in: 1. Listen with cultural sensitivity to women, the young, the indigenous and the immigrant, the poor and all marginalized by society including sexual minorities. It will mean going to them where they are (for example, parishes, homeless camps, reservations and Native Urban centers and schools) and listening to them in circles like Native American talking circles to the pain they still feel from disrespect and betrayal by those in Catholic institutions from a paternalistic group who did not respect them enough to listen before to the injustice they suffered. People are aware now for example of the abuse and crimes committed in boarding schools and other interactions with the young including sexual abuse throughout Catholic institutions and coverup as well as the positives those schools provided. Also pray with women, the poor, the marginalized and indigenous in real prayer with them that gives them voice. 2. Repent Injustice codified into Cannon Law, Papal Bulls and partnering Doctrine of Discovery and past sins against peoples and creation on our planet for which we were complicit or benefitted from a theft from the poor or powerless. 3. Seek Reconciliations with people severely injured by institutional injustice and subordinating to empire: Rome, Holy Roman, and European empires being promoted in guise of saving souls: Inquisitions, Crusades and history of damage done to Woman, Sexual minorities, different faiths, all People of Color and those who saw God’s presence in nature. This is the paternalism and disrespect of the other people of God and belief in superiority and Divine Right of total control enforced with weapons of death and fear. 4. We have Papal Bulls directing Catholics to violate most of the commandments for empire and Church’s wealth and power. They were directed against the Irish by an English Pope and for all conquest of indigenous peoples by subsequent Popes. When I look at wars the Catholic church blessed, I wonder is there any other religion or philosophy that resulted in death of more people because we chose wealth and power and death over life and rejected full community. What happened to the commandment of “Thou shalt not kill!” for Catholics over history? Where do we stand in the final judgement? 5. Become the community we are called to be and allow people called to ministry in the Church as priests and deacons, theologians, especially women and people who choose married life or suffered a failed marriage or belong to a sexual minority. (The best Gospel reflections I read are those written, danced, acted or presented in art by women in ethnic dress. There is immediate need for women in the diaconate. We need to hear those voices.) 6. Every Mass needs to have a component affirming the dignity of the people on the margins and standing with them as that is where the heart of God lives and affirming preferential option for the poor. 7. Our church needs to be inclusive communities of participation empowerment of the call of all baptized and stop being run as businesses for profit giving to Caesar what belongs to God. 8. Have Scripture Guide us as was done in Catholic Social Teaching Documents and reflect on: Luke 1:1-4; 4: 14-21: Jesus’ Mission ‘The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because God has anointed me to bring glad tidings to the poor. God has sent me to proclaim liberty to captives and recovery of sight to the blind, to let the oppressed, go free, and to proclaim a year acceptable to the Lord.’ And the recurring call I see from Jesus: Love all and extend love even to enemies and outcasts and do not let fear get in the way of love. “Love” is further developed by St. Paul: 1 Corinthians 13:4-8a “Love is patient, love is kind. It is not jealous, [love] is not pompous, it is not inflated, it is not rude, it does not seek its own interests, it is not quick-tempered, it does not brood over injury, it does not rejoice over wrongdoing but rejoices with the truth. It bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things. Love never fails.” If we become communities of love, compassion, mercy and social justice we can repair the breach caused in part by sins of commission and omission by our Church. We can heal brokenness and restore life in our church. Bob Zeigler, Olympia, WA