This page lists upcoming events taking place in the St. Monica Church Community and around the Archdiocese of Seattle. For information on additional Catholics events, retreats, and programs in the greater Seattle area, we recommend checking out the Archdiocese of Seattle Event Webpage and the Sacred Heart Radio Event Webpage. If you have any questions about this page, please contact Tony Brooks, PA for Communication, 206-232-2900 x.131; tony@stmonicami.org.

Spokane Complex Fire Support Fund

Catholic Charities Eastern Washington has set up an emergency fund to help support the individuals, and families impacted by the Spokane Complex wildfires in our region. Your donation will help our Emergency Response team provide essential items to those impacted by this devasting fire. Visit cceasternwa.org to donate.

3W Giving Bag Campaign

3W Medical for Women is a non-profit women’s health clinic in Seattle which provides accessible healthcare services such as early ultrasounds and holistic fertility healthcare. 3W is 100% donor-funded and relies solely on the generosity of individuals like you. Giving Bags to support 3W are available on a table at the main church entrance. Please consider bringing home a 3W Giving Bag and filling it with any monetary donations and bring it back to one of the Knights of Columbus who will be manning the table at church on the weekends of August 15–16 and August 22–23. Join us today to multiply our efforts and make sure no woman feels powerless in her healthcare decisions! God bless and thank you for your generosity.

Executive Speaker Series

Join the Seattle Chapter of Young Catholic Professionals for an inspiring evening with Rino Caruccio, a retired global finance executive with more than 40 years of leadership experience at General Electric and Amazon. Throughout his career, Rino served as a trusted financial advisor to senior executives and boards of directors, helping guide strategic decisions at the highest levels. As he reflects on his professional career and faith journey, Rino will share practical insights on integrating faith into the workplace and navigating the challenges that come with it.

This event will be held on August 13, from 7:00 PM-9:00 PM in the Isaac Orr Conference Room of the Archdiocese of Seattle (910 Marion Street Seattle, WA)

Learn more and register for this event by clicking here.

Your 20s and 30s can be a confusing and lonely time, but they don't have to be!

Healing & Rejuvenation Retreat

Step away from the busyness of life and experience a weekend of healing, prayer, and spiritual renewal at this Healing & Rejuvenation Retreat, led by Rev. Fr. John Kattattu, VC, a charismatic Vincentian priest and spiritual director of Grace of Heaven Retreat Center Texas. This retreat will be held at Mary Queen of Peace in Sammamish. Click here for more information and to register.

The Assumption of Mary

On August 15 the Church celebrates the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary. Because this Solemnity falls on a Saturday this year, it is NOT a holy day of obligation. If you would like to attend Mass for the Assumption, the 7:45 AM Mass at Saint Monica on Saturday will honor this Solemnity. 

Legion of Mary—Pilgrim Virgin Mary

The Legion of Mary would like to bring the Pilgrim Virgin Statue to your home for two weeks of family devotion. The primary purpose of the Pilgrim Virgin Statue home visitation is to aid families in responding to the requests made by the Blessed Virgin Mary during her apparitions at Fatima: Return to God; Make reparation for sins; and pray the Rosary for peace. Please contact Francis Chang using the form on the Legion of Mary ministry page for more information.

Employment Opportunities at St. Monica Catholic School

St. Monica School is seeking an After-School Care director to lead our after-school program. The position is Monday through Friday from 1:30 PM–6:30 PM. Click here for more information or by email Principal David Burroughs at dburroughs@stmonicasea.org. St. Monica School is also seeking substitute teachers for grades PK–12 on an as-needed basis. For more information, please email David Burroughs.

HS Mass* & Mochas

All High Schoolers are invited to join Fr. Nagel and our parish family’s youth ministers for conversation and coffee on us! While the name of these summer events indicates Mass, we’ll be substituting Mass for morning prayer, allowing you to enjoy your chance to sleep in! Mass* & Mochas will be held on Mondays at 9:30AM. The location will alternate between Mercer Island and Clyde Hill. There is no Mass & Mocha on August 10, but on Monday, August 17, we’ll meet at 9:30 AM at Macrina Bakery, on Mercer Island. Email sharon@stmonicami.org with questions.

Youth Bonfire Night

Come hangout with friend sand the youth ministers for our final bonfire of the summer! All middle and high schoolers are welcome! Bonfire Night will be on Wednesday, August 19, from 7:00 PM–9:00 PM in the St. Monica Office Courtyard. For more information, please email Kelsey or Sharon at kelsey@stmonicami.org sharon@stmonicami.org.

Carpe Diem's 50yrs+ August BBQ Luncheon

The Sacred Heart Carpe Diem group (for those of 50 years of age and older) invites Saint Monica parishioners to their Thursday, August 20, BBQ Luncheon at 11:30 AM in the Sacred Heart Narthex. Contact Linda Geere, 425-450-3908 or lgeere@sacredheart.org, for more information and to purchase advance tickets; cost $25 per person.

Catholic Home Missions Appeal
At Masses on the weekend of August 22-23, we will take up the Catholic Home Missions Appeal. Today, nearly 40% of dioceses in the United States and its current and former territories are unable to fund the essential pastoral work their communities need. Your support for this appeal helps them meet these faith formation and sacramental needs. Please prayerfully consider how you can support this appeal. Find more information at Catholic Home Missions | USCCB.

Grief & Loss Support Group

Join for a six-week course in compassionate grief support. Everyone is welcome, regardless of where you are in your journey. Meetings will be facilitated by Karla Obernesser, LMHC, and will be held on Tuesdays from 5:30 PM-7:00 PM in the Sacred Heart Youth Room (9460 NE 14th St, Bellevue, WA), beginning August 25 and continuing through September 29. If you would like to attend or have questions, please contact Linda Geere at 425-250-3908 or lgeere@sacredheart.org.

Feast Day of St. Monica

The Catholic Church celebrates the Feast of St. Monica on August 27. Please join us for the 7:45 AM Mass on Thursday, August 27, in honor of our Patron Saint, and to pray for

her intercession.

Who is St. Monica? St. Monica was born in 331 in Hippo, North Africa. Her parents arranged her marriage to a pagan man. Although her marriage was difficult, Monica's unwavering faith, patient example, and constant prayers eventually led to the conversion of both her husband and her mother-in-law.

Her oldest son was St. Augustine, one of the greatest theologians and Doctors of the Catholic Church. As a young man, Augustine strayed from the Catholic faith and lived a worldly life. St. Monica devoted herself to praying for his conversion with extraordinary perseverance. A bishop once encouraged her, saying, "It is impossible that the son of so many tears should perish."

For 17 years, Monica prayed and wept for Augustine's conversion. By God's grace, he returned to the Catholic faith in 387, was later ordained a priest, became the Bishop of Hippo, and was recognized as one of the greatest Doctors of the Church.

St. Monica was called home to God in 387, at the age of 56, shortly after witnessing Augustine's conversion.

Today, St. Monica is the patron saint of wives, mothers, difficult marriages, parents of wayward or disappointing children, and, in a special way, our own St. Monica of Mercer Island. St. Monica, pray for us!

24 Hours Adoring the Lord for the Feast of St. Monica

In honor of this patronal feast, we are aiming to keep twenty-four hours of continuous Eucharistic Adoration, in the Saint Monica Adoration Chapel, on Thursday, August 27, from Midnight to Midnight. St. Monica prayed seventeen years for her son's conversion—bring her the intentions you have carried the longest. Sign up for an hour on the sheet in the Adoration Chapel if you feel called to do so! (Stop by the parish office for the security code to the Adoration Chapel.)

Dinner Celebration in honor of the Feast of St. Monica

On Saturday, August 29, two days after the Feast of St. Monica, you are invited to attend a dinner reception in the St. Monica Gym and Family Center. The dinner will follow the 5:00 PM Vigil Mass. This event is hosted by the Knights of Columbus, the Vu family, and volunteers.

Please bring something to share! (Last name A–K: Fruit or Salad. Last name L–Z: Desert.) You can drop off food items in the Family Center/Kitchen before Mass. We hope you will join us!

Mass for Creation

All who are concerned with caring for and protecting our planet are warmly invited to celebrate the Mass for Creation with Archbishop Etienne on Wednesday, September 2, at 12:00 PM at St. James Cathedral. This Mass kick-offs our celebration of the annual Season of Creation from September 1 to October 4. The Season of Creation is a month-long prayerful observance that invites the planets all Christians to pray and care for all of God’s creation.

2026-2027 Confirmation Preparation Program

Registration for Sacred Heart and Saint Monica's 2026–2027 Confirmation Preparation Program is now open! The deadline for registration is September 11!

Click here for the 2026-2027 Saint Monica and Sacred Heart Confirmation Registration Form. If you have any questions about Confirmation or registration, please email them to Kelsey Heintz and Sharon Phillips, the Confirmation Coordinators for St. Monica Parish and Sacred Heart Parish, at confirmation@sacredheart.org.

Attendance Requirement: This Confirmation Program is a retreat and small group-based program. Due to how few meetings we have in the year, your child must be present at all retreats and may only miss one small group meeting. Please ensure that all of the 2026-2027 program year dates are in marked in your calendar:

• Mandatory Parent Info meeting: Sunday, September 13, 2026, at 10:00 AM in the Moore Theater at Sacred Heart
• Retreat #1: Sunday, September 13, 2026
• *Small Group #1: October 3–10, 2026
• Retreat #2: Sunday November 1, 2026
• *Small Group #2: December 5–12, 2026
• Retreat #3: Sunday January 24, 2027
• *Small Group #3: February 27–March 6, 2027
• Retreat #4: Saturday, April 10–Sunday, April 11, 2027 (Overnight)
• Confirmation Rehearsal: Day before Confirmation, TBD May 2027
• Confirmation Mass: TBD May 2027

*The small group meetings will be planned for some time within the week listed above. Small groups are 1–2 hour meetings with their small group leader, these meetings are planned with the whole group to pick a day that works best for everyone.

Who is this program for? This Confirmation program is designed for those who are in 7th–12th grade who need to receive Confirmation only. If you are an adult, or if your child needs to receive Baptism or First Communion as well as Confirmation, please contact the parish about our OCIA/OCIC programs. If your child is in 6th grade, the prerequisite year for Confirmation, please register them for Emmaus Youth Group instead of this program.

2026-2027 Faith Formation Programs

Registration is open for Elementary Faith Formation, (including Preparation for First Communion), Middle and High School Emmaus Youth Groups, and Order of Christian Initiation for Children and Adults (OCIC/OCIA)! A digital mailer was sent out to St. Monica families on Thursday, August 13, containing all of the information for this year’s Faith Formation programs. Click here to access a copy of the full mailer. If you have any questions, please email faithforward@stmonicami.org.

• Elementary, First Communion, and OCIC classes will begin on Sunday, September 20.
• Interested in becoming Catholic? OCIA classes will begin on Monday, September 14.
• Regular Emmaus Youth Group meetings will begin in October.
• See the section above for information on our 2026-2027 Confirmation Preparation program.

Please note: Registration for 1st Grade (Prerequisite for First Communion) and 2nd Grade (First Communion) closes on September 21!

Mass for Suicide Healing and Remembrance

Join Bishop Schuster on Saturday, September 12, at 5:30 PM at St. James Cathedral for the Annual Mass for Suicide Healing and Remembrance. September is Suicide Prevention Awareness Month, and at this special Mass we pray for all who have been lost to suicide, for survivors of suicide, and for all who have lost a family member, friend, or colleague. We also pray that, as Church and as individuals, we can help prevent suicide by raising awareness and knowing how to help those in need.

Divorce & Beyond Support Group

Are you trying to get past the pain of divorce? Are you feeling “stuck” in pain and hurt? St. Louise Catholic Church is thrilled to be offering “Divorce & Beyond”. This is an excellent 10 week Christian based program of healing and recovery from divorce. You deserve to experience peace and joy again! Gift yourself with healing this program through the Divorce & Beyond experience! Interested? We will meet on Mondays, 6:30 PM-8:00 PM beginning September 14. The cost is $15 and scholarships are available. If you’d like more information please contact Dave Gehrig at 425-214-5466 or email divorceandbeyond@stlouise.org.

Attend a Regional Partners in the Gospel Session

This August through November 2026, the archdiocesan Partners in the Gospel planning team will host seven regional gatherings to review:

• Why we embarked on this strategic pastoral planning process
• The overall timeline and process for One Parish Planning
• Progress to date and what’s next

Each session will then focus on answering your questions. Everyone is welcome to join this prayerful experience as we reflect on this strategic pastoral planning effort to renew parish life across the Archdiocese of Seattle.

The gathering for our region will be held at 6:00 PM on Tuesday, September 15, at St. Madeleine Sophie in Bellevue.

To register for this session or to see the full list of gatherings, please visit archseattle.org/partners/community-gathering

Listen to Sacred Heart Radio

The mission of Sacred Heart Radio is to bring the light of Christ to the Northwest. They are committed to providing radio programming that glorifies God and leads souls to salvation. Visit sacredheartradio.org to learn more, for a full program schedule, for a link to download the SHR app on your smart phone, and much more. In the Seattle Area, Sacred Heart Radio can be found on-air by tuning your radio to AM 1050 / FM 100.3. Our very own Fr. Nagel has been a regular guest on the Sound Insight program with Dr. Tom Curran for 20+ years! Listen most Mondays at 8:00 AM.

Friday Evening Adoration

Eucharistic Adoration and Confessions are offered every Friday, 6:00 PM–7:00 PM! Come each week to spend time adoring the Blessed Sacrament with other parishioners! Start your weekend off right by allowing your heart to formed in the Sacred Heart of Christ, made present to us through the gift of the Most Holy Eucharist.

Washington State Catholic Conference 

The Washington State Catholic Conference (WSCC) is the common voice of the Catholic Bishops of the Archdiocese of Seattle, the Diocese of Spokane, and the Diocese of Yakima. They encourage advocacy in public policy as we work together for the common good to create a society that recognizes the dignity of every human person. Visit wacatholics.org to learn more.

Feeling too ill for Mass?

The general obligation to attend Mass on Sundays and Holy Days of Obligation is excused for those who are ill or are homebound. If you are unable to attend Mass for valid reason, we encourage you to make use of our Mass Livestream which can be accessed on our Livestream page.

Knights of Columbus Meetings

Knights of Columbus want to invite all men of the Parish to join them at their Council meetings held on the first Monday of every month. The meetings are held at 6:30PM in the Parish Office dining room (accessed via the front office entrance). For more information, please visit the Knights of Columbus page.

Legion of Mary Meetings

The Legion of Mary group meets every Tuesday morning after the 7:45 AM Mass in the St. Augustine Room. Legion of Mary is a world-wide movement of lay people, who propose making Faith the goal of their life in an effort to achieve personal sanctity. The virtue of Holiness in the life of the members of the Legion is promoted under the influence of Mary and the Holy Spirit. This becomes the source of inspiration for Legion work, which is under the direction of our Pastor, Fr. Nagel. He has asked the Legion to take Holy Communion to the homebound, providing the Real Presence of Jesus to them. For more information, please visit the Legion of Mary page.

Cooking for the Homeless

Every Tuesday, volunteers of the Friends of the Needy ministry meet at St. Monica’s kitchen at 10:30 AM to cook a four-course hot dinner for later delivery. Want to volunteer? Come for an hour or the afternoon, every Tuesday or as often as you like. Experience the joyful camaraderie in the kitchen from preparing the ingredients to washing the dishes. For more information, please visit the Friends of the Needy page.

Rosary Makers

Rosary Makers is a wonderful group of people who get together every week on Wednesdays in the St. Augustine Room to make Rosaries for the Catholic missions. All are welcome to come and make rosaries or gather the materials to work at home. For more information, please contact the parish office.

Bringing Holy Communion to the Homebound

Every Wednesday morning immediately after the 7:45 AM Mass, members of the Legion of Mary bring the Communion to homebound parishioners who are unable to attend Mass in person. If you or a loved one are physically unable to attend Mass and would like to receive Communion, please contact the parish office to receive more information on this ministry. 

Friends of the Needy Drivers

Is there anyone who would not help their brother or sister? Christ has said, “the less fortunate are our bothers and sisters”. We are in need of 5 more drivers to help feed the 12 different shelter and food banks that we now deliver food to from our most generous donor Metropolitan Market!

If you could spare just 2 or 3 hours once a month that would fulfill our obligation to feed the hungry. If you volunteer you can choose the day of the month that you would drive each month. For more information, please visit the Friends of the Needy page.