Archbishop Sartain re-appointed Kevin Lovejoy as Pastoral Coordinator for another year at Saint Patrick Catholic Church & School. He has also appointed Father Jerry Graham, S.J. the as Parish Priest.
Acknowledgement of Service
The Jesuit community at Bellarmine requested that Father Graham be appointed as Parish Priest as practical acknowledgment of what has in fact emerged in the past two years. While all three of our Jesuit friends
have rotated in the celebration of Masses, Father Graham has provided the lion’s share of support in terms of Pastoral Care, RCIA, Liturgy Commission, Confirmation, Sacramental Preparation, Baptisms, Funerals and other services at the parish. Father John Fuchs, S.J. and Father Tom Lamanna, S.J. and from time to time, Father Pete Henriot, S.J., will continue to celebrate Mass at the parish in addition to helping with Reconciliation Services and requests for school and parish activities like retreats. With Deacon Bill Eckert staying on board, our existing leadership team stays intact, except for that one change, which is mostly administrative in nature.
A Parish Priest, Not the Pastor
The fact that Father Graham is the only one of the three Jesuits re-appointed as Parish Priest does not mean Father Graham is now the Pastor or in training to become the Pastor. The overall responsibility for spiritual well being of the parish remains with the Pastoral Coordinator. As the Pastoral Coordinator, I will continue to rely on our collaborative leadership model, working together with our Jesuit team, Deacon Bill, our parish staff, all of our commissions and councils, and you—our parishioners. This collaborative model is working well and we intend to continue along this same path.
As always, we are ever grateful for the local Jesuit community’s willingness to support Saint Patrick Catholic Church & School. We don’t know what the future holds beyond the coming year. We can share with you that it remains Archbishop Sartain’s continued desire to send a diocesan priest to serve as pastor at our parish in the future. When that may happen is not known at this time. We’ll have to just wait and see what the future brings our way.
Helping St. Rita of Cascia
Archbishop Sartain is fully aware of what’s been happening at Saint Patrick Catholic Church & School over the past two years. He knows we
are working on a Parish Long Range Plan with a new Mission, Values and Priorities, and that we have completely revamped our Parish and School Council and Commission organizational structure. Like the parable of the good stewards who minded the vineyard in the master’s absence, Archbishop Sartain is pleased with our efforts and wishe
s us well. In fact, he is so pleased that he has asked us to help our neighboring parish, St. Rita of Cascia, prepare for transition to the same leadership model.
Facilitating Transition
Archbishop Sartain appointed Father Gene Delmore, S.J. and Father Pete Henriot, S.J. as Parish Priests for St. Rita’s for one year. The archbishop has asked Kevin Lovejoy to serve as Pastoral Coordinator for 2017-2018. These appointments are made with the intent that Saint Rita’s will transition from a full-fledged parish to the status of a mission or station of Saint Patrick Catholic Church on July 1, 2018. During the upcoming year, we will work together to facilitate the transition between our parishes.
Preparing for a New Structure
Day-to-day sacramental life at St. Rita’s will remain generally unchanged in the upcoming year. Francie Jordan, a part-time Pastoral Administrator at St. Rita’s, will oversee the day-to-day operations. As Pastoral Coordinator of both parishes, Kevin Lovejoy will work with the parish priests, staff and the Pastoral Councils and Finance Councils of both parishes, to coordinate the steps needed to define and establish the future relationship between Saint Patrick Catholic Church & School and St. Rita of Cascia that will go into effect July 1, 2018. What this future relationship will look is still unknown. We have a year to figure it out. Transition planning teams are being formed at both parishes.
Let’s Pray
As we have learned, the Archdiocese doesn’t have the resources needed to sustain our traditional parish organizational structures. At Saint Patrick Catholic Church & School, we have learned that change can lead to opportunity, and we can discover in ourselves, new ways of being church and how to serve God and His people. We ask you to pray for our brothers and sisters at St. Rita’s, during this period of transition.
Thank you for your continued support as we work together to be the Church that Christ calls us to be.
Other Appointments within the Archdiocese
The Most Rev. J. Peter Sartain, having carefully assessed the needs of the People of God in the Archdiocese of Seattle, and after careful consultation with the Christian Faithful and the Priest Personnel Board, makes the following pastoral appointments in accord with the 1983 Code of Canon Law, effective July 1, 2017 unless otherwise noted.
