Why We Are Becoming a Parish Family
As part of the Archdiocese of Seattle’s Partners in the Gospel initiative, our local parishes—St. Frances Cabrini, St. John Bosco, and Immaculate Conception—began the journey of becoming a parish family. With fewer priests, changing demographics, and a deep desire to grow as disciples of Jesus, the Archdiocese is bringing parishes together to share resources and build stronger faith communities. By becoming a parish family, we are not losing our identity—we are gaining partners in mission, united in prayer, service, and the Eucharist.
Communing in the Lord’s Beauty – recognizing the presence of Christ that draws us into deeper worship and communion. “Holy, holy, holy is the Lord of hosts! All the earth is filled with His glory” (Isaiah 6:1–4). Inspired by the example of the Doctors of the Church, such as St. Therese of Lisieux, who, through prayer and the sacraments, have revealed to us the beauty of the Lord.
Evangelizing through Catechesis – sharing the faith and helping others encounter the truth of Christ. “Do not conform yourselves to this age but be transformed by the renewal of your mind” (Romans 12:2). Modeled by St. John Bosco, who joyfully taught the faith and led many to Christ.
Embodying the Works – growing in virtue and practicing the works of mercy, inspired by the life of the Trinity. “Be doers of the word and not hearers only” (James 1:22–27). Witnessed in the life of St. Frances Cabrini, who tirelessly served the poor, immigrants, and the vulnerable.
You can download the Phase I Summary as well as our Annual Parish Report by clicking the buttons below.
Partners in the Gospel - Phase 1 Summary
The intention of this document is threefold. Firstly, it is meant to help us understand more deeply the idea of friendship with Christ that the parish has begun to use as our guiding understanding of the Church’s mission in Lakewood and in our parish boundaries.
From our Pastor’s heart 10/12/25
On a practical level, we see this growth of virtue as the way we properly orient our interior life our life of the soul towards God. And we all know how easy it is to orient ourselves toward things that aren’t God!
From our Pastor’s heart 10/6/25
Our works of mercy come from an internal disposition having communed with the Lord’s beauty and understood our Faith, which then wants to bring everyone we meet into friendship with Christ and comfort the afflicted for the sake of Christ and the good of souls.
From our Pastor’s heart 9/28/25
Moms and dads, you are the ones who first invite your children into friendship with the Lord by your example. Your children see you going to Confession and praying at Mass and at home, and think that maybe having a friendship with God matters.
From our Pastor’s heart 9/21/25
Conversely, humans almost have a guttural reaction to things that are not beautiful. They do not want to be around them. They do not want to live near them, even if some ideologue created them as the perfect home. The environments do not interact with their surroundings. They are cold and sterile.
From our Pastor’s heart 9/14/25
Classically speaking, beauty is a perfection – it is when everything comes together ‘just right.’ It is when something harmonizes with the parts around it that it becomes obvious that it is what the thing was supposed to be; it fits just right.
From our Pastor’s Heart 9/7/25
Communing comes from the Latin “to be in a deep unity with.” We as Catholics probably think of this word when we think about Holy Communion. The Lord reaches out in friendship to us! He wants to have deep unity with us and provide us with both internal and external means to do so.
From our Pastor’s heart 9/1/25
Jesus Christ loves us and wants to be in an intimate, concrete friendship with each and every person within our parish boundaries.