MOUNT VERNON – Father William Treacy, who during his 78 years of priesthood helped cultivate interfaith understanding via a groundbreaking TV program and a globally known retreat center near Mount Vernon, died Oct. 16, 2022. He was 103.

“He was the icon of ecumenical and interfaith dialogue; seeking unity in the human family,” said Father Jim Dalton, a senior priest of the archdiocese and a close friend. “Father Treacy was my priestly ‘God father.’ From serving as his altar boy as a youth to serving him in his senior years, I have been richly blessed,” Father Dalton added.

Born in County Laois, Ireland, on May 31, 1919, Father Treacy entered St. Patrick’s Seminary in Maynooth in 1937. He was ordained June 18, 1944.

Father Treacy volunteered for a temporary assignment in Seattle, which was experiencing a clergy shortage while priests served as military chaplains during World War II. He crossed the Atlantic to New York on the “Ile de France” troop ship. In March 1945 he arrived in Seattle, where began a lifelong ministry to people of the Archdiocese of Seattle and beyond.

Some of Father William Treacy’s close friends gathered to celebrate Mass and share lunch on his 103rd birthday in May. Father Treacy died October 16, 2022. (Photo: Terry Leers)

His first assignment was at St. Alphonsus Parish in Ballard. During his long priesthood, Father Treacy served as pastor and parochial vicar more than a dozen parishes, including St. Patrick in Seattle, St. Michael in Olympia, Our Lady of the Lake in Seattle and St. Cecilia in Stanwood.

He participated in Engaged Encounters for two decades, was vice chancellor for the archdiocese, and ministered as chaplain at Holy Names Academy in Seattle from 1952-64.

In the 1950s and ’60s, he worked with the Knights of Columbus to place weekly evangelizing advertisements in newspapers across the state. In 1978, Father Treacy started a daily noontime Mass in downtown Seattle at Plymouth Church that continued for more than 40 years, with Father Treacy celebrating Mass occasionally in the later years.

Among many people, Father Treacy may be best known for his 14 years on “Challenge,” the ecumenical TV program that began in 1960, drawing thousands of viewers when it aired Sunday evenings on KOMO-TV in Seattle. The show brought together Father Treacy, Rabbi Raphael Levine of Temple De Hirsh and a rotation of Protestant pastors for interfaith dialogue on issues of the day.

In 1966, Rabbi Levine and Father Treacy purchased a 300-acre Skagit Valley farm to serve as an interfaith center — Camp Brotherhood — dedicated to creating peace and unity in the human family. Over the years, the center’s programs drew more than 250,000 people from around the Northwest and the world. When Rabbi Levine died in 1985, Father Treacy carried on the vision with the organization’s board.

Father Treacy, “of any priest I ever knew, was the one who challenged us to relate to our Protestant brothers and sisters, but especially the Jews and not only that but the Muslims,” Father Dalton said in a 2019 interview.

From 1999-2002, Father Treacy served as parochial vicar at six parishes Skagit County. He retired in December 2002; around 2009, he moved to a small house on the camp property, where he lived until his death.

The organization he helped found was renamed Treacy Levine Center in 2014 and more recently “Paths to Understanding,” a group that continues interfaith and unity work through lectures, meetings and media, including a new show, “Challenge 2.0.” (The camp property was sold in 2016 to a nonprofit organization serving medically fragile children.) Father Treacy served as an advisor to the organization until his passing.

When Northwest Catholic profiled Father Treacy in 2019 on the occasion of his 100th birthday and 75th anniversary of ordination, he reflected on his life’s ministry.

“I tried to do the best,” Father Treacy said. “I leave the rest to God.”

Father Treacy is survived by his grandniece Lorena, nephew John and numerous other relatives and friends. 

A vigil service will be held at 7 p.m. Oct. 28 at St. James Cathedral in Seattle. A funeral Mass will be held at 10 a.m. Oct. 29 at the cathedral, with Archbishop Paul D. Etienne presiding. Interment will be at Holyrood Cemetery in Shoreline.

Cards of remembrance may be sent to: Father Jim Dalton, 22757 Hull Road, Mount Vernon, WA 98274.