CHAPTERS

Seattle (Northeast)

Seattle (Capitol Hill)

Spokane

Bellingham

Tacoma

Portland (Coming soon!)

Located at Our Lady of the Lake Church, the chapter generally meets on the first Sunday of each month after the 10:30 Mass, in the parish office. It works closely with the OLL parish Peace and Justice group, and both groups will no doubt need to examine their mission in light of Partners in the Gospel, which calls on us all to restructure and merge communities.

The chapter at St. Joseph Parish meets monthly on Saturdays at 9:30 a.m. The group is newly formed, and was initiated by Jim Thomas, from our Regional Board. Nuclear weapons abolition and a desire for non-violence training are strong priorities to begin with; this description will evolve!

The Spokane chapter covers the city, and is led by Scott Cooper, a staff member of the diocese of Spokane. It meets twice a month on the 2nd and 4th Friday mornings of the month, and includes Vets for Peace members and members of the Dorthy Day Labor group. A recent success was passing a Back from the Brink initiative to the Spokane City Council - affirming Spokane as a nuclear-free city.

The Bellingham-Whatcom County chapter is led by Dan Larguier, meets monthly, for carries a special focus for an entire year. Last year the focus was Immigration; this year it is Gun Safety. This is a very large group with an educational focus.

TBD

The Tacoma group is known as Tahoma chapter, and they meet virtually on the 4th Tuesdays in the evening. Its leader is George Rodkey, and they have been associated (as is the St. Joseph group above) with a Jesuit parish. It has slowly been dwindling, with older members, although at their last meeting they were excited to have a new face join them! We’ll see how that makes a difference in future meetings; stay tuned.

This may be the most promising group of all! Mary Ryan-Hotchkiss is their leader, a Regional Board member, and Maryknoll Affiliate. Portland has a Catholic Worker community, is home to Jesuit Volunteer Corps Northwest and JV Encorps, as well as a Jesuit parish and retreat center - all factors that provide new energy and stable leadership.