What’s Our History?
The dream that has become the mission and future parish called Holy Questions wasn’t originally mine.
There’d been an Ecumenical Catholic Communion parish, St. Ignatius, that was loaned space in the attic of the Ravenna United Methodist Church, not far from where we are now. When Fr Philip retired, the congregation had no one to call as priest, and were already so closely knit with their Methodist hosts that it made the most sense for them to fold completely into that congregation, and it was the right fit for them. So then Seattle had no ECC congregation for years.
In 2017 I was asked by Bishop David Strong (ACCA) to form a mission or community reaching back into Seattle. That June, protesting that I knew how to chaplain, not how to be an entrepreneur, I began Rainier Open Catholics in communication and with the encouragement of both Bishop David already mentioned, and of our Bishop Kedda Keough of the Ecumenical Catholic Communion. I started listening and learning the area, but didn’t find a clear purpose or foothold. We volunteered in a few community activities, and then Covid shut everything down.
During Covid, I was ordained Deacon Oct 3 2020 and presbyter Aug 28 2021. We began worship with Libby in Federal Way, Marie in Burien, Beverly in Phinney Ridge, and my wife Kris and I well east of Renton – so we all met in a home in Burien. When Marie had to move to Spokane, we moved to Beverly’s home. When she became ill, even though we still only had 3-4 people attending in person, we felt it was time to be able to advertise a location and become known in the local community. We were already meeting in Phinney Ridge, and the neighborhood association there was clearly working on a similar social ethic to ours.
Our next chapter, with a public place to gather and from which to serve, begins!
–Fr Mir
Dorothy’s Funeral
New PC Volunteer -my alter ego Safety Mir
