At 820 18th Avenue in Seattle, Immaculate Conception Church is known as the city's oldest standing Catholic church. Founded by the Jesuit Fathers in 1891 and built at its present location in 1904, the parish is both a Seattle landmark and a multicultural Catholic community in a parish family with St. James Cathedral and Christ Our Hope. Its stated mission is to honor and serve the Lord through the gifts, talents and abilities of its people, to share the Good News of Christ, and to live out faith through worship, community and stewardship.
Seattle's Oldest Standing Catholic Parish
Immaculate Conception Parish was founded in 1891 by the Jesuit Fathers on land now occupied by Seattle University. In 1904, the parish moved to its present location, and the church was built in just six months. Bishop Edward John O'Dea dedicated it on December 4, 1904. That short building period became part of the church's history, but the parish's identity has been shaped over a much longer span of worship, teaching and service.
Administration passed from the Jesuits to the Diocese of Seattle in 1929. The Reverend Theodore Ryan became the first pastor under diocesan administration and served until his death in 1960. The pipe organ, described as one of the finest in the Northwest, was donated in his memory. In 1974, the Seattle Landmarks Preservation Board declared Immaculate Conception a historical landmark, recognizing the importance of a church whose fabric preserves both its Jesuit beginnings and decades of Seattle Catholic life.
The parish describes itself as a diverse community of worshippers from varied ethnic backgrounds and traditions. Its leaders work with parishioners through the Pastoral Council and commissions for faith formation, health and human concerns, outreach and liturgy. Its place in the Archdiocese of Seattle is joined to a practical local identity: the church is a home for worship, formation, cultural traditions and direct assistance to people in need.
Inside the 1904 Sanctuary
From the floor, the highest point of the dome reaches 150 feet into the air, and the church building was once the largest auditorium in the city. The frescoes were hand-painted by Jesuit priests and completed in the late 1920s. These dimensions and decorations belong to a sanctuary that continues to serve as the center of the parish's worship, formation and community life.
In 1930, William Morgan constructed the grotto, a smaller but exact replica of the Grotto to the Blessed Mother in Lourdes. The church also preserves older statues dating from 1890 through the late 1920s and stained-glass windows of a type no longer made anywhere in the world. These are described as irreplaceable parts of the historic interior, alongside the memorial pipe organ, one of the finest in the Northwest.
On the first Saturday of each month, the church is open from 9:00 AM to 3:00 PM for tours, giving visitors a way to encounter the building's scale and sacred art. The parish also provides a self-guided tour. The grotto, dome, frescoes, organ and glass remain part of the setting in which the community worships, forms families and serves.
Rosary, Mass and Hours Open to the Public
The Sunday rhythm includes an Eritrean Mass at 8:00 AM, the Holy Rosary at 10:30 AM and the main Catholic Mass at 11:00 AM. The 11:00 AM service is livestreamed, so it can be followed through the parish's Facebook livestream. A Wednesday Mass is celebrated at 12:10 PM.
Immaculate Conception's place in a parish family with St. James Cathedral and Christ Our Hope has a practical as well as an ecclesial dimension. The shared arrangement appears in worship information and sacramental life, including Saturday confession at St. James Cathedral. Immaculate contributes its historic sanctuary and multicultural parish life while sharing a wider network of Catholic ministry across Seattle.
The Sacrament of Reconciliation is offered at 8:30 AM on Saturdays at St. James Cathedral, with appointments also available through the parish. Immaculate Conception itself is open to the public from 9:00 AM to 3:00 PM, Monday through Friday, and from 9:00 AM to 3:00 PM on the first Saturday of each month. The rectory follows the same weekday hours and is closed on holidays.
At Mass, the celebration moves from the Liturgy of the Word, including Scripture, the psalm and homily, to the Creed and prayers for the living and dead. Bread and wine are brought forward, the Eucharist is received, and the assembly is sent forth to proclaim the Good News. For Immaculate Conception, the Mass is the central, binding celebration of the Church and the source and summit of Catholic life.
Music has a place of honor in this sacred space. The Music Ministry combines volunteers and professional musicians whose mission is to lead the assembly in sung prayer, and parishioners are invited to join the choirs. The Liturgy Commission develops celebrations that are both traditional and contemporary, honoring the church's history while responding to the needs of the present.
Within the Sunday liturgy, greeters and ushers welcome visitors as they enter and show them to their seats. They assist with offertory gifts and collections, help the priests as needed and pay particular attention to newcomers. Their work reflects the parish's description of itself as a community where worship, hospitality and service belong together.
Learning the Faith Across Generations
Faith formation is offered at each stage of parish life. Children begin in preschool and continue through preparation for First Communion; middle-school and high-school students have classes of their own; confirmation formation is offered in grades 7 through 12; and adults can take part in Bible study. The parish also provides the Rite of Christian Initiation for Adults for those preparing to enter or return to full communion with the Catholic Church.
Children's Faith Formation classes are taught on Sundays by caring instructors. They begin each September and continue through the following summer in classrooms in the rectory basement. Immaculate Youths, for students in grades 6 through 12, meets each Sunday after the 11:00 AM Mass in the youth group room of the school building.
A Youth Mass is celebrated every fifth Sunday, with opportunities to read, bring the gifts, sing in the choir, usher or serve at the altar. The parish welcomes young people taking part in these roles for the first time and presents participation as a way to show love for God and the community by serving together.
RCIA classes begin each October and run through Easter in the parish rectory. The process includes a period of inquiry, a longer catechumenate of learning and prayer, the Rite of Election, the Sacraments of Initiation and a period of reflection called Mystagogy. It is designed for non-baptized adults seeking full initiation and for baptized Christians preparing for full communion through the Eucharist and Confirmation. Those elected are formally welcomed into the community at the Easter Vigil.
RCIA also depends on sponsors and community support. Team members help participants grow in faith, share their experience and learn about the Church as they discern whether to become members. The process is not simply classroom instruction; it is a communal journey marked by prayer, liturgical rites and the support of the parish.
Children six and under are baptized four times a year at weekend liturgies. Baptism at Immaculate Conception is communal and takes place in the context of Sunday Eucharist. First-time parents and guardians take a preparation class in a prayerful setting. It reviews the primary prayers of the celebration, the Welcoming Rite and anointing with the Oil of Catechumen, and explains practical details and the ways the parish supports families.
The parish asks that children of participating families be registered parishioners or have a personal connection to a registered parishioner. A family belonging to another parish must provide permission and verify its participation in baptism preparation. At least one godparent is required, and that person must be an active, practicing, confirmed Catholic aged 16 or older. A non-Catholic Christian may serve as a witness when a Catholic godparent is present. Private baptisms are generally not celebrated because the child is being initiated into the parish community, although exceptional circumstances can lead to an exception.
Serving at the Liturgy and Beyond the Church
Parishioners collaborate in the life of the parish by volunteering in roles that range from assisting at Mass and forming others in the faith to serving the broader community. A lector proclaims Scripture at Mass and other services after being commissioned and committed to a schedule. Extraordinary Ministers of Communion serve the Body and Blood of Christ at Mass and bring Communion to sick and homebound parishioners; they must be fully initiated in the Church.
Altar servers may begin in fourth grade and help lead the procession, prepare the table and assist with the tools needed for a particular rite. The parish also welcomes people as greeters, ushers, choir members and volunteers who assist at celebrations. These roles allow adults and young people to share their gifts in the liturgical life of the church.
Health and Human Concerns is one of the parish commissions, and parishioners take part in social-justice work such as visiting homebound neighbors, serving people who are poor and volunteering at food pantries. This outreach reflects the parish's commitment to use time, talent and treasure in service to others.
The Legion of Mary meets after the 11:00 AM Mass in the School Hall. Members have visited nursing homes and hospitals throughout Seattle's Central Area, assisted priests, brought Communion to Catholic residents and provided rosaries, miraculous medals and prayer cards. They have also made home visits to bring the Eucharist to homebound, elderly and sick parishioners.
The Saint Vincent de Paul Society meets before the 11:00 AM Mass on the second and fourth Sundays in the St. Vincent de Paul Room of the rectory basement. Its financial support enables the Conference to assist people with rent, utility bills, food, medicine and other needs. The ministry joins prayer and parish life with direct assistance, allowing the parish's stewardship of resources to reach neighbors facing immediate hardship.
Other collaborative groups include the Knights and Ladies of St. Peter Claver and the Saint Pedro Calungsod Guild, which was founded for Filipino American Catholics to explore traditions, customs and changes in American Catholic life for practical Christian living. Parish life also includes men's and women's groups, an annual parish bazaar, and recurring Luau and Mardi Gras celebrations that reflect the community's cultural life. The parish's Luau programs recognize godparents, family contributions, volunteers, memorial tributes and business supporters, while the Mardi Gras gathering provides another long-running tradition of communal participation.
What the Parish Teaches
Immaculate Conception's Catholic teaching begins with a God who creates in love and with the dignity of the human person above all else. The parish believes in the Holy Trinity as Father, Son and Holy Spirit, and in the Incarnation, the truth that God became human in Jesus. It also holds that human beings can sin while remaining called to goodness, prayer and service, and that all creation reflects God's love.
God's revelation is received through Sacred Scripture and Tradition, with the Incarnation as the ultimate sign of God's love. The Paschal Mystery - the crucifixion, death and resurrection of Jesus - is central to every liturgical celebration, especially the Mass. The Eucharist stands at the center of parish sacramental life. The parish teaches that the risen Jesus is truly and substantially present, and that the priest, through ordination and the action of the Holy Spirit, transforms bread and wine into the Body and Blood of Jesus.
The seven sacraments are presented as sacraments of initiation, healing and vocation. Baptism begins life in Christ; Confirmation renews baptismal promises and gives the gifts of the Holy Spirit; Reconciliation forgives sin and restores relationship with God, self and others; and Anointing of the Sick offers strength, support and comfort in illness. Marriage is a lifelong covenant that gives spouses the grace to love as Christ loved the Church, while Holy Orders continues the mission entrusted by Christ to the apostles through bishops, priests and deacons.
Reconciliation is described through four movements: contrition and conversion, confession to a priest, acceptance of absolution, and a commitment to Christian life. The parish connects this sacramental belief with forgiveness and with the community gathered as the Body of Christ. Receiving Communion is understood to strengthen that unity and renew commitment to Jesus.
Personal and communal prayer are hallmarks of the Catholic faith. The parish prays with Mary and the saints and seeks their intercession, while also emphasizing stewardship of time, talent and treasure. Online giving is one way parishioners share that responsibility.
Weddings, Gatherings and a Continuing Legacy
Marriage is a substantial part of parish life. The church hosts weddings throughout the year, and couples are asked to allow at least six months for preparation. Most preparation is completed in the couple's home parish even when the wedding will be celebrated at Immaculate Conception. The parish grounds this preparation in the covenantal and lifelong character of the sacrament.
The Jean Moran Hall is available for receptions after liturgical celebrations and for family events, whether the family belongs to the parish or not. A Facility Use Agreement and evidence of liability insurance naming Immaculate Conception as an additional insured are required. The hall provides room for the communal gatherings that continue the celebrations of Mass, weddings and family milestones.
The parish is led by the Very Reverend Gary F. Lazzeroni, pastor, with the Reverend Francis Thumbi and the Reverend Sylvester Chanda as parochial vicars. Deacon Joseph Connor serves as chair of the Liturgy Commission. From its Jesuit foundation and six-month construction to its multicultural ministries and continuing sacramental life, Immaculate Conception remains Seattle's oldest standing Catholic church, a historic sanctuary centered on the Eucharist and shaped by generations of service.