Reverend Joseph E. Kurtz, D.D. Bishop | Archdiocese of Louisville

The Archdiocese of Seattle's 136 parishes have officially become 60 parish families as part of Partners in the Gospel, the archdiocese’s strategic pastoral planning initiative. The move, effective July 1, follows two years of planning and consultation with clergy, parish and school staff, and the laity.

Each parish family will be led by a pastor or pastoral coordinator, with many also having at least one parochial vicar. "Together, over the next three years, the parish family will work to form one new canonical parish while creatively re-envisioning how they will serve their community," the archdiocese stated in a news release.

In a letter dated July 1 to Catholics in the archdiocese, Archbishop Paul D. Etienne outlined that the goal of Partners in the Gospel is to reinvigorate parish life and help people draw closer to Jesus. "Imagine full Sunday Masses, people engaged in the sacraments, growing youth and young adult groups, and people excited about their Catholic faith," wrote Archbishop Etienne.

"One way we hope to achieve this is by changing how we’re structured to more effectively use our resources — our people, our structures and our finances — so that we can recalibrate our focus on achieving this mission," he added.

The archdiocese covers all of western Washington from the Canadian border to Oregon and from the Cascade Mountains to the Pacific Ocean. It includes 73 Catholic schools, four associated cemeteries, a retreat center, and two camps.

With the formation of parish families complete, a new phase of Partners in the Gospel begins. Teams of staff and parishioners within each family will start meeting over the next three years to develop a pastoral plan called One Parish Plan. This plan will address how each family will be structured, its ministry offerings, liturgical life, outreach efforts, campus usage, and more.

A first draft of these families was released in September 2023 for public comment. Over 3,000 pages of feedback from 700 input sessions and 800 online responses were reviewed by archdiocesan staff. In November 2023, based on this feedback, Archbishop Etienne proposed changes affecting 78 parishes and missions across 25 families. A second round of consultations followed for affected parishes.

On February 3rd this year, Archbishop Etienne released the final list of parish families after extensive consultation with various stakeholders including priests, deacons, lay leaders and public input. These families were developed considering factors such as size, geography, cultural makeup financial health among others; some parishes remain independent due to religious order operations or specific cultural services.

"While we have set the process and vision for Partners in the Gospel," said Archbishop Etienne in his July letter "the future of each parish family lies with its leadership along with guidance from Holy Spirit."