Annual Report to the Parish Family
September 20, 2026
Jesus Christ: Yesterday, Today, and Forever ~
Every year, all the parishes and missions of the Archdiocese of Seattle not only submit a detailed report to the Archdiocese, but they also share an annual report with their parishioners, so you are aware of how your parish family’s resources of time, talent, and treasure have been employed. Here are some highlights for 2025-2026.
This report reflects our second year as a parish family. Our growing connections between Holy Redeemer, St. Thomas Aquinas, and Our Lady Star of the Sea made themselves felt in several ways, including combined faith formation and parish life offerings, a reorganized and integrated staff, and a sustainable liturgical schedule. After Fr. Clifford Martin’s second retirement the 11am Sunday Mass was discontinued at St. Thomas. Amazingly, the resulting aggregate Mass attendance for St. Thomas and Holy Redeemer revealed parishioners were able to adjust and find Mass times to fit their schedules. The formerly separate staffs of the three campuses were combined into one, with the CRC Evangelization staff based at St. Thomas, and the CRC Resource and Engagement staffs primarily at Holy Redeemer. Parishioners engaged the Partners in the Gospel process with valuable feedback, and we continue to anticipate becoming one canonical parish by late 2027.
Evangelization
Evangelization remains a clear priority. The statistics on the following pages reveal rising number of baptisms, first communions, and confirmations celebrated in our Parish Family this past year. Likewise, the total number engaged in our many various faith formation activities is increasing; last year, over 1000 parishioners participated, including over 360 youth. Several of these efforts were consolidated across the parish family this past year, while others remain separate: the year-round process for those becoming Catholic (the Order of Christian Initiation of Adults - OCIA) was combined at Holy Redeemer, while OCIA adapted for children remained distinct at each campus. Youth Confirmation prep was offered at each campus, but the weekend retreat and the Confirmation Mass were combined for all participants. Catechesis of the Good Shepherd returned to Holy Redeemer last year and continues to expand there and at St. Thomas. Each campus offered Sunday morning faith formation, while Fraternus and Fidelis continued at Holy Redeemer for middle school, high school, and adults. Our Catholic boys and girls scouting troops continued to provide fantastic formation in the virtues. What the report doesn’t show because the Archdiocese doesn’t ask, is that we had two more candidates for the priesthood and religious life leave for seminary and religious formation.
Pillars of our impactful faith formation efforts continue to be the multi-day missions for Advent and Lent, dozens of small book-sharing groups formed each Lent, programs such as Women Growing in Faith, Men of Faith, and others that gather men and women monthly or weekly for inspiration, support, and camaraderie. Summer programs for youth included our largest contingent yet to the transformational Ignite NW Catholic Youth Conference.
Schools
This year, Regina Caeli Academy, the classical PreK-12 homeschool hybrid, completed its first year on the campus of St. Thomas Aquinas, where they meet every Monday and Thursday. This is a real gift to our parish family and a complement to our CRC Preschool & Kindergarten which completed its third year and began planning to expand to elementary grades.
Celebrations
Our volunteers engineered wonderful special events: three parish picnics as well as special celebrations for All Hallows’ Eve, St. Nicholas Day, Our Lady of Guadalupe, St. Thomas Aquinas Feast Day, Easter Vigil, Divine Mercy Sunday, and a Corpus Christi Procession.
Outreach
Two special programs—Mary’s Meals and the Cross-Catholic Outreach food packing event—provided opportunities to serve those less fortunate. Seasonal efforts included Thanksgiving meal deliveries, Winter Hospitality Overflow, and the Advent giving tree. Ongoing and impactful local engagement continues with active groups such as Women in God’s Service (WinGS), Prepares, Knights of Columbus, Homebound Ministry, Community Grant Fund, and financial and volunteer support to the St. Vincent de Paul Society. See the list of grant recipients and special collections inside this report.
Facilities
Holy Redeemer acquired two new buildings: a long-awaited storage building was added in the NW corner and the Good Shepherd Building (the residential building adjacent to the parish center) was brought on-line as an essential space for ministry groups and faith formation as we continue to outgrow the parish center and Sacred Heart Building. Holy Redeemer’s church roof and outer walls underwent cleaning and repairs; St. Thomas’ former rectory and office building had its foundation stabilized; and Star of the Sea’s church and parking lot received extensive repairs.
Thank you all for your amazing efforts: it’s your presence and your stewardship that continue to make our parish family such a uniquely dynamic community of committed Catholics.
May Almighty God Bless You,
Fr. Thomas Nathe
Protestant Pastor Burnout by the Numbers
According to the New York Times (August 1, 2010) "Members of the clergy now suffer from obesity, hypertension and depression at rates higher than most Americans. In the last decade, their use of antidepressants has risen, while their life expectancy has fallen. Many would change jobs if they could."
· 13% of active pastors are divorced.
· 23% have been fired or pressured to resign at least once in their careers.
· 25% don't know where to turn when they have a family or personal conflict or issue.
· 25% of pastors' wives see their husband's work schedule as a source of conflict.
· 33% felt burned out within their first five years of ministry.
· 33% say that being in ministry is an outright hazard to their family.
· 40% of pastors and 47% of spouses are suffering from burnout, frantic schedules, and/or unrealistic expectations.
· 45% of pastors' wives say the greatest danger to them and their family is physical, emotional, mental, and spiritual burnout.
· 45% of pastors say that they've experienced depression or burnout to the extent that they needed to take a leave of absence from ministry.
· 50% feel unable to meet the needs of the job.
· 52% of pastors say they and their spouses believe that being in pastoral ministry is hazardous to their family's well-being and health.
· 56% of pastors' wives say that they have no close friends.
· 57% would leave the pastorate if they had somewhere else to go or some other vocation they could do.
· 70% don't have any close friends.
· 75% report severe stress causing anguish, worry, bewilderment, anger, depression, fear, and alienation.
· 80% of pastors say they have insufficient time with their spouse.
· 80% believe that pastoral ministry affects their families negatively.
· 90% feel unqualified or poorly prepared for ministry.
· 90% work more than 50 hours a week.
· 94% feel under pressure to have a perfect family.
· 1,500 pastors leave their ministries each month due to burnout, conflict, or moral failure. [2010 statistic]
· One third of Protestant Pastors did not return after the Covid 19 shutdown.
The hardest thing about these numbers is that they only tell half the story. The other half is that congregations don't know or understand the nature of pastoral stress. And when a pastor breaks down or has a moral failure, congregations, for lack of a better word, "kick the pastor to the curb."
Whether you are a pastor or a congregation member, I hope these clergy burnout statistics help clarify the problem. And more importantly, I hope they help you focus your ministry to pastors.
