Saint Michael Parish Newsletter — July 2021

What’s Inside: 2 Stewardship of Talent

Bring Your Gifts to the Spotlight!

3

What Is the Real Purpose of Our Lives?

4 Parish Community

Shares in Compassion

and Provides Essential

Outreach During Pandemic 6

Shoulder to Shoulder Ministry Lightens the Burden and Addresses Important Needs

JULY 2021

Welcoming FR. THOMAS TRAN, Our Parish’s New Parochial Vicar “This Feels Like Home”

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hen Fr. Thomas Tran private schools are was growing up in allowed in the country.

Southern Vietnam, he He remembers his first lived 10 minutes from his impressions of the church and used to walk Church and praying to to Mass nearly every day. discern his vocation.

“I first felt called to the “I didn’t have a priesthood when I was 13 personal prayer life years old after serving at at that age, but I went the altar, serving Christ to church and had and being close to Him,” catechism every Sunday Fr. Thomas says. “It is from kindergarten that age when you start through high school,” Fr. Fr. Thomas Tran, Saint Michael’s Thomas says. “I also spent to think about the future, New Parochial Vicar and if you should get a few years working with married, have a career, or become a the missionary sisters and going out priest.” to help the poor. We reflected on the On July 1, Fr. Thomas Tran joined Gospel and then brought that fruit to Saint Michael Parish as our new the people.”

Parochial Vicar. The oldest of five Inspired by working with the siblings, Fr. Thomas went to public missionary sisters, Fr. Thomas prayed schools in Vietnam, considering no with them about his future and his continued on back cover

Stewardship of Talent

Bring Your Gifts to the Spotlight!

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he word “talent” often conjures up images of stage performers in the spotlight, captivating awestruck audiences with their impeccable musical or acting skills.

While these talented performers are certainly deserving of applause, the majority of the population sits hidden in the shadows, staring on in amazement while feeling overlooked — and perhaps wishing to possess such talents themselves. But even when we feel overlooked and untalented, God knows better.

As Christians, we are all called to dig deep and trust that we are uniquely blessed with valuable talents and abilities, even if our talents aren’t so obvious or don’t garner applause and accolades.

Along with “time” and “treasure,” “talent” is one of the “three Ts” of stewardship. Exploring our natural inclinations and preferences, especially when guided by the intricacies of our unique personalities, can unearth God-given talents.

“There are different kinds of spiritual gifts, but the same spirit,” writes St. Paul in his First Letter to the Corinthians. “There are different forms of service, but the same Lord.”

Some people have the gift of working peacefully with children. Equipped with patience and gentleness, they are able to guide young souls to the Lord. Yet, others shudder at the thought of a classroom full of 5-year-olds, and

instead seek the quiet solace of behind-thescenes tasks — cleaning the church, sewing altar cloths or stuffing envelopes.

Our interests and abilities are varied, and our volunteer options are endless, as we are called to give our talents back to God in loving service. Examine your heart and prayerfully discern your gifts, then direct those gifts towards serving the people of God. H. Jackson Brown, Jr., author of Life’s Little Instruction Book, once said, “Talent without discipline is like an octopus on roller skates.

There’s plenty of movement, but you never know if it is going to be forwards, backwards, or sideways.”

If our gifts of talent are not guided by the discipline of prayer, just like an octopus on roller skates, we will get nowhere fast! Yet, if we keep our eyes on the goal of heaven and serve the Lord with joyfulness, our efforts will produce a bountiful harvest. In the words of St. Paul to the Corinthians, “Whoever sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and whoever sows bountifully will reap bountifully.”

The next time you sit quietly in the shadows behind a glaring stage spotlight, rest assured that your talents are no less impressive in the eyes of God, and will always be “applauded” when directed to the service of His people.

Our interests and abilities are varied, and our volunteer options are endless, as we are called to give our talents back to God in loving service. Examine your heart and prayerfully discern your gifts, then direct those gifts towards serving the people of God.

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A Letter From Our Pastor

WHAT IS THE My dear sisters and brothers,

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Real Purpose

lessings to you all as we enjoy our Northwest summer. I am writing this at the beginning of June after some incredibly warm days. It is my prayer that as you read this, we will not have entered into another fire season like last year which affected so many people.

As we prepare each newsletter, Catholic Stewardship Consultants sends me ideas for what to write. I truly appreciate their efforts, but I always like to make them my own. The topic that they sent me was centered on the real purpose and meaning of our lives. What a great question to ponder.

Do you ever take time to think about your purpose in life? As a priest, I certainly do. There have been times in my life of discouragement, fear, and frustration when I thought, “What am I really supposed to do? What does God want me to do? How am I supposed to serve as my ALS continues to sap my strength?” For eons, philosophers, thinkers, theologians, writers, poets, and ordinary folks like you and I have considered these very questions.

As Catholics, we possess an incredible gift of truth — that we already know the answers to these questions!

When we consider the many facets of life in our parish community, there are so many ministries and endeavors that go beyond merely attending Mass. From our stewardship efforts, to community outreach/services such as the men’s shelter, the community kitchen, St. Vincent de Paul, and more, there are many ways in which we serve our community, sharing our God-given talents.

Yet, as we undertake these important pursuits — both within and outside of the parish — we must always remember that our ultimate goal is salvation, to be one with God forever in heaven. After all, the only reason we exist, the only reason our Church exists, is the same as the reason Jesus joined us and became a part of us here on earth — He came to save humanity.

We use the term the “Body of Christ” to describe the Church with Christ as the head. We are all parts of that body, and the parts of the body must move in the same direction as the body itself — it simply won’t function

OF OUR LIVES?

if the parts are moving in different directions. We are all in this together. This is so true for us as a parish community.

We are here for and with one another with Christ as our head.

When our lives draw to an end, we will not base our success or failure on how much money we have, or whether or not we are famous. Nor will our success or failure depend upon the difference between health and sickness, or pleasure and pain, or even being nice or nasty.

Rather, it will be the difference between being saved and not being saved.

I often think of my family members who have passed away, and as a priest, I deal with that issue with others on a very regular basis. I’m grateful that I was able to bury my sister Pat’s ashes at our parish cemetery as an ever-present reminder of me to pray for her. She did not much like the Catholic Church and simply wanted her ashes to be scattered. I sometimes wonder if she and so many others ever fully realized that salvation was the answer to so many of our questions in life.

Please take some time pondering and praying with the question I began with, “What is the real purpose of our lives?” We don’t need to turn to philosophers and poets to find the answer. We only need to turn to Jesus, who is the answer, who is the Way, the Truth and the Life.

Through Him and with Him, we discover ever-anew the real purpose of our life.

Let us be good stewards of the faith that has been handed on to us. Let us be generous in sharing our time, talents, and treasure on behalf of our parish as we seek to serve and lead others to the fullness of life in Jesus Christ, the salvation of our souls.

In Christ, I love you.

Fr. Jim

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Parish Community Shares in T

he COVID-19 pandemic has affected all of us. But even in such a difficult time, there were still blessings to be found, no matter how small. The time of church closures helped us realize the blessing we have in our parish community and, especially, the opportunity to receive the Eucharist.

When the parish closed, Steward for Pastoral Care Bene Reece took the step to get a list of all the parishioners who were homebound and isolated, and then had volunteers call them.

“We had a big group of volunteers who were reaching out to people,” Bene says. “Some of these were people they didn’t even know.”

Fr. Lou Cunningham received special training to be able to safely administer the sacraments at the hospital and assisted living facilities.

“Both Fr. Jim and Fr. Lou never stopped visiting the sick and the dying that asked for sacraments, prayer, and spiritual support during the pandemic,” Bene says.

Bene also organized a project to give gifts and blessed items to all the homebound, about 200 people

Stan Brandt with the items he received in the mail during the church closures

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Compassion

and Provides

in total. This continued through multiple holidays during the pandemic. The gifts included door rosaries made by the Benedictine Monks at Saint Martin’s Abbey, batteryoperated candles that were blessed, holy water, and cards of encouragement, to name a few.

A large part of the outreach has also included streaming Mass. Bene notes that several people who hadn’t been coming to Mass before the pandemic were reunited with their faith. The online Mass also drew Scott and Katy McPherson to SMP. The couple had been thinking about becoming Catholic for several years — Katy was raised Episcopalian and Scott was Armenian Orthodox.

“We had heard about Saint Michael, but one Sunday when churches were closed we watched the livestream Mass,” Scott says. “The whole Mass was beautiful. We just decided that ‘This is where we want to go. Let’s become Catholic — let’s just do it.’”

The couple was brought into the Church in January. They are excited about the Catholic faith and being part of the community at SMP. And while they certainly appreciated the livestream Mass, they are thankful to be at Mass in person with the opportunity to receive the Eucharist.

In recent months, the Eucharist has also been brought to the homebound since many of our neighbors don’t feel comfortable attending Mass in person.

“I’ve heard so many stories of people, after months of not receiving the Eucharist, the power that it had, and the tears,” says Kim Kondrat, Steward for Community

Essential Outreach During Pandemic Outreach. “It is such a joy to hear that.”

Kim also coordinates the St. Elizabeth Ann Seton Grief Support and the St. Peregrine Cancer Support groups. The cancer support group met virtually throughout the last year, and the grief group has started meeting again in person while observing COVID-19 precautions.

“The grief support was so incredibly needed,” Kim says. “There is so much extra grief with the isolation.”

Another group that adapted to the uncertainty of the past year is the Prayer Shawl Ministry. Members meet in a park when the weather has allowed. While making the shawls, they pray for the person who will be receiving one. This ministry has been a valuable way to offer hope and comfort during the pandemic.

Kim looks forward to the day when life is back to normal. She has been happy to see ministries resuming their activities, as the support and outreach are so needed. In turn, she feels blessed to have had the opportunity to reach out to those who were so isolated.

“It is important to have our faith family reach out to each other,” Kim says. “One of the side effects of the pandemic was isolation and loneliness. The gifts and calls gave everyone a little something to look forward to, to break the loneliness and isolation.”

“It is important to have our faith family reach out to each other. One of the side effects of the pandemic was isolation and loneliness.

The gifts and calls gave everyone a little something to look forward to, in order to break the loneliness and isolation.” — KIM KONDRAT

Bene Reece, Steward for Pastoral Care

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SHOULDER TO SHOULDER MINISTRY

Lightens

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hat person sitting next to you at ministry receives applications from Mass or walking in front of you in parishioners needing financial help, the line to receive Communion — their with specific needs outlined and demeanor, their appearance is perfectly financial documentation provided. Chris normal. But behind that normalcy could reviews the applications and deletes be a terrible financial struggle. And that all identifying information before the struggle is why our Shoulder to Shoulder ministry members receive them. The Ministry was created. members review the applications and Mike Oakland serves in the ministry make their recommendations to Fr. Jim. that has helped 160 families since its The first grant was made on Aug. 10, founding in 2008.

2009 — to date, $472,828.68 has been “Fr. Jim recognized during distributed. the recession of 2008 that some Funding for the ministry comes from parishioners were having a very difficult the rebate Saint Michael Parish receives Parishioner, Mike Oakland time with money,” Mike says. “So, he from the annual Catholic appeal. created the Shoulder to Shoulder Ministry that serves “An important point is that we don’t write checks only parishioners. We do have ministries that serve to the individual applicants,” Mike says. “We write the whole community, but he wanted this just for checks to the service provider.” parishioners. It helps with unexpected, unanticipated Mike cites one case in which a single mother financial burdens.” with a disabled son was dealing with a terrible roof The name “Shoulder to Shoulder” means that we leak. The leak was causing a serious mold problem are standing side by side, helping our neighbors. that was complicating the son’s health. Shoulder to “My vision is standing side by side with those Shoulder recommended that the ministry pay for a in need,” Mike says. “That has been one of the new roof. Other typical cases involve families who revelations for me. You go to Mass and talk and visit are behind in their rent because their work hours with people, and have communication with people, have been cut. but you often don’t see the hurt behind them. You “There have been people wanting to take additional don’t know of their struggles, perhaps with eviction, classes so they can qualify for a higher wage at work,” or they are consumed with guilt because they can’t Mike says. “They can get more pay to help their family. pay medical bills. You don’t understand the depth of This is an example of a need we pay for.” hurt until you have a program like this.”

The Shoulder to Shoulder Ministry provides an The Shoulder to Shoulder Ministry consists excellent means to practice stewardship within our parish. of five members with the parish administrator, “People understand that when we exceed our Chris Peterson, as the staff representative. The goal during our annual Catholic appeal, that money

“You go to Mass and talk and visit with people, and have communication with people, but you often don’t see the hurt behind them. You don’t know of their struggles, perhaps with eviction, or they are consumed with guilt because they can’t pay medical bills. You don’t understand the depth of hurt until you have a program like this.” — MIKE OAKLAND 6

the Burden and Addresses Important Needs comes back to the parish and is used to fund Shoulder to Shoulder,” Mike says. “We do have parishioners who are so supportive of the ministry that they contribute directly to the ministry, recognizing that all they have comes from God and they are willing to give back to God’s people during their time of need.”

If the ministry has sufficient funds in its account — which is kept separately from parish operating funds — the extra money can be allocated to other parish programs, such as the St. Vincent de Paul Society that serves the broader community.

The ministry members meet when applications are filed, and work to turn the application request around within that week. Fr. Jim is the only person who meets in person with the applicants.

“We do the turnaround quickly because often the applicant is in dire circumstances and needs an immediate response,” Mike says. “They might be facing eviction if they don’t have a check by the end of the month.”

The ministry members themselves experience a deepening of their personal faith as they witness the generosity of fellow parishioners. They also experience the gratitude of those who have been helped.

“It really gives you a deepened faith — you get to see the goodness of people, their kindness, generosity, and willingness to sacrifice to help the less fortunate,” Mike says. “It’s a call to take care of the poor, feed the hungry, shelter the homeless. It is answering the Corporal Works of Mercy, you see it played out in Saint Michael Parish life.”

As the Shoulder to Shoulder Ministry continues, Mike sees the possibility of expanding its work to compile a database of parishioners with specific talents who may be able to help fulfill some of the needs brought to the group.

“It would be matching parishioners’ talents with parishioners’ needs,” he says.

Anyone with questions about helping Shoulder to Shoulder or about making an application may call Chris Peterson, Parish Administrator, at 360-754-4667.

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PO Box766 | Olympia, WA 98507-0766 (360) 754-4667 | saintmichaelparish.org facebook.com/saintmichaelparish @smp.olympia saintmichaelparish youtube.com/c/saintmichaelparish

Welcoming Fr. Thomas Tran vocation. The sisters encouraged him to go spend time discerning at a monastery.

“After one week with the Cistercians, I fell in love with the community, the chanting, the songs,” Fr. Thomas says.

“I wanted to be part of it, and I lived with that community for 14 months before I discerned a further vocation.”

In January 2003, Fr. Thomas joined a rural Trappist community in Vina, Calif., at the Abbey of New Clairvaux.

The transition to the United States was very challenging for him.

“It was a very hard adjustment for me,” Fr. Thomas admits, “I was adapting to new cultures, new languages, new systems, and ways of being. I was lucky to live with American people, and that was a big support for me, especially with the language.”

After several years with the Trappist community, Fr. Thomas was struggling with severe allergies and decided again to discern his vocation. Now he was led to consider becoming a diocesan priest. He was accepted into the

continued from front cover Archdiocese of Seattle on Aug. 1, 2010.

“They placed me in a parish for the pastoral experience for one year before they sent me to seminary,” Fr. Thomas says. “In the fall of 2011, I started studying philosophy at Gonzaga in Spokane. Then I studied theology at Mount Angel Seminary and then spent one year at SMP in Olympia.”

Fr. Thomas was ordained to the priesthood on June 6, 2020, and he is particularly looking forward to returning to SMP. He also anticipates serving the Vietnamese community. He enjoys playing ping-pong, bicycling, fishing, and camping.

“I am excited to go back, and this feels like home to me,” Fr. Thomas says. “I was a seminarian before, but now I am a priest in the community, and I have a good relationship with the people. My goal is to assist Fr. Jim and support him.”

Let us welcome Fr. Thomas back to our SMP faith community this month!

WEEKEND MASS SCHEDULE Saturday: Vigil 5pm | Sunday: 7:30am, 9:30am, 11:30am & 5pm.