To help our community feel more connected during COVID-19, we will present a "Parishioner Spotlight" in our monthly newsletter and weekly bulletin.  

If you want your households’ story to be featured in the newsletter and bulletin, you can submit a picture and information of your household by emailing Libby at ParishOffice@holyrosaryseattle.org.
Please put “Parishioner Spotlight” in the subject line.

October's Parishioner Spotlight: Irene Merz

For the month of October we are presenting
Irene Merz and her beautiful testimony about God's goodness and providence in the midst of COVID-19 and job losses. Irene Merz has attended the beautiful church of Holy Rosary since 1993, when she first moved to Seattle from Hong Kong. Her three boys were baptized at Holy Rosary Church and graduated from Holy Rosary School. Her Catholic faith is very important to her and she enjoys learning about Catholic traditions and teachings and hopes to visit the Holy Land one day!


Irene Merz's Testimony 
"Jesus did not just answer my prayer,
He granted my desire" 

On January 22^nd of 2020 my husband, Aaron, called me to say he had some good news and bad news: he had been laid off from his job, but now his calendar freed up for us to go on the “Good News Marriage Cruise”.
“Good News Marriage Cruise” is led by a priest, who I listen to on Sacred Heart Radio all the time, with a few other phenomenal speakers from Ave Maria Radio in Detroit.  Aaron’s busy travel schedule made it difficult for us to attend the cruise; so I gave up requesting for him to take time off of work, but deep down in my heart, I still wanted to attend the cruise and introduce my family to the priest who leads the cruise. Now that Aaron’s schedule was open, we were able to attend the “Good News Marriage Cruise”! 

Unfortunately, the “Good News Marriage Cruise” had been sold out since last summer.  But I am a persistent person, so I spent Wednesday night and all day on Thursday looking for a cabin, but the cruise line was completely sold out.  Then on Friday, I said to myself, “Perhaps it is not meant to be. I will leave it all to our Lord to guide us”.  At that moment, I felt relieved and began focusing on making dinner to celebrate Chinese New Year with some friends at our house that Friday evening. Then I received a missed call from an unknown number: It was a Royal Caribbean Cruise general number.  I called back and told them I was looking for a cabin.  The operator transferred me to a salesperson and after jumping over a few hurdles, we booked the last cabin, which just popped up for this cruise departing on Sunday, January 26th!  Again, we had to face another challenge – how could we find two airline tickets to get to Fort Lauderdale within 24 hours? At that point, we still did not know if we were able to join the “Good News Marriage Cruise” program. Waiting at the SeaTac Airport, I was too nervous to ask God for anything.  I only asked Him to lead us the way. When we landed in Denver to transfer to another flight, I got a phone call from a cruise staff member that they could fit us into the program! Once, I was on the cruise ship, I suddenly had a vision of Jesus’ hand in front of me.  He said to me: “Why are you anxious?  You see, I have laid out everything for you.”Jesus did not just answer my prayers, He granted my desire. 

I wanted Aaron to come to this “Good News Marriage Cruise” with me because I desired to share with him why we needed to pray together as a couple.  I wanted Aaron to understand why we needed to place God on top of our marriage.  My dear Aaron was so excited to share the story of how we miraculously registered for the cruise with the other faithful Catholic couples at this program. He even wanted to sign up for next year’s “Good News Marriage Cruise” after we attended this inaugural one and advertised it to our friends that we should all go together. Ever since then, Aaron and I have been praying together every night.  He prays the rosary every day now and is eager to go with me to evening prayer with a few other Catholic couples once a month. Couples who pray together, stay together.

COVID-19 and being laid off are both dreadful things but through this trail I discovered that God could redeem difficult situations and bring benefit to my family and marriage.