Name of Church St. Joseph
Address 602 South 34th Street, Tacoma, WA 98418
Phone number 253-472-2489
Website www.saintjosephtacoma.org
Mass times All Latin Tridentine. Sunday, 7 a.m., 8:30 a.m., 10 a.m., 11:30 a.m. and 1 p.m. Monday – Thursday, 8 a.m. Friday, 8 a.m. & 6:30 p.m. (Exposition of the Blessed Sacrament follows Mass). Saturday, 9 a.m. First Saturday, 9 a.m. & 11 a.m. (Exposition of the Blessed Sacrament follows Mass). Feast days, 8 a.m. & 7 p.m. (sung Mass if Monday through Thursday). Latin-English missals are available for visitors to use.
Confessions 10 to 30 minutes before Mass or by appointment.
Names of priests Fr. Timothy O’Brien, pastor. Fr. Edward Brodsky, parochial vicar. Both are members of the Fraternity of St. Peter (FSSP). All FSSP sacraments are celebrated in Latin using the 1962 Missal. FSSP operates with the blessing of Seattle Archbishop Paul Etienne. The FSSP priests are orthodox, formed in the traditional way, and are typically good homilists and confessors.
School No, but there is a St. Joseph Parish Homeschool Group.
Devotional activities Catechism classes, men’s group, St. Joseph’s Pro-Life Group, Little Flowers Girls’ Club, Rosary Makers, St. Joseph’s Mothers’ Group, Our Lady of Victory Altar Society, Youth Group.
Music Choirs for weekend masses.
Fellow parishioners The parish has been growing significantly in recent years with many masses added; parishioners tend to be those who prefere the traditional celebration of the Mass and sacraments.
Parking Park in the lot behind the church.
Additional observations St. Joseph’s was founded in 1911 as a Slovakian parish. It’s a beautiful historic church, with a traditional altar, colorful stained glass windows and traditional art. Seattle’s archbishop gave over care of the parish to the Fraternity, an extension of the Fraternity’s North American Martyrs community in Seattle.
They will probably get an indult to continue saying the TLM after Pope Francis issues his motu proprio restricting the TLM’s celebration, so no worries. Francis doesn’t want to take the time capsule, museum Mass away from people who need it. He just firmly and correctly believes that the liturgical renewal cannot be stopped and that the new Mass is the best for the future of the church, and he’s going to make it clear that the old Mass is an exceptional favor that is granted out of charity.
We should have traditional churches like this Los Angeles, the largest diocese in the United States.
We should have parish churches built with the post Vatican II liturgy in mind. Designing a church only for celebration of the TLM is backwards and shortsighted. Have a small TLM chapel, if you want, but new and large parish churches should be churches designed to be where the new Mass will be celebrated and the assembly more than just spectators watching some actors on a stage do their thing in mostly silence.
The Roman Catholic Church has not “moved on” from her ancient liturgies and traditions, an integral part of her entire history. The Post-Conciliar Church has been trying out new and “modernistic” liturgical forms, to help people like you with worship of God at Mass. Both the New Mass and the Old Latin Mass are just fine. In this case, the FSSP church, with the Old Latin Mass, is a huge success, and is growing by leaps and by bounds! It exists to fulfill the needs of devout traditional Catholics– not you. Regardless, if you are Catholic, you should educate yourself in our Church’s rich and beautiful history and traditions– and learn to appreciate it. The Roman Catholic Church is over 2000 years old, and is not an invention of the modern era.
You do not understand the Catholic Faith. The ancient role of the priest is to bring the Sacraments from God to the people. Laymen are not priests. They receive the Sacraments from the priest. The laymen are to devoutly and reverently assist at Mass, and prayerfully prepare themselves spiritually, for Our Lord, at the moment of Transubstantiation, on the altar. And next, be ready to receive Him in Holy Communion– or make a Spiritual Communion, if you are unable to receive Him in Holy Communion.
Anonymous– Catholics are certainly not “spectators” at Mass, “watching actors on stage.”
Vatican II taught that the liturgy was to be reformed in order to promote more fully conscious and active participation by the faithful. That means the bishops of the world realized Catholics were not sufficiently conscious and active when attending the pre-1962 Mass.
Many people would pray the rosary during Mass.
People who pray the rosary during Mass are not participating at Mass. That’s an example of a liturgical abuse that Vatican II sought to correct by reforming the Mass so that people could understand it better and participate in it more fully and consciously.
Anonymous: “People who pray the rosary during Mass are not participating at Mass.”
Oh great. Here come the Mass Nazis. As if I can’t walk and chew my gum at the same time.
And there are those who fall asleep at the newer mass, so what else is new. Others leave the mass because the band (yes, there is a band at some masses) is too loud, and it hurts their ears. There will always be people who will not engage.
To Anonymous, posting @ 8:25 pm on 11 June:
I pray that you don’t really hold that Mass celebrated according to the TLM is no “more than just spectators watching some actors on a stage do their thing mostly in silence”. The Church teaches that the TLM is a perfectly valid and licit rite not abrogated by any canonical or liturgical law. You can’t deny that and sentire cum Ecclesia [think as the Church thinks]. And those you call “actors” are not ACTORS at all. Rather they are validly ordained Catholic priests with the power to confect the Eucharist in either the TLM or the Novus Ordo. To me, it borders on the sacrilegious to define Mass celebrated in the TLM the way you have. By all means, prefer the NO exclusively for yourself. But why deny other Catholics the right to prefer the TLM? Are you so intolerant that you’d not let others make their own valid liturgical choices unless you approve?
You call those attending Mass “the assembly” instead of, say, the “worshiping faithful”. That signals where you’re coming from. “Assembly” is not how Catholics in the pews describe themselves. It’s the jargon of the new autocrats—“liturgists”, trained and feigned.
The church has moved on from the 1962 liturgy. Vatican II happened, whether you like it or not.
Anonymous, the beautiful and holy traditional Catholic churches, and the beautiful and holy old Latin Mass exists to fulfill the spiritual needs of devout, orthodox, good Catholics and their families– not you and your needs. Go to an ugly, cold, modern church that looks like a business complex, and worship at the New Mass, there, if you are Catholic and want that fir your spouse and children. And do educate yourself, and learn to appreciate the long and beautiful history of the Roman Catholic Church, established by Christ 2000+ years ago, in the first century A.D. — not in 1969, with the New Mass.
Anon. If you like the TLM go for it, but why be so insulting to fellow Catholics who find their spiritually fulfilled in a different but still orthodox setting? The TLM was not the form of the Mass instituted by Christ, and the last supper wasn’t even more than 2000 years ago even if he had. Christ’s version of the Mass was in his own vernacular, not in Latin.
Anon.62– I don’t care what Mass you go to. I just expressed my opinion that the holy Tridentine Mass is beautiful, and I love it.
Anon.62– good grief! I don’t care what Mass you go to! I don’t even know you! I just expressed my opinion that the holy Tridentine Mass is beautiful, and I love it! Do you have a problem with people expressing their views?? Go to the Mass of your choice! And so what??
What some people fail to bring up is that the Vatican II documents themselves say that Latin should have the primary place as far as the Latin Rite Church. How can it be a Latin Rite without any Latin? Makes no sense.
What a beautiful picture! Wonderful that this FSSP parish is growing by leaps and by bounds! Lots and lots of support for parishioners– and even a homeschooling group! God bless them all!
I believe TLM should be available within reasonable driving distance and at convenient times to those who desire it. Perhaps those desiring TLM can somehow communicate the ‘size of the market’ as a starter.
The lie is that the TLM is growing by leaps and bounds. It is not. It has plateaued at less than 0.5% of Catholics who seek it.
TLM Catholics ignore that the Church’s Magisterium has decreed, decided and enacted a new Mass to replace the old. The undercurrent of their remarks, sometimes explicit, is that the Magisterium’s new Mass was a grave error and should be suppressed. Any Catholic who believes that is in schism.
Anonymous, you need respect for all forms of the Mass.
I respect it. I don’t like the schismatic, condescending attitude of traddies who think their Mass is superior. They think they’re the only real Catholics in the world and that novus ordo Catholics are all unwanted stepchildren in the church.
No, Anonymous. There are all kinds of Catholics in the pews at any kind of Mass. I am probably about three times your age, as are many who grew up with and love the beautiful old Latin Mass. The form of the Mass has nothing to do with those who choose to attend that Mass. I used to love taking my mom, who died at nearly age 90– to the old Latin Mass– it was a beautiful, prayerful experience, and we both loved kneeling at the altar rail at Communion, to reverently receive Our Lord on the tongue. My mother was a lovely, warm, caring woman, loved by everyone. Most of the Latin Mass-goers were immigrants, like my mom and dad. Now, I am getting closer to life’s end– and very much love attending the old Latin Mass. Devout Catholics are of all ages and all types.
Just like there are some people who prefer black and white movies.
Once you hear, smell, and taste the Vetus Ordo, it is very hard to swallow the Vatican II Protestantized pantomime with its kisses, handshakes, and modern songs with tambourines. The future of the Church is in the 2000 year old mass. It will be a much smaller Church, and Pope Francisco´s re-energized suppression plan is based on an incorrect ideological Marxist/Peronist/Globalist ideology. The Second Vatican Council was a ridiculous updating to the untrue of 1962 that emptied our churches of faithful and nuns.Give the mass of the ages a try. It will likely save your soul.
Whenever someone posts something about the TLM being a 2,000 year old mass, first I laugh then I just bout cry. The TLM was no less the invention of the post Trent Church than the NO was the invention of the post Vatican II Church. That’s why it’s called the Tridentine mass.
Like I’ve said a lot of trads are ignorant about liturgy, theology and history. They just take comfort in a Mass that takes them back to the good ol days. There’s a strong reluctance, even an aversion, to engaging with what the church needs to be here and now today.
They are not bothering you. Leave them to God.
“There’s a strong reluctance, even an aversion, to engaging with what the church needs to be here and now today.” You mean a Church that is more concerned with climate change, and leftwing politics, well you are right about that. I have no desire to engage in leftwing politics in a parish that has rainbow flags flying.
bohemond, we don’t have climate change and leftwing politics at my parish. No rainbow flags either. If that happened, there would be so many complaints, it wouldn’t happen twice.
It is possible that there are some but I have never seen it-at home or traveling.
“It is possible that there are some but I have never seen it-at home or traveling.” You have no idea how bad it is do you?
No, you have no idea how bad it isn’t.
Gay friendly parishes are so few that they are listed on the Internet.
Name the parish or the priest who talks about climate change and leftwing politics. It is probably a handful. Just like it a handful who talk about rightwing politics like Fr. Altman. The priest in San Diego that got in trouble didn’t do it at Mass; he wrote a column in the parish bulletin. People complain when priests do that so they don’t do that. There is one priest in Chicago that did something lefty-I don’t remember what exactly.
That is not what happens when you go to Mass at a Catholic Church. There have been thousands of Masses uploaded in the last year. The only one that made any controversy was Fr. Altman and he is rightwing.
Catholics are split pretty evenly between right-leaning and left-leaning. The only political thing I have heard mentioned at Mass is anti-abortion and once I heard a priest say he was against capital punishment.
Anon62– The 1570 Mass of the Council of Trent was very much like the Mass of the early Christians, only a few very small changes, not much. There is very, very little difference between the Catholic Mass which King Henry VIII and St. Thomas More attended until King Henry split with the Church in 1534– and the Tridentine Mass of 1570. By contrast, he 1969 Mass of Pope St. Paul VI is an extremely major liturgical change– radically different than the past 2000 years. Yes, the 1570 Tridentine Mass, with the revisions of the 1962 Roman Missal, is much closer to the original Mass of the early Christians.
That’s odd. Because what the Gospels and the letters of Paul describe doesn’t resemble the TLM at all. Foremost, the early Mass was celebrated in Aramaic, not Latin. They didn’t wear fiddleback chasubles. They didn’t have tabernacles or communion rails. The TLM is quite a bit removed from the early liturgy, I’d say.
There is a ton of writings by Church Fathers and early Christians.
If you are interested in the Church Fathers, Salt and Light Media has a blog entries called “Deacon-structing Church Fathers”
https://slmedia.org/blog/category/deacon-structing
While reading the Little Office of the Blessed Virgin Mary of 1988, I saw how the wording had been incorrectly changed. The antiphon on page 53 says “The angel Gabriel was sent to the Virgin Mary, who was engaged to be married to Joseph.” That is a serious error as Mary was betrothed to Joseph but had not yet gone to live with him. There is a big difference between a betrothal back then and an engagement now. The first had three steps and was the same thing as a marriage and required a divorce.
It is a modernized version.
According to Brides.com, the Catholic Church still has betrothal ceremonies. News to me.
From the Arlingon Catholic Herald:
The rite of betrothal was a little-known but long-standing service of prayer in which a couple had their engagement formally blessed by a priest. The 1906 edition of The Catholic Encyclopedia notes that the ritual was more common in other countries than in the United States. An English version is still available, as an addition to Father Philip Weller’s translation of the 1962 Roman Ritual (although the rite did not form part of that ritual itself.)
There is no prohibition against using that rite today, although it has been replaced largely in the contemporary church by the Blessing of an Engaged Couple from the church’s Book of Blessings, published in 1989. That newer rite celebrates in prayer a newly engaged couple and asks the Lord to guide them as they prepare for marriage; it can be celebrated by a priest, deacon or lay minister (sometimes by a parent of the future bride or groom).
Gratias, in the Immaculate Heart of Mary, there is only love. In the Sacred Heart of Jesus, there is only love. Jesus and Mary love everyone. Jesus and Mary love the Mass. It is OK to compare the OF and the EF. It is not OK to compete them. They are in essence the same. There are differences. They are both the Sacrifice of Calvary renewed.
The Church is the same. We changed some things. Maybe you would have preferred no change. You are only one person out of millions of Catholics. To think that things should be done the way you wants them to be done is very narcissistic-what the Church calls pride.
I admonish you in the name of Jesus to speak only truth, to stop scourging the Lord’s Body.
A list of Masses in Orange County that have contemporary music with a praise band would be welcome. Now that California is opening back up again I think the bands at Mass will be brought back, but they are still hard to find. I don’t mean with tambourines… I hate those. No… guitars, drums, bass, keyboards and good singers and upbeat music is what I mean. The Latin Mass isn’t the only one worth driving to. I’m young so I’m looking for an upbeat, contemporary Mass.
Do you live near Mission Viejo? St. Kilian’s has a mass band that you might like. Here’s the sending forth song from today’s Mass.
https://youtu.be/WhfNJva8ABk?t=3677
If that’s what you want, I’d say that’s worth driving to.
” I’m young so I’m looking for an upbeat, contemporary Mass”….so wish you to be entertained is that it? Your ego needs to be stroked?, you need to have your feelings affirmed? You want a mass centered on you and your emotions ? You want the seriousness of the mass reduced to a “joyful noise”
People like Anonymous believe the Church started in 1965; he is liberal who thinks that man-centered liturgy is the way to go, But he will not and cannot defend the near destruction of the Faith in the West which is directly correlated with the liturgical changes.
They don’t believe the church started in 1965, but they correctly believe that the church’s magisterium taught at Vatican II that the old ways and the old liturgy were no longer good enough for the church of the future. If you are against Vatican II and the new Mass, you are against the magisterium. Catholics must obey the magisterium.
No , we don’t !, we can vote with our $ and patronage .
And the above comment is clearly an expression of schism. Outright denial of the need to obey the magisterium by accepting Vatican II. Case closed. Trads are schismatic. They are SSPXers who don’t have the guts to follow through because Summorum Pontificum lets them pretend they are still Catholic in mind. I hope Pope Francis abolishes the TLM so the schism can just become official with the TLMers leaving to form their own separated church like the Protestant reformers did.
Anonymous: “I hope Pope Francis abolishes the TLM”; “Trads are schismatic.”
How can you say things like that? Have you ever read Pope Francis’s encyclical Fratelli tutti?
1) The encyclical actually promotes interreligious dialogue for “friendship, peace, and harmony” (not abolishing forms of worship that you, personally, don’t like).
2) The encyclical also calls for being “Good Samaritans who bear the pain of other people’s troubles rather than fomenting greater hatred and resentment.” (You don’t think abolishing the TLM will foment resentment? Huh?)
3) And the encyclical teaches no less that we should “dream, then, as a single human family . . . each of us with his or her own voice, brothers and sisters all. (Get that? We’re all one human family even though we all have our own voices, as “SSPXers” and “Trads” do.)
Besides, haven’t you read Pope Francis’s Abu Dhabi statement, co-signed with none other than Sheikh Ahmed el-Tayeb, the Grand Imam of Al-Azhar — who isn’t even loosely Christian? You should read it, Anonymous. It says explicitly,
If you really respect Pope Francis, Anonymous, then please acknowledge that the religious diversity and pluralism expressed by “SSPXers” and “Trads” are “willed by God in His wisdom.” (Who are you oppose God’s will?)
Really, it’s quite disrespectful of Pope Francis to invoke him for your personal opinions but then blatantly ignore his other teachings.
https://catholicherald.co.uk/pope-signs-declaration-saying-god-wills-religious-pluralism-what-does-this-mean/
I believe my family can attend a Novus Ordo Mass and remain “devout, orthodox, good Catholics.” We would need to drive 70 miles away to attend a TLM. I admire deeply the reference and beauty of the Latin Mass. The many families with young children dressed appropriate for such a celebration; a wonderful is a blessed sight. But it’s more than that: the mood, discipline and deep love of God are evident everywhere. Our local parish is not Golic nor Romanesque in architecture, but it’s not an eyesore either nor is it filled with pick-n-choose either. It is always a pleasure to recognize as we draw near. I grew up with the Latin Mass, attended the parish school across the street, and am happy to be there whatever Mass is celebrated. We do with what God has provided.
I like your comment very much. It is rare to find such faith.
Good, now respect the “likes” of others, who so love to sing the praises of their favorite Mass, the old Latin Mass– explaining the reasons why– and respectfully keep quiet, Anonymous. They are certainly not bothering you.
I’m sorry. What?
So TLMers are part of cancel culture?
I go to a lovely Latin Mass with mostly older immigrants– you probably would not like it. So be it. Go to your “pop guitar Mass,” or whatever you like– and so what? Nobody at the Mass I attend even knows those ridiculous “teen” slang words, like “trad” or “rad” or “tlm.”
By “likes” do you mean giving someone a thumbs-up? Are you telling us to respect when people do that?
Sorry, kiddo, I never give so-called “thumbs up” or “thumbs down” to anyone– just say what you think. And so what, your opinions?
At the first Mass celebrated by Christ, the apostles received Communion in the hand not on the tongue. So don’t go saying that Communion kneeling on the tongue is the best way when Christ himself didn’t even do it that way.
First of all, the 12 Apostles were all ordained priests, and the Bible does not say whether or not they received in the hand or on the tongue. Christ might have put the Host directly into their mouths. I do not know if the early Church Fathers recorded how He gave it. The Eastern Rite Catholics, Orthodox and other ancient churches do not normally give Communion in the hand. Perhaps during an epidemic but not normally. From what I have seen on line the Copts are still giving it on the tongue.
Once again, let’s be clear about these things. The Roman Catholic Church has 23 Rites, one of them being the Latin Rite. Most of us are part of the Latin Rite that has two forms of the Mass, the Ordinary Form, and the Extra-Ordinary Form. Both are equal in all respects. Remember too, that catholic means universal. Most of the comments so far simply expound on one’s preference as to the form of the Mass. To say that one is better than the other is inaccurate. Let’s just say that people prefer one form over the other. Let’s also recognize that most Catholics have never seen or attended a TLM. That doesn’t make them less orthodox or less a “real” catholic.
Pope Francis thinks and teaches that the new Mass is better. He has said that liturgical reform is unstoppable. So there’s that.
Please cite your source.
Did Pope Francis actually say he thinks the “new” Mass is “better”. All I recall him saying is that congregations should not be divided over which mass is better, and that when masses do cause division within a religious congregation, he will impose the Pauline mass. He also recently limited the use of the 1962 Mass at the Vatican, but that seems to be motivated by a desire to adhere to the wishes of the Council that priests ought to concelebrate masses rather than have their own individual Masses, so that the unity of the presbyterate might be more fully expressed. And unity of the Church, and the equivalence of both forms of the Latin Rite, after all, is the entire theme of the letter Benedict issued along with his motu proprio allowing wider use of the 1962 Mass of St. John XXIII.
By choosing the new Mass, he affirms it is better.
When did this Holy Father “choose” one mass over another, any more than the pope emeritus himself chose one mass over the other? Benedict himself said that the post Vatican II mass is and should be the common mass through which we all offer the Sacrifice.
It is the ordinary form of the Roman Rite. That is what the Pope should use.
Bob One, good post.
Ah yes the True Mass of All Times, Deo gratias!
There’s no going back from Vatican II. Only forward
Yes we will go forward all right, back to the traditional Latin mass!
I don’t think anyone is opposed to the Latin Mass. I think what we oppose is the mischaracterization of the Ordinary Form of the Roman Rite.