News

Local filmmaker Tomasz Biernacki has created a film entitled “Trickle Down Town” about the homeless crisis in Seattle.  Many parts were filmed right here in West Seattle.  You can see the film for free at its premiere at the Admiral Theater on October 21st at 7pm.  Click above for more details.

Youth and parents/caregivers are invited to simultaneous presentations at St. James Cathedral Pastoral Outreach Center (907 Columbia St, Seattle) on Sunday, October 21 from 6:30-8:30pm.   Ending the Silence is a program for students in grades 7 – 12 that helps inform youth about the warning signs of mental health conditions and what steps to take if they or a loved one experience symptoms of a mental illness. Ending the Silence for Families is a presentation for parents and primary caregivers. It includes warning signs, facts and statistics, how to talk to your child and best ways to work with school staff. Click above for more information.

One of OLG’s RSVP groups has been working with the non-profit ‘Communities in School’ on site at Denny International Middle School over the past 4 years. The program is starting a new initiative to provide workshops for parents and students.  Do you have a special skill or interest you could share with a diverse group of parents?  This onetime, 2 hour-commitment will be held sometime in the coming months on a date that works for your schedule. Click above for more details.  

As part of our recent Youth Migrant Project trip, OLG teens collected donations for migrant families in the Skagit Valley.  One recipient, Catholic Community Services’ Farmworker Center asked us to thank the OLG community, saying, “Please give our warmest appreciation to the entire community; especially the youth…[T]hank you for your generous support of the work that the CCS Farmworker Center is doing here in Skagit Valley.  We could not do the work we are doing without the support of parishes around the Archdiocese.  May God continue to bless abundantly the faith community at Our Lady of Guadalupe.” 

Each Lent, parishes across the Archdiocese participate in Catholic Relief Services’ Rice Bowl program.  This year, through the generosity of parishioners like you, the Archdiocese collected over $550,000!  This is the highest donation total ever for our Archdiocese and one of the largest in the country!  75% goes to CRS’ life-saving programs overseas while 25% (over $137,500) will be distributed to hunger-alleviation programs in our area.  Over 280 grants were given out locally in 2018, including two for our parish garden and meal program. Click above to learn more.

This Sunday, October 14, Blessed Oscar Romero will be canonized a saint alongside Pope Paul VI.  He is the first saint from El Salvador.  Learn more about his life and the current reality in El Salvador by clicking above.

In 2016, Fr. Jack and a delegation of OLG parishioners volunteered at the Humanitarian Respite Center in McAllen, TX.  This Center, run by Catholic Charities of the Rio Grande Valley, ministers to asylum seekers from Central America.  They are currently 1 of 4 sites receiving immigrant refugee families that are being reunified after separation at the border.  They have received hundreds of families and are in need of assistance for expenses to bring loving care to these children and parents. Click above for more details.

Franco was born in the Congo and acted as the middleman for people selling gold. Franco's manager and others broke into his home and used a machete to cut his left hand and scrape the right side of his face. They told Franco to give them all his belongings and then burned his house to the ground. Franco and his family fled to a refugee camp in Uganda where he applied for refugee status. He now works at the Nashville Zoo to support his daughters. Click above to learn more.

With wind speeds of 160 miles per hour and gusts up to 200 miles per hour, Typhoon Mangkhut made landfall on the coast of the northern Philippines, displacing over 100,000 people. Catholic Relief Services (CRS) is assessing needs, ready to provide lifesaving assistance for families and will be distributing food and shelter, water and hygiene kits.  Visit www.crs.org to help our brothers and sisters in need.

Each Lent, parishes across the Archdiocese participate in Catholic Relief Services’ Rice Bowl program.  This year, through the generosity of parishioners like you, the Archdiocese collected over $550,000!  This is the highest donation total ever for our Archdiocese and one of the largest in the country!  75% goes to CRS’ life-saving programs overseas while 25% (over $137,500) will be distributed to hunger-alleviation programs in our area.  Over 280 grants were given out locally in 2018, including two for our parish garden and meal program.

The Global Food Security Act (GFSA) is up for reauthorization.  It has passed the U.S. Senate so it’s time to urge the House to do the same so we can prevent hunger and malnutrition worldwide. Click above for a pre-written, editable message from Catholic Relief Services.

The OLG Immigrant Ministry is here to help. We’ve pulled together a list of things anyone can do to support our immigrant neighbors. You can learn, pray, act and give -- and connect with others who are working for justice and peace. Choose a step and start today! Click above to access our new "Refugee and Immigrant Solidarity Opportunities" document.

Chicken Soup Brigade helps our homebound, aged, and chronically ill neighbors to get groceries and nutritious meals.  OLG is currently in need of 2-3 volunteers to join our team.  Volunteers pick up the food and deliver it to people in need in the West Seattle/White Center area.  Drivers commit to...

In 2016, Fr. Jack and a delegation of OLG parishioners volunteered at the Humanitarian Respite Center in McAllen, TX.  This Center, run by Catholic Charities of the Rio Grande Valley, ministers to asylum seekers from Central America.  They are currently 1 of 4 sites receiving immigrant refugee families that are being reunified after separation at the border.  They have received hundreds of families and are in need of assistance for expenses to bring loving care to these children and parents.  Visit www.gofundme.com/ccrgv-unites-children-and-parents to donate and/or learn more. 

Franco was born in the Congo and acted as the middleman for people selling gold. Franco's manager and others broke into his home and used a machete to cut his left hand and scrape the right side of his face. They told Franco to give them all his belongings and then burned his house to the ground. Franco and his family fled to a refugee camp in Uganda where he applied for refugee status. He now works at the Nashville Zoo to support his daughters. Visit Catholic Relief Services' website (https://www.sharejourney.org/real-refugee-stories/)  to read and reflect on refugee stories. 

The Senate Foreign Relations Committee recently passed The Protecting Girls’ Access to Education in Vulnerable Settings Act out of committee and it needs your voice to pass in the Senate! Click above for more details and to take action.

Without a legislative solution, Dreamers' futures remain uncertain and they live in fear of deportation. Join the U.S. Catholic Bishops in lobbying Congress to take urgent action to protect these young, undocumented immigrants who were brought to the U.S. by their parents. Click above for more details and a pre-written, editable action alert.

After the Sandy Hook shooting, Sr. Judy Byron and the Adrian Dominicans started buying enough stock in the two publicly traded U.S. gun manufacturers to raise a shareholder resolution to improve gun safety. Click above to read the Seattle Times article.

Last year, Pope Francis launched the Share the Journey campaign in support of migrants and refugees worldwide.  This is a time of great need in our world.  We can make a difference in the lives of those in search of safety and security by calling on Congress to support refugees and migrants through poverty-reducing and life-saving foreign aid.  Click above for a pre-written, editable action alert.

A BIG THANK YOU to all who prayed, fasted and gave through the Catholic Relief Services Rice Bowl this Lent.  Through your generous Lenten sacrifices we collected $4814.88…our largest collection yet!  75% of the funds raised will go to Catholic Relief Services’ hunger-elimination efforts overseas and 25% will stay in our Archdiocese to fund grants for similar programs.  OLG just received word that our Peace Garden grant was approved, which will help us continue to grow food for local food banks! Your participation truly changes lives around the world.  Thank you for your generosity!