Pastor's Reflection - November 30, 2025

Partners in the Gospel Listening Sessions

Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ,

I would like to take this opportunity to thank everyone who participated in the parish family listening sessions, with a special word of thanks to those who facilitated and took notes. I was able to attend most of the listening sessions and found the process to be helpful in discerning our future as a parish family.

We will have additional listening sessions as we move forward, and I would like to encourage more participation from parishioners. I recently attended a meeting with the director of the Partners in the Gospel program from the Archdiocese of Seattle. He made a comment that I think is unfortunately true: “The vast majority of your parishioners will not take part in this process, and their interest is limited to Mass attendance.”

St. John Paul II once said that “many Catholics are sacramentalized but not evangelized.” I believe this is one of the greatest challenges facing us and is a key reason why parishioner involvement in the Catholic Church is so minimal. Many Catholics have settled for a minimalist version of the Gospel that is lukewarm and unattractive to those around them. We can’t give what we don’t have.

It is a great joy to see people “wake up” and come to experience a personal relationship with Jesus Christ, empowered by the Holy Spirit, the Sacraments, etc., and begin to seek to share their faith with others. However, this is not yet the norm in the Catholic Church. Therefore, I will continue working with parish leadership to help us become an evangelized and evangelizing community. This is what drives my priestly ministry and is the most important goal the Lord has placed in my heart.

Let us continue to pray about everything as we move forward, asking for the grace of a New Pentecost.

In Christ,

Fr. James Northrop, Pastor