FROM THE DESK OF THE PASTOR

THE ASCENSION OF THE LORD IS CELEBRATED THIS SUNDAY!

Dear Friends in Christ,

This weekend we observe the Solemnity of the Ascension of the Lord. This event happened the 40th day after the Resurrection and in many places is still observed on that day, Ascension Thursday, but in most places in the United States it is now observed on the following Sunday. In 2018, Pope Francis offered these reflections on this great feast to ponder:

This Solemnity embraces two elements. On the one hand it directs our gaze toward heaven, where the glorified Jesus is seated at the right hand of God (cf. Mk 16:19). On the other, it reminds us of the mission of the Church: why? Because Jesus, Risen and Ascended into heaven, sends his disciples to spread the Gospel throughout the world. Therefore, the Ascension exhorts us to lift our gaze toward heaven, in order to return it immediately to the earth, to implement the tasks that the Risen Lord entrusts to us. It is what we are invited to do in the day’s Gospel passage, in which the event of the Ascension occurs immediately after the mission that Jesus entrusts to the disciples. It is a boundless mission — that is, literally without boundaries — which surpasses human strength. Jesus says, in fact: “Go into all the world and preach the Gospel to the whole creation” (Mk 16:15). The task which Jesus entrusts to a small group of common men lacking great intellectual capacity seems truly too bold! Yet this small company, insignificant compared to the great powers of the world, is sent to bring the message of Jesus’ love and mercy to every corner of the earth.



But this plan of God can be accomplished only with the strength that God himself grants to the Apostles. In this sense, Jesus assures them that their mission will be supported by the Holy Spirit. And he says this: “you shall receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you shall be my witnesses in Jerusalem and in all Judea and Samaria and to the end of the earth” (Acts 1:8). This is how this mission was able to be accomplished, and the Apostles began this work which was then continued by their successors. The mission that Jesus entrusted to the Apostles has continued through the centuries, and continues still today: it requires the cooperation of all of us. Each one, in fact, by the power of the Baptism that he or she received, is qualified in turn to proclaim the Gospel. Baptism is precisely what qualifies us and also spurs us to be missionaries, to proclaim the Gospel.

The Lord’s Ascension into heaven, while inaugurating a new form of Jesus’ presence among us, calls us to keep eyes and hearts open to encounter him, to serve him and bear witness to him to others. It is a matter of being men and women of the Ascension, that is, those who seek Christ along the paths of our time, bringing his word of salvation to the ends of the earth. On this journey we encounter Christ himself in our brothers and sisters, especially in the poorest, in those who suffer in their very flesh the harsh and humiliating experience of old and new forms of poverty. As at the beginning the Risen Christ sent his Apostles with the power of the Holy Spirit, so too does he send all of us today, with the same power, so as to establish concrete and visible signs of hope. Because Jesus gives us hope. He went to heaven and opened the gates of heaven and the hope that we will reach it. POPE FRANCIS

CONGRATULATIONS TO OUR FIRST COMMUNICANTS AT ST JUDE

This weekend at St Jude, we rejoice as children receive the Body and Blood of the Lord for the first time.  Congratulations to our first communicants, their families and all those who helped prepare them for this day! First Holy Communion is a very special time not only for the first communicants and their families but also for the whole Church and especially our parish. The specialness of this day reminds us of how important this holy food, the bread of life, is for us as Christians. May the wonder, awe and joy of these First Communicants renew us in our love for this sacrament and give us new fervor in giving thanks and praise to God.  We look forward to later this spring, to Corpus Christi when children from Holy Innocent and St Anthony will celebrate their First Communion and receive this wondrous gift of the Lord’s real presence.

THANK YOU TO ALL WHO HAVE MADE THEIR ANNUAL CATHOLIC APPEAL PLEDGES!

Many thanks to all who have returned their ACA pledge card or made a pledge on-line. Your generosity is amazing! If you haven’t made a pledge already, we still need everybody’s help to meet our goal. You can make your pledge at Annual Catholic Appeal 2026 - Archdiocese of Seattle. Your gift will go a long way toward passing on the Gospel in Western Washington.

Thank you! Blessings on your week!

Fr Johnson