Embark on the Journey of Understanding

Reflections on the Save Our Western Washington Parishes Group Meeting with Father Gary Lazzeroni, Vicar General of the Archdiocese of Seattle, on November 13, 2025, Concerning the Partners in the Gospel (PIG) Plan.  

The Save Our Western Washington Parishes organization felt genuinely privileged, and honored, that Father Lazzeroni had decided to reconsider his initial rejection of our invitation to meet with us concerning the PIG plan. It marked a major step for us to be recognized and acknowledged by the archdiocese as an existent and viable organization. The consensus among the group was that Father Lazzeroni’s agreement to the meeting gave us hope that we, representing the People-of-God-in-the-Pew of the entire archdiocese, would begin now to truly be given the opportunity for genuine “input, involvement, and participation in the decision-making process” as originally promised in what was labeled to be a ‘synodal’ affair.

The large size of the gathering seemed to take Father Lazzeroni by surprise when he first entered the Holy Cross Parish social hall and found it full of eager participants, from multiple deaneries, with their questions at the ready. 

Described as a ‘polite and orderly’ assembly, Dennis Vercillo began to pass the handheld microphone to the participants with each articulating in their own words the questions that lay heavy on their hearts. 

When asked later to describe in one word how they felt about the answers they received to their questions the participants had mixed reactions. Some felt the answers were polite but very much skewed to enhance the PIG plan rather than address the questions directly. Others felt that the answers were incomplete, and at times evasive, but at other times, spot on. All agreed that Father was very sincere, warm, and respectful of the people and their questions. 

The most critical discussion came towards the end of the evening when it was mentioned that it was readily apparent that the Archdiocese’s attempt at communicating the PIG plan was solely based on its website and its instructions to the pastors and that the laity in general was not aware of what the plan really entailed. In fact, very few of the 120 in attendance had even visited the website. It was recommended that more direct, face to face, communication needs to be employed.

A sign that our meeting had at least one impact on the archdiocese: the following Monday there was posted on the Seattle Archdiocese website an announcement of a job opening for a webmaster.

Many of our members had felt our meeting would be a one-time-only opportunity with the powers-that-be, and sadly, their instincts were correct. In his reply to the Save Our Western Washinton Parishes group’s thank you note Father Lazzeroni made it clear that the pastors are in charge of the PIG plan for their ‘parish family’ and are the primary communication link and decision-makers for the implementation of the plan in their parish family. The credit, or the blame, for PIG’s success or failure has been laid squarely on the shoulders of the pastors of the newly formed ‘parish families’. 

The main idea Father Lazzeroni heard from those in attendance is that PIG should have begun with an archdiocesan wide, year long, prayer program that would have included a prayer for Priestly vocations and Eucharistic Adoration. 

At the present time, Save Our Western Washington Parishes Group is the only vehicle by which the People-of-God-in-the-Pew have an open forum to express their heartfelt desires, their honest opinions, and their sincere concerns.

Due to Monday being a Holy Day of Obligation our next meeting will be Tuesday, Dec 9 at 5:30 at the Tower Lanes Restaurant. (See attachment). The agenda will include new information from other dioceses on the successes being experienced by groups like Save Our Western Washington Parishes. You won't want to miss it! Come and bring a friend. 

Email additions and deletions send to tonivercillo@yahoo.com 

Blessings, 

ToniV

V. Praised Be Jesus Christ!

R. Now and forever!