By Bill Dodds

Let me start with an apology. Well, a disclaimer. The family humor columns I wrote for The Catholic Northwest Progress in the 1980s were … not always 100 percent accurate.

When asked about them, Monica would answer, “Don’t believe everything you read.”

And the kids’ tended to respond, “Daddy is a liar.”

Still, the little columns fulfilled a part of the mission of any Catholic diocesan periodical: to inform, educate, inspire and entertain.

I have no doubt that as the long run of The Progress comes to an end, NORTHWEST CATHOLIC, the archdiocese’s new magazine, won’t miss a step in providing all four aspects of that basic mission.

Far from glamorousMy affiliation with the Catholic press dates back to May 1978 when I was hired as the second reporter on The Progress’ two-reporter staff. Lillian Beloin held the top spot, often accompanied on assignments by photographer Charley Heib.

My early duties included typing (yes, typing) the weekly “Missal Guide” (the listing of Mass readings for that week) and “Departed Priests” (which featured the names of any priests who had died during those seven calendar days since the beginning of the archdiocese in 1850).

The work was far from glamorous.

But, two months shy of my 26th birthday, I was so very pleased to finally be a full-time, professional — paid — writer.

The missal guide was universal. Any Mass, any place in the world. The clerics’ list was local. Remembering “our” priests.

I would soon discover that was the pattern for a diocesan newspaper. From reporting on the death of a pope to covering a parish pancake breakfast. It was all part of the Catholic Church which made it part of what we wrote about.

(And, of course, 1978 was the year of three popes: the death of Paul VI in August, the short papacy of John Paul I that ended that September, and the beginning of the decades-long pontificate of John Paul II that began in October.)

Interesting, challenging periodI quickly found out one of the many advantages of working for a small newspaper was being handed some plum assignments (interviewing Sonics coach Lenny Wilkins after the team’s 1979 world championship, for example). And getting to meet, visit with and shine a light on some remarkable people who had worked for decades in a particular ministry or apostolate.

Their faith stories inspired me then, and they continue to do that now.

I ended up being a Progress reporter for only four years, then assistant editor for two, and editor for another four. God bless the staff who worked there during those final four years. They were incredibly talented and dedicated.

It was during this time that the universal and local church meshed in a unique way: the Vatican’s apostolic visitation to Seattle. A very interesting, and challenging, period to be the newspaper’s editor.

I left The Progress in 1988, believing I was being nudged by the Holy Spirit to become a full-time freelance writer. In 1991, David Gibson — an editor at Catholic News Service — asked if I would like to write a monthly national column.

Among the possible topics was caring for an aging parent, the field in which Monica worked for Catholic Community Services of King County. And so she and I became co-authors, which led to a book on caregiving, and, in 2005, our founding the Friends of St. John the Caregiver (www.FSJC.org), an international Catholic organization that promotes care for family caregivers.

It was to be the culmination of her life’s work. Monica passed away from uterine cancer in January of this year.

Now as I continue that ministry, and keep on freelance writing and editing, I’m very much aware that I got my start at 907 Terry Ave., the address of “the old, old chancery.”

And I’m so very grateful for the many graces and blessings that have flowed from my 10 years there.

Bill Dodds wrote a humor column for The Catholic Northwest Progress while working as a reporter from 1978 to 1984, and as the paper’s editor from 1984 to 1988. Contact him at: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. document.getElementById('cloakd97d1e0c1621bd24890a04b86d64b577').innerHTML = ''; var prefix = 'ma' + 'il' + 'to'; var path = 'hr' + 'ef' + '='; var addyd97d1e0c1621bd24890a04b86d64b577 = 'billdodds' + '@'; addyd97d1e0c1621bd24890a04b86d64b577 = addyd97d1e0c1621bd24890a04b86d64b577 + 'billdodds' + '.' + 'com'; var addy_textd97d1e0c1621bd24890a04b86d64b577 = 'billdodds' + '@' + 'billdodds' + '.' + 'com';document.getElementById('cloakd97d1e0c1621bd24890a04b86d64b577').innerHTML += ''+addy_textd97d1e0c1621bd24890a04b86d64b577+''; .

Posted June 27, 2013