Easter Sunday Mass: Acts 10:34a, 37-43; Col 3:1-4; Jn 20:1-9. “This is the day the Lord has made; let us rejoice and be glad” (Ps 118:24). Alleluia!! Significance of Easter: Easter is the greatest and the most important feast in the Church. It marks the birthday of our eternal hope. "Easter" literally means "the feast of fresh flowers." We Catholics throughout the whole world, celebrate it with pride and jubilation for three major reasons that Pope Francis proffered: “The first Easter message that I would offer you: it is always possible to begin anew, because there is always a new life that God can awaken in us in spite of all our failures. The second message of Easter: faith is not an album of past memories; Jesus is not outdated. He is alive here and now. The third message of Easter: Jesus, the Risen Lord, loves us without limits and is there at every moment of our lives.” Life message: We are to be Resurrection people: Easter, the feast of the Resurrection, gives us the joyful message that we are a “Resurrection people.” There is a Shrine of the Holy Sepulcher in Jerusalem, and pilgrims from all over the world visit a tomb there which is empty with a note at its entrance which says, “He is not here.” It is famous because Jesus Christ, who was once buried there, rose from the dead, leaving an empty tomb, as He had told his disciples he would. Thus, Jesus worked the most important miracle in His life, defying the laws of nature and proving that He is God. We rejoice at this great and unique event by celebrating Easter. Conclusion: This means that we are not supposed to lie buried in the tomb of our sins, evil habits, and dangerous addictions. It gives us the Good News that no tombs can hold us down any longer - not the tombs of despair, discouragement, doubt, or death itself. Instead, we are expected to live a joyful and peaceful life, constantly experiencing the real Presence of the Risen Lord in all the events of our lives. In short, our conviction about the presence of the Risen Lord in our neighbors, and in all those with whom we come into contact, should encourage us to respect them, and to render them loving, humble, selfless service. “This is the day the Lord has made; let us rejoice and be glad” (Ps 118:24).

Saturday Evening (April 8, 2023): Vigil Mass: Rom 6: 3-11; Mt 28:1-10; “Jesus is Lord; He is risen!” The Resurrection of Christ is the basis of our Christian Faith, for it proves that Jesus is God. That is why St. Paul writes: “If Christ has not been raised, then our preaching is in vain; and your Faith is in vain… And if Christ has not been raised, then your Faith is a delusion, and you are still lost in your sins… But in fact, Christ has been raised from the dead, the first fruits of those who have fallen asleep” (I Cor 15:14, 17, 20). In the words of the Catechism of the Catholic Church: "The Resurrection of Jesus is the crowning truth of our Faith in Christ, a Faith believed and lived as the central truth by the first Christian community; handed on as fundamental by Tradition; established by the documents of the New Testament; and preached as an essential part of the Paschal mystery along with the cross..." (CCC # 638). Life Message: If Jesus Christ did not rise from the dead, then the Church is a fraud and Faith is a sham. But if Jesus really did rise from the dead, his message is true! Without the Resurrection, Jesus would have remained forever a good person who had met a tragic end. People would remember some of his teachings, and a handful of people might try to live according to them. All the basic doctrines of Christianity are founded on the truth of the Resurrection. “Jesus is Lord; He is risen!” (Rom 10:9) was the central theme of the kerygma (or "preaching"), of the apostles. There is a story of two women who stood before Notre Dame Cathedral in Paris. One asked, "Why can't we build structures like this anymore?" Her friend answered, "The people who built this had Faith. Today we have only opinions. And you can't build a cathedral with opinions." Conclusion: Easter is the guarantee of our own resurrection. Jesus assured Martha at the tomb of Lazarus: “I am the Resurrection and the Life; whoever believes in Me will live even though he die” (Jn 11:25-26). In fact, the founder of no other religion has an empty tomb as Jesus does. We see the fulfillment of Christ's promise on the empty cross and in the empty tomb. Hence the angel said to the women at Jesus’ tomb: “Why are you looking among the dead for One Who is alive? He is not here but has risen” (Lk 24:5-6). Consequently, Christ will raise us up on the last day, but it is also true, in a sense, that we have already risen with Christ. By virtue of the Holy Spirit, our Christian life is already a participation in the death and Resurrection of Christ.

Homily: Good Friday of the Lord’s Passion Year A. (April 7,2023). Is. 52:13—53:12; Heb. 4:14-16; 5:7-9; John 18:1—19:42. being a “laughingstock to my neighbors, a dread to my friends”, one “forgotten like the unremembered dead”. Good Friday readings bring us to the pinnacle of the holy days in the Christian calendar. While we have heard the story of the passion of our Lord many times, it can still impact us in new ways, opening new insights for us to contemplate in our journey of faith. Isaiah’s prophesy of the suffering servant maps so perfectly with today’s Gospel. Isaiah connects us with the unjust treatment of the sinless servant of God. Who would recognize one as highly exalted whose image was “marred beyond human semblance” so much that it would “startle many nations” and cause kings to “stand speechless”. We recall our earlier Lenten readings from the prophet Samuel’s choosing of David to be king, which were based on not on external appearances but on internal qualities known only to God. Today’s psalm likewise meditates on our Lord’s passion, focusing on the abandonment of the one unjustly accused- being a “laughingstock to my neighbors, a dread to my friends”, one “forgotten like the unremembered dead”. The passage in Hebrews makes it clear that our Lord is the true high priest, who suffered even more than we could suffer, becoming the source of salvation for all. Hence, he calls us to follow him in his victory, trusting Him in faith, leading us to the mercy we need. Today’s gospel takes us through events in our Lord’s passion that verify Isaiah’s prophesy. Our Lord leads his disciples throughout his earthly ministry, but here he journeys alone. We are not able to follow our Lord everywhere he must go, for he must go to prepare a place for us where we can then follow after him. Life message: Let us welcome our crosses as Jesus did for the atonement of our sins and those of others: We may have been crucified several times and betrayed by our dear ones. We may have been misunderstood in the most calculated and deliberate of ways by those whom we trusted and loved. We may have been forced to take up the cross for others several times. We may have felt forsaken and abandoned on several occasions. Yet, his willingness to suffer in our place balanced the Divine "scales of justice." The debt was now paid. His love paid the price. His passion and death atoned for our sins and redeemed us, making possible our salvation. Conclusion: In a nutshell, the question we should ask ourselves on Good Friday is whether we have accepted these painful experiences gracefully from a loving God and offered all these painful occasions as atonement for our sins and for the sins of our dear ones. By dying on the cross Jesus embraced human suffering. So, when we are troubled and in distress, we can turn to him in confidence that he will be with us. This means we are to bear one another’s burdens, just as Christ has carried our burdens. That's one way we can show that we have accepted Christ's precious gift.

Lenten Reconciliation, March 22nd at 7pm Palm Sunday Vigil, April 1st at 5 pm, Palm Sunday, April 2nd at 8 & 10 am Holy Thursday, April 6th 7 pm Good Friday, April 7th 7 pm Easter Vigil, April 8th 8pm Easter Sunday, April 9th 8 am & 10 am

How can we quench our thirst for God? Saying yes to opportunities to learn more about Jesus Christ is one way we can “seek a well of living water”. By collaborating with fellow parishioners, we can build a stronger church and help our community. How can we pass this message on to our children? Today, many churches face challenges in attracting youth participation. Encouraging our children to contribute to their faith community is more crucial then ever. Last weekend the Youth choir was thrilled to sing for the 2nd Sunday of Lent. It is such a blessing to have youth in our parish that enjoy participating in mass. St. Barbara Catholic Church is fortunate enough to have many ways for our youth to get involved and serve Christ. Our Youth Choir is just one of the many ways children can support the mass and learn more about the liturgy. Youth choir runs during the school year from September to May. The choir sings for four masses during the year spanning 4 different liturgical seasons. The youth prepare for singing at mass by rehearsing twice a month with instruments. We are always welcoming more participants to share their love of music and grow with Christ. Singing during mass is a great way for children to learn the order of the mass and how music plays an integral part. Youth Choir is not the only avenue for children to participate during the mass. St. Barbara Parish is blessed to have several students volunteer as altar servers. Altar servers help facilitate the mass along with Father and other volunteer adults. To become an alter server you must receive the sacrament of communion. Altar servers just starting out will have the opportunity to shadow and learn how to support Father during mass. Volunteering as an altar server is a wonderful way for youth to get a front seat perspective of what happens during the liturgy of the word and the liturgy of the eucharist. When youth play an active role during mass their focus is on the word of God, and they are more motivated to take part in other aspects of the church. If your child is not interested in participating in mass there are other ways to get involved in the church. Our community has faith formation classes for students of all ages. Children can foster relationships with other children and learn how to be disciples of Jesus Christ. As Catholics we are called to spread God’s word, by attending faith formation classes children can learn about the Lord’s messages on their own terms. St. Barbara Catholic Church offers Sunday School for preschool aged children and students that have yet to receive their first eucharist. If you are old enough to complete the sacrament of communion you can prepare with classes each Sunday to achieve this important milestone. Students that have already received First Communion may take faith formation classes and expand on their knowledge. Lastly, older students in middle school and high school can gather with like minded youth in Youth Group. These opportunities are excellent in helping children create friendships with in their church. St. Barbara Catholic Church strives to create multiple chances for youth to gather and celebrate God. On March 17th the parish will be hosting a Stations of the Cross event for youth. Following this Stations of the Cross event geared for our youth their will be a potluck for families. If you are new to the parish or a long-time parishioner this is the perfect time to come and meet other families and children that attend St. Barbara Parish. Building relationships in the church help us to build a stronger Catholic community. - Katie Baker

By: Carol Morgan Growing up I was always confused on the actual name of this Sunday, as it was sometimes referred to as Passion Sunday as well as Palm Sunday. Each year my mother would take out our Easter outfits from the prior season for us because that is what you wore on Palm Sunday. As we would enter St. Christopher Church we would take our palm and my mother would give stern instructions to me, my brother and sister, not to wiggle or speak loudly during the Readings. I remember being restless as we listened to the Passion Gospel. So, to keep our minds occupied, my Mother taught us how to make crosses out of our palms. We would make them for ourselves and those around us seated in the pews. Our crosses would find their way on to our dresser tops replacing the ones from last year. Then there was the dilemma of what to do with last year’s dried palms. As a family we had the unique tradition of placing last year’s palm under our mattresses. My Mother said it helped usto dream of the angels. Of course I embraced the tradition of cross making on Palm Sunday and taught my daughters the process. That tradition also included the transferring of the palms to their mattress final resting place. At night if my girls had bad dreams, I reminded them of the blessing they had just under them to keep them safe as they slept. This process of placing our palms under the mattress worked well until we were preparing our home for a move. The moving men picked up my mattress and the breeze gave flight to the palm crosses, and they spewed everywhere. The young men looked at me and commented that this was a new experience for them. In fact, they had no familiarity with the wonder of Palm Sunday. So, my moving day turned into a bible study mini session. It is truly a miracle how we can share our faith with those around us even in the most unexpected times. No matter how you celebrate Palm Sunday in your family and how you store the palm branches you take home, we should remember these blessed palms are the symbol of our faith victory just like the Lombardy Trophy, the Stanly Cup, or the Commissioner’s Trophy. Jesus Christ conquered death and saved us. So maybe we should display our palms with the same panache as we would other symbols of victory.

Palm Sunday of the Passion of the Lord (Year A) April 2, 2023. Is.50:4-7; Phil.2:6-11; Mt.26:14-27:66. “Who is Jesus, and why did he have to die?” Does anyone know what a Kinkajou is? It is an animal, which is related to the racoon family and can be found in the wild in southern Mexico. It has a strong tail it can use to hang from a tree limb; it has sharp claws and sharp teeth. A lady in Florida, instead of a dog or cat, decided to have a kinkajou, as a pet. Indeed, it was a cute, cool little pet when it was small, but when it experienced puberty for the first time, it went berserk. It tried to eat its own tail and tear itself to pieces. The family was bitten and scratched when it tried to save the wild little creature from destroying itself. You may wonder why the family would subject itself to such an ordeal to save this little animal. The important answer is this: it was a wild animal and its nature showed itself at its mature stage of life. The loving and caring nature of this family who loved its pet also showed itself in their efforts to save this wild kinkajou from destroying itself. This is because the nature of the wild animal conflicted with the nature of the caring family. Life Message: We just heard the story of Jesus giving his life for us. Many times, I have been asked this question: “Who is Jesus, and why did he have to die?” The reason goes back to the fact that it was in his nature to save us and he couldn’t stop doing everything he was trying to do to lead us to salvation. “Christ Jesus… did not regard equality with God…Rather, he emptied himself, taking the form of a slave…he humbled himself, becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on the Cross…” (Phil. 2:6-11). Despite all this, there are elements in our nature that are driven by selfishness, pride, jealousy, cruelty, and all kinds of attitudes and behaviors that work against God’s desire to save us. In other words, in Jesus’ Passion Narrative, we saw intense and pure love on the part of Jesus (that was his nature to be that way), and we saw the dark side of human nature working against him and trying to destroy him. Conclusion: However, because it is in Jesus’ nature to love, he continues to reach out to us in love. He speaks to us each week in the scriptures, and nourishes us by feeding us with his own body and blood. And he willingly shares his Spirit with us so that we can continue to live and love more like he does as we stumble along making our way to eternal happiness. Therefore, Jesus is the lowly Messiah, the beast of burden, who carries the weight of human sin to the absolution of the Cross, through which we can achieve God’s glorious reign of Justice, peace, and love. In short, we in this age of the loss of the sense of sin, have the coming Holy Week to settle this matter of sin decisively between ourselves and our Messiah-Savior.

5th.Sunday of LENT (Year A) (March 26, 2023): Ez. 37:12-14; Rom 8:8-11; Jn 11:1-45. “Roll away the stone. “Lazarus, come out!” Unbind him and let him go.” The central theme today is, death with hope in resurrection, challenging us to be alive and not spiritually dead by mortal sin. In other words, Jesus challenges us to live in loving relationship with him every day, so that he may raise us up at our death to inherit eternal life with him. Scripture lessons summarized: In the 1st. reading, Ezekiel bears witness that, from time immemorial God has promised Hie chosen people: “O my people, I will open your graves, and have you rise from them.” He assures them that God's life-giving Breath will restore them, His people, will give them new life, and will resettle them in their land. St. Paul, in the 2nd. reading, assures the early Roman Christians who were facing death by persecution, and us, surrounded by a culture of death, that the same Spirit Who raised Jesus from the dead and Who dwells within us, will raise our mortal bodies to life on the Last Day. For John, in today’s Gospel, the raising of Lazarus, signifying Jesus as the Deliverer, is a symbolic narrative of his Final Victory over death at the cost of his human life, and a sign anticipating his Resurrection. Thus, describing this great miracle, the Church assures us that we, too, will be raised into eternal life after our battle with sin and death in this world. Therefore, today, we are assured that our Faith in Jesus, who is “the Resurrection and the Life,” promises our participation in his Resurrection and new life. Life message: We need to be ready to welcome death any time. We live in a world that is filled with death. We kill each other in acts of murder, abortion, euthanasia, execution, war, and terrorist activities. We kill ourselves through suicide, drug and alcohol abuse, smoking, overwork, stress, bad eating habits, and physical neglect. The most important question is: am I ready to face my death? All of us know that we will surely die, but each of us foolishly thinks that he or she will not die any time in the near future. Let us be wise, well-prepared and ever ready to meet our Lord with a clear conscience when the time comes and to give Him a clean account of our lives. Conclusion: Therefore, we should strive to, “Roll away the stone, unbind him and let him go.” We often bind ourselves with chains of addiction to alcohol, drugs, sexual deviations, slander, gossip, envy, prejudice, hatred, and uncontrollable anger, and bury ourselves in the tombs of despair. Sometimes we are in the tomb of selfishness, filled with negative feelings, like worry, fear, resentment, hatred, and guilt. If we want Jesus to visit our dark dungeons of sin, despair, and unhappiness, we need to ask him during this Holy Mass to bring the light and the power of the Holy Spirit into our private lives and liberate us from our tombs. This is the acceptable time to “Roll away the stone and see the glory of God.” When we receive the Sacrament of Reconciliation, Jesus will call our name and command, "Come out, Mary”,” “Come out, Joe!” This is Good News for all of us: “Lazarus, come out!” This can be the beginning of a new life. ( song: They have been saying: “All of us are dying.../Dead”. Roll away the stone, see the glory of God 2X).

3rd Sunday of LENT (Year A). (March 12, 2023): Ex 17:3-7; Rom 5:1-2, 5-8; Jn 4:5-42. “The Divine touch and conversion”. Today’s readings which make use of the symbol of water to refer to our relationship with God, are centered on Baptism and new life. Baptism is the outward, symbolic sign of a deep Reality, the coming of God as a Spiritual Force penetrating every aspect of a person’s life. The Holy Spirit quenches our spiritual thirst. Hence just as water in the desert was life-giving for the wandering Israelites, the water of a true, loving relationship with Jesus is life-giving for those who accept him as Lord and Savior. And so, we are assembled here today in the Church to share in this water of eternal life and salvation. Scripture readings summarized: The 1st reading describes how God provided water to the ungrateful complainers of Israel, thus placing Jesus’ promise within the context of the Exodus account of water coming from the rock at Horeb. The Resp. Psalm (Ps 95) refers both to the Rock of our salvation and also to our hardened hearts. It reminds us that our hard hearts need to be softened by God through our grace-prompted and -assisted prayer, fasting and works of mercy which enable us to receive the living water of the Holy Spirit, salvation, and eternal life from the Rock of our salvation. In the Gospel, an unclean, ostracized Samaritan woman is given an opportunity to receive living water, through which Jesus also poured the living water of the gift of the Holy Spirit into our hearts. Life Message: So, today's Gospel tells us how Jesus awakened in the woman at Jacob’s well in Sychar, a thirst for the wholeness and integrity which she had lost, a thirst which He had come to satisfy. In revealing himself as the Messiah to the Samaritan woman, Jesus speaks to her of the fountain of water he will give — the life-giving waters of Baptism. Significantly, the water that Jesus promises is closely linked to conversion and the forgiveness of sin. Here is a woman who comes to Faith and becomes a missionary who brings others to Jesus. Moreover, Jesus recognizes the gifts and ministries of women in his future Church. Consequently, through her, the Samaritans, who were considered godless in general in this town, ended up confessing Jesus as the Savior of “the world.” Conclusion: This Gospel passage gives us Jesus' revelation about Himself as the Source of Living Water and teaches us that we need the grace of Jesus Christ for eternal life, because He is that life-giving water. Therefore, Jesus’ meeting the Samaritan woman at Jacob’s well illustrates the principal role of Jesus as the Messiah: to reconcile all men and women to the Father. Once converted, this outcast woman became an evangelist, enthusiastically introducing Jesus to her fellow villagers. In other words, just as Jesus confronted the woman at the well with the reality of her own sinfulness and brokenness, so we must, with God’s grace, confront our own sinfulness and, in doing so, realize our need for God. The Holy Spirit of God, the Word of God, and the Sacraments of God in the Church are the primary sources for the living water of Divine Grace. Washed in it at Baptism, renewed by its abundance at each Eucharist, invited to it in every proclamation of the Word, and daily empowered by the Holy Spirit, we are challenged by today’s Gospel to remain thirsty for the living water which only God can give.

Second Sunday in Lent March 5, 2023 Gen. 12:1-4a; 2Tm 1:8b-10; Mt 17:1-9. This is my beloved son with whom I am well pleased. Listen to him…” Introduction: The word transfiguration means a change in form or appearance, which in scientific parlance is called metamorphosis or transformation. You will recall from 7th-grade science class that metamorphosis is the process by which a caterpillar becomes a butterfly, and a tadpole becomes a frog. Simply put, it’s a gradual change on the inside that produces a total transformation on the outside. Thus, the readings invite us to work with the Holy Spirit to transform our lives by renewing them during Lent, and to radiate the grace of the transfigured Lord to all around us by our Spirit-filled lives. In other words, the Transfiguration of Jesus on the mountain reminds us that the way of the cross leads to Resurrection and eternal life, and that the purpose of Lent is to help us better to enter into those mysteries. Life Message (Scripture readings): Both the first and second readings present salvation history as a response to God’s call, a call going out to a series of key persons beginning with Abraham and culminating with Jesus Christ and His Apostles. Faith is presented here as the obedient, trusting response to the call of God which opens up channels for the redemptive action of God in history, thus transforming the world. In answering this call, both Abram and Saul broke with the experiences of their past lives and moved into an unmapped future to become new “people of the Promise,” for a new life. The 1st. reading presents the change or transformation of the patriarch Abram from a childless pagan tribesman into a man of Faith in the One God. This, years later, leads to God’s transforming his name from Abram to Abraham, and making him, as promised, the father of God’s chosen people, Israel. Conclusion: At the Transfiguration, the disciples hear a voice that recalls Christ’s baptism: “This is my beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased; listen to him.” On account of this, Pope Francis said, “We are called to be people who listen to his voice and take his words seriously. To listen to Jesus, we must be close to him, to follow him. Then his word will grow in us, so that, we will be able to proclaim it to others. This is the mission of the Church, for all baptized Christians.” Indeed, it is the grace of hearing God’s voice that filled Abraham with the conviction to go forth from the land of his kinsfolk (his comfort zone) to a completely unknown land. And we can bear our hardships for the Gospel, because, through the Transfiguration we have been given “the strength that comes from God” (2nd.reading). Therefore, I take encouragement from these words of St. Thomas Aquinas which I share with you: “It is better to limp along the way, than to stride off the way. For a man who limps along the way, even if he slow progress, eventually comes to the end of the journey. But the one who veers off the way, the more quickly he runs, further away from his goal. Hence if you are looking for a goal, hold fast to Christ, because he himself is the ‘Way, the Truth, and the Life’, where we desire to be…” And so, let’s heed to God’s call today: “…This is my beloved son with whom I am well pleased. Listen to him…”

1st. Sunday of LENT (Year A). (Feb. 26, 2023). Gen 2:7-9, 3:1-7; Rom 5:12-19; Mt 4:1-11. "You will be like gods, knowing what is good and what is evil." The first reading (Gen 2:7-9, 3:1-7) describes the “Original Temptation" – "You will be like gods, knowing what is good and what is evil." This is the story of the first sin, symbolized by the eating of the forbidden fruit. It tells us that Adam and Eve were given the possibility of making a choice. The fundamental choice was to live for God, dependent upon, and obedient to, His will, or to say no to God. Like Adam and Eve, we are all tempted to put ourselves in God's place. Consequently, we resent every limit on our freedom, and we don't want to be held responsible for the consequences of our choices. Thus, in Genesis, we witness how temptation to evil led Adam and Eve to an act of faithlessness and sin. In contrast, today’s Gospel from St. Matthew shows us how Jesus Christ conquered temptation by relying on Faith in God's Word and authority. So, he teaches us how the "desert experience" of fasting, praying, and soul-strengthening was a kind of spiritual “training camp” for Jesus which enabled him to confront his temptations successfully, and then to preach the Good News of salvation. The Gospel also prescribes a dual action plan for Lent: (1) We should confront our temptations and conquer them as Jesus did, by fasting, prayer and the Word of God. (2) We should renew our lives by true repentance and live the Good News of God’s love, mercy, and forgiveness. Life message: We are to confront and conquer temptations as Jesus did, using the means he employed. Every one of us is tempted to seek sinful pleasures, easy wealth, and a position of authority, power, and glory, and to use any means, even unjust or sinful ones, to gain these things. But Jesus serves as a model for us in conquering temptations by strengthening himself through prayer, penance, and the active use of the Word of God. Hence, temptations make us more powerful warriors of God by strengthening our minds and hearts. By constantly struggling against temptations, we become stronger. Conclusion: Are we tempted to serve the gods of our inordinate desires instead of serving our loving and providing God? Each time one is tempted to do evil but does good, one becomes stronger. Further, we are never tempted beyond our power. In 1 John, he assures us: “Greater is the One Who is in us, than the one who is in the world (1 Jn 4: 4). We may also be strengthened by St. Paul's words in 1 Cor 10:13: "No testing has overtaken you, that is not common to everyone. God is faithful, and [God] will not let you be tested beyond your strength, but with the testing [God] will also provide the way out so that you may be able to endure it." Therefore, during this Lent, let us confront our evil tendencies by prayer (especially by participating in the Holy Mass), by fasting, by penance, and by meditative reading of the Bible. Today’s Resp. Psalm (Ps 51) also presents our contrition or acknowledgment of guilt before God: “Against Thee, thee only, have I sinned.”

How to Get the Most Out of Lent February 26th during the 10:00 a.m. mass Please welcome Deacon Eric Paige as our guest speaker during the 10:00 a.m. mass. Join Deacon Eric Paige for fellowship & donuts in the Parish Hall following mass. Deacon Eric Paige directs the Archdiocese of Seattle’s Office of Marriage, Family Life and Formation which coordinates the Archdiocese’s support of Faith Formation, Youth Ministry, Young Adult Ministry, CYO Camps ministry, Retreat Center as well as Marriage and Family Life Ministry. In this work Deacon Eric supports Archbishop Sartain’s vision to strengthen and encourage all Catholics to evangelize for an encounter with Christ who calls and sends us as missionary disciples. Deacon Eric is married with two daughters and was ordained in 2007 and serves at St. Andrew Parish in Sumner.