A Note From Our Parochial Vicar: February 22, 2026

When someone walks into your home, do they know you are Catholic? Would they see crucifixes, statues and religious art publicly displayed? I find it interesting how some homes have every wall and shelf covered, while others have no faith representation at all. This is more than filling up space in our homes, as images express something important about our faith.

How so? Externals such as statues and art remind us that our faith is not confined to the church. We must live it out in the real world, where God and the saints are among our joys, sorrows and works. We do not worship images, they are visible reminders of the ones we love, namely God, Mary and the Saints. Imagine someone telling you that photos of your loved ones, those living and deceased, were idols and that you shouldn’t have them. We wouldn’t ever think of throwing away those loved ones!

Same with statues, images and crucifixes. We do not treat them as good-luck charms, but they are a tangible means to encountering God and the heavenly family. That is why I encourage you this Lent to maybe spend some of your recreational money for getting a good crucifix, image or statue in your home. These don’t need to be extravagant nor costly, but every Catholic home should at least have a crucifix in a public room. (Make sure that crucifix is blessed)

This Lenten season I invite you to be adventurous, find images, statues and crucifixes that speak to you! There are several spots I recommend. The first is Alleluia Catholic Store across in Kent, it’s worth checking out what they have! Kauffers in Seattle also has a good selection. For online shopping, try to find Catholic websites or Catholic free-lance artists on catholictothemax.com, eBay.com, etsy.com, among many others. Finally, I would recommend going into antique stores occasionally to rescue any paintings or statues that might have been donated, if the price is reasonable.

We do not need to break the bank and live within our means. At the same time, let’s have our homes be living expression of our faith. May anyone who walks into your house see that it is VERY Catholic!

God bless,

Fr. Ben