Preparing for Mass over Zoom: If attending by Zoom create a sacred space for yourself and your family. It is helpful to light a candle and put down a small cloth where you will place your bit of bread and wine. Download and print the worship aids. We gather at 10:00 am and mass begins at 10:30 am. Request Zoom link HERE.

Come to Church: All are welcome! When you ask people how they found us, the answer is often that they heard about us from a friend. Be that friend. Invite them to come with you to mass in our Sacred Space. We encourage you to come in person if you can. Advent is the best time to bring newcomers to church. We can all begin the new year together!

Potluck this Sunday! Bring something that is simple and easy to share.

Reconciliation Service: This Sunday. December 21st, as part of our mass. Every year we look forward to the sacrament of reconciliation, to that fresh start feeling as we proceed into a new year. We celebrate a communal reconciliation service at Emmaus.

Modern Mystics Book Group and Potluck. Our next discussion is this Sunday, December 21st, at 1:45 pm by Zoom. We are meeting in person as well as online and will have a potluck meal again. We have changed our schedule to the first and third Sundays of the month. We will be discussing chapter six of the book, Tears of Things by Richard Rohr. Contact Deacon Connie or Bishop Kedda if you want to join the group.

Christmas Eve Mass: Thursday. We will be celebrating Christmas on December 24th at 6:00 pm. Since community members are scattered to the four directions, this mass will be shared by Zoom. Please plan to join us. Email Bishop Kedda for the link. You will also find the link on our Facebook page this year.

Community Business: We expect to have a meeting on December 27th, but that is so close to Christmas, we may not. Stay tuned.

Intercommunity Peace & Justice Center magazine is now HERE. The focus is on Immigrants and our response to them.

Interfaith Alliance: Interfaith Alliance is working alongside faith leaders, organizers, and partners across the country to confront these abuses and to make it clear: this is not just an immigration issue — it is a moral issue that goes to the heart of who we are. They put together a short video message HERE. Choose Love not ICE.

Food Bank: Our support is crucial! Please bring canned goods and other non-perishables to church with you on Sunday and put them in our food bank bag. To donate to the Thurston County Food Bank, go HERE. Your generosity means families in our community will have the resources they need, even as our food bank lines continue to grow.

Synaxis: During this difficult time in our country Bishop Kedda recommends prayer time based on the readings of the day. One opportunity is Synaxis that takes place every day at 3:00 pm Pacific time and is sponsored by the Franciscans of Reconciliation. Use link HERE. Come join us for prayer.

Dispute Resolution Center: Online Training on January 27th. "Impactful Conversations -- Giving and Receiving Feedback." 8:30 am to 12:30 pm. Go HERE to find out more. Cost is $75.

Old Catholic Theology Summer School in Utrecht: July 5-10; 12-17, 2026. Plan ahead! See the information HERE.

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Websites to visit often: Bookmark our community website HERE and also our diocesan website HERE.

Follow Interfaith Works on Facebook HERE.

Facebook Page: Stay in touch! Visit our Emmaus ECC Facebook page for news during the week HERE. Visit the PNW Diocesan page HERE.

Bishop Kedda's blog: You can check it out HERE. Right now, she has started a series of reflections on her book All Creation Waits. Much has happened as the years have gone by -- how much of what she wrote is still relevant today.

If you have suggestions for how our community of Emmaus could be reaching out into our neighborhood to make a difference, contact Deacon Connie and share your ideas.

She conceived

the holy child within her

 because

“the Holy Ghost

over the

 bent

 world

 broods

with warm breast

and with ah! bright wings.”

Softly caring, watching,

always at hand,

warming

the

world

 with love.

God among us.

God with us.

Be born for us soon,

soon.



Quote: Gerard Manley Hopkins from “God’s Grandeur.”

The Sunday Website at St. Louis University

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On Being a Different Kind of Catholic Church

I received this message from Bishop Tomasz Jordan Puchalski of the Reformed Catholic Church in Poland. I ask you to take time to read it. We all need to know our faith tradition. As you are aware, we are in full communion with the Reformed Catholic Church in Poland, and we too are rooted in the Old Catholic faith tradition:  

My dearest sister,

I wrote a reflection on today’s sad commemoration. Maybe you can share your thoughts about this:

On July 18, 1870, during the First Vatican Council, two dogmas were proclaimed: the dogma of papal infallibility and the dogma of the pope’s universal jurisdiction. This decision, expressed in the constitution Pastor aeternus, declared the Bishop of Rome infallible ex sese, non autem ex consensu Ecclesiae – by his own authority, not by the consent of the whole Church. For many, this marked a turning point, dividing the path of the ancient, undivided Catholic Church from the newly emerging vision of the Catholic Church under the leadership of the “new papacy.” For this reason, this date is also particularly significant for our Old Catholic community of the Reformed Catholic Church in Poland.

Although our Church is not formally a member of the Union of Utrecht, it fully embraces the Declaration of Utrecht from September 24, 1889, which states:

“We hold fast to the faith of the ancient Church, as expressed by St. Vincent of Lérins: We hold that which has been believed everywhere, always, and by all; for that is truly and properly Catholic.” This principle forms the foundation of our position regarding the papacy.

Read the whole message HERE.

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Interfaith Works Homeless Services: Donation drop offs can be taken to our admin office 110 11th Ave SE 10am-4pm, Mon-Thurs

Thanks so much!

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ECC Statement on Race:

Our nation is in desperate need of racial healing and transformation. The healing process cannot begin until the truth of our country's past and present sins are confronted. As people of Christian faith, we acknowledge and renounce both past and present dehumanizing, oppressive, abusive, enslaving, violent and lethal actions and inactions against African American communities. We proclaim that it is time for metanoia – turning away from evil and turning toward God's liberating love.

As members of the ECC, we believe in the power of communication to heal and that the search for truth can lead to justice. As such, we pray that our country will begin a process of truth-seeking that will lead to long-term reconciliation. We in the ECC pledge to begin a deliberate and transparent truth-telling process within our own faith communities.

Jesus, the heart of our faith, lived and died for love. He showed no partiality. God's community is diverse and totally integrated. We pray for God's guidance and mercy as we work to attain racial justice and build the beloved community, walking together the path paved with truth, love, equity, and justice. In the prophetic tradition, we boldly proclaim, "Let justice roll down like waters and righteousness like a mighty stream." (Amos 5:24)

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Elevator speech: An Ecumenical Catholic is someone who wants to engage deeply with the example of the early Church, when congregations were small, inclusive, participatory, and centered on Christ’s message of love, collaboration, and service. Ecumenical Catholics believe that God is present in all things, and that to know and care for all the people, the earth, and all the living things around us is how God wants us to serve Them. (Submitted by Beverly Marshall-Saling).

ECC YouTube Channel: Go HERE for videos of the 2022 ECC Synod. You can also catch the "Parade of Parishes" which shows off what various ECC communities are doing to be churches in action. It is awesome to see other ECC communities around the country.

ECC Ecclesiology: HERE.

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ECC Diocese of the Pacific Northwest

Vision Statement

Ecumenical Catholics of the Pacific Northwest

Restoring relationships of justice, peace, and love

with God, with one another, and with all of Creation

by living out our baptismal ministry as the Body of Christ.

Mission Statement

We are the Ecumenical Catholic Church of the Pacific Northwest embracing a network of sacramental communities in Washington, Oregon, and Idaho. As authentic Catholics we celebrate our continuity with the undivided Church of the first millennium and believe that salvation is offered to all. Our unity is built on scripture and the Nicene Creed, and Eucharist is the visible sign of that unity. We are in communion with the association of Churches known as the Ecumenical Catholic Communion and function within the generous parameters of the ECC Constitution.

We Believe

We are the People of God, baptized in Christ – bishop, priests, deacons, and laity – who believe that all people are unique and sacred. We believe that all people possess valuable gifts and talents to be shared. Participation of all the baptized in the work of the Church is essential to our call as the Body of Christ serving in this region. Therefore, we are a synodal Church.

We Offer

The ECC Diocese of the Pacific Northwest offers a joyful way of being Catholic focused on love, not guilt. We welcome all people and offer unity with diversity. We commit ourselves to dialogue and cooperation with others. We believe we have a responsibility to be open to ecumenical dialogue with all the baptized, and we support interfaith cooperation and understanding.

We do

We join together as Church to follow the messianic call of the Holy Spirit to form sacramental communities, to preach the good news of salvation and liberation to all, to offer a refuge in Christ for those who suffer prejudice, and to conform our lives to the example and teachings of Christ Jesus. The setting in which we live fosters an awe of God’s majestic creation, and respect for the land, water, and mountains, as well as the diverse animal life, and all the people who lived on this sacred ground before us.

Distinctions

We are the people of God who seek to dive deeper into the Catholic faith handed down to us by our ancestors from the teachings of the early Church. We believe that anyone who is gifted and called by God, qualified for ordination, and is called by a community, may present themselves for ordination. We believe that marriage is a partnership for the whole of life, and if two adults intend to commit themselves to such a union, they may celebrate a sacramental marriage. We believe that persons have the right to follow their sincere and informed consciences in moral decision making. We recognize that only the Holy Spirit possesses infallibility. No human or institution can claim this.

The Diocesan Constitution may be read HERE. See Website HERE.

Contemplative Prayer/Scripture study:   noon on Thursdays at St. John Episcopal Church. Contact Fr. David for more information.    

Sundays we gather at 10:00 and mass begins at 10:30. All are welcome to join us! You are also able to join us by Zoom. Email Bishop Kedda for a link.

Thursday study group: 6:30 pm by Zoom with Oregon Episcopalians.

Synaxis: Every day at 3:00 pm. Sponsored by Franciscans of Reconciliation. Use link HERE. Come join us for prayer.

Modern Mystics Book Group: December 21st at 1:45 pm by Zoom. Followed by a potluck.

Christmas Eve Mass: December 24th at 6:00 pm by Zoom only.

Get to Know a Muslim: First Fridays of every month. Open invitation to join them 1:00 to 3:00 pm. For more information read their flyer HERE.

Enter into Friday Stillness: Fridays. Contact Rev. Kathleen Bellefleuille-Rice for more information.