Holy Redeemer Catholic Parish sits on the east side of Vancouver, Washington, a few blocks north of the Columbia River. Founded as a relatively new parish with a much larger church built in 2007, Holy Redeemer has grown to become the largest of three communities that together make up Columbia River Catholic, known within the Archdiocese of Seattle as Parish Family 46. With about 1,500 registered households and a wide portfolio of ministries, the parish is known regionally for its 23-hour Eucharistic Adoration, its nationally recognized Fraternus and Fidelis programs for youth and adults, and a steady stream of young men and women choosing religious life.
Father Thomas Nathe serves as pastor. His weekly columns, archived on the parish site, return again and again to the same themes: the reliability of the sacraments, the centrality of the Eucharist, the reality of priestly vocation, the importance of apologetics in a skeptical age, and the call of every Catholic to pursue holiness. The parish's identity runs through those same themes, with a particular emphasis on devotion to the Sacred Heart of Jesus.
Mass, Confession, and 23-Hour Adoration
The parish church is open from 7:30 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. daily for private prayer, and the schedule of public worship centers on a steady rhythm of Mass and confession. Saturday Vigil Mass is celebrated at 4:30 p.m. Sunday Masses are offered at 8:30 a.m. and 11:00 a.m., with incense used at many Masses and liturgical events. Daily Mass is celebrated Monday through Saturday at 8:30 a.m. On Holy Days of Obligation, Masses are offered at 8:30 a.m., 11:00 a.m., and 7:00 p.m.
Confessions are heard Friday from 4:00 to 5:15 p.m., Saturday from 9:15 to 10:00 a.m. and from 2:30 to 4:15 p.m., and Sunday from 7:30 to 8:15 a.m. and 10:00 to 10:45 a.m. Examination of Conscience guides are available online, with separate versions for adults and for children twelve and younger. A sacramental emergency line routes after-hours calls to a priest.
Beyond Mass and confession, the parish sustains what is perhaps its most visible devotional practice: 23-hour Eucharistic Adoration, beginning at 9:00 a.m. Friday and ending at 8:00 a.m. Saturday. The faithful are also invited to pray the Rosary publicly twenty minutes before every Mass, and the Divine Mercy Chaplet is prayed in common on Fridays at 3:00 p.m. For those who want to adore the Blessed Sacrament at other times, the church offers 24/7 code-entry access to the adoration chapel.
Daily Masses are livestreamed on Facebook, and recorded Sunday Masses are posted on Vimeo. Sunday homilies are also published online, and Sunday bulletins are available in print and digitally through the Columbia River Catholic site.
Columbia River Catholic: Three Parishes Along the River
Holy Redeemer, St. Thomas Aquinas in Camas, and Our Lady Star of the Sea in Stevenson together form Columbia River Catholic, the southeastern cluster of the Archdiocese of Seattle. The three communities sit along a fast-growing corridor of southwest Washington that has expanded from about 94,000 residents in 2000 to roughly 154,000 today. About six percent of the area's residents identify as Catholic, and roughly four in five family households are headed by married couples.
Through a process called Partners in the Gospel, the three parishes are working with Archbishop Paul D. Etienne to combine into a single parish over time. The plan responds to a continuing shortage of priests able to serve as pastors in Western Washington. Phase 1 of the process was a series of listening sessions in November 2025 that drew hundreds of responses from across the three campuses. A consistent thread emerged: parishioners value reverent liturgy, a strong sacramental and devotional life, and faith formation led by fellow parishioners rather than paid staff.
For now, Holy Redeemer, the largest of the three, hosts the family staff. Twenty-two full- and part-time staff serve the pastor and parochial vicar, with six additional staff at the Preschool and Kindergarten. The parish family's combined budget for fiscal year 2026 was $3.6 million, all three communities are debt free, and total reserves stand at $3.4 million.
The Sacred Heart and a Devotional Life
Devotion to the Sacred Heart of Jesus is woven through the parish's spiritual life. Father Nathe has shared Archbishop Etienne's pastoral letter on the Sacred Heart in a three-part series, and he regularly encourages the First Friday and First Saturday devotions rooted in the revelations to St. Margaret Mary Alacoque. He has invited parishioners to enthrone an image of the Sacred Heart in their homes, citing the promise of divine protection that flows from the devotion, and he has published a step-by-step rite of consecration so families can perform the ceremony themselves.
The parish's name, Holy Redeemer, points to the same reality. Public devotion includes the daily Rosary, the Divine Mercy Chaplet, and 23-hour Eucharistic Adoration each Friday. The pastor has also written at length on the Liturgy of the Hours, the fifteen prayers of St. Bridget, Divine Mercy Sunday, the Ascension, the Last Rites, the case for vocations to the priesthood and consecrated life, and the apologetics of belief in a Creator. He has encouraged the parish to pray and do penance for priests, especially in light of a national shortage that has produced more priestly deaths than ordinations in many dioceses.
Parishioners who want to deepen their devotional life can subscribe to Formed.org through the parish at no cost, with access to Catholic Bible studies, talks, books, and films. The Magnificat, a monthly missalette with Morning and Evening Prayer, is another resource the pastor has recommended. The parish also takes orders each fall for Magnifikid!, a weekly missalette for Sunday Mass aimed at children ages six to twelve.
Fraternus and Fidelis: Wednesday Nights at the Parish
The parish's signature youth programs are Fraternus and Fidelis, two nationally recognized Catholic character and virtue programs that meet on Wednesday evenings from 6:00 to 8:15 p.m. Fraternus is for boys and men, sixth grade through adulthood, with age-segregated small groups, dinner together, a talk called the King's Message, and Night Prayer (Compline) in the church to close the night. Fidelis is the parallel program for girls and women, meeting at the Sacred Heart Green House Annex with the same rhythm of dinner, formation, small groups, and Compline.
Both programs welcome adults whether or not they have a son or daughter enrolled. Adult men and women join their own age-segregated small groups for discussion, and the year includes retreats, outings, and ceremonies to mark members' progress. Fidelis eighth graders receive a St. Benedict Medal, and twelfth graders and adults who complete the year's requirements are honored in a coronation ceremony with a Fidelis Crown. Fathers and mothers who attend Fidelis nights can place their young children in Catechesis of the Good Shepherd, which meets at the same time so the whole family can grow in faith together.
Children: Catechesis, Faith Formation, and Character Programs
For younger children, the parish offers the Catechesis of the Good Shepherd, a Montessori-style faith formation method rooted in Scripture and liturgy in which children work with hands-on materials in a prepared environment called an atrium. Sunday Faith Formation classes run from PreK through fifth grade, with First Reconciliation and First Communion preparation typically beginning in second grade.
Middle school youth participate in Fraternus and Fidelis small groups, register for Confirmation preparation, and gather for additional formation. High school students continue in Fraternus and Fidelis, attend fellowship nights and retreats, take part in service projects, and have access to Confirmation preparation through Columbia River Catholic.
Two character-development programs complement the parish's faith formation. American Heritage Girls is a K-12 program for girls organized as a multi-level troop with units for Pathfinders (kindergarten), Tenderhearts (grades 1-3), Explorers (grades 4-6), and Pioneers/Patriots (grade 7 and up). Troops of St. George is the parallel apostolate for boys and their fathers, with a mission of forming Catholic men and boys through outdoor adventure, virtue, and the sacraments. Both programs meet at the parish and are run by volunteer leaders.
Young Adults: Friday Bible Study and Beyond
The young adult ministry serves parishioners aged 18 to 26, with the rule that 18-year-olds must no longer be in high school to participate. The anchor event is a Friday night Bible study held from 6:30 to 8:30 p.m. in the Sacred Heart Green House Annex at 16809 NE 10th Way. Participants bring a Bible or borrow one and join other young adults for an evening around the Word.
Monthly events supplement the weekly study. Recent months have included movie nights, hikes, a pumpkin patch trip, volunteering at Trunk or Treat, a painting night, Friendsgiving, a cookie exchange, a prayer vision board night, and rosary making. The young adult group communicates through Instagram at @holyredeemervan.ya and through a dedicated email list. Older single young adults are pointed to Young Catholic Professionals in Portland, just across the river, where a chapter meets for spiritual and professional fellowship.
Young adults can also join the parish on a retreat. The pastor recommends Mount Angel Abbey in Mount Angel, Oregon, the Archbishop Brunett Retreat Center at the Palisades in Federal Way, Washington, and a number of smaller monasteries including Our Lady of Guadalupe Trappist Abbey, St. Martin's Abbey, and Our Lady of the Rock Priory.
Men's and Women's Ministries
Adult formation at Holy Redeemer splits into a broad menu of men's and women's groups. Men of Faith meets at 9:15 a.m. on the first Saturday of each month in the Parish Center for breakfast, fellowship, and formation around what the Magisterium teaches. The Knights of Columbus host COR, a Latin word for heart, on the last Saturday of each month from 9:15 to 10:15 a.m. in the Good Shepherd building, focusing on prayer, fraternity, and formation in leading family prayer.
Women Growing in Faith meets on the second Saturday of each month from 9:15 to 10:45 a.m. in the Parish Center for a guest speaker, discussion, and fellowship. A weekly Women's Bible Study with Littles meets Tuesdays from 9:30 to 11:00 a.m. for women who want to bring their small children. Other women's offerings include a Saintly Women book study on the third Saturday, a weekly Millions of Monicas prayer gathering on Mondays for mothers praying for their children, the Magnify 90 challenge from January through Easter, a Well Read Mom literature group on the third Friday, and a Catholic Women Professionals chapter.
Sacramental Preparation: Baptism Through Holy Orders
Infant baptism is celebrated within Mass on one Sunday each month. Parents attend a baptism class, submit a copy of the child's birth certificate, and select godparents who are fully initiated Catholics, at least sixteen years old, and able to witness to a sacramental life. The process typically takes at least two months, and parents whose marriage situation is irregular are asked to meet with parish staff before scheduling. Children older than seven who need baptism enter a child-focused OCIA process that can take one to two school years.
First Reconciliation and First Communion preparation begins after a child has been in faith formation for at least a year, typically in second grade. The parish requires a copy of the child's baptismal certificate, regular attendance, monthly sacramental preparation meetings with a parent present, and rehearsal. Confirmation preparation is offered through the youth programs. Adults seeking any of these sacraments are directed to the OCIA process, the Order of Christian Initiation of Adults. Across Columbia River Catholic, OCIA guides about 40 adults and 20 children into the Church at the Easter Vigil each year.
The parish also prepares engaged couples for marriage, visits the sick through Anointing of the Sick, helps families plan funerals with the music director coordinating liturgy, and supports men discerning priesthood and religious life. Returning Catholics are encouraged to take their time and reconnect at their own pace, with no pressure to begin OCIA unless they are ready.
The Push for a Catholic School
Columbia River Catholic currently runs a Preschool and Kindergarten using the school building on the St. Thomas Aquinas campus. The pastor has asked the Archbishop for permission to expand the school into first grade and beyond, and a feasibility survey has been prepared for parishioners. The case the parish makes is simple: the Archdiocese of Seattle's own data shows that millennial adults who attended Catholic school are ten times more likely to attend Mass as a family, eight times more likely to consider religious life, and dramatically less likely to suffer depression or poverty than their peers who did not.
Long-term, the parish hopes to build a much larger school on the Holy Redeemer campus, where there is land available. The pastor has pledged that no child would be turned away for lack of funds and that the school would not be financed in a way that undermines other parish ministries. Homeschool families, who currently make up the largest cohort of homeschooling families in any parish family in the Archdiocese, would continue to be supported with access to the school building and campus.
Beyond the school, Holy Redeemer is planning a new parish hall to replace the existing Parish Center. The building would include a commercial kitchen, fellowship space, meeting rooms, and improved offices, modeled on Marian Hall at St. Joseph Parish. Architectural plans are being drawn up using a portion of the 2026 Annual Catholic Appeal goal, with construction to be funded by a future capital campaign.
Vocations and Feeding Children Through Cross Catholic Outreach
Across Columbia River Catholic, nine men and women are in religious life and another six are in formation. Recent years have seen seminarians Evan MacKenzie and Ayden Anderson, a former CRC intern named Daniel Foster discerning with the Dominicans, and a young man named Timothy Phelps entering postulancy with the De La Salle Christian Brothers. Grace Varsek, a graduate of St. Thomas Aquinas Parish, has served as a FOCUS missionary on college campuses. Parishioner Anthony Jackson entered St. Martin's Abbey in Lacey, Washington, to become a Benedictine monk.
Each year, Columbia River Catholic partners with Cross Catholic Outreach to pack meals for hungry children overseas. The parish has packed 100,000 meals in a single evening and is preparing for another event with a goal of 120,000 meals. Cross Catholic Outreach is endorsed by more than 115 American bishops and cardinals, directs over 94 cents of every donated dollar to food and shipping, and ships meals to local Catholic partners in destination countries to ensure they reach the children who need them.
Joining the Parish
New parishioners are encouraged to register online through the parish's registration form, which gives the office a way to connect them with ministries and to issue envelopes or online giving credentials. Online giving is set up through Pushpay, and recurring or one-time gifts can be scheduled for the parish's general fund, special appeals, or to specific ministries like American Heritage Girls, Troops of St. George, and the food packing event.
The parish office is open Monday through Friday from 9:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. Visitors looking for a priest in a sacramental emergency may call the parish number at any time and dial 7 to be connected. For those curious about becoming Catholic, the parish welcomes inquiries through its OCIA and Returning Catholics pages. For those who want to volunteer with youth, Archdiocesan policy requires Safe Environment training, renewed every three years.