Each year on January 1, the Church celebrates Mary as the Mother of God. It is from Mary that Jesus took flesh — our humanity.

EDMONDS — After 11 years of celebrating Mass in another parish’s church, North American Martyrs Parish celebrated the blessing of its own church by Archbishop Paul D. Etienne on November 23.

EDMONDS – After a decade of sharing space at St. Alphonsus Church in Seattle’s Ballard neighborhood, North American Martyrs Parish will move into its own building — a former Lutheran church — later this year.

P: ¿Dónde surge el concepto de una “iglesia” entre Jesús y los apóstoles? No recuerdo escuchar acerca de “Iglesias” en la historia judía y me pregunto si Jesús pretendía iniciar una nueva iglesia o si su primera intención era reformar la fe judía.

Q: Where does the concept of a “church” arise among Jesus and the apostles? I don’t remember hearing about “churches” in Jewish history and I’m wondering if Jesus intended to start a new church or if his primary intention was to reform the Jewish faith.

Nobel Prize–winning author Toni Morrison, assessing the times, asks this question: “Why should we want to know a stranger when it is easier to estrange another? Why should we want to close the distance when we can close the gate?” Except this isn’t a question, it’s a judgment.

By Russell Shaw