By Wade Sheldon, Tulalip News
On a warm summer afternoon, community members gathered in the Medicine Wheel Garden at the Tulalip Health Clinic for a book reading and signing celebrating the release of Father Patrick Twohy’s new book, syəyəʔyəʔ: Coast Salish Sacred Lifeways and the Sacred Lifeways of Jesus. Nestled beside the clinic, the peaceful garden, filled with flowers and native plants, and featuring places for quiet reflection, provided an intimate setting for an afternoon centered on gratitude, friendship, and the relationships that have connected Father Pat and the Tulalip community for decades.
The August 25 gathering to honor the release of Father Pat’s latest book quickly became much more than a book signing. As friends shared memories and Father Pat reflected on the people who have shaped his life, the afternoon evolved into a heartfelt celebration of community, healing, and the enduring bonds built through years of walking together.
Speaking to those in attendance, Father Pat reflected on the values he has come to admire through his years alongside Coast Salish communities. He said one quality has remained constant despite the hardships many families have endured. “My culture is a culture of gratitude. This Coast Salish culture is a culture of gratitude. I believe that’s profoundly true. When I listen to the speakers and the elders talking, there’s always a spirit of gratitude. Now, these were people who have suffered, lost family, and have been through the hardest struggles, and yet they still hang on with just incredible strength of character, always with a spirit of thanks.”
That message led into a story about the late Swinomish elder Ray Paul, whose outlook on life became one of Father Pat’s lasting memories and an example of the friendships that have united Native communities over the years. “Ray Paul, an elder from Swinomish, used to raise his arms ecstatically at all of our gatherings and shout out, ‘I rejoice in this great circle of friendship. I rejoice in this great circle of friendship.’ Ray was physically blind, but he saw spiritually what was accurate and absolutely true.”
Father Pat said those friendships are rooted in treating one another with kindness and respect, creating communities that remain strong through life’s greatest challenges. “I think if I were to say the greatest honor there is, it is the honor of friendship, of being related in a good way to one another,” he said. “Not that we don’t have our struggles with each other, but we try to have a good relationship with one another and treat each other with love and respect. And it builds a sense of community, a sense of oneness of heart and mind.”
As his remarks became more personal, Father Pat spoke about the elders and teachers who influenced his life, saying their guidance continues to be with him every day and gives him hope that they will one day all be reunited. “My teachers, so many of my teachers have gone ahead. And they’re not gone. They’re just with me all the time. They ride with me in my car. They’re with me, teaching me all the time,” he said. “I know someday we’ll all be together. It’ll be the greatest moment when our beloved comes for us and takes us home. I have a lot of thank-yous when I get there.”
Turning to the book itself, Father Pat explained that while he may have written it, the story belongs to the Native people whose traditions, values, and way of life inspired every page. He said their commitment to caring for one another and the natural world is a gift the broader world is only beginning to recognize. “The writing is actually a love story. It’s the most profound love story because it’s about you. It’s about you and your family and your tradition, your way of life, your sacred life ways, your sacred ceremony. It’s all about the beauty that you carry on this earth. A lot of people don’t realize that, but I think it’s getting better. They’re beginning to realize that the gift you offer is profound and lasting because it involves taking care of things, taking care of the entire environment, and taking care of one another, and taking care of your neighbor.”
He concluded by encouraging Native communities to continue carrying those teachings forward, saying their values of family, friendship, and stewardship remain a blessing for future generations. “What we have is so different and such a blessing for the world. So it’s very important that in all the years ahead that you keep going as you are, as family, as friends, as people. And I hope we’ll gather again sometime so I can see you. We’ll always have that in our hearts. Everybody, thank you. God bless you. Amen.”
While Father Pat reflected on the people who have inspired him, those gathered also shared the impact he has had on their own lives. Jill LaPointe, a member of the Upper Skagit Tribe and a descendant of the Nooksack Tribe, said Father Pat has been a source of healing and unconditional support through difficult moments.
“Every moment and opportunity that we have to be with Pat here is a blessing and so healing,” LaPointe said. “Many times I have felt broken… and Pat has loved me unconditionally and helped me find my way back on the right path. So I’m very, very grateful for this beloved one and grateful for every day that every one of us is above ground, and remembering to be grateful and remembering that we’re truly lucky people.”
Tulalip Tribal member Madeline Roseann Henry-Fryberg reflected on knowing Father Pat since childhood, recalling the care and encouragement she received from him and Sister Barbara while growing up. Those early experiences, she said, helped shape memories she still treasures today.
“I got to know Father Pat and Sister Barbara at the same time when I was a little girl,” Henry-Fryberg said. “One of the fondest memories is traveling with you guys to your church that had the pool that was on a cliff. Oh my God, those were some blessed memories. I remember as a kid just being loved and cared for and nurtured, and my hands go up to you for all that you do for not just me, but for everybody here. And I want to tell you how much I love you, how much I miss you when you’re not here, and how much I look forward to seeing you when you come back. So thank you.”
Tulalip tribal member Bob Cleveland closed the gathering with a heartfelt reflection on Father Pat’s place within the community. Recalling the many funerals, memorials, and difficult moments they have shared, Cleveland said Father Pat has stood beside Tulalip families through some of their hardest days. He then reminded those gathered that, in Coast Salish tradition, belonging is not determined by race but by commitment, love, and living as part of the community.
“Earlier I heard somebody mention that he’s a white man,” Cleveland said. “I think one of the teachings a lot of us, a lot of people forget, when somebody comes into your tribe and lives there. They are part of that tribe. We don’t look at them as white men. We don’t look at them as somebody else. Once they accepted our tribe and felt our teachings and our wisdom, they were part of that. And when they become part of that, they help us.”
Cleveland said Father Pat has earned the respect and love of Native communities throughout the region, adding that he no longer sees him as an outsider but as one of their own.
“Our wonderful brother is, to me, a member of too many tribes,” Cleveland said with a smile. “All the tribes that he goes to, all of them know him and love him. And so he needs to know that he is part of all those tribes. He is part of us, one of us, and he always will be.”
Before closing, Cleveland encouraged everyone in attendance to honor Father Pat’s example by carrying kindness into their own lives.
“The greatest love we can have is caring for somebody else,” he said. “I ask everyone here to try to get up when you get up tomorrow, do something nice for somebody else, and don’t tell anybody. Maybe somebody who looks down, you walk up, grab their hand, say, ‘Hi. Glad you’re here.’ You’d be surprised if you pass that on. Maybe they’ll pass it on, and it’ll grow into something bigger. But at least that person will know they were loved that day.”