Pilgrimage & Mass at NW Detention Center
Women's Fall Retreat 2018
Women Of Passion & Power
We Are One Body
“Every stranger who knocks at our door is an opportunity for an encounter with Jesus Christ, who identifies with the welcomed and rejected strangers of every age (Matthew 25:35-43). . .In this regard, I wish to reaffirm that our shared response may be articulated by four verbs: to welcome, to protect, to promote and to integrate.’” -Pope Francis- “My dream is of a place and a time where America will once again be seen as the last best hope of earth.” -Abraham Lincoln- At its birth, the United States declared that the value of a person depends not on rights granted by government, but on inalienable rights granted by the will of the Creator. This principle—tested and refined through civil war and social upheaval—is a north star to our nation’s moral compass, drawing us back when fear or selfishness lead us astray. Today, as we struggle to decide our policy towards those seeking refuge at our border, we are called, as Americans, to look again to the wisdom of the Declaration and, as Christians, to the teaching of our faith. Just as “inalienable rights” guided the founders of our nation, so inherent human value guides Catholic Social Teaching, proclaiming that every woman or man has a right to life, and to the human goods by which to maintain family, faith, and freedom. Catholic tradition holds that the goods of the earth exist to foster the common good, the good of reason, by which each person and the whole community are protected. Civil laws must respect not just the will of the majority, but the inherent dignity of every person, who is “endowed by their Creator” with a value that cannot be justly compromised by the power of any government. This we believe and affirm, as Catholics, as Christians, and as Americans. Today, in the name of protecting the sovereignty of our national borders, the US Government is violating both Catholic Social teaching and the fundamental moral principles of this nation. No government has the authority to fracture families, to deny basic rights of counsel to the detained (including children), to indeterminately confine, and to punish those who had no active role in committing the offense of unlawful migration. Such actions violate the inherent dignity of migrants and undermine the principles of justice upon which our country was founded. We, therefore, petition the Congress, in accord with the moral law and as provided for in the Constitution, to take immediate action: To reunite all families separated by the Customs Service or by Immigration and Custom Enforcement, even if parents or guardians have been detained or deported. To provide minors detained by the US government with legal counsel prior to any hearings—either administrative or judicial—on refugee status or immigration. To provide alternative forms of monitoring, not involving incarceration, for all those detained solely as the result of violations of immigration law, or awaiting hearings on immigration status. To empower the judiciary to review decisions of the administrative immigration courts (maintained by the executive branch) regarding requests for refugee status based on well-grounded fear. To provide inspection and government oversight of private for-profit detention facilities. These are not easy times, but as women and men of faith, we are filled with a Spirit of hope, and drawn as one body to our displaced brothers and sisters, by the love of God and the example of Christ Jesus. Though the power of oppression seems great, we are not cowed by it; though the walls of fear seem high, we are not overcome. Rather, we stand today in solidarity—one body, one spirit—with our immigrant brothers and sisters. We stand with Christians and Jews, with Muslims and Hindus, with women and men of every spiritual and ethical tradition, who pursue justice for the poor as a moral imperative. We stand with all people of good will, including police officers, customs officers, and agents of Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) who seek a more just system. To them, especially, we offer our prayer and support, asking them to refuse any order inconsistent with the principles of human rights and moral law. Together, we reject fear, and embrace faith; we call for prayer that leads to action; and we act together as one living body, who seeks justice and hope for every woman and man.
Director of Religious Education Job Posting
We are hiring a new Director of Religious Education. The Director of Religious Education (DRE) develops and oversees the spiritual formation and intellectual development of the community at St. Joseph Parish. Working with the Director of Adult Faith Formation, the DRE has primary responsibility for the development of the youth of the Parish, and shared responsibility for the development of all members as people of “faith seeking understanding” in the Catholic Jesuit tradition of St. Joseph Parish. Working in collaboration with the Pastoral Team, volunteers, and others, the DRE seeks to nurture intellectual curiosity, emotional maturity, and spiritual formation through development and implementation of programs, and through sacramental preparation. Please see attached for job qualifications and benefits. Send resume and cover letter to Marti McGaughey, Pastoral Assistant for Administration at jobs@ to apply.
Welcome to St. Joseph Parish
the Jesuit Parish in Seattle
Dear Companions & Friends, Peace of Christ!
Whenever the early Jesuits would enter a new town, they would look for the busiest corner, and there they would set up shop. Unlike older, monastic orders, they did not seek mountaintops or secluded alcoves to set themselves aside in prayer; rather, these followers of Ignatius sought crossroads, believing that here—amid the hustle and bustle of ordinary life, amid the glorious racket of God’s creatures—the surprising grace of God was most truly to be found.
St. Joseph Parish, in the spirit of those first Jesuits, likewise seeks to live at the crossroads: at those points where the hum and buzz of the world meets the quiet of the Spirit, where the awesome beauty of liturgical worship encounters the chaotic longings of the young, where the pain of war and poverty are met by the compassion and love of a diverse community. A communion of opposites, the living Church at St. Joseph seeks to engage the world in the dialogue of Christ, and to live faithfully the call of our brother Jesuit, Pope Francis, who asks us to “come out of ourselves in order to go to meet others, to go toward the outskirts of existence, to be the first to take a step toward our brothers and sisters, especially those who are the most distant, those who are forgotten, those who are most in need of understanding, comfort, and help.”
In our Mission Statement, “Ignited by the Eucharist to love and serve,” St. Joseph declares that we are women and men on fire through the presence of Christ in our midst, and committed to follow Christ in the active love and personal service of all of our sisters and brothers. Coming from various places and traditions, from a variety of social, economic, and political backgrounds, we have found our way to this crossroads, to this place of God’s Holy Spirit. Some come seeking greater depth in their life of prayer; some, greater understanding of the faith they profess; some desire a values-based education for their children; some, a place of beauty and respite in a difficult world; some seek to do justice with others; some do not yet know what they seek, but come from habit, or tradition, or an inchoate longing in their heart. Yet, all who come with hope, are touched by the grace of the One who loved us first.
Placed on the crossroads through its history and its people, St. Joseph Parish welcomes every pilgrim and passerby, every sinner and everyone longing for sanctity. Whether you come to us for a while or abide with us for a lifetime, whether you explore us on the web or stand with us at the table of Eucharist, we welcome you, and bless you, and open our door to you, for the greater glory of God.
Yours in the Lord,
John D. Whitney, S.J.
Pastor
