Holy Orders is the sacrament through which the mission entrusted by Christ to his apostles continues to be exercised in the Church until the end of time: thus it is the sacrament of apostolic ministry. (The Catechism of the Catholic Church)

Ordination is the sacramental act that integrates a man into the order of bishops, presbyters, or deacons. When a man is ordained, he receives a gift of the Holy Spirit that permits the exercise of a sacred power for the service of the faithful. This sacred power comes only from Christ Himself through His Church.  The ministerial priesthood is one in which priests’ lives are literally spent in service to other people. The Church states that the priest’s office “is in the strict sense of the term a service.” Priests exercise their service to us in 3 ways:  by teaching, divine worship, & pastoral governance. The ministerial priesthood is one way Christ builds up and leads His Church ... thus every priest is a GIFT to us from God.

If you have questions about or are interested in the priesthood, diaconate or religious life, please call 425-353-1211 to make an appointment with our Pastor, Father Olson.  In addition, our parish holds discernment sessions several times a year and these are announced as scheduled.  Further resources include:

Archdiocese of Seattle Office for Vocations

Quo Vadis Day Retreat  for Young Men

Jesus went around to all the towns and villages, teaching in their synagogues, proclaiming the gospel of the kingdom, and curing every disease and illness. At the sight of the crowds, his heart was moved with pity for them because they were troubled and abandoned, like sheep without a shepherd. Then he said to his disciples, "The harvest is abundant but the laborers are few; so ask the master of the harvest to send out laborers for his harvest." Then he summoned his twelve disciples and gave them authority over unclean spirits to drive them out and to cure every disease and every illness. (Mt 9:35-38, 10:1)