PASTOR: FR. KURT NAGEL
PAROCHIAL VICAR: FR. JOSEPH AKOR
4301 88TH AVE SE, MERCER ISLAND, WA 98040
Eucharist
The other sacraments, and indeed all ecclesiastical ministries and works of the apostolate, are bound up with the Eucharist and are oriented toward it. (CCC 1324)
Mass Schedule
Monday - Thursday & Saturday: 7:45AM
Friday: 8:30AM (with School)
Saturday: 5:00PM Vigil Mass
Sunday: 9:00AM & 11:00AM
Sunday (Chinese): 1:00PM
Mass Readings
The daily readings for Mass are available from the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops website: Daily Readings.
In-Person Mass Policies
- The general obligation to attend Mass on Sundays and holy days of obligation (including the Saturday/Vigil Mass) has been reinstated (CIC, can. 1247), as of December 8, 2021. Click here to read the archbishop's letter.
- Masks are no longer be required to attend Mass in the Archdiocese of Seattle (As of March 12, 2022).
- Reservations are not required to attend Mass.
- We will NOT check people’s vaccination status at Mass.
- Capacity limits and social distancing limitations have been lifted.
- Communion may be received on the hand or on the tongue.
- We encourage everyone to be respectful to those among us who continue to wear a mask or wish to maintain a level of social distancing.
- Please stay home if you are not feeling well.
Mass Livestream Schedule
Monday - Thursday & Saturday:
7:45AM
Friday:
8:30AM Mass (with School)
Sunday: 11:00AM Mass
After each livestream, the video recording of the latest Mass is available here. Some additional Masses or special liturgies at St. Monica may also be livestreamed. These are arranged on a case-by-case basis. Our Masses can also be watched in these formats:
If you would like to provide any feedback or if need help accessing the livestream, please email Tony@stmonicami.org
Upcoming Mass Intentions
Our morning Masses are offered on behalf of parishioner intentions. Intentions for the upcoming week are listed below.
- Saturday, April 27, 7:45AM: Rod Weasea
- Monday, April 29, 7:45AM: Alda Marlene Orisha (RIP)
- Tuesday, April 30, 7:45AM: Robert Harrell (RIP)
- Wednesday, May 1, 7:45AM: Lucy Morgan (RIP)
- Thursday, May 2, 7:45AM: Mike Kessler (RIP)
- Friday, May 3, 8:30AM: Mother's Day Novena
- Saturday, May 4, 7:45AM: Mother's Day Novena
To schedule a Mass intention, please contact:
Gloria Hardy, Parish Office Manager
gloria@stmonicami.org or 206-232-2900
About the Sacrament of the Eucharist
The liturgical life of the Church revolves around the sacraments, with the Eucharist at the center (National Directory for Catechesis, #35). At Mass, we are fed by the Word and nourished by the Body and Blood of Christ. We believe that the Risen Jesus is truly and substantially present in the Eucharist. The Eucharist is not a sign or symbol of Jesus; rather we receive Jesus himself in and through the Eucharistic species. The priest, through the power of his ordination and the action of the Holy Spirit, transforms the bread and wine into the Body and Blood of Jesus. This is call transubstantiation.
By the consecration the transubstantiation of the bread and wine into the Body and Blood of Christ is brought about. Under the consecrated species of bread and wine Christ himself, living and glorious, is present in a true, real, and substantial manner: his Body and his Blood, with his soul and his divinity. (CCC 1413)
The New Covenant
I am the living bread that came down from heaven; whoever eats this bread will live forever;…Whoever eats my flesh and drinks my blood has eternal life and…remains in me and I in him. (John 6:51, 54, 56)
In the gospels we read that the Eucharist was instituted at the Last Supper. This is the fulfillment of the covenants in the Hebrew Scriptures. In the Last Supper narratives, Jesus took, broke, and gave the Passover bread and wine to his disciples. In the blessing of the cup of wine, Jesus calls it “the blood of the covenant” (Matthew and Mark) and the “new covenant in my blood” (Luke).
This reminds us of the blood ritual with which the covenant was ratified at Sinai (Ex 24) -- the sprinkled the blood of sacrificed animals united God and Israel in one relationship, so now the shed blood of Jesus on the cross is the bond of union between new covenant partners -- God the Father, Jesus and the Christian Church. Through Jesus’ sacrifice, all the baptized are in relationship with God.
The Catechism teaches that all Catholics who have received their First Holy Communion are welcome to receive Eucharist at Mass unless in a state of mortal sin.
Anyone who desires to receive Christ in Eucharistic communion must be in the state of grace. Anyone aware of having sinned mortally must not receive communion without having received absolution in the sacrament of penance. (CCC 1415)
The Church warmly recommends that the faithful receive Holy Communion when they participate in the celebration of the Eucharist; she obliges them to do so at least once a year. (CCC 1417)
Receiving the Eucharist changes us. It signifies and effects the unity of the community and serves to strengthen the Body of Christ.
Understanding the Mass
The central act of worship in the Catholic Church is the Mass. It is in the liturgy that the saving death and resurrection of Jesus once for all is made present again in all its fullness and promise – and we are privileged to share in His Body and Blood, fulfilling his command as we proclaim his death and resurrection until He comes again. It is in the liturgy that our communal prayers unite us into the Body of Christ. It is in the liturgy that we most fully live out our Christian faith.
The liturgical celebration is divided into two parts: the Liturgy of the Word and the Liturgy of the Eucharist. First we hear the Word of God proclaimed in the scriptures and respond by singing God’s own Word in the Psalm. Next that Word is broken open in the homily. We respond by professing our faith publicly. Our communal prayers are offered for all the living and the dead in the Creed. Along with the Presider, we offer in our own way, the gifts of bread and wine and are given a share in the Body and Blood of the Lord, broken and poured out for us. We receive the Eucharist, Christ’s real and true presence, and we renew our commitment to Jesus. Finally, we are sent forth to proclaim the Good News!
Preparation for 1st Communion & 1st Reconciliation
This is a 2-year program - The prerequisite year consists of year in Faith Forward or Catholic School (1st Grade). The second year consists of the First Communion class concluding with the First Communion Mass (2nd Grade).
Registration is now open for First Communion: Click here to register!
Click here for the Faith Formation program payment form.
Did you know that First Communion is a two-year process beginning in 1st grade? The Archdiocese requires a prerequisite year for all 2nd grade children seeking First Communion in the 2023-24 school year. Attending 1st grade Sunday Faith Formation classes, St. Monica’s School, or another Catholic School, will meet this requirement! The parish curriculums this year will be Alive in Christ for the prerequisite year (1st grade), and Signs of Grace program for First Communion (2nd grade). With these programs your child will receive the required catechesis (1st grade) and prepare to receive the Sacrament of First Reconciliation/Confession (2nd grade) and their First Eucharist/ Communion (2nd grade)! (Classes begin on Sunday, October 1, at 10AM, registration closes on Friday, October 6.) If your child is in the second grade or older and hasn’t done their prerequisite, no worries we are here to help! Please call 206.232.2900 and ask for the Department of Faith Formation!
For more information, please contact:
Heather Miller-Martin, PA for Sacraments
heather@stmonicami.org or 206-232-2900 x.130.
Perpetual Eucharistic Adoration Chapel
Here at St. Monica, we are blessed to be able to offer access to a Perpetual Adoration Chapel every hour of the week (Note: When Mass is in progress, the doors of the Adoration Chapel Tabernacle must remain closed). For security reasons the Adoration Chapel door has a locking keypad. For the chapel code, please contact the parish office. It takes community and commitment to achieve true Perpetual Adoration.
We are currently asking that only four people be present in the chapel at any given time. No sign up is required. Please prayerfully consider offering one hour of your time to the Lord in prayer.
The Perpetual Adoration Chapel will be closed for the Easter Triduum.
Click here for the Holy Week Adoration Schedule (March 25 - March 30)
For more information, please contact:
TV Vu (Parishioner) tvnkim@gmail.com
Gloria Hardy (Parish Office Manager) 206-232-2900; gloria@stmonicami.org
Eucharistic Discipleship Reflection Series
Our 2021 Parish Lenten Mission was lead by Bishop Daniel Mueggenborg. If you missed attending in person, were unable to watch the livestream, or would simply like to review the reflections, we encourage you to watch the video recordings of each session. Handouts for each reflection are provided along side each video link.
Session One: "Is it Real?" + Sunday Mass (Session Handout)
Session Two: "Eucharistic Discipleship" (Part 1) (Session Handout)
Session Three: "Eucharistic Discipleship" (Part 2) (Session Handout)
Session Four: "Eucharistic Dangers" (Session Handout)
Session Five: "Eucharistic Mission" (Session Handout)
PASTOR: FR. KURT NAGEL
PAROCHIAL VICAR: FR. JOSEPH AKOR
4301 88TH AVE SE, MERCER ISLAND, WA 98040
