During this difficult time of isolation and communal separation from Church, it is more important than ever to remember that we are all united together as the Body of Christ. As Bishop Mueggenborg has said, "We want our people to know that Christ is here for them through us as his mystical body, the church, even though public celebration of the Eucharist is temporarily suspended. We're encouraging everyone to remember the common good as part of our love of God and neighbor as we do our part to slow down this pandemic."
At Christ Our Hope, we are trying to find creative and new ways to connect with each you and each other. Some may sound different from what we have tried in the past, but these new times demand new action. If you would be interested in joining a small prayer group reflection, email Deanna Tighe.
We know that some of our Christ Our Hope family may be experiencing more difficulty, vulnerability and isolation than others. It is our greatest hope that we can all come together and support each other during this unprecedented time of disconnection. Please email Deanna Tighe.
One way we are trying to reach out to our Christ Our Hope family is through a newly formed Care Team. The CareTeam is a telephone ministry that is lay-led and lay-driven that expresses our church's care and concern for *every* member and "permanent visitor" in our parish. Volunteers will reach out phone to see how people are doing and offer to talk and pray with them about what they are experiencing during this difficult time. This will also allow us to identify the most vulnerable parishioners and provide for them as needed. The more volunteers we have on the Care Team the better as there are many people to call and reach out to and you can determine the number of people you want to contact.
The only requirement for being a Care Team volunteer is that you are a loving volunteer who is able to spend a small amount time on the phone checking up on our parishioners by making this phone call of care and love, reminding people that they belong in the Body of Christ!
At this time, it is important to remember that each of us are called to be a beacon of hope. Right now, the Josephinum is closed to visitors and there are no events. That means for many of our brothers and sisters upstairs, they are experiencing more isolation than normal. Here are some ways our community can provide continuing care for the Josephinum. If you are interested in participating in any of these ways or have other ideas, email Deanna Tighe.
One way we can continue to support our brothers and sisters at the Josephinum is to write cards to residents. and other downtown communities. We are looking for cards to show that they are not alone and that our community continues to care for them. You can mail them to 1902 Second Ave, Seattle WA 98101 addressed to Christ Our Hope. We will then deliver these cards to residents.
We also need parishioners to join a soup brigade who can help cook meals that will be delivered by Catholic Community Services staff to isolated and vulnerable residents.
This would be an on-call volunteer ministry where you would bring the meals to Christ Our Hope for CCS to deliver when needed.