Welcome to St. Andrew Catholic Church!
We hope this website will help you become acquainted with the many services, groups, organizations, programs, and opportunities available to you here at St. Andrew Parish. If you have any questions or would like more information about a particular part of our Parish life, please don't hesitate to call the parish office. Our staff would be delighted to assist you in every possible way.
We thank you for choosing St. Andrew Parish as your faith community. Please share with us generously your time, talent, treasure, as together we continue to build the Kingdom of God.
Notes from Father Jack
July 25, 2010
Dear brothers and sisters,
After only one year living here in Sumner, I have to announce that I will be moving. Not far though. I am headed down the road to Orting. Ever since I have been here I have pondered the move and with the tenant moving out it presented me with the opportunity. Since we own the house it will save us a bit of money.
I see this as only a temporary situation though. In the near future I hope to have the support and the funds to build a rectory on site at St. Andrew‘s. I have thoroughly enjoyed the close proximity to St. Andrew‘s and the ability to just cross the street and take a nap if I need to during the day (which I will be able to do again someday soon, God willing). This was the hardest part to give up; not the nap, but the proximity to St. Andrew‘s where I spend most of my time. There have been a few parishioners that have tried to persuade me to stick around with various arguments. I do like Sumner and look forward to coming back.
I will miss my ?neighbors? up here, but I am looking forward to living by my new neighbors down At Sts. Cosmas and Damian. I will be moving on the 16th of August. Some have already offered help with the move. Please let me know if you are available and I will see about putting you to work. I don‘t have much. I moved to Sumner in two trucks. With a guest bed now I will need three.
They say that moving is one of the most stressful things one does in life. While I do not want any stress, I think this move will be good in the long run, and like I said, will add a bit of anticipation until that day when I can live in the rectory at St. Andrew‘s.
This week for the first time since I have arrived I am writing this letter on Monday. Usually I wait until the last minute (as I did with all my papers in school) and write it on Thursday morning just before the deadline to get it to the Catholic Printery. I am writing it earlier so that we can get it translated into Spanish by our new Pastoral Assistant for Hispanic Ministry, Juan Beltran. God willing he will be able to translate the letter and prepare a Spanish section to this bulletin each week. This will be a huge step forward in our communication to all of our parishioners.
As we celebrate the Feast of St. James (this Sunday July 25th), the patron of our Archdiocese, let us pray for our cathedral parish and the proto-cathedral in Vancouver which share his patronage. Let us pray also for vocations to the priesthood in our Archdiocese through the intercession of St. James.
St. James, pray for us.
In the Love of Christ that keeps drawing us on,
Fr. Jack Shrum
