September Events - Mark Your Calendars!

Happy Wednesday! I hope everyone is enjoying this return to beautiful summer weather.  This week's blog update is all about planning ahead.  As you can well imagine, the outreach committee has spent their summer preparing for the busy-ness of fall.  I thought it might be helpful for everyone to see what is in store, so that you can start to plan accordingly.  Thus, there was an insert in the bulletin this last weekend that listed out all the programming and events we have scheduled (at this time) through November.  In case you missed it, I thought I would include at least the September events.  If you have questions about any of these upcoming programs and events, please do not hesitate to contact me.  

Outreach News – Upcoming Events and Programs for September!

Mark your calendars and plan to attend! More information and updates will be made available as these dates draw closer. 

September 18 – A Faithful Response to Homelessness.  This is a collaborative project between Seattle University School of Theology and Ministry and Christ Our Hope to develop a plan for our congregation’s response to the homelessness crisis in Seattle.  This work was started earlier this year at two of our Civic Association gatherings which focused on the state of emergency declared by the mayor.  Participants will gather after 9:30 AM Mass to participate in facilitated small group dialogues, followed by a large group keynote in the worship space with three guest speakers.  The event will conclude with an optional community lunch in the lobby.  From the small group sessions, notes will be compiled by the facilitators to draft a plan of action for our parish.  We will reconvene at a later date in the fall to review the draft and give input which will lead to a final plan of action.  This event will begin at approximately 11:00 AM and conclude by 1:30 PM. PLEASE RSVP to Frances if you plan to attend.  

September 15, 22, 29, October 6 and 13 Faithful Citizenship Series: Preparing for the November Election This educational series is being co-sponsored by St. James Cathedral, St. Joseph Church, and Christ Our Hope and will feature keynote presentations on the topics of Faithful Citizenship, Housing Advocacy, Immigration, Life Issues, and Environmental Issues.  Each presentation will start at 6:30 PM and conclude by 8:00 PM.  There will be refreshments, information table, and on-site voter registration.  More details on speakers and location will be forthcoming.

August/September Choir of Hope In the words of the Director, Dr. James Savage, “Choir of Hope soprano, Selena Carsiotis and Christ our Hope Outreach Minister, Frances Farrell are helping me plan an astounding kick-off for the new choir year.    We do not have all the details in place yet, but I am proposing a day-long vocal workshop at Christ our Hope on Saturday, August 27 for Choir of Hope and residents of the Josephinum and various downtown housing buildings.  FREE of course!   I hope to have two of the outstanding voice teachers of the Northwest here to lead voice classes along with some other great things.  In addition, we are hoping to schedule a big kickoff Supper with Singing on Tuesday, September 6 for Choir of Hope and residents of various buildings who love to sing.”

And this is only the beginning! Stay tuned for more. 

A little bit of Mid-Week Motivation from Thomas Merton ~

The beginning of love is to let those we love be perfectly themselves, and not to twist them to fit our own image. Otherwise we love only the reflection of ourselves we find in them.