The Stewards Story. OUR LORD JESUS CHRIST THE KING November 20, Homily Next Week: Father John D. Whitney, S.J.

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1 OUR LORD JESUS CHRIST THE KING November 20, 2011 Homily Next Week: Father John D. Whitney, S.J. Readings for November 20, 2011 First Reading: Isaiah 63:16b-17, 19b; 64:2-7 Second Reading: 1 Corinthians 1:3-9 Gospel: Mark 13:33-37 Weekend Mass Schedule Saturday - 5 pm Sunday - 9 am, 11 a.m., 5:30 pm Weekday Mass Schedule Monday - Friday - 7 am Arrupe Room, Parish Center Reconciliation Saturday - 3:30-4:15 pm in the Church or by appointment Parish Center Hours Monday-Friday - 8 am - 4:30 pm Saturday - 9 am - 1 pm th Avenue East, Seattle, WA Fax: (206) Parish Receptionist (206) Parish Staff (206) Pastor Rev. John D. Whitney, S.J. x107 Senior Priest in Residence Rev. Jack O Leary, S. J. x101 Deacon/Pastoral Associate Steve Wodzanowski x106 Pastoral Staff: Dottie Farewell, Dir. Religious Ed. x112 Dennis Gentele, Facilities x110 Renée Leet, Admin Assistant x100 Courtney Lilly, Development x103 Bob McCaffery-Lent, Liturgy x109 Caprice Sauter, Administration x102 Greg McNabb, Admin Mgr x108 Randy Novak, Communications x114 John Stuntebeck, Accompanist x105 St. Joseph School th Avenue East (206) Main Office George Hofbauer, Principal Rick Boyle, Academic VP Patrick Fennessy, Vice Principal Bulletin Cover: Photo by Father John D. Whitney, S.J. x210 x213 x215 x218 The Stewards Story In these weeks as we discern our pledge to the parish, several parishioners offer their reflections and how they came to make the decisions they did. Question: Why is it important to give sacrificially? I am a St. Joseph Parishioner who lives on Bainbridge Island. I moved to the area in 2007 and wanted to find a Jesuit Parish even if it meant taking a ferry to get to it! Despite the effort to get to St. Joseph for me, more and more I feel this community is becoming a home. Being involved in activities like Seniors on the Go has made me feel even more a part of the community. I only wish I lived closer so that I could participate in more activities. I am a retired person living on a fixed income, but find supporting the Parish on a regular monthly basis to be a priority, so that important programs such as Seniors on the Go can continue. I thank all those who support the parish for making St. Joseph my home away from home. Seniors on the Go ~ A 2011 outing ~Rachel Randall-Jones Our parish is sustained by the heartfelt gift of each parishioner. Please prayerfully consider and submit your 2012 St. Joseph Parish Pledge form, if possible by the end of November; or go to our website and submit your pledge online. May God, the giver of all gifts, guide us in our discernment and give us what we need. Last year: 511 pledges for a total of $937,626 So far this year: 219 pledges for a total of $349,735

2 Giving Thanks in Troubled Times Each day in the media, we are warned of our shrinking importance in the world, and of our need to hunker down in a fortress of our own making: how the Great Recession means that we can no longer expect to educate everyone, or grant everyone decent housing or health care; how the war on terror means that we can no longer permit ourselves the luxury of civil liberties, trial by jury, or tortureless incarceration; how the rise of China and India demand the diminishment of American workers, and the sustainable development of Africa threatens the livelihood of our children. We are told that our differences are really fractures, points of decay and disintegration in our society and our Church and our response must be to give up on respectful dialogue in favor of polemic (which sees all disagreement as disloyalty to be crushed with any means, honest or not) or passivity (in which we look to keep our head down and hope not to be noticed). Left or right, conservative or liberal, Fox News or MSNBC, the message is the same: the other side is out to get us and this is a battle to the death! Such language and such feelings are not new: there are always people ready to sew discord and seek to destroy the order of things. Yet, as the weather grows colder and we see the very real suffering of those unable to find work or housing or health care or even hope in this troubled economy, as we find the few growing wealthier and the many barely holding on, the facile solutions seem more attractive, and a desire for justice can become a hatred of those who see things differently than do we. Fear and anger, a sense of powerlessness and oppression, the weariness of those who face unsolvable dilemmas draw us closer to despair and to the actions of desperation. Thank God for Thanksgiving! I say, clap hands and let s come together in this meeting ground, I say, clap hands and let s deal with each other with love, I say, clap hands and let us get from the low road of indifference. Clap hands, let us come together and reveal our hearts, Let us come together and cleanse our souls. The ancestors remind us, despite the history of pain We are a going-on people who will rise again. And still we rise. ~Maya Angelou~ In the face of all the forces pressing down upon us economic and military, societal and personal we are called upon this holiday to remember that division is not our destiny and that disintegration (or deeper union) is always a choice we hold in our own hands. For what is powerful about Thanksgiving is not only the myth of this holiday i.e., the story of the beleaguered Pilgrims rescued by the kindly Native Americans as they sought to build a place where they could be free but its reality. Originally a state-by-state celebration, Thanksgiving became a national feast in 1863, during the height of the Civil War, as the blood of brothers mixed in the fields of Virginia and Pennsylvania and the nation prayed for union and trusted that the experiment of self-government, begun in faith, was not yet at an end. In calling both those who supported him and those in rebellion against him to a time of prayer, Abraham Lincoln invoked the hope all of us have that somehow we can sit down, somehow we can listen to those who oppose us and they can listen to us. He called us to believe that no power on earth is greater than the unity God promises every heart a unity grounded not in the singularity of our politics or the power of our weapons or the greatness of our wealth, but in the need we have for love and communion and community. We are in a time of trial what generation has not been? but we are still God s people, even those on whatever other side we oppose. Let us be thankful, then, and determined; willing to sit down, and ready to stand up; let us remember that debate is not decline and that we have within us still the power to remake this nation and this world; indeed, we have the grace to do both. For that, let us be thankful. Ad Majorem Dei Gloriam Concert Series Saint Joseph Parish invites you to join us on November 20th at 2 pm An afternoon with flutist Brian Fairbanks, Associate Musician and Chapel Organist at Saint Mark s Cathedral, and with world-renowned pianist, Tim Anderson. Enjoy J.S. Bach, Carl Reinecke, pianist Walter Gieseking, organist Sigfrid Karg-Elert, and 20th Century master Paul Hindemith. A beautiful celebration of music for the entire family on the feast of Christ the King. Suggested donation: $15, under 18, free. Calendar Monday, November 21 Tuesday, November 22 Thursday, November 24 Friday, November 25 Sacred Silence, 7 PM, Church Choir, 6:30 pm, Church Mass, 10 AM, Church Eucharistic Adoration, Loyola Chapel 7:30 AM

3 Prayer THANKSGIVING LITURGY: 10 am This year, as in the past, St. Joseph Parish celebrates Thanksgiving with prayer for each other and an opening of our hearts to the world. Please join with the community at 10:00 am mass (there will be no early morning mass on Thanksgiving). Bring an item of food or drink from your table to be blessed at the altar during mass; and bring another item of food for the Food Bank, so that others might also be blessed. We will also take up a collection for St. Vincent de Paul that our thanks, given to God, might be warmth and food for the poor. IHolding on to Hope An Advent Silent Retreat for Women Presentations by Jennifer Kelly & Fr. Paul Fitterer S.J. December 2-4, 2011 Register online at: IAn Advent Evening of Prayer Wednesday, December 7, :00 9:00 pm Seattle Prep School Chapel ( th Ave E, Seattle) Please join the Ignatian Spirituality Center as Fr. Arturo Araujo, S.J. offers a unique experience of prayer and reflection through his beautiful illuminated manuscripts of the Advent gospels. Fr. Araujo, a Jesuit priest from the Colombia Province, created the manuscripts as his project for honors in art at Seattle University. The gospels are hand lettered and illuminated by Fr. Araujo using clays and pigments from around the world. Fr. Araujo will offer reflections on the season of Advent, the process of creating the books and their meaning for him. The evening will also feature time for contemplation of the books, as well as an illumination workshop where participants will have the opportunity to use the actual clays and pigments that were created for the manuscripts in their own unique creations. Admission by free will offering. Call for more information. Remembering Our Beloved Dead During the Month of November November is the traditional month to recall the dead in our Church. As in previous years, we ask you to bring photos of your loved ones to be placed on the side altars of the church, and to inscribe the names of those who have died in the Book of Life, to be kept in the vestibule all month. Please bring your photos or mementos at any time during this month, and place them on the Mary or Joseph altar. Light a candle from the tapers provided and leave it burning in the bowl of earth. (Please include contact information on any photo or memento, so you may recover it at the end of the month.) Let us all pray for those who have died. IChief Seattle Club News Please consider offering your help for the THANKS DINNER at Chief Seattle Club, scheduled for Wednesday, November 23, in the early morning. Donations of food (6 turkeys, 200 bread rolls, canned yams, whipped cream) are greatly needed. (In lieu of food, you could also donate money to buy the food.) Also, the Club could use 5-7 volunteers to serve and clean up the day of the meal, Wednesday, November 23, between 7:00 and 9:00 am. To coordinate giving the food/money or if you would like to volunteer to serve - please call TRICIA TRAINER, , or triciatrainer@gmail.com IChief Seattle Club First Thursday Art Walk and Christmas Bazaar. Thursday, December 1, and Friday, December 2, from 2:00 pm to 8:00 pm. Get your holiday shopping done early with our Native vendors who will feature handmade arts and crafts, jewelry and more. Bake sale, Indian tacos, raffle, and music. We are proud to observe and comply with the Federal Indian Arts and Crafts Act. Confirmation Open House Sunday November 27th, Parish Center, immediately following 5:30 pm mass. For parents and confirmation candidates to meet the teachers and view the curriculum materials. Light refreshments provided.

4 EcoJustice News Calling all Gardeners! We will be forming an EcoJustice Gardening Team to assist the school with newly planned gardening plots on the south edge of campus. The planned raised beds are part of a Middle School sustainability project. Teams of students will tend the gardens, and share the harvested food with Jubilee Women's Center. The EcoJustice Gardening Team will work to support the project and help cover care of the gardens during summer vacation. Here is a great chance to apply your love of gardening to a project that supports our school, sustainability and social justice! Those interested in being part of this Gardening Team, please contact Cathy Murray, , (clmurray2@ comcast.net) or Kathy Washienko, (kathy@ washienko.com) St. Joseph s Mens Ministry Invites you to an Advent Morning of Prayer and Fellowship Saturday, December 10th, 8:00am-10:30am, St. Joseph Church Coffee and pastries, prayer, presentations and discussion For information, Don Manning, donmanning@mac.com SAVE THE DATE: St. Joseph s Couples Weekend Feb 4-6, 2012 La Conner Country Inn Cost $300 per couple, Partial Scholarships available, register by December 30th with Deacon Steve or stevew@stjosephparish.org 2012 Planning team: Jim and Debbie Hoover, Harry and Nina Watts, Mary Klubben and Brian Hahn, Steve Wodzanowski and Cyndy Ferrell. Collection: November 13, 2011 Total Needed Weekly to Meet Budget: $15, Total for Masses and Gifts Mailed In: $27, Social Ministry Seniors On The Go Friday December 2nd - Healing mass at 11:30 am followed by Seniors Luncheon in the Parish Center. Wednesday December 7th - Molbak s & Flower World outing with lunch at the Maltby Cafe. Must sign up at the Parish Center or call Tuesday December 13th - Seniors Planning meeting 11:30-1 pm in the Parish Center, bring a brown bag lunch. Tuesday December 13th - Afternoon At The Movies: The Blind Side starring Sandra Bullock, 1 pm in the Parish Center, bring a snack or beverage to share. Tuesday December 27th - Seniors Monthly Potluck 6:00 pm in the Social Hall, call Mary Ott for details Wonder what to do with your collection of travel soaps, shampoos, etc.? Please donate them to Washed in the Spirit...of care Project (WISP). We need your extras of travel size: shampoos, conditioners, lotions, soaps, mouthwash, toothpaste, razors etc. *Donation basket is located in the lobby of the Parish Center.* About WISP: A need for hygiene kits was identified by several in-need organizations. To meet that need, WISP was created as Calli Liffring s (St. Joseph 8th Grade Student) Girl Scout Silver Award Project. The hygiene kits will be prepared and distributed at designated times throughout the year. Thank you in advance for your donations. Please contact Dottie Farewell at the Parish with questions, Advent Wreath Supplies There will be a limited amount of Advent Wreath materials such as foam and wicker wreathes, candles and ribbon, available for purchase (at cost) this weekend, after the 9am Mass, during coffee and donuts on the Social Hall stage.

5 A Covenant of Community Ignited by the Eucharist to love & serve. -Mission Statement of St. Joseph Parish- Called by the Gospel of Jesus Christ into this Catholic community of faith and love, we gather together for the greater glory of God and for the living out of God s graces. We are women and men, young and old, those who come to this community as converts and those who were baptized as Catholic in our infancy. We come from various cultures and various states of life, from different educational and economic backgrounds and situations. We come as parents and children, as blended families and single adults, as members of religious communities and pilgrims seeking the path of God. We come because Jesus Christ, present in the sacraments and in the Church, ignites us with the Holy Spirit to love effectively, to serve communally, to live fully as members of God s people at St. Joseph Parish. I. To pursue a living relationship with God through full, active, and conscious participation in liturgy and through growth in personal prayer; II. To participate in the community of St. Joseph through active involvement in particular groups of parishioners and others, and through the intentional connection of those groups into the larger body of the Parish; III. To expand the circle of grace found at St. Joseph through active commitment to and loving solidarity with those on the margins of society; IV. To deepen our understanding and wisdom about our faith through study, reflection, conversation, and the various means that feed our intellectual desire for God; V. To provide for the continuing life of the whole St. Joseph Community through the sharing of goods and talents; through stewardship of resources; and through critical and loving commitment to the Parish. If you have questions about the covenant, please do not hesitate to ask! Father John D. Whitney S.J., jwhitney@ stjosephparish.org or Deacon Steve Wodzanowski, stevew@stjosephparish.org St. Joseph Community extends its prayers and hopes for the following intentions: For the ongoing support of a loving circle of family and friends for Ryenn, Carsen and Brooks, three young children who recently lost their mother to cardiac arrest... For Edward Bray, that he is at peace and is made comfortable during the final weeks of his terminal illness... For Patricia Bray, for strength and for hope that the infection in her leg responds to treatment so that her suffering may be alleviated... For safe travels, as we gather in gratitude with friends and family this coming Thanksgiving week... I give thanks to my God every time I think of you. ~Philippians 1:3 Please remember in your prayers the family and friends of Jim Weber, a former parishioner who passed away on November 11th; Philip Fitzpatrick, loving husband of Maureen Fitzpatrick, on the anniversary of his passing, and his daughter Margaret Fitzpatrick Crist, who preceded him in death. Pray for the family of Bill Hartrich who passed away following a sudden illness. May we also remember all of our loved ones who are no longer with us, and be grateful for the presence they had in our lives and the memories that still live with us. May they rest in peace. If you have petitions you would like included in the prayer tree, including birth announcements, illnesses and deaths, please call the parish office ext 100 or rleet@stjosephparish.org.

6 Signing of the Covenant begins on November 26th and 27th, the first Sunday of Advent Reflection: A Parishioner s View of the Covenant Question of the Week In what ways am I providing for the continuing life of the whole St. Joseph community? Do I share my time and talent to meet the community s needs? Do I give a fair share of my resources? How do I hope the Parish can grow in the coming years and how am I a part of it? We are all called to help I sometimes struggle with my faith, and with the Catholic Church. I cringe at the handling of the child abuse scandals. I find my mouth agape when I learn that it has taken decades, and huge amounts of capital, to re-translate the missal, and I think of what better uses there were for those resources. What keeps me grounded when I contemplate these and other perceived shortcomings, is the St Joseph community. Communities thrive when members participate. Without participation, what s the point? We are all called to help with our time, talent and treasure. In the almost 20 years of being a parishioner, I have tried to contribute all. Thankfully, I am not judged on the quantum of time or treasure, nor the quality of talent. Some years, it seemed almost impossible to find excess resources in some areas. The important thing to me was, and is, to participate. I am excited by the covenant I am about to sign committing myself to the future of this community. That covenant, and the strategic plan, give me a great outline of how I can help and benefit. I plan to contribute as much time, talent and treasure as I can to helping our community. One small step I will take right now: filling out my pledge that I have easily managed to ignore so far! ~Steve Latimer Parishioner since 1994 A Prayer To St. Joseph St. Joseph, Patron of our Parish, hear our prayer, and by your intercession, help us to be a people of covenant. Help us to discern: listening to the angels of our dreams. Help us to guide: encouraging the growth of Christ in every child. Help us to nurture: passing on the love we have received. Help us to protect: guarding the innocent and welcoming the poor. Help us to commit, with passion and courage, to the care of God s Son, Jesus, whose love is our reward and whose kingdom is our home forever and ever. Amen.