The first Year

This week highlights a special milestone: Our First Year as a Parish Family

Northwest Seattle Catholic of Sacred Heart of Jesus,

Our Lady of Fatima, and St. Anne

In July 2024, the Archdiocese of Seattle formed 60 parish families from 136 parishes as part of the Partners in the Gospel initiative. This was more than a structural change—it was a call to renewal.

As a Church, we are being invited to slow down, to listen deeply—to God, to one another, and to our communities. This time of transition is not just about reorganization; it’s about asking the deeper questions:

• What gives life?
• What do we need to let go of?
• What is God inviting us into?

Together, we’ve begun to reimagine how we steward our gifts, spaces, and resources to support the mission of Jesus Christ: to go and make disciples. This mission remains at the heart of the Catholic Church in Western Washington.

Partners in the Gospel is our opportunity to renew our commitment to this mission and to shape a vibrant, Spirit-led future for our parish family.

Let us celebrate this first year with gratitude, hope, and a renewed sense of purpose!

Your Parish Family Leadership Team

It’s hard to believe it’s already been a year since our parish family—Northwest Seattle Catholic of Sacred Heart of Jesus, Our Lady of Fatima, and St. Anne—came together. In this first phase of our journey, we’ve focused on welcoming one another and building relationships, and we’ve made wonderful progress.

The photos (further down) capture just a glimpse of the many joyful moments we’ve shared. From Simbang Gabi and St. Patrick’s Day at Our Lady of Fatima, to the Sacred Heart of Jesus BBQ and the Advent Extravaganza at St. Anne—to name just a few—our social gatherings have brought us closer as one community.

Our ministries have also begun reaching across parish lines to support one another in new and meaningful ways:

• – St. Vincent de Paul ministries at Our Lady of Fatima and St. Anne continue to serve with compassion.
• – The Knights of Columbus extended their Catholic high school stipend to students from both Our Lady of Fatima and St. Anne.
• – Young Adults are now sharing activities across parish boundaries.
• – The Queen Anne Food Bank, supported by all three parishes, is a true sign of our shared mission.
• – Our schools at Our Lady of Fatima and St. Anne support each other wherever they can.

We celebrated a unified Triduum, laying the foundation for deeper spiritual unity, and shared a Lenten mission led by Fr. Marcin Szymanski from the Prince of Peace Newman Center.

Behind the scenes, we’ve been working on a shared website, set to launch later this year. And since early 2025, we’ve had a unified bulletin to keep everyone informed and connected—not only about their own parish, but about the life of our entire parish family.

One thing has become clear to many of us during this first year together:

“All are welcome in this place.”

To help guide our parish family on the journey toward becoming one unified parish, we are following the One Parish Planning process. As part of this initiative, we have established two new consultative bodies: the Parish Family Leadership Team (composed of staff) and the Parish Family Advisory Council (composed of parishioners).

Our Parish Family Leadership Team (PFLT) was created by Fr. Freitag, following the Archdiocese of Seattle’s recommendation for the Partners of the Gospel journey. The PFLT helps restructure and re-envision our parish family.

The PFLT is the primary group for staff consultation and action on activities related to Partners in the Gospel. They support the Parish Family Advisory Council (PFAC) work sessions.

In the photo from left to right the members of our Parish Family Leadership Team: Jessica Harris, Brigid McMahan, Phil Hasenkamp, Fr. Freitag, Fr. Dominic, Barbara Bumbarger, Mark Abadir.

Missing in the picture but new PFLT members are: Sean Haffey (Principal for St. Anne School) and Karianne Earnest (Principal for Our Lady of Fatima School).

The Parish Family Advisory Council (PFAC) met for the first time on June 7th at Our Lady of Fatima. They were joined by Deacon Greg McNabb, our Archdiocesan Liaison, who provided an overview of the role of the PFAC during Partners in the Gospel. The PFAC plays a key role in the Partners of the Gospel journey by providing consultation to the pastor for the development of the One Parish Plan. Beginning in September, they will be meeting monthly. In the meantime, Fr. Freitag gave the PFAC a summer reading assignment to aid in their discernment while serving on the council: What Does God Want? by Fr. Michael Scanlan.

Summary provided by Susie Fritzky

Get to know the members of our PFAC.

Father Gary Lazzeroni and Caitlin Moulding provide an updated 2025 reality report, followed by a detailed overview of the One Parish Planning process.

We recommend watching it here: https://vimeo.com/1070387117?share=copy#t=0

Gracious God,

we praise and thank you for the Catholic Church in Western Washington.

We praise and thank you for the women and men who have shared the joy of the Gospel here for more than 170 years.

Send your Holy Spirit upon us that we might encounter your Son anew and become more effective partners in sharing the Good News of his saving love.

May our partnership in the Gospel empower us to be your missionary disciples, bringing the Good News to all, especially to those who are marginalized or hurting in any way.

Give us the courage, the flexibility and the vision to renew parish life, so that the good work, begun long ago,

may continue among us, and one day, be brought to completion in your Kingdom, where you live and reign for ever and ever.

Amen.