Archbishop's Catholic Appeal

Dear Parishioners

Happy Easter! Yes. It is still Easter. Remember, we Catholics know how to party.... celebrate. And we will be going so for 50 days until Pentecost. Once again, thank you to all who worked so hard to make sure that Holy Week, especially the Triduum and Easter Sunday went so smoothly. This, once again, reminds me of how wonderful our community is.

Next week, we will be offering the annual Archbishop's Catholic Appeal (ACA) at all the Masses. The video prepared with Archbishop Sample illustrates what is already so good about Holy Trinity. I encourage you to watch it. Here's the link: JesusChangesEverything.church In it, the Archbishop shares his three-fold mission for us:

1. A strong and united brotherhood of priests
2. Parishes formed to evangelize
3. Mission-passionate Catholic Education

We do very well in all three points. Yet, in order to make sure we are always on task in this regard, we must always be open to conversion of heart and renewal of ways in which we can share the Gospel. That is a deeply personal thing. But, it is not something to be kept to ourselves. The ACA is one of those powerful ways we can share our gifts with the parishes and peoples in our Archdiocese beyond our parish boundaries.

Your gifts to the ACA will help others come to a deeper relationship with Jesus an help spread His Good News. Thank you for giving as you can.

To learn more or to give, click here: JesusChangesEverything.church

Blessings,

Fr. Wiliam Holtzinger
Pastor

The Press Gets It Wrong.

Dear Parishioners,

This past week, to the surprise of many, myself included, the Department of Catholic Schools (DCS) at the Archdiocese was temporarily closed. Simply put, it was a sweeping decision to begin a comprehensive overhaul of the DCS and how it can help our Catholic schools. Unfortunately, some media “reports” have been putting together other factors that were unrelated and simply coincidental in order to further a message that the Archbishop has been scheming a plan. More on that later in this reflection.

This present decision by the Archbishop comes after several meetings (which I attended) stretching over a year with the Archbishop and pastors with schools. In short, some pastors voiced their frustration that their schools were operating as if they were independent of the parish and sometimes disregarded the directives of their pastors in favor of the DCS. Some pastors shared their concern about the lack of Catholic identity in the culture and praxis of the schools.

In an online meeting attended by school-pastors with the Archbishop on Thursday, June 22, we were informed of the temporary closure of the DCS. He acknowledged the issues previously mentioned as the reasons for his decision. In that same meeting, he wanted to make it clear that this wasn’t an indictment of any specific school or all our schools. In fact, he praised that some schools have been doing very well—the connection between pastors, principals, and DCS have been healthy and the Catholic faith has been very much part of their culture. Yet, the Archbishop acknowledged that there has been an ongoing dissatisfaction that a “school district” approach to the DCS was not working sufficiently enough to help pastors lift up the Catholic faith in their schools.

So, the Archbishop, after consultation with pastors and his own leadership team, decided that a grand overhaul of the DCS was needed and that real change simply could not be done in a piecemeal way. He wants the DCS to be more flexible to support a variety of needs and models of schooling. He believes this action will help the DCS to become a more effective resource for our schools’ evangelizing mission.

We live in a very secular time. I share the Archbishop’s desire for our students and their families to experience an encounter with Jesus Christ that is life-changing, ongoing, and is infused by the Holy Spirit from our weekly Masses. I see the wonderful job our school administration, staff, and teachers are doing to inspire the faith of our children and families, and I look forward to what kind of new help the DCS can offer us in this most important mission going forward. So, the closure of the DCS, while startling, is intended to make our Catholic schools stronger, and put our faith more in the forefront of what our schools do.

Unfortunately, the press is conflating two other events with the closure of the DCS. The first is the release of the Archdiocesan gender document. This document has been underway since 2021 at the urging of many us priests and crafted by a committee in cooperation with other entities. In fact, the DCS, and specifically the Superintendent, participated in writing/editing this document. The DCS has been nothing but supportive of it.

A second event that is being conflated with the closure of DCS is the experimental shift of philosophy and praxis at one of our parish schools (Christ the King). With the approval of the Archbishop, they want to shift to a classical Catholic liberal arts approach in their school. I have been at separate meetings for all of these events, and never were they linked. Yet, the media and other detractors are conflating them as one planned-out scheme by the Archbishop. I urge you to resist filling the gaps of information with the negative narrative being fashioned.

I hope this helps clarify the events that have been going on and how the press and other detractors choose to report or understand them. In the coming interim year for the reformation of the DCS, we here at Holy Trinity will continue to go forward, as we have been planning. We have a strong Catholic identity, strong enrollment, and strong desire to keep improving. Please pray against any spirits of division and pray for a reinvigoration of our Catholic faith in our school children, their families, and beyond.

Image: Pastoral Center of the Archdiocese of Portland in Oregon; Wikipedia user Farragutful

The Synod on Synodality Pt. 2

Dear Parishioners,

In our last bulletin, I wrote about the Synod which has been called forth by Pope Francis. I explained what a synod is and is not. The theme of this synod is, oddly enough, synodality. Yes. The way by which we journey and discuss what it means to be Church are front and center. Again, the topic is also the process. It is a synod on synodality. So, the destination is also the journey. In my conversations with Archbishop Sample, he believes that the Holy Father desires to teach us a way to journey, discuss, and be Church through this new Apostolic Age (see previous bulletin letter). A handbook called the Vademecum has set out guidance for us as we do our part in this synodal process. It describes three points or dimensions for us to pray about between now and our coming discernment gatherings in early March: Communion, Participation, and Mission.

COMMUNION By his gracious will, God gathers us together as diverse peoples of one faith, through the covenant that he offers to his people. The communion we share finds its deepest roots in the love and unity of the Trinity. It is Christ who reconciles us to the Father and unites us with each other in the Holy Spirit. Together, we are inspired by listening to the Word of God, through the living Tradition of the Church, and grounded in the sensus fidei that we share. We all have a role to play in discerning and living out God’s call for his people.

PARTICIPATION A call for the involvement of all who belong to the People of God— laity, consecrated and ordained—to engage in the exercise of deep and respectful listening to one another. This listening creates space for us to hear the Holy Spirit together and guides our aspirations for the Church of the Third Millennium. Participation is based on the fact that all the faithful are qualified and are called to serve one another through the gifts they have each received from the Holy Spirit. In a synodal Church the whole community, in the free and rich diversity of its members, is called together to pray, listen, analyze, dialogue, discern and offer advice on making pastoral decisions which correspond as closely as possible to God’s will. Genuine efforts must be made to ensure the inclusion of those at the margins or who feel excluded.

MISSION The Church exists to evangelize. We can never be centered on ourselves. Our mission is to witness the love of God in the midst of the whole human family. This Synodal Process has a deep missionary dimension to it. It is intended to enable the Church to better witness to the Gospel, especially with those who live on the spiritual, social, economic, political, geographical, and existential peripheries of our world. In this way, synodality is a path by which the Church can more fruitfully fulfill her mission of evangelization in the world, as a leaven at the service of the coming of God’s kingdom.

Once again, mark your calendar to participate in one of the two gatherings in March:

Wednesday, March 3 @ 6 PM

Saturday, March 12 @ 8 AM

Blessings,

Fr. William Holtzinger
Pastor

The Synod on Synodality Pt. 1

Dear Parishioners,

Pope Francis called for a worldwide synod of the Church which will involve all Catholic parishes in our Archdiocese and throughout the world. The goal of this process is to help our bishops prepare for the “Assembly of the Synod of Bishops” in October 2023. This may also include other groups with whom our parish interacts and ministers. This may be the first you have heard about it, so I hope this bulletin letter will help explain what a synod is and what it is not as well as a sneak peek at what we plan to do in order to join the synodal process.

What is a Synod? The word comes from two Greek words, one meaning “together,” and the other meaning “road” or “way.” The term connotes a quality about how the Church is to accomplish its mission. In the early Church, the term was used to describe how the people of “the Way” (earliest term for Christians) would purposely come together and form permanent communities. Eventually, this term was used to express a gathering of the Church locally, regionally, or globally. So it expresses a way of gathering with a sense of being on a journey together.

Today, it describes a type of gathering of bishops by which they discern how the Lord is calling them and the rest of the Church to follow Jesus. This word is the root of two other related words, “synodal” or “synodality,” both of which express the style of this gathering. How to pronounce these words is a challenge. Try “sin-ah-d,” “sin-ah-dal,” and “sin-ah-dal-ity” respectively. 

The gathering is intended to reflect on how the Church carries out her mission, journeying together in order to more effectively proclaim the Gospel. This is an ancient approach to “being” Church. The gathering (Synod) is a way of gathering and discerning what the Holy Spirit is calling the Church to do and be. Another way of describing it is a mode-of-being. Archbishop Sample taught that this Synod will be about how to be Church, how to be synodal. This is why the current topic of this Synod is precisely about synodality. So, it is a “Synod on Synodality,” a gathering where the Church journeys together to discover and experience what it means to be a pilgrim people called to proclaim the Gospel.

What this Synod is not. It is not a gathering to determine doctrine or settle theological issues. Some pundits have already called for warning, noting the German Bishops who erroneously called their recent gatherings as a “synodal way” which was used to tackle the hot topics of their culture. Cardinal Marc Ouellet, prefect of the Congregation for Bishop in Rome challenged the German bishops, writing that that their make-up was “not ecclesiologically valid.” The German bishops’ approach has been more akin to a “Particular Council” or a Council of the Catholic Church in Germany. A “Council” is, technically speaking, a meeting of bishops given authority to make law for their region or country, but only under direct authority of Rome who approves the agenda. None of that happened. Pope Francis weighed in as well and warned them writing, “Every time the ecclesial community has tried to resolve it problems alone, trusting and focusing exclusively on its forces or its methods, its intelligence, its will or prestige, it ended up increasing and perpetuating the evils it tried to solve.” So have no worries, Rome has responded and offered a correction. This is not the process or goal of the current “Synod on Synodality.”

Archbishop Sample’s own reflection and commentary, in preparation for our part in the synodal process, recognized that we live in unique and challenging times and that we are no longer living in a time where Christian faith guides the minds and hearts of our culture. Instead, we are in a new Apostolic time where few express Christian faith. He recognized that how we used to do things as Church doesn’t work anymore. This is not an issue of doctrine, but an issue of evangelization and outreach to those who have left the Church and those in our world who are lost and don’t know Jesus Christ and his Gospel (cf. Opening comments, Synodal Workshop, January 20, 2022). He further shared that The Pope wants to “lead us in a process that will help us all together, in the universal church, to walk together.…to learn how to be the Church in a new way, a way of mutual discernment… guided by the Holy Spirit, absolutely soaked in prayer, so that we can truly discern what the Holy Spirit…is asking of us today in our time and in our archdiocese.”

This last Saturday, January 29th, parishioners gathered for a time of adoration in our church in order to increase our zeal of the Eucharist and pray for divine guidance for the Synodal process, a deeper appreciation of the dignity and sacredness of human life, an end to abortion, and a renewed spirit and light for all parishes and parishioners in the Portland and Baker Dioceses. 

I will write more about the Synod in the weeks to come. In the meantime, if you wish to participate in our local synodal discernment process, save one of these two dates: March 3rd at 6 PM or March 12th at 8 AM. Each of these dates will host a gathering which will begin with Adoration of the Blessed Sacrament followed by a time of gathering for discernment about the coming Synod of the Church.

Blessings,

Fr. William Holtzinger
Pastor

Download the Prayer card for the Synod by clicking here.

Special Convocation/Retreat with ACTS XXIX

Dear Parishioners,

Thank you all for your prayers for all of us priests who attended the special convocation at the beginning of this month. The Surrender Novena was a perfect vehicle of grace targeting our need to submit ourselves to Jesus Christ and let him take over and heal whatever is broken. The convocation was more akin to a retreat, and I believe it was an experience unlike any gathering of us diocesan priests together. 

The event took place in one of the newest and certainly the biggest Catholic church in the Archdiocese. The building was originally the home of New Hope Christian Church and was purchased this past year by of Our Lady of La Vang Parish. After doing some research, is is well double in square footage from the previous location of Our Lady of La Vang Parish. It seats a whopping 2,170 people in their main nave which compares to 575 in their previous church. The pews and seats in the nave are arranged in a semi-round fashion before the sanctuary and has two levels. Let’s just say that there was enough for the each of the 140 priests in attendance for our convocation to have about 15+ feet from the nearest person.

Fr. John Riccardo and his ACTS XXIX team came and offered us some thought provoking talks during the event. I say “event,’ because it wasn’t simply about learning more about our faith, but creating a space and time for us to ponder on our own struggles, suffering, and need for healing. If you would like to get a taste of the first day, pick up a copy of Fr. Riccardo’s book, “Rescued: The Unexpected and Extraordinary News of the Gospel.” I used this book in preparation for this past Triduum (Holy Thursday, Good Friday, and Easter Vigil) and Easter Sunday Masses. The rest of the time was marked by time of fellowship and and opportunities for confession, adoration, and quiet prayer. Possibly the highest point came when the ACTS XXIX team offered private opportunities to have hands laid upon each of us priests while lifting us up in prayer, specifically for healing. I’ve been to many gatherings of the presbyterate (diocesan priests serving the Archdiocese), and I have offered a fair number of retreats where we would lay hands on the retreatants, but this has never been the occasion for us priests as a whole. There were a couple times for us to publicly share about the time we were spending together. And let’s just say it was heartfelt, sometimes raw, and some priests truly made themselves vulnerable by taking some risks in their sharing. It was all very healthy. It inspired and challenged me. I had to go to confession twice while I was there due to what they shared and how it revealed things to me. 

Two other highlights were the personal testimonies of faith, conversion, and admission of personal struggles from Bishop Peter Smith and Archbishop Alexander Sample. After Archbishop Sample shared in his closing remarks to us priests, we stood and applauded him for quite some time for being so frank and vulnerable with us. Another priest then shouted out that we should pray over him and as that priest laid hands on the Archbishop, another prayed a beautiful prayer of thanksgiving and aid for our lead Shepherd.

This gathering was the beginning of some healing work for many of us priests, assuming we are willing to do our homework. In the beginning of October, we will be gathering for our normal/annual convocation, and as providence would have it, we will be lead by Dr. Bob Schuchts, the founder of the John Paul II Healing Center. We were given his book, “Be Healed: A Guide to Encountering the Powerful Love of Jesus in Your Life.” Much of his work was presented by the ACTS XXIX team during our time together. So, once again, God is at work doing what he does best. Please continue to pray for us priests, as we do for you. God is great and does amazing things!

Blessings,

Fr. William Holtzinger
Pastor

Planning for Limited Re-Opening of Public Masses

Dear Parishioners,

I assume by now you have heard the news that Archbishop Sample has encouraged parishes to investigate and attempt have a “limited re-opening” of Masses for the public. At this writing, the maximum number of people is set at 25 while following an involved list of guidelines to help reduce parishioners risks. We are not yet ready, but have been working to make sure we can accommodate all that is needed for such an opportunity for those who would like to attend Mass. Please watch our website, Facebook page, Youtube channel, notices on our office and church doors, and emails for detailed information as to when we will be ready to begin and when sign-ups will be starting. Our tentative goal is May 24th with the majority of the our vicariate parishes doing similar limited re-openings over that same weekend. Since I cannot say that all of the parishes will be ready, please be mindful that this is a target, a tentative date.

We hope to offer short Masses to limited exposure to each other, as duration and proximity are a major issue in preventing the spread of the COVID-19 virus from person to person. We hope a sign up process will be put into place next Monday in two ways: In-person and via phone. Again, it is too early to describe those details as of this writing. During the sign-up phase, persons will need to offer their name (and names of anyone else in their family coming), address, and contact phone number. This is intended to allow us, internally (not to government officials), to do what is called, “contact tracing” in case someone comes down with the Coronavirus and we need to alert those families that attended Mass. Only those who are pre-signed up will be allowed to come in to the particular Mass which they signed up for. If someone’s name is not on the list, that person will not be allowed in. No substitutions will be allowed. If one becomes argumentative or combative, we may have to shut down the whole Mass or be forced to call the police to escort that person off the property.

We plan to offer four Sunday Masses at St. Anne (8 AM, 9 AM, 10 AM, & 11 AM) and one at each of the Missions (8:30 AM at OLR and 11:00 AM at St. Patrick). During the weekdays, we plan to have our normally scheduled morning Mass (8 AM except on Wed at 8:30 AM) and will be adding an evening Mass at 7 PM. The Sunday 11 AM Mass will be bilingual and the Monday morning Mass will be in Spanish. All other Masses will be in English. We will continue to record and post online our Saturday Vigil Mass. Confession times will be moved to 2:30 PM - 3:30 PM in order to help the preparation needed for that recorded Mass.

Since the Sunday obligation has been dispensed by the Archbishop, nobody needs to come. In addition, the specific date is not of consequence as much as just being able to attend Mass sometime. So we hope to be able to allow groups of 20 parishioners at a time to attend Mass (5 additional will be needed to serve in necessary ministry functions, thus totally 25 persons). Over the course of two weeks, we expect that all those who would like to go will be able. So that means, attendees will be coming once every two weeks. Sign-ups will only allow for a person to sign up once during each two-week period.

We urge you to wear a face mask during Mass. If you do not bring one with you, we will offer you a mask when you are checking in before entering the church building. Sanitizing gel is present for parishioners to use as they enter and leave the church. There will be no singing and seating will be clearly marked. Only family/home-groups can sit together while everyone else must sit at least 6 feet from each other. Similar is true for the communion line. There will be more options for seating than people, so there will be plenty of room. Tape on the ground and flooring will indicate the flow of traffic. No books will be in the pews. Donations are welcome and needed, so a collection basket will be placed in the church for people where they may place their donation (Thank you!). While Sunday Masses and weekday morning Masses will have short homilies, the evening Masses will have no homilies, again, in light of the needs to shorten time in proximity to one another.

If you are 65+ in age or have symptoms of COVID-19 or any other illness, please stay home. If you are suffering from any compromised health issues, stay home. If you are worried about becoming infected due to your coming, stay home. Remember, we will be streaming Mass daily and producing the Sunday Mass for viewing on the Internet, and you are not required to come to Mass at this time.

This is a very trying time for everyone. I expect that your response to this effort will be one of gratitude, not entitlement. We have gone so long without Mass, and are being given a special opportunity to come to our church and worship. Let us rejoice and be glad. Finally, stay tuned to the various ways we will be communicating our opening date and sign-ups.

Blessings,

Fr. William Holtzinger
Pastor

References:

Guidelines for Re-Opening Chruches

Church Re-Opening Checklist

Archdiocesan Liturgical Handbook

Dear Parishioners,

Recently, the Office for Divine Worship, under the leadership of Monsignor Gerard O’Connor, published a 350+ page document to guide parishes and their staff with the Liturgy. It is called the Archdiocesan Liturgical Handbook or ALH for short. It’s intent is “to serve as a guide to many of the aspects of the life of our diocese and our parishes that concern the celebration of the Sacred Liturgy and the understanding of the faith it expresses” (Archbishop Sample, ELH). It is intended to be a “living” document that will be updated over time as new situations arise. It includes “positions, policies, best practices, and particular norms for the Archdiocese of Portland in Oregon” (ibid.).

I have been reading this document and highlighting things which may apply to us. Some need more reflection while others don’t even apply to us. For those that do apply to us, I will be sharing those items in the weeks and months ahead. Our Liturgy Committee will also be reflecting on these things to evaluate our own liturgies and determine if any changes are needed.

The chapters of the ALH covers many things about the Mass and beyond. Here are some of the topics: The Archbishop, the priest, deacons, movement and posture, lay ministers, bread and wine, sacred objects and furnishings, music and singing, the parts of the Mass, Masses with the Archbishop, Sunday parish celebrations, reception of Holy Communion, reservation of the Blessed Sacrament including perpetual adoration, aspects related to the RCIA, Baptism of infants, the seven Sacraments, Funerals, Extraordinary Form of Mass, Liturgical year, popular pieties, eastern Christians, and special circumstances.

I have not heard or seen such a document prepared for a diocese. So, this is rather innovative.  I look forward to learning more and seeing where we find ourselves within the norms and guidelines of the ALH. In future bulletin letters, I will publish some of the texts that refer to things that most interest our community. And as always, I am open to your thoughts and constructive comments.

Blessings,

Fr. William Holtzinger
Pastor

Liturgical Change, Pt. 2

Dear Parishioners,

As part of the changes for our liturgical practice, Archbishop Sample wants to clarify the value of daily Mass and what we should be doing when there is no priest present to offer Mass.  Commonly, we have offered a communion service presided over by our deacon or, if he is unavailable, a trained layperson.  Since the Church has never given an official accommodation for such situations, our archbishop wants us to stop offering communion services in lieu of one of the other great liturgies of our Church, The Liturgy of the Hours, with adaptions for a more extensive use of Scripture from the day's official Scritpure readings.  Here's a more thorough reflection by Msgr. Gerard O'Connor, our Director of the office of Divine Worship:

The Most Holy Eucharist, “stands at the center of the Church's life”, since it truly “contains the Church’s entire spiritual wealth: Christ himself, our Passover and Living Bread.” “The Church has received the Eucharist from Christ her Lord not as one gift – however precious – among so many others, but as the gift par excellence, for it is the gift of himself, of his person in his sacred humanity, as well as the gift of his saving work.” That surpassing gift of the Eucharist is where the Church draws her life, the dynamic force of all her activity and her whole sense of purpose and direction. As the Second Vatican Council proclaimed, the Eucharistic sacrifice is “the source and summit of the Christian life”.

Any discussion of weekday liturgical worship must begin by recalling the importance and normative character of daily Mass in the life of every Catholic community. Pope Paul VI recommended that priests “worthily and devoutly offer Mass each day in order that both they and the rest of the faithful may enjoy the benefits that flow so richly from the sacrifice of the cross.”(Mysterium Fidei, 33) Pope John Paul II echoes these words in stating: “We can understand, then, how important it is for the spiritual life of the priest, as well as for the good of the Church and the world, that priests follow the Council’s recommendation to celebrate the Eucharist daily,” and he like many popes before him, states that "priests should be encouraged to celebrate Mass every day, even in the absence of a congregation, since it is an act of Christ and the Church”.

It is important to make the distinction between the celebration of Holy Mass and the reception of Holy Communion outside of Mass. It is clear that the Sacrifice of the Mass and the Sacrament of the Eucharist cannot be separated theologically and are only separated temporally due to pastoral necessity.

With regard to the separation of the Sacrifice and the Sacrament of the Eucharist, Pope Paul states: “The few things that we have touched upon concerning the Sacrifice of the Mass encourage us to say something about the Sacrament of the Eucharist, since both Sacrifice and Sacrament pertain to the same mystery and cannot be separated from each other. The Lord is immolated in an unbloody way in the Sacrifice of the Mass and He re-presents the sacrifice of the Cross and applies its salvific power at the moment when he becomes sacramentally present — through the words of consecration — as the spiritual food of the faithful, under the appearances of bread and wine.” (Mysterium Fidei, 34)

In the same encyclical Pope Paul makes a distinction between the celebration of Holy Mass and the reception of Holy Communion: “For such a Mass brings a rich and abundant treasure of special graces to help the priest himself, the faithful, the whole Church and the whole world toward salvation—and this same abundance of graces is not gained through mere reception of Holy Communion.” (Mysterium Fidei, 32)

It is the expectation of the Church that: “The faithful should normally receive sacramental Communion of the Eucharist during Mass itself, at the moment laid down by the rite of celebration, that is to say, just after the Priest celebrant’s Communion.” In fact the Second Vatican Council refers to it as the “more perfect form of participation in the Mass.” (Sacrosanctum Concilium, 55)

In order to promote this new practice, the office of Divine Worship has crafted a high quality booklet entitled, "Parish Weekday Prayer."  Here's a reflection from Msgr. O'Connor on this booklet:

Sometimes the faithful of a parish cannot be present at the Holy Eucharist during the week due to the absence ofa priest or excessive travel requirements. Whilst daily Mass is highly encouraged and considered ideal, sometimes it is not possible. In these circumstances the faithful are likewise encouraged to gather and pray together.

There are many prayers and devotions which are available to a group of the faithful gathered in the absence ofa priest; however the Liturgy ofthe Hours has pride ofplace since it is the 'Prayer of the Church'. The purpose of the Liturgy of the Hours is to sanctify the day and all human activity and this community prayer has a special dignity since Christ himself said: "Where two or three meet in my name, I shall be there with them" (Mt 18:20).'

This book of weekday prayer has been prepared to allow those gathered on the weekdays ofthe Church's year to pray together the Liturgy ofthe Hours in such a way as to incorporate the Sacred Scripture that would be provided during the Liturgy ofthe Word at Holy Mass.

By adapting the Liturgy of the Hours in such a way, the faithful can continue to follow the sequence of readings that are presented to the Church during the liturgical year. This integral reading of Sacred Scripture during the celebration of this adapted Liturgy ofthe Hours is approved by the Archbishop, only for this Parish Weekday Prayer in the Archdiocese of Portland in Oregon. Although this collection of Parish Weekday Prayer is envisioned to be celebrated in the morning it may also be used at other times of the day.

This change will take effect on June 3rd.  Click the following link to download this booklet: Parish Weekday Prayer. 

Blessings,

Fr. William Holtzinger
Pastor

Mini-Campaign - Thank You - Church Dedication

Dear Parishioners,

This past week, we held our annual min-campaign for the continuing process of our Honoring Our Past - Building Our Future Capital Campaign. This process will continue annually through five years. The goal is to steward our pledge sources so as to ensure the stability of the campaign while also attempting to make sure everyone has an opportunity to participate. We are very aware that each year there will be parishioners who move, have a reduction in pay or hours, lose a job, get sick, have an unexpected change in finances, and even pass away.  This can destabilize a percentage of pledges. On the other hand, each year new people move into the area and join our parish, others get a new job or a raise, others come into a new-found financial prosperity, and others have completed their pledge and desire to continue to help financially. It is for these and many other reasons why the campaign program calls for an annual process.  

So, I want to thank all of you who generously made a pledge or renewed your pledge this past week. I also want to thank the crew of dedicated parishioners who came each evening to the church and made phone calls to prospective donors.  If some folks didn’t make a pledge, it was still important to reach and let them know that they are an important part of our parish and that we truly appreciate all their prayerful support. 

This is an exciting time.  I called the office of the Archbishop and got a tentative date for Archbishop Sample to come and dedicate our new church.  At this time, we are looking to September 1st.  Pencil that date in our calendars, but be prepared with your handy eraser too. As the completion date gets closer, I will make sure to let us all know with more certainty the date and time for our first Mass and dedication.

Blessings,

Fr. William Holtzinger
Pastor

The Common Good

Dear Parishioners,

The term, “Common Good,” is something that may be lost on many people and is too often being replaced with individual rights with no regard to anyone else.  This rugged individualism has been condemned by the Church.  We can ill afford to be silent about this issue which is at the base of many if not all social issues confronting our society today.  

In general, when the justification is used that a certain behavior doesn’t hurt anyone else, commonly such an argument reveals a myopic vision of the world and a lack of understanding of the consequences of our individual and even private actions.  We must more deeply grasp the effects we have on our relationships with others near to us as well as the larger community in which we live in order to understand the common good.  We are not an island.  To think and behave as if we are opens up the potential to great harm for all.  Here’s some examples which illustrate this point. 

Here’s a simple yet less controversial issue: When someone dies and they want their ashes scattered over a mountain or forest, everyone else is robbed of the ability to go to a burial place where they can mourn.  The deceased person’s wish negates the good of others who need to mourn.  It is also an undignified way to repose the former temple of a person who was made in God’s image.  This is not a viewpoint with the Common Good in mind, just the individual.

In the abortion debate, the individual right of the mother trumps the good of the child in the womb or even the right of the father who may disagree with the decision.  In this holocaustic viewpoint, countless millions have been killed in the name of an individual.  The fact that entire generations have been wiped out by a so-called right is clear evidence that it is against the dignity of the human person and the Common Good.

So-called, doctor assisted suicide arguments claim the individual’s right to end their own life on their terms so as to avoid suffering, autonomy, control, and the like, negating the use of effective palliative care and equating one’s value or dignity in terms of abilities or capacity.  It is a grievous act akin to murder (See The Gospel of Life., #66).  The legalization in Oregon of euthanasia, its true title, may justify its use in some people’s minds, but it is against the dignity of the human person and the Common Good.

The current movement to redefine marriage is based on the assumption that marriage is the simple desire and right of individuals to do what they want, regardless of the good of children and Divine law.  Marriage is not a right which just anyone can validly undertake even between heterosexual couples. I have processed all too many annulments which were granted on the grounds that they did not, and may never have, the capacity to live out the commitment that marriage demands. In these cases, the couple erroneously attempted to enter into the Sacrament which they could not do.  Marriage is a privileged state which God designed and which we have no authority to define or reinvent.  Anyone desiring to be married should send to prayer if they are capable and sufficiently prepared to undertake such an awesome Sacrament. Redefining marriage diminishes its sanctity and is against the Common Good.

A more current issue which is being placed before the voters this November 4th is the effort to legalize recreational use of marijuana.  Proponents of this movement commonly argue the right to do what they will with their own body.  However, this viewpoint does not consider the consequences to children and the safety of others. Archbishop Sample’s current column in the Catholic Sentinel fills this in well. The argument that it does not harm the user taking the drug is fallacious since the very act of getting “high” diminishes one’s abilities, distorts one’s senses, suppresses the immune system, decreases motivation, darkens the conscience, and ultimately damages the soul. The fact that marijuana may be easy to acquire or that it is being used by one’s family or friends, or even if it does become legal, does not change the fact that it is harmful to one’s body and soul as well as to our culture. It is against the common good.

With regard to the current ballot measure for offering drivers cards for those without a social security number, particularly immigrants who are our modern day neighbors, there needs to be  away to help them.  By offering a way for them to acquire a drivers card increases the number of people who are trained in driving and thus makes our roads safer.  Voting “yes” for this bill will create safer drivers.  Voting for this bill is for the Common Good.

So, we need to ponder more deeply than our own desires and wants.  We need to be on guard against our own desire for individualism.  As Catholic Christians, we need to consider the consequences of things in regard to the Common Good.  Such a frame of reference broadens our minds and allows us to make more ethical and moral choices.  It also gets us out of partisan thinking and voting.  It brings to the fore our faith before all other ideologies. Remember that we are Catholic Christians before all else. We need to pray to have the view of God who desires the good for all.

Blessings,

Fr. William Holtzinger

Pastor