After setting aside some time for Holy Week, I’m returning to my trip across the Pacific Northwest, this time in downtown Seattle.
Christ Our Hope is only 10 years old. It’s a unique parish, set inside the historic former New Washington Hotel, which had already been converted to a 240-room residence building for low-income men and women. The apartments are run by Catholic Housing Services, which is how the parish eventually came to be. The worship space is the old dining room for the New Washington Hotel.
The parish is very much a part of the downtown community, which I saw firsthand when I joined three regulars with the Sacred Encounters Ministry, walking the streets of downtown and passing out sandwiches, water and other essentials to the city’s significant homeless population. Their commitment, patience and good cheer in this ministry was inspiring, and I was blessed to have been invited to accompany them.
52 Masses 