Registration for this Summer’s Vacation Bible School is now open!

Come spend a while on the Nile! Registration for Vacation Bible School (VBS) is now open! Join us this summer as we adventure through ancient Egypt. Your child will join an Egyptian family and meet Old Testament hero, Joseph, as he journeys from prison to the palace of Pharaoh. This weeklong program includes fun, faith-filled activities, and games, and like Joseph, your child will learn that God gives each of us hope, unique abilities, wisdom, forgiveness, and family. VBS will be held at St. Monica Catholic Church on June 23-27. Please register early, space is limited. We are still recruiting volunteers (both teens and adults) to help put on this great program! Learn how YOU can help this year with VBS! Click here to access our VBS webpage where you can register or sign up to be a volunteer! If you have any questions, please contact Melissa Stewart at faithforward@stmonicami.org.

Holy Hoedown 2025—School Auction

Block your calendars for the biggest event of the year - The Holy Hoedown is May 3rd from 4-10pm. We can't wait to celebrate with you and raise money for a cause dear to all of our hearts, our kids! 

To help make this event successful we absolutely need your help in procuring fabulous items to be auctioned off on the big day. We've developed a wish list of items that we would love for you to consider when planning your donations. (As a reminder, all school families are required to procure and donate an item of $200 value or more.) You can donate an item yourself or team up with others for larger items. You can find the WISH LIST HERE. Once you decide on an item to donate, make it official and register it HERE. All items need to be in by 4/14. 

We are also in need of sponsors and would love for you to consider supporting the event. By sponsoring the Holy Hoedown, you help us underwrite the expense of putting on the biggest community event and fundraiser of the year - so that every dollar raised goes directly to the school and most importantly, benefits our students. As a sponsor, hundreds of Parish and School families will notice your business and its generous donation. Please consider being an event sponsor at whatever level is most meaningful to you. More details on how to sponsor the event can be found here.

Finally, we will need your help to put this event on! We have hay to move, tables to setup, volunteers to wrangle and we need EVERY ranch hand available. Please find a way to help out! Volunteer for the Hoedown

Thank you so much in advance for being such strong advocates and members of SMCS. Together we create our community, we create positive spaces for our kids to explore and learn, we keep Catholic tuition affordable -- and it truly takes all of us to make this happen. Thank you for being a committed partner. 

- Get involved, help fundraise, help put this event on! We NEED you! – 

Collection in support of the St. Agnes Orphanage in Eritrea

Next weekend, March 22-23, we will take up a special second collection to support the work of the St. Agnes Orphanage in Eritrea. Eritrea is a young country in East Africa that became independent from Ethiopia in 1991. Currently, the country experiences neither peace nor war. The war for independence and the subsequent conflict from 1998 to 2000, as well as the events of 2021 to 2023, impacted many lives. Due to the war, natural disasters, and man-made crises, it is the children who suffer the most. This is why the Sisters of St. Ann in Eritrea strive to help these innocent children. One of their many ministries is caring for orphans. 

St. Agnes Orphanage was established by the daughter of St. Ann in Eritrean in the diocese of Keren Eritrea in 1875. This orphanage helped many young children at different times during different political and natural disasters. The orphans are those who lost both their parents or one because of war or other reasons. They don't have anyone to help them.

The orphanage can have up to 100 orphans, but because of financial difficulties and other pressures, they have 30 girls ranging from age 4 to 18 at this time. In the past, the sisters were able to get some financial aid from donors from Europe, but now it is very limited. The Sisters of St. Anne and the Diocese of Keren help each other to run the orphanage, but it is very challenging. As such, it is with great appreciation that sisters receive your support for these young orphans, in order to help them in their daily lives.

Sr. Kibra, who is currently visiting here in Seattle, is the provincial of the Sisters of St. Ann in Eritrea and has run the orphanage for years. She is the sister of Fr. Negusse Keleta who regularly serves us at St. Monica.

If you would like to contribute to this cause via check, please make you check out to “St. Monica Catholic Church” and write “St. Agnes Orphanage” in the memo line. The collection will take place immediately after the general collection. You can also drop of donations for this cause at the parish office. Thank you.

Lenten Book Discussion

Father Nagel will be hosting an opportunity to discuss our Lenten Book, “Searching for and Maintaining Peace”. The discussion will take place on Saturday, April 12, from 10AM-11AM in the Family Center.

Another opportunity to discuss the book will be offered at Sacred Heart on Saturday, April 5, from 11AM-12PM.

Season of Service

To help celebrate the 175th anniversary of the Archdiocese of Seattle, the archdiocesan team is inviting you to join Catholics across Western Washington to volunteer together as the living Body of Christ through the Season of Service from March to May 2025.

During this time, let’s come together to volunteer 175,000 hours to recognize our legacy of faith – and demonstrate our commitment to serving others. Participate in this program by serving others and logging your hours on the Season of Service webpage.

You can join service opportunities in our parish and school ministries. Additionally, there are more than 50 volunteer opportunities that you, a group of friends or family can sign up for on the Archdiocesan website. Together let’s serve and volunteer 175,000 hours by May 31! For more information on the Season of Service and to log service hours, please visit archseattle.org/seasonofservice.

Annual Impact Report 2023-2024

The 2023-2024 Annual Impact Report for the Archdiocese of Seattle is here. Read about the archdiocese’s impact over the last year by clicking here.

Knights of Columbus Family of the Month March 2025

Each month, the St. Monica’s Knights of Columbus Council selects one parish family that models Christian family values and visibly lives them every day. The March Family of the Month is the Brooks family. The Knights ask the nominated family some questions so we as a parish can get to know them better:

How long have you been a Parishioner at St. Monica’s? We have been privileged to be a part of the St. Monica community for more than 30 years.

What is it about St. Monica’s that keeps you coming back each Sunday? St. Monica’s is a wonderful community to be a part of. The graces of daily Mass, attended alongside so many holy parishioners, and celebrated by reverent priests and deacons, has been an immeasurable gift to us all.

Tell us a little about your family. How many kids do you have , their names, where they attend school? We have 6 grown children, who were all home educated until college. This gave us the flexibility to attend daily Mass year-round throughout their childhoods and teen years. Rachel’s (David) family now lives in SLC, Utah. Sarah’s (Greg) family is in Olympia. Tony works for St. Monica as the PA for Communications. Magdalena is also still local and an active member of the parish. Tim lives in Santa Barbara, CA, and Anna is currently also in SoCal. We feel incredibly blessed that all our children and grandchildren practice our Catholic faith.

Are you or your family involved in the Parish or school? And if so, how? While some of our children have moved away from this area, many of us have been catechists or assistant catechists in the past, and our sons were blessed to serve as altar servers for many years. Currently we are involved with FON, altar linens, altar flowers, bible study, videography, and grounds maintenance.

Can you tell us one thing your whole family loves doing when you have time? We all enjoy the mystery genre, hiking (especially in National Parks), and puzzles of all sorts.

What things do you do as a family to keep Christ in your home? We try to celebrate the liturgical year with various traditions, such as Advent wreath, Jesse tree, yearly house blessing, novenas, daily rosary, singing before meals during Advent and Lent, and special feast day/solemnity celebrations, etc. These help us keep the domestic church alive in our homes.

For more information about the Knights of Columbus, please email Grand Knight Reed Nagel at jacknreed@hotmail.com.

Meet our newest staff member, Ryan Sprute!

Hello all, my name is Ryan Sprute, and I’m excited to be the new PA for Liturgy here at St. Monica. I grew up going to Catholic schools in the area (St. Louise and Eastside Catholic), so there’s a lot about this community that feels familiar. After my reversion to the faith of my youth a few years ago, I felt a calling to become more involved with the Church and the liturgy, and I’m grateful the Lord has called me here to contribute to the community at St. Monica organizing and helping to run all things liturgical. My door is always open, and I look forward to meeting and getting to know all of you!

History of the Archdiocese for 175th Anniversary

In honor of the Archdiocese of Seattle’s 175th Anniversary, a video has been released which briefly outlines the history of our local church community. Visit vimeo.com/1050898649 to watch this video.

Archdiocese of Seattle's 175th Anniversary

The Archdiocese of Seattle is celebrating its 175th anniversary this year from January to May. We will mark this anniversary with special Masses and with a “Season of Service”. Learn more about the 175th anniversary at archseattle.org/175.

The first of the special anniversary Masses with the Archbishop will take place on January 25, 2025 at 11AM at the Proto-Cathedral of St. James the Greater, Vancouver.

Prayer in honor of the 175th Anniversary:

Lord Jesus Christ, you are the beginning and the end, Lord of time and history. We give you thanks for this local Church, and for these 175 years of faith and challenge. Give us the grace we need to respond to the needs of our time with wisdom and compassion. Make us one in mind and heart, and show us how to love all people as you love them. You who live and reign for ever and ever. Amen.

Holy Mary, Mother of God, pray for us. Holy Angels of God, pray for us. St. James, pray for us. St. Kateri Tekakwitha, pray for us. St. Frances Cabrini, pray for us. All holy men and women, pray for us.

Northwest Catholic Magazine

The latest issue of Northwest Catholic Magazine is available to read online. Visit nwcatholic.org/magazine to read this and past issues of the digital magazine.

Emergency L.A. Wildfire Collection

Multiple fast-moving wildfires, fueled by high winds, have engulfed whole neighborhoods in Los Angeles County and have killed at least 24 people, with more than 100,000 having received evacuation orders. If you would like to contribute towards this cause, we encourage you to donate through Catholic Charities USA. 100% of gifts will support wildfire relief efforts. Your donation today will help their recovery tomorrow. Visit catholiccharitiesusa.org to make a donation.

Pilgrims of Hope

On Sunday, December 29, in union with bishops throughout the world, Archbishop Etienne opened our local observance of the Jubilee Year 2025.

The 2025 Jubilee Year was established by Pope Francis, calling the faithful to become Pilgrims of Hope. We will hear more about the Jubilee throughout the year, but we encourage you to check out the Seattle Archdiocese Jubilee webpage (archseattle.org/the-catholic-faith/jubilee2025) to learn more about the Jubilee and the ways which you can earn a Jubilee Year Indulgence.

Archbishop’s Annual Letter

Archbishop Etienne has published his annual letter to the faithful of the Archdiocese of Seattle. Please visit archseattle.org to read the full letter.

Becoming a Synodal Church

Catholics around the world participated in the global Synod on Synodality, which just completed this fall at the Vatican. Archbishop Paul D. Etienne, who was one of the delegates, has released a video where he reflects on everything shared by the People of God. In this video, he shares his experience of the synodal process, highlights key elements in the final document, and discusses what it means for each of us. Click here to watch the full video.

Upcoming Events and Opportunities

We've put together a page of our upcoming events and other Catholic events from around the Archdiocese of Seattle. Click here to check out what's going on in our community and discover new ways to engage in parish life!

Scam Email Warning

The parish staff wants to warn parishioners that someone has been sending emails pretending to be Father Nagel, parish staff members, and our former pastor, Father Freitag. Scam emails typically say that Father is "in need of help" ask if "you are available for an errand" or just asks the recipient to "please respond concerning a sensitive matter". These emails (or texts) are a scam and should be deleted whenever they are received. Legitimate emails from parish staff members will always be sent from an email address ending with "@stmonicami.org". If you have any questions, feel free to contact the parish office directly at parishoffice@stmonicami.org

Sunday Homily Video Recordings

Did you have trouble hearing father's homily at Mass? Or maybe you'd just like to listen to it again? For convenience, we re-upload our Sunday Mass homilies as videos. Each Sunday's homily is typically uploaded by the Wednesday following the weekend Masses. All homily videos are uploaded to youtube, and on our website’s homily page. Looking for a past homily? Our homily page also features an index of our previous Sunday Homilies.

What about weekday Masses? While we don't process separate videos for our daily Mass homilies, they can be watched within the full recordings of our daily Mass livestreams. Browse past livestreams on our Youtube page: www.youtube.com/@stmonicami/streams.

Mass Livestreams? St. Monica livestreams one Mass each day of the week. It can be beneficial to watch weekday Masses via livestream when your schedule does not allow you attend in person. Sunday Mass livestreams are a great resource for parishioners who’s health prevents them from attending Mass. We also recommend watching the livestream if you are unable to attend Mass due to illness. For more information about Mass livestreams, visit our livestream page.

Please note that the general obligation to attend Mass on Sundays (or Saturday Vigil Mass) and Holy Days of Obligation was reinstated (CIC, can. 1247), as of December 8, 2021.