7/7/2026

Move In Day!

Beginnings!

It has begun! On July 7th, 2026, at 3:00pm Jacoby, Hunter and I began a year long mission serving the Catholic Community in Bremerton, Washington. Praised be Jesus Christ! We all raced northward from our respective homes, and it seemed that before I could even blink we were unpacking the truck, hugging our families goodbye, and heading off on our first tour of campus. We moved into the primary missionary house, a three bedroom, one bath brick home. Prior to us, no men have lived in the house as it's been the female missionary home. This year, however, Bremerton is hosting three male missionaries and no women! First time for them! Between the floral bedding, hair clips, and sweet scented candles sprinkled across the rooms, it is easy to tell that there have been no men here yet. What fun! I have taken the bedroom on the main floor, and Jacoby and Hunter are upstairs.

All that a Day Holds

This year we will have quite the busy schedules, working six days a week and devoting ourselves to prayer, service and growth. For the next month, we will be going through a rigorous training module to prepare us for youth/young adult ministry. For example, here is what a typical day could look like:

7:30am Mass at Our Lady Star of the Sea
8:00am Breakfast
9:30am Lauds (Morning Prayer)
10:00am Formation Talk 1
11:00am Adoration
12:30pm Lunch
1:30pm Free Time
3:00pm Formation Talk 2
5:30pm Vespers (Evening Prayer) with our neighbor, Dcn. Angus
6:10pm Dinner
8:00pm Compline (night prayer)
9:00pm Retire for the evening

The Adoration Chapel at Our Lady, Star of the Sea!

Highlights from the Week

Hit the Deck!

On Friday, 7/3 we had the opportunity to take the Ferry from Bremerton to Seattle! We got to spend the afternoon and evening with a parish family who live in the University sector of Seattle part time, as well as the Dominican Friars of Blessed Sacrament in Seattle. What a blessing!

Worth 1,000 Laughs

When we were informed of our team photoshoot (an annual thing each missionary group does), the three of us knew there was no way we were just going to stand and smile. Taking inspiration from comedic JC Penney photoshoots, we went all out on the awkward poses!

Feeling Patriotic!

Navy towns know how to be patriotic, that's for sure! We were blessed to host a backyard barbeque for the young adults in the parish, followed with a short trip down to Lion's Park on the waterfront. I don't think I've ever seen so many fireworks lit off in one place... Disney has some steep competition!

Sacred Spaces

St. John Vianney, when preaching on the adornment of churches, is quoted saying, "Nothing is too beautiful, nothing is too costly for God." That sentiment is absolutely reflected here at Star of the Sea. Each sacred space here calls the heart to ponder on the love of Christ in such magnificent ways; consistently evoking a, "Wow, isn't He good?"

So. Many. Spices.

How many italian seasoning bottles does one need? Throughout the past few years our house has slowly collected more...and more...and more spices from each missionary team. When going through and organizing our kitchen, I was amazed to find 4 full sets of spices (and some). The total ordeal of cleaning it all out took an hour! At least we'll have bulk for refills?

Scavenger Hunt!

To help us better familiarize ourselves with the town, we were sent on a wild photo scavenger hunt of Bremerton. From the Winco down the street to a parishioner-owned arcade downtown, we were racing all over the place to collect our photos. My personal favorite prompt was "Pose with an arcade game as though one of you had just beat the final boss." (Hence the leap for joy!)

Moments of Meditation

The Rich Young Man (Mt 10:17-22)

We were asked to meditate in Adoration on the biblical story of the rich young man, someone who is knows the rules, follows the commandments, but is called into deeper relationship with Christ. Throughout my time with Christ during that Holy Hour, I kept pondering this idea: if we are so careful to cleanse our own bodies for the Reception of the Eucharist (Fasting, State of Grace, Dressing Nicely), how also should we prepare our hearts, souls and minds to receive Him? What internal habits and feelings must we "sell" in order to better give ourselves to Christ and others?

The Wedding at Cana (John 2:1-12)

During a formation talk on Mary and the Saints, we had the opportunity to pray and meditate on the Wedding at Cana. I always find it so fascinating that the very first miracle Christ does in His ministry was through the intercession of our Blessed Mother. What may come across as a rebuke from Christ in His saying, "Woman, my time is not yet come," is actually a question He poses to all of us: "If this begins, are you ready for me to suffer? For you to suffer with me?" At the asking of that question, Our Lady bids us to give our yes, our fiat with a simple statement: "Do whatever He tells you."

How can we pray for you?

Prayer is essential to our relationship with the Lord! Please let me know how we can pray for you in the form below, we will pray for the intentions in our Daily Liturgy of the Hours!

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