Catholic Diocese of Spokane, Washington

From the

Official News Magazine of the Diocese of Spokane

(From the Sept. 29, 2005 edition of the Inland Register)

EVERETT – The annual Western Washington Catholic Charismatic Renewal (WWCCR) Conference featured a keynote address by Father Tom Forrest, a Redemptorist priest from Washington, D.C., the weekend of Aug. 5-7.

“We have the obligation to evangelize,” said conference participant Jack Lobdell of Bothell. “It’s not left to the priests and to others; it rests with each individual…. It is the body of Christ, and as a member of the body of Christ, we have that responsibility.”

The theme of the conference came from I Peter 2:4-5: “You, Too, are Living Stones.”

Seattle Archbishop Alex J. Brunett discussed “our being ‘living stones,’” said Virginia King, “each an important part of the Church. He encouraged us to do what God calls us to do.” King is executive director of WWCCR.

About 500 people attended all or part of this year’s conference.

— The Catholic Northwest Progress (Seattle)

TROUTDALE – Camp Howard, run by the Catholic Youth Organization (CYO) of the Portland Archdiocese, finished another successful round of camping programs this year. Along the way, the camp earned a 100 percent accreditation score from the American Camping Association.

The ACA’s manual of standards is some 258 pages long, covering everything from food service to transportation.

Seventy-five percent is good enough to pass; Camp Howard itself has earned a few 99 percent rankings over the years. This was the first year for a perfect score.

“Being accredited by the ACA is our choice,” said Michael Raffaele, the camp’s director. “But it’s nice to be able to say, ‘Look, here are the camp standards we run on.’”

“Camp Howard is about a sense of family, community, new friends, new experiences, and fun,” he said. “My job is to improve kids’ confidence, social skills, and remind them that life offers a lot to love and be thankful for.”

— Catholic Sentinel (Portland)

COTTONWOOD — The Monastery of St. Gertrude in Cottonwood sent a delegate to the first World Congress for Benedictine Oblates in Rome, Italy, earlier this month.

Jane Frith of Boise has been an Oblate of St. Gertrude Monastery since the program was initiated in 1988. Frith was one of the first lay persons to associate themselves with the monastery as an oblate.

“It is a privilege to represent the oblates and the sisters of St. Gertrude,” said Frith. “I know that when I return I will have new insights and information to share with the community.”  

Benedictine Oblates are men and women, married or single, active in any Christian denomination, who closely associate themselves with a Benedictine monastery. Oblates find that God’s call to daily conversion is facilitated in their lives through Benedictine spirituality, illuminated by the Rule of St. Benedict. They meet regularly together and at the monastery to deepen their spirituality and to explore ways to live Benedictine values in their daily lives (“Idaho oblate program shares Benedictine spirituality,” IR 7/7/05).

— Monastery of St. Gertrude, Cottonwood

BOISE – Sixteen men and their wives took part in a canonical retreat last month in preparation for the men’s ordination to the diaconate this fall. Leading the retreat was Bishop Carlos Sevilla SJ, Bishop of Yakima.

The retreat is a requirement for the men as they complete their deacon formation program prior to ordination.

According to Holy Names Sister Grayce Ross, director of deacon formation for the Boise Diocese, “The diocese is truly blessed to have these 16 men who, responding to the call of God and the loving support of their spouses, will be ordained for service as permanent deacons in the Diocese of Boise.”

Three of the men were ordained Sept. 10. The rest will be ordained during the month of October.

— Idaho Catholic Register (Boise)