July 09, 2026 – Pastor’s Note

Listen to this Pastor’s Note instead: https://morefrmoore.podbean.com/e/july-09-2026-pastors-note/

Spiritual Vision for the Parish

When the Archbishop published his letter on the Sacred Heart, the priests of the Archdiocese were really touched by seeing his personal spirituality on display. That was an “Aha!” moment that helped me understand what parishioners mean when they want my Pastor’s Note to be more “spiritual”. I am willing to try, but I honestly have no idea how to do it, since (1) I am not going to try to replicate the kind of daily devotionals people can get from a Magnificat subscription nor the Scriptural reflections that I provide in my Sunday homilies and (2) I will still need to use this space for business items, too.

I talked out this tension with Fr. Tyler this week and he mentioned feedback he has received that we need a “spiritual vision” for the parish. I was somewhat surprised to hear that, because I am super clear about my spiritual vision, but I am starting to suspect this is one of those conversations I have only ever had in my head. So let me try, in a limited space, to have that conversation out loud.

There is no salvation through anyone else [than Jesus], nor is there any other name under heaven given to the human race by which we are to be saved. -Acts 4:12

This is it. This is the purpose of life, the raison d’être, the whole shooting match. Without Jesus, nothing matters and we are doomed. With Jesus, we find salvation in this life and the next. As such, everything we have and everything that we are should be put at the service of bringing people to faith in Jesus, including and especially our communal efforts as a Parish Family.

He said to him, “You shall love the Lord, your God, with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind. This is the greatest and the first commandment. The second is like it: You shall love your neighbor as yourself.” -Matthew 22: 37-39

Go, therefore, and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. -Matthew 28: 19-20

This is how we bring the world to Jesus. Matthew 22 is universally applicable to all Christians and Matthew 28 (which was addressed to the Apostles) is applicable first to the clergy and then, by extension, to lay people undertaking apostolates.

How we concretely live out these commands of the Lord must necessarily be shaped by the Listening Sessions we are having for Partners in the Gospel, which might be why people are frustrated that we do not have a parish vision, spiritual or otherwise. It would be dishonest for me to commit us to one before our Listening Sessions are complete.

However, if you want to imagine a Partners-free, Pastor-run world in which I get to unilaterally set the direction, then this is what I would do:

For loving God, I would focus on beautiful, reverent, and rubrically obedient liturgies. Over the next few years, as administrative restructuring dies down, I hope we might have conversations about our Eucharistic practices, our musical expressions, and how to support devotion and dedication in our liturgical ministers.

For loving neighbor, I would want to see the Corporal and Spiritual Works of Mercy lived out in neighborhood-based micro-communities of 8 – 20 Catholic families who pray together, support each other, and push one another towards greater holiness. And I would want these neighborhood groups to be reaching out to their non-Catholic neighbors with similar support.

But, again, the needs that I see as the Pastor, and the solutions I propose, need to be melded with the vision that comes from the Partners process. We will see where all of this goes.

Recorded Pastor’s Notes

Two months ago, I was speaking with some key volunteers who asked me about something that I had already addressed in the Pastor’s Note. They admitted they do not read the note and said that the last thing they want to do after a week of work is more e-mail time. That hit home, because I am the same way with a lot of the newsletters I subscribe to.

So for the last two months, I have been recording and podcasting the Pastor’s Note, for those who would prefer to listen on their way to work or while brushing their teeth.

I still encourage reading the bulletin, since that is where you find out about specific parish happenings, but I am hoping this is somewhat helpful. You can find the Pastor’s Note podcast at https://morefrmoore.podbean.com/, or on YouTube or Apple Podcasts.

FIFO System for E-mail

I was reminded recently that my life as the top of a not insignificant org-chart will never be manageable unless I rely heavily on my staff. To that end, I am now experimenting with strictly focusing on my oldest e-mails first (called “first in, first out” or FIFO). This will, intentionally, put more day-to-day and urgent matters on the shoulders of my staff, freeing me up to focus on more strategic, organizational, and high-impact tasks.

Please, I beg you, if you need something quickly, find a staff member first! (Org chart: https://www.whatcomcatholic.org/staff) If it is urgent, my staff knows how to get ahold of me. Otherwise, I will respond to you, but it will likely take 6 – 8 weeks.