EVERETT – Immaculate Conception and Our Lady of Perpetual Help parishes will merge into one parish with a new name, Archbishop Paul D. Etienne announced in an October 9 letter to the parish communities.

The decision comes “after reviewing the recommendation from the [archdiocesan] strategic planning committee, consulting with the Presbyteral Council and prayerful discernment,” Archbishop Etienne said. He thanked parishioners for their participation and feedback during the initial stages of strategic planning, which he said contributed to the merger recommendation.

Under the restructuring, one Sunday Mass will be celebrated at Our Lady of Perpetual Help Church, while the majority of the merged parish’s ministry — including daily and Sunday Masses and religious education — will take place on the current Immaculate Conception campus that encompasses the church, school, parish offices and rectory. The two parishes are about a mile apart.

In addition, the archbishop supports a recommendation “to develop the campus of Our Lady of Perpetual Help for further outreach ministry. This will help increase the parish’s vitality and outreach to our local brothers and sisters in need,” he said.

Father Joseph Altenhofen, current pastor of both parishes, will continue in that role for the merged parishes, Archbishop Etienne said.

The archbishop asked the faith communities to collectively submit the names of three saints for consideration as the name of the new parish. He also asked them to now discuss how to merge the two parishes into “one new vibrant Catholic parish.”

“My hope is that you will strive for unity and love while working together to nurture your community that will joyfully share the Gospel and help others know Christ,” he said.

In two years, the archdiocese will determine whether the plan has been successful; if not, the parish may have to consolidate into a single campus.

As part of the restructuring, the Vietnamese ministry at Our Lady of Perpetual Help will combine with the Vietnamese ministry at St. Mary Magdalen Parish in Everett “for further growth and development,” the archbishop wrote in an October 9 letter to the OLPH Vietnamese community.

“My hope is that your two communities will harmoniously work together to welcome others and continue building this tremendous ministry,” he said.

Strategic planning around the archdiocese

Other current strategic planning efforts include parishes in South Seattle and Tacoma, as well as the ministry to Vietnamese Catholics throughout the archdiocese.

Leading the effort on behalf of the archbishop is Auxiliary Bishop Eusebio Elizondo, who took over the role after Bishop Daniel Mueggenborg became the bishop of Reno, Nevada, in September.

In a September 23 letter to parishes in the South Seattle Deanery, Archbishop Etienne explained his responsibility to ensure “mission effectiveness across Western Washington so we can live out the fullness of our Catholic faith. This means, however, that we cannot live with the status quo.”

The strategic planning process is a way to review and better understand the archdiocese’s resources “and how we can best use them to support vibrant, sustainable parish communities across the entire Archdiocese of Seattle,” Archbishop Etienne explained.

It is a response to Pope Francis’ call to transform churches to give strong Christian witness, promote more effective evangelization and a more fruitful ecumenical spirit, and encourage more constructive dialogue with all, the archbishop said.

As part of these strategic planning efforts, he asked the Vietnamese clergy to form a taskforce, do research and recommend how to provide “strong pastoral care for our brothers and sisters who wish to practice their Catholic faith in Vietnamese,” Archbishop Etienne said.

After reviewing their recommendations, consulting with the Presbyteral Council and praying, “I am clear about some of the key changes that we will make so that all our Vietnamese brothers and sisters have the opportunity to participate in Vietnamese ministry,” the archbishop said. The details of the plan will be released next year.

South Seattle update

Strategic planning is underway in Seattle at St. Mary, St. Patrick, Our Lady of Mount Virgin, Immaculate Conception and St. Therese parishes. Each parish has a group of stakeholders/parishioners who are working together “to gather questions and recommend a path forward based on the recommendations of the parishioners,” the archbishop said in his September 23 letter.

Here is the status of the planning efforts each parish:

  • St. Mary — Stakeholders have been talking with parishioners, reached out to two possible merging parishes and are developing a survey.
  • St. Patrick — Planning has been temporarily paused until stability of leadership at St. Joseph Parish, which is staffed by the Jesuits, has been clarified.
  • Our Lady of Mount Virgin — Stakeholder conversations are focused on determining how each of the cultural communities — Italians/Anglo, Chinese, Lao and Vietnamese — would envision moving forward.
  • St. Therese — Stakeholders are discussing how to revitalize the parish and the best ways to possibly welcome parishioners from St. Mary’s.
  • Immaculate Conception — Stakeholders have regathered this fall to further their work in revitalizing their parish.

Tacoma update

The parishes of St. Ann, St. Rita of Cascia, Our Lady of the Holy Rosary and Visitation of the Blessed Virgin Mary in Tacoma are working toward merging into one parish on the St. Ann campus, with St. John of the Woods Mission maintaining its separate campus.

In a September 23 letter to the parishes of the Pierce Deanery, Archbishop Etienne noted the “extraordinary” progress the faith communities have made toward forming their new parish:

  • Nearly 30 stakeholders are leading efforts within each parish community, with 10 parishioner-led subcommittees focused on areas of pastoral life including faith formation, diversity, liturgy and community outreach. Many of the subcommittees have presented recommendations.
  • St. Ann’s pastor, Father Tuan Nguyen, has asked several of these joint subcommittees to become the first committees of the new parish, including a recently formed Welcome & Hospitality committee.

“In all, more than 80 volunteers have stepped up to share their time and talents for the betterment of the entire community. That is a visible sign of the Holy Spirit’s presence among you!” the archbishop said.

Learn more about strategic planning in the Archdiocese of Seattle.