Farewell Father Qui Thac {Rest in Peace Marian}

 Zachary incenses Father Qui Thac at the preparation of the altar during Marian's funeral Mass.

As our Holy Universal Church enters into the celebrations of the Ascension followed by Pentecost, the selected readings recount Jesus' readying his disciples to let Him go and preparing them for life after his ascension: 

Jesus said to his disciples:d
"Now I am going to the one who sent me,
and not one of you asks me, 'Where are you going?'
But because I told you this, grief has filled your hearts.
But I tell you the truth, it is better for you that I go.
For if I do not go, the Advocate will not come to you.
But if I go, I will send him to you.
And when he comes he will convict the world
in regard to sin and righteousness and condemnation:
sin, because they do not believe in me;
righteousness, because I am going to the Father
and you will no longer see me;
condemnation, because the ruler of this world has been condemned."
~John 6: 5-11

As we hear these Words proclaimed today by our beloved pastor Father Qui Thac, they are especially meaningful.  For he, too, is going to the Father (in a manner of speaking).  Discerning a call to monastic life, our cherished priest will enter the Benedictine Monastery, St. Martin's Abbey in Lacey, WA, in July.  We celebrate his devotion to our Lord and his willingness to follow wherever God's call may take him.  What a gift for our community to witness our pastor take this plunge into discerning life as a monk, serving God in a profoundly counter-cultural priestly lifestyle at the Abbey.  We will be sad to see him go, and we shall miss him terribly.  Yet knowing that he is so faithfully following the promptings of the Holy Spirit gives us great consolation in our sorrow at saying farewell.

Listen carefully, my son, to the master's instructions, and attend to them with the ear of your heart.  - Prologue of the Rule of St. Benedict

Our Holy Archbishop Peter Sartain wrote a letter which was read aloud at each of the Masses last Sunday to inform us of Father Qui Thac's departure.  Our incoming priest is Father Joseph Altenhofen, ordained June 12, 2010, serving currently at St. Joseph in Vancouver, Washington.  Fr. Altenhofen is in our daily prayers as he prepares to come lead our Sacred Heart parish and serve as the chaplain for our mission, Western Washington University's Newman Catholic Campus Ministry.  Zachary remembers Fr. Altenhofen as a well spoken, outgoing seminarian who helped lead, rally and inspire Quo Vadis campers.  Our future looks bright.

Father Qui Thac elevates Jesus, Truly Present in the Eucharist

Our friend and faithful parishioner, Marian Main, died on Mother's Day, and was buried on Ascension Thursday (yesterday).  Marian's funeral Mass may be the final funeral our boys have the privilege of serving with Father Qui Thac before his entrance into the monastery.  Over the past six years, Zachary, Joseph and Peter have served dozens of funerals with Father, and Marian's funeral was especially meaningful for many reasons.  Marian had a profound impact on those who knew her and her husband, Jerry.  Our church was packed with people from many denominations, who respectfully witnessed Benediction before the Mass of Christian Burial for Marian.  Normally the Blessed Sacrament (Jesus) is not displayed on the altar for adoration before a funeral.  But Marian's husband, Jerry, fostered a special devotion to adoring Jesus in the Blessed Sacrament (every Saturday from 2-3AM to be exact) during her extended illness.  Jerry found profound peace and consolation in spending time with Jesus even as his heart yearned for the love of his life as dementia took Marian further and further away.

Pall bearers carry Marian's body from the church to the hearse.

Preaching with a gentle passion, Fr. Qui Thac spoke lovingly about Marian and Jerry, sharing the touching stories spoken by family and friends during the previous night's vigil service.  Preaching zealously, he called us out, exhorting all who loved Marian to follow Christ more faithfully and live in Him, in the Eucharist.  Father boldly exclaimed that anyone not moved to live their life more fully in Christ by Marian's example is simply a fool. 

Immediately following the heartfelt, impassioned sermon, a woman in the back began to complain out-loud to those near her about the (exact) number of minutes Father spent speaking. And so it goes.

Fear of the LORD is the beginning of knowledge;
fools despise wisdom and discipline.

~Proverbs 1:7

 Jerry thanks Father Qui Thac following the funeral Mass for Marian, his wife of 59 and three quarter years.

 Jerry sprinkles holy water, a blessing upon his wife's casket as it is loaded into the hearse.

Jesus said to his disciples:
"I have much more to tell you, but you cannot bear it now.
But when he comes, the Spirit of truth,
he will guide you to all truth.
He will not speak on his own,
but he will speak what he hears,
and will declare to you the things that are coming.
~ John 16:12-13

 COME HOLY SPIRIT!

Visit Jen @ Conversion Diary

the Hearse and the Cement Truck {Zac's Eagle Project}

One of our family's ongoing ministries at our parish includes serving at funerals.  The boys as altar boys, and I as sacristan, have served at many, many funerals over the years.  Almost every funerals comes complete with a hearse, but the most recent funeral also came with a cement truck... Well, the funeral itself didn't come with a cement truck, but Zachary's Eagle Project was cemented right in the middle of a funeral.  So half of the family was within, and the other half was without, and I floated in between capturing a few shots for the official record of this amazing and ongoing Eagle Project.

 

Ferndale Ready Mix to the rescue!

A hero of this stage of the Eagle Project is our dear and fellow Scouter Tom G., who has spent countless hours of his free time away from his family volunteering to complete some of the very technical aspects of the pre-construction form assembly and site prep.  With the help of a few co-workers and a very mellow dog, Tom anchored the cementing operation while allowing Zachary to play an active part in the 'mud' pour. 

Tim slipped away from work to be on site for the big moments, but stood back as a supportive spectator to let Zachary take the lead.

The beautiful sight of completed forms at Zac's Eagle Project almost overshadows the beauty of (nearly) spring blossoms... soon and very soon the carport will be truly built. 

After the cement pour and funeral Mass, Zachary updates our beloved pastor, Father Qui Thac Nguyen, over lunch.

Funeral Plus {Silverdale Visit}

Violet, Sawyer, Weston, Peter & Joseph

Weston (1) the day after his first hair cut, with Peter (10)

Aunt Bridget with Weston (blink!)

Joseph and Violet cheer Sawyer & Peter, speeding on the plasma cars.

Joseph (12)

Violet (4), Weston (1) and Sawyer (3) with apples picked for them 

(but mostly fed to the horses)

Joseph, Peter and I travelled to Silverdale/Bremerton Thursday, where the funeral Mass for my cousins' grandpa, Edward M. Dougherty, was celebrated at Holy Trinity Catholic Church.  Grandpa Ed was known for his deep faith, as well as for his amazing garden, in which he grew pumpkins for us which were inscribed with our names.   May he rest in peace!

Along the route, we dropped off our two dogs, Rocky and Charlie at the Poulsbo Animal Clinic,
which is owned and operated by Tim's brother Craig & his wife, Bethany (DVMs).
We love having veterinarians in the family, and often trade their services for whatever they might like/want/need from one of our pawn shops.

What was supposed to be a quick stop en route for routine immunizations became something quite involved when the initial exam showed that Rocky had 3 teeth that needed removal.  Two were molars with decay (rare in dogs) and one was a broken canine with exposed pulp.  Lucky for Rocky, they were able to schedule the tooth extraction surgery that afternoon.

It was lucky for us, too ~ not only did the 'same day surgery' save us another trip (2-3 hour drive with ferry ride); but it allowed us to spend the afternoon playing with Violet, Sawyer and Weston while both Dr. Craig and Dr. Bethany were in surgery with Rocky.

The kids spent the oddly warm November afternoon outside zooming down the driveway on the plasma cars, climbing apple trees, feeding horses, and pushing the kids on their swing set.

What an unexpected pleasure, and quite a treat to spend a day with family, who made themselves totally available for us on our visit.   May we follow their example and always remember to make ourselves totally available to whomever may come to visit us!

Altar Servers

Zachary loves to serve. So do his brothers. Sometimes they argue (politely) over who will serve at Mass and who won't (although there can be 3 servers, the "norm" is 2 on Sundays, and 1 or none on weekdays). This week there will be 2 more funerals, at which all 3 boys will serve.

What I love most about our boys being altar servers:

• I love having them so close to the Lord!
• I am awed by their reverence.
• I am inspired by their desire to serve.
• They have a real sense of being connected to, and an important part of, our liturgy.

They like to hear stories from Tim about his days as an altar server.
Some stories highlight the "what TO do," and some stories focus more on the "what NOT to do."
I wish I had a few photos of him as an altar server!