Let us pray together that the language of love and dialogue may always prevail over the language of conflict.

Pope Francis – November 2018

We all want peace. It is desired above all by those who suffer its absence.
We can speak with splendid words, but if there is no peace in our heart, there will be no peace in the world.
With zero violence and 100 percent tenderness, let us build the evangelical peace that excludes no one.
Let us pray together that the language of love and dialogue may always prevail over the language of conflict.

Recemos juntos para que el lenguaje del corazón y del diálogo prevalezca siempre sobre el lenguaje de las armas.

Papa Francisco – Noviembre 2018

Todos queremos la paz. Y, más que nadie, la quieren aquellos que sufren por la ausencia de paz.
Podemos hablar con palabras espléndidas, pero si en nuestro corazón no hay paz, no la habrá en el mundo.
Con cero violencia y 100 por ciento de ternura , construyamos la paz evangélica que no excluye a nadie.
Recemos juntos para que el lenguaje del corazón y del diálogo prevalezca siempre sobre el lenguaje de las armas.

Note: The next International Eucharistic Congress is scheduled for September 13-20, 2020, in Budapest, Hungary. Pope Francis made the following remarks at the Vatican Saturday at a meeting of the Pontifical Committee that is planning the Congress.

(haz clic aquí para leer en español)

Your Eminences,
Dear Brother Bishops and Priests,
Dear Brothers and Sisters,

I am pleased to meet you at the conclusion of the work of your Assembly, and I thank Archbishop Piero Marini for his kind words. I greet the National Delegates designated by the Episcopal Conferences, and especially the Delegation of the Hungarian Committee led by Cardinal Peter Erdő, Archbishop of Budapest, where the next International Eucharistic Congress will be held in 2020. This event will be celebrated against the backdrop of a great European city, in which Christian communities await a new evangelization capable of meeting the challenges of secularized modernity and a globalization that risks eliminating the unique features of a rich and variegated history.

This raises a fundamental question. What does it mean to celebrate a Eucharistic Congress in the modern and multicultural city, where the Gospel and the forms of religious affiliation have become marginal? It means cooperating with God’s grace in order to spread, through prayer and activity, a “Eucharistic culture” – in other words a way of thinking and working grounded in the Sacrament yet perceptible also beyond the limits of the Church community. In a Europe afflicted by indifference and swept by divisions and forms of rejection, Christians renew before everyone, Sunday after Sunday, the simple and powerful gesture of their faith: they gather in the Lord’s name and acknowledge that they are brothers and sisters. And the miracle is repeated: in the hearing of the word and in the sign of the broken bread, even the smallest and lowliest assembly of believers becomes the body of the Lord, his tabernacle in the world. The celebration of the Eucharist thus becomes a cradle of attitudes that generate a Eucharistic culture, for it impels us to express in our way of life and our thinking the grace of Christ who gave of himself to the full.

The first of these attitudes is communion. At the Last Supper Jesus chose, as the sign of his gift, bread and the cup of fellowship. It follows that the celebration of the memorial of the Lord, in which we are nourished by his body and blood, requires and establishes our communion with him, as well as the communion of the faithful with one another. Communion with Christ is the real challenge facing Eucharistic pastoral activity, since it entails helping the faithful to communicate with Jesus present in the Sacrament in order to live in him and with him in charity and mission. A powerful contribution to this is also made by Eucharistic worship outside of Mass, which has always been an important moment in these ecclesial gatherings. Prayer of adoration teaches us not to separate Christ the Head from his Body, our sacramental communion with him from our communion with his members and from the missionary commitment that follows from this.

The second attitude is that of service. The Eucharistic community, by sharing in the lot of Jesus the Servant, becomes itself “servant”: by eating the “body that is given”, it becomes the “body given up for many”. By constantly returning to the “upper room” (cf. Acts 1:13), the womb of the Church, where Jesus washed the feet of his disciples, Christians serve the cause of the Gospel by being present in places of frailty, under the shadow of the cross, in order to share and to bring healing. How many situations there are in the Church and in society on which the balm of mercy can be poured through spiritual and corporal works! We think of families in difficulty, young people and adults without work, the sick and the elderly who are abandoned, migrants experiencing hardship and acts of violence – and rejected, and also many other forms of poverty. In these places of wounded humanity, Christians celebrate the memorial of the Cross and make living and present the Gospel of Jesus the Servant, who gave himself up for us out of love. The baptized thus spread the seeds of a Eucharistic culture by becoming servants of the poor, not in the name of an ideology but of the Gospel itself, which becomes a rule of life for individuals and communities. We see this in the constant witness borne by so many saints of charity, men and women alike.

Finally, each Mass nourishes the Eucharistic life by bringing to the fore those words of the Gospel that our cities have often forgotten. We need think only of the word mercy, almost removed from the dictionary of contemporary culture. Everyone laments the corrosive river of misery flowing through our society. It is made up of different kinds of fear, oppression, arrogance, cruelty, hatred, forms of rejection and lack of concern for the environment, not to mention others. And yet, Christians realize every Sunday that this swollen river is powerless against the ocean of mercy that inundates our world. The Eucharist is the wellspring of this ocean of mercy, for in it the Lamb of God, slain yet standing, makes flow from his pierced side streams of living water; he pours out his Spirit for a new creation and he offers himself as food at the table of the new Passover (cf. Apostolic Letter Misericordiae Vultus, 7). Mercy thus enters the veins of this world and helps to form the image and structure of the People of God suited to our modern age.

The forthcoming International Eucharistic Congress, continuing a more than century-old tradition, is called to point to this path of newness and conversion, and to remind everyone that the Eucharist stands at the very heart of the Church’s life. It is a paschal mystery that can enhance the baptized as individuals, but also the earthly city in which they live and work. May the Budapest Eucharistic Congress foster processes of renewal in Christian communities, so that the salvation whose source is in the Eucharist will find expression in a Eucharistic culture capable of inspiring men and women of good will in the fields of charity, solidarity, peace, family life and care for creation.

I now entrust the forthcoming International Eucharistic Congress to the Virgin Mary. May Our Lady watch over and accompany each of you and your communities, and enable your efforts, for which I am deeply grateful, to bear abundant fruit. I ask you please to pray for me, and to all of you I cordially impart my Apostolic Blessing.

+FRANCIS

[haz clic aquí para leer en español]

Dear Parishioners:

The U.S. bishops are joining together in a commitment of prayer and reparation leading up to the bishops’ general assembly November 12-14, where we will be making critical decisions in response to the clergy sexual abuse crisis. With my brother bishops across the nation, I will be dedicating myself to seven days of intensified prayer and fasting, from Monday, November 5, through Sunday, November 11.

The intentions for this period of prayer and sacrifice are three-fold:

• For the healing and support of all victims of clergy sexual abuse.

• For the conversion and just punishment of the perpetrators and concealers of sexual abuse.

• For the strength of the bishops to be holy shepherds in protecting and leading our flocks from all harm.

If you feel called to do so, you are welcome to join me in praying for these intentions. I would also be grateful for any prayers for me and my brother bishops during our general assembly, that we may follow the guidance of the Holy Spirit in responding to the tragedy of clergy sexual abuse in the Church.

Please be assured of my prayers for you, as well.

Sincerely in Christ,

Most Rev. Joseph J. Tyson
Bishop of Yakima

The Bishop's letter and other resources can be downloaded through the following links:

Letter-English  Letter-Spanish  Pulpit Announcement  Prayers of the Faithful

        Click on image to read                        Haz clic en imagen para leer

John Washington, a seminarian from the Archdiocese of Atlanta, spent his summer tending to Washington state’s bountiful apple trees, speaking “field Spanish” with Latino migrant workers, learning about life in the migrant camps and bringing the Gospel to the agricultural laborers.

“I wanted an adventure this summer,” Washington said with a chuckle as he plunged a shovel into the dark earth while planting a replacement apple tree. “I’d say I got one.”

He looked around and spotted a few other seminarians from the Diocese of Yakima and two Spanish-speaking migrant workers, who showed him how deep he should plant the tree.

The future priest’s summer in the Pacific Northwest’s agrarian fields was part of the Diocese of Yakima’s migrant ministry program, which he learned about from a Mundelein classmate, who is a Yakima seminarian.

All seminarians from the Diocese of Yakima are required to spend their summers working in the fields. It’s part of their formation to work alongside the migrant laborers, to understand their plight, as well as their language, and to bring the faith to the people where they live and work.

When Washington heard about this program, it was something he knew he wanted to experience.

With favorable nods from both his vocation director at the Archdiocese of Atlanta and Yakima Bishop Joseph J. Tyson, the seminarian joined the team out west for the summer of 2018.

Yakima’s migrant ministry program began in the summer of 2011, shortly after Bishop Tyson became the shepherd of the diocese.

The question of what to do with the seminarians during the summer months while they were not in school came up and the answer became clear, he said.

“We decided they should go out in the fields and pick apples,” he said. “Good parents almost always require their children to get a job while they are home from college during the summer. It seemed natural to require the same from the seminarians and to do the kind of work that so many people here do.”

In a nutshell, Bishop Tyson wants his future priests to really understand the lives of the population they will be serving as priests, and since the largest sector of the state of Washington’s economy is agriculture, he decided the seminarian formation must include working with the migrants.

The seminarians rose four days a week at 4 a.m. at the Yakima rectory where those involved in the migrant ministry stayed during the summer, prepared for a day of physical labor, met for morning prayer at 4:45 a.m. and left at 5 a.m. for the hourlong drive to the assigned apple orchard in Prosser, Washington.

When the eight seminarians and interns (those still discerning religious life) arrived at the orchard for their first day on the job, they were handed trimming tools by the foreman and directed to join the Latino migrant workers in the field to prune the rows of young apple trees.

The intention of the experience isn’t necessarily meant to humble the seminarians, although Bishop Tyson told Catholic News Service that is an encouraging outcome.This work required the men to sit on the ground, kneel and bend over, awkward positions that strained their joints and made their backs ache, further complicated by the blazing sun beating down on them.

“It’s important that our future priests know in their bones the labor of the bread and the wine,” said Bishop Tyson, “and know the lives behind our agricultural workers.”

The Diocese of Yakima has roughly 40 parishes and mission churches and regularly serves about 170,000 Catholics, but during the harvest, an additional 100,000 migrant workers reside in the region, most of whom are Spanish-speaking Latinos.

“The seminarians’ presence in those fields is very important,” Bishop Tyson said. “Many of those workers don’t have the ability to get to church. So, we need to bring church to them.”

Seminarian Jacob Sevigny is no stranger to the agricultural fields in central Washington. He grew up in the area and has worked different farm and

construction jobs throughout his young life.

“When they become priests, when they preach the Gospel, they’ll be able to aim the Gospel knowing the reality of the lives of the people they are serving,” Bishop Tyson said.He believes the migrant ministry will help him and his fellow seminarians become better priests, because, “in the words of Pope Francis, it’s important for us to smell like the sheep and share our lives and understand the lives of our people.”

Since all priests in the diocese are required to be bilingual, the migrant ministry provides Spanish immersion.

“Many of the people out here speak very little English,” said seminarian Matthew Ockinga, who practiced his Spanish while speaking with the migrant workers in the field. “About 60 percent of the Catholics in the diocese attend Spanish Mass. You have to know how to speak the language of your people and the Spanish in the field is different than traditional Castilian Spanish.”

Though the work in the field is a stark contrast to a seminarian’s life at school, Ockinga said he believes their contact with the migrant workers is more valuable than the labor they are providing.

“I’m hoping that the migrant workers come away with the sense that they are part of the church no matter where they are at,” Bishop Tyson said. “And that we love them and care for them and they are always welcome. There’s always a place at the table.”

After a month working in the fields, the seminarians shifted their presence to the migrant camps, where they taught a literacy program, provided catechesis and assembled prayer services.

The outreach is similar to the early church, where missionaries brought the Gospel to the people, Washington said.

“Talk about the new evangelization, this is reminding the (seminarians) that the parish isn’t the building, it’s the area and they are responsible for all of the souls in that area and not just the Catholic souls,” Bishop Tyson said.

And it’s the bishop’s expectation that these lessons will become entrenched in the ministry of each of the seminarians when they become priests.

“I don’t want them to wait for people to come to us,” he said. “I want them to go out. I want them to know ‘you’re church for that person in front of you.’”

Story and videos by Chaz Muth, Catholic News Service.

Formation School of Faith For Leadership and Lay Ministry

These classes are designed for growth in knowledge of our faith, creed and doctrine of the Church.

Led by Bishop Joseph Tyson, the English-speaking Magnificat program is a formation school of faith for leadership and lay ministry.

For the 2018-2019 year, the Encuentro process will also be part of the formation program.   

All classes will be offered at St Paul's Cathedral Building in Yakima,  Saint Joseph School in Wenatchee, or Holy Spirit Parish in Kennewick, from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m.

 For questions please contact the diocesan office at 509-965-7117 or email at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

“Credo ut intelligam, intelligo ut credam”

“I Believe to understand, understand to believe”

Saint Augustine of Hippo

2018 - 2019 Magnificat Schedule

Programa de Formación en la Fe y Liderazco Laico

Estas clases están diseñadas para el crecimiento en el conocimiento de nuestra fe, credo y doctrina de la Iglesia.

Dirigido por el obispo Joseph Tyson, el programa de Magnificat de habla inglesa es una escuela de formación de fe para el liderazgo y el ministerio laico.Todas las clases serán ofrecidas en el Edificio de la Catedral de San Pablo en Yakima, Escuela San José en Wenatchee, o Parroquia del Espíritu Santo en Kennewick, de 9 a.m. a 11 a.m.|

Para el año 2018-2019, el proceso del Encuentro será parte del programa de formación de 11:30 a.m. a 1 p.m.

Para preguntas, por favor comuníquese con la oficina diocesana al 509-965-7117 o envíe un correo electrónico a This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

“Credo ut intelligam, intelligo ut credam”

“Creo para entender y entiendo para creer”

San Agustín de Hippo

2018 - 2019 Calendario de Magnificat

Friends:

As noted in a recent message from Cardinal Daniel DiNardo, president of the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops, the sexual abuse scandal in the Church has been and continues to be a “moral catastrophe.” It summarizes the pain and scandal caused by those clergy and laity ministering in the church who sexually abuse minors and vulnerable adults. Even more the “moral catastrophe” stems from the failure of us as a body of bishops to have better accountability for our oversight of our flock and of each other. I am so very, very sorry. 

I want to uplift Pope Francis’ message for all of us to consider as we work together to create better structures of accountability, especially in the case of bishops who abused minors or failed to act in the face of abuse in their own dioceses. These are moral failures and criminal acts that need careful attention.  Please find attached to this message the following:

Pope Francis Letter to the People of God  ENGLISH | SPANISH

Cardinal DiNardo Message to the U.S. Church  ENGLISH | SPANISH

Be assured of my prayers for all of you. Kindly place in prayer all victims of sexual abuse too. They and the healing of their pain need to remain our key focus. 

+Bishop Joseph Tyson
Diocese of Yakima 

Statement of Bishop Joseph J. Tyson, August 17, 2018
Pennsylvania Grand Jury Report

(haz clic aquí para leer en español)

With the recent allegations of sexual abuse committed by Archbishop Theodore McCarrick, former Archbishop of Washington, D.C., and the release of a Grand Jury Report involving several dioceses in Pennsylvania, the tragedy of sexual abuse in the Catholic Church is once again brought to light. The sexual abuse of a minor is an intrinsic moral evil and a crime. Anyone responsible for such an act or for shielding those who do, including bishops and other Church leaders, must be held accountable for their actions. I join with other bishops from throughout Washington and the United States in expressing our sincere shame and remorse for the incredible harm these crimes have caused the victims and their families.

The Catholic Church in Central Washington continues its focus on providing a safe environment for all minors and vulnerable adults in our care. Special procedures, training and reporting protocols were adopted in the 1990s. Our policies, training and procedures are reviewed frequently and have been updated several times.

To report any suspicion of abuse by any Church personnel, please contact local law enforcement. In addition, anyone who has knowledge of sexual abuse or misconduct by a member of the clergy, an employee or volunteer of the Diocese of Yakima is urged to call the diocesan hotline at 1-888-276-4490.

As Catholics, we believe that every life is sacred. Each person is created in the image and likeness of our loving God. Violence and abuse of any kind are unacceptable, and we have a serious responsibility to work towards their end. Together, we must do everything we possibly can to protect our children, young people, and vulnerable adults.

Dear Friends,

We are here in Rome on pilgrimage and are with the Holy Father, Pope Francis, at his Wednesday general audience. By happy coincidence today marks the start of the Holy Father's global campaign, "Share the Journey," where he invites us to walk with migrants refugees and – in his Spanish comments – "campesinos" – something quite particular to our Diocese of Yakima. Today's kickoff points to a Week of Prayer and Action October 7-13. For an overview of the campaign, including personal stories, click here.  For ideas and resources for Catholic leaders planning events for the week, click here.  For a parish toolkit put together by Catholic Relief Services, click here. For ideas for social media, click here. Para recursos en español, haz click aquí.

Here in the Diocese of Yakima we are uniquely positioned to share the journey as Spanish and English speakers forming a single Church witness. Let's "Share the Journey" with each other – especially the migrants and undocumented as well as those young people impacted by DACA. Many prayers.

+Bishop Joseph Tyson