Partners in the Gospel

Renewing Parish Life

Partners in the Gospel is the Archdiocese of Seattle's strategic pastoral planning effort to renew and strengthen local Catholic parish communities. Through this archdiocese-wide initiative, parish families made up of one or more parishes will work together to create a shared vision for carrying out the Church's mission of helping others know the love and joy of Jesus Christ. Guided by pastors, parish leaders, and parishioners, each parish family will determine how to best use its gifts and talents to serve local needs through ministries, outreach, evangelization, youth programs, and other efforts that support vibrant, sustainable, and mission-focused communities.

Father Michael Dion, Pastor of St. Theresa and St. Vincent de Paul in Federal Way

Watch Father Dion share his thoughts about the Partners in the Gospel initiative.

English | Spanish

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Archbishop Etienne's Pastoral Letter

In Archbishop Paul D. Etienne’s pastoral letter, Partners in the Gospel: A Pastoral Letter to the Priests and People of the Church in Western Washington, he addresses the changes in our archdiocese over the last 10 years, his vision for parish leadership and structure, and ways to measure parish health and vibrancy. Read the letter:

In English | In Spanish | In Vietnamese

“Why is Partners in the Gospel necessary? I would simply say that with all of the changes that we're facing today, globally, culturally and within the church, it's very clear the status quo is no longer an option. It's very easy for us to just continue to keep doing the same thing and hoping that things will improve. That's not a strategy to make a difference.”

~ Archbishop Paul D. Etienne

More than 50 participants joined the listening session at Holy Trinity Parish in Bremerton to discuss opportunities and challenges.

Parishioners joined together for a joint parish family community gathering this spring at Whatcom Catholic.

The Bremerton Catholic community working together in new ways through Partners in the Gospel.

A welcome dinner held at Our Lady Queen of Heaven Catholic Church in Tacoma.

One Parish Planning

On July 1, 2024, the 136 archdiocesan parishes became 60 parish families, with eight stand-alone parishes under the leadership of a pastor or pastoral coordinator. Each parish family is working together to articulate their gifts, their hopes for the future and to set a vision and plan for how they will re-invigorate parish life while forming one new canonical parish. See the full timeline below.

One Parish Planning video

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This video about Partners in the Gospel and the One Parish Planning process is available in multiple languages:

English(opens in new tab) | Spanish(opens in new tab) | Vietnamese(opens in new tab) | Spanish dubbed | Vietnamese dubbed

Attend a Regional session this August through November 2026

The archdiocesan Partners in the Gospel planning team will host seven regional gatherings starting August 2026 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.

Learn more and register

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Learn more about the current reality

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2025 Current Reality and One Parish Planning Process

Father Gary Lazzeroni and Caitlin Moulding provide an updated current reality report, followed by a detailed overview of the One Parish Planning process starting in 2025.

English | Spanish | Vietnamese