Perched along a quiet block of SE Alpha Street in Snoqualmie, Washington, Our Lady of Sorrows Catholic Church has been the spiritual home of Catholics in the upper Snoqualmie Valley for nearly a century. The parish draws families from Snoqualmie itself and from North Bend, Fall City, and Upper Preston, and it now belongs to one of the Archdiocese of Seattle's new pastoral partnerships, Family #28 of the Partners in the Gospel. The partnership has linked Our Lady of Sorrows with Mary Queen of Peace in Sammamish and St. Joseph in Issaquah under a single pastor, while each parish keeps its own identity, staff, and schedule. Weekend Mass, weekday Mass, the sacrament of Reconciliation, Eucharistic Adoration, faith formation for every age, the Knights of Columbus, the Society of St. Vincent de Paul, and an Immigrant and Refugee Ministry all run out of the parish's modest campus on Alpha and Beta Streets.
From a Hall in North Bend to Alpha Street
The Catholic presence in the Snoqualmie Valley is older than the parish itself. The first Mass known to have been celebrated in the area took place in a hall in North Bend on May 20, 1891, when Father Giroux made the journey over from Snohomish. Other Masses in the years that followed were said in the home of Conail Fury in Snoqualmie and in the homes and stores of scattered Catholic families throughout the valley. In February 1902, Ella Margaret Carroll became the first person known to have been baptized in the valley. The marriage of William Fury and Frances Brickenridge on August 19, 1919 is recorded as the first marriage celebrated in the parish, and Bishop McGrath of Baker City, Oregon came up to administer the first Confirmation on May 4, 1932.
On July 25, 1929, the community was formally established as a parish, with Reverend Michael Rosol as the first pastor. A rectory was built that same year; until it was ready, Father Rosol lived at the Meadowbrook Hotel in Snoqualmie. The valley was not always welcoming: in those early decades the Ku Klux Klan was active in the region, and Catholic gatherings were at times held in the Snoqualmie mill hall after William O'Neil, a practicing Catholic, became manager of the mill. Early religious education for children was taught on Saturday mornings by the Sisters of Charity and later by the Dominican Sisters, before falling into the hands of parents and volunteers as the parish grew.
Through the middle of the twentieth century the parish was shepherded by Father Michael Mead (1935 to 1949), Father Patrick McNerney, and Father Daniel McAllister (1956 to 1961). Father Thomas Delahunty guided the community from 1967 to 1975 through the upheavals in Catholic practice that followed the Second Vatican Council. Father Lester McCloskey (1975 to 1980) oversaw renovations to the worship space, the relocation of the rectory, and the construction of the parish hall. Father Gerald Moffat (1980 to 1992) completed the worship-space renovation, added the accessibility ramp, and finished the sacristy. Father Jan Larson (1992 to 2007) emphasized hospitality and brought a deep love of liturgy to the parish; he still assists on weekends even after his retirement.
The parish's ninth pastor arrived in 2007 and led the community in purchasing ten acres of land near the Cascade Golf Course in 2009, in anticipation of building a new worship space. The global economic crisis and subsequent zoning restrictions made the project unworkable, and the property was ultimately sold. Father Roy Baroma served as priest administrator and was later appointed pastor by Archbishop Peter Sartain in June 2016. The most recent pastoral chapter opened with the Partners in the Gospel realignment that brought the parish together with its neighbors in Sammamish and Issaquah under one pastor.
Family #28: The Partners in the Gospel
Our Lady of Sorrows is one of three parishes that make up Family #28 in the Archdiocese of Seattle's Partners in the Gospel initiative. The other members are Mary Queen of Peace in Sammamish and St. Joseph in Issaquah. A single pastor, Father Matthew Oakland, leads the family, with Father Randy A. Guarino serving as parochial vicar.
Father Oakland grew up in Lacey, Washington, the son of a journalist and editor at the Olympian and a mother who worked for the Department of Retirement Systems. He studied for two years at Western Washington University before transferring to Franciscan University of Steubenville in Ohio to join their program for men discerning a priestly vocation. He became a seminarian for the Archdiocese of Seattle the summer after graduation and attended St. Patrick Seminary in Menlo Park, California. He was ordained a priest on June 12, 2010, served as a parochial vicar at St. Mary Magdalen Parish in Everett and at St. John Mission in Mukilteo, became pastor of Holy Rosary Parish in West Seattle - a parish that includes a school of more than five hundred students - and now leads the Snoqualmie-Sammamish-Issaquah family. In his free time, he enjoys historical fiction and nonfiction, time with family and friends, theater, and a long list of board games from Old Maid and Sorry to Cribbage and Catan.
Father Randy was born and grew up in Masbate in the Philippines, completed his seminary formation in Capiz (philosophy) and Iloilo (theology), and was ordained to the priesthood in November 2004. He comes from a large family of five brothers and five sisters, and he lost his mother three years after his ordination and a sister in June 2025. He first came to the Archdiocese of Seattle in 2019 as a parochial vicar at Sacred Heart in Lacey, and later served as interim priest administrator at Our Lady Star of the Sea in Port Townsend before becoming the priest administrator of the Olympic Peninsula parishes. He holds a master's degree in education management and leadership from Xavier University - Ateneo de Cagayan, and he has also served in special ministries for schools, hospitals, and the Bureau of Corrections. After his visa expired in 2024, he returned home for a year and finished a course in spiritual direction and accompaniment at the Ateneo de Manila University before rejoining the Archdiocese.
Each parish in the family keeps its own identity, staff, schedule, and worship space. Youth Confirmation preparation, marriage preparation, and the scheduling of weddings are coordinated across the family, while each parish retains its own pastors.
Mass, Reconciliation, and Eucharistic Adoration
The rhythm of the parish is set by its regular schedule of Mass. Saturday evening brings the Vigil Mass at 5:00 PM, and Sunday Mass is celebrated at 1:00 PM, both in person and via livestream. Thursday morning Mass is offered at 9:00 AM, and Mass on Holy Days is added as announced. The sacrament of Reconciliation is heard on Saturday afternoons before the vigil Mass, and appointments can also be arranged through the parish office.
Eucharistic Adoration and the Holy Rosary are part of the weekly rhythm as well, and they are led by the parish's Knights of Columbus council. On Tuesday evenings, the rosary is prayed at 6:00 PM followed by adoration at 6:30 PM. On Thursday mornings, adoration and rosary begin at 8:30 AM in time for the 9:00 AM Mass. Coffee Hour in the parish hall follows both weekend Masses and gives the community a chance to linger over conversation after the closing hymn.
The Sunday morning rhythm at the parish is welcoming to first-time visitors. The Sunday Mass is preceded by the Holy Rosary, which is led by the Knights of Columbus at noon. Children's Liturgy of the Word is offered once a month during the Sunday Mass for children in PreK through fourth grade, so families can worship together knowing their youngest members are being introduced to the readings in an age-appropriate way. Mass is celebrated by Father Oakland or Father Randy with the assistance of the parish's sacristans, lectors, extraordinary ministers, ushers, altar servers, and Music Ministry, and the Mass is livestreamed for those at home. Coffee Hour in the parish hall is a regular point of welcome afterward.
The Sacramental Life: From Baptism to Marriage
The parish prepares parishioners for each of the seven Catholic sacraments. Infant baptism is celebrated for children under the age of seven, with parents required to attend a pre-baptism class. Baptism packets are available in the parish hall, and pre-baptism classes along with parish registration are also required of godparents. Children in second through fifth grade prepare for First Reconciliation and First Holy Communion through the parish's faith formation program, with participation in both programs a prerequisite for receiving the sacraments.
Confirmation preparation for students in seventh through twelfth grade is administered across the parish family: middle school and high school youth meet on Sundays at Mary Queen of Peace in the San Pedro Room on the lower level of the church. A 16-week schedule runs each year from mid-September through late January. Participants should be baptized and have already received their First Holy Communion in the Catholic Church.
Couples preparing for marriage begin at least six months before the wedding date - though the parish recommends giving the process a full nine months - and at least one of the spouses must be a practicing Roman Catholic registered within the parish family. All scheduling is handled through the parish family's shared wedding coordinator. Convalidation is also available for couples who have previously entered into a civil marriage, and the process there is adapted to how long the couple has been civilly married.
The sacrament of Anointing of the Sick is offered to anyone struggling with illness, not only to those at the hour of death. For the parishes of the Eastside Deanery, the fastest way to request a priest is the deanery line at 425-655-3200, extension 2, where a lay minister gathers the necessary information and passes it along to the on-call priest. The discernment of a vocation to Holy Orders - to the diaconate, the presbyterate, or the episcopate - is welcomed, and Father Oakland and Father Randy are glad to walk with any man who feels that the Lord may be calling him to ordained ministry.
Children's Faith Formation
Children's Faith Formation classes gather on Sundays twice a month from 12:00 to 12:45 PM and serve as the foundation for parish catechesis from preschool through elementary school. The program accompanies parents as the primary educators of their children in the faith and prepares children both for the sacraments of initiation and for a lifetime of discipleship. Children's Liturgy of the Word, offered once a month during the 1:00 PM Sunday Mass, brings children in PreK through fourth grade out for a separate proclamation of the readings using the Children's Lectionary and activities keyed to the Gospel. Children are welcome to participate without registering.
Family life is woven through the program's seasonal celebrations. Advent and Lenten Family Retreats have become a cherished tradition, drawing two-parent families, single-parent families, and grandparents with children for an afternoon of crafts, snacks, music, and prayer. Vacation Bible Camp fills a week each summer with similar energy for children in kindergarten through fifth grade. Baptisms, First Communions, and Confirmations are celebrated throughout the year, and the Faith Formation Coordinator works with parents to schedule each one in the midst of parish life.
Youth, Confirmation, and Young Adults
For middle and high school youth in sixth through twelfth grade, the parish offers a youth group built around three pillars: scripture, service, and community. Saint Paul's charge in his first letter to Timothy sets the tone: "Let no one despise you for your youth, but set the believers an example in speech, in conduct, in love, in faith, in purity." Regular gatherings give young people a chance to ask hard questions about the faith and to encounter Jesus Christ in the Eucharistic community of the parish.
The parish is plugged into Western Washington Catholic Young Adults, the regional young-adult fellowship open to adults between the ages of eighteen and thirty-nine who want to grow in the Catholic faith, meet other Catholic young adults, and stay informed about area events. Adults who are unbaptized or who have not yet received their sacraments of initiation can also begin the Order of Christian Initiation of Young Adults, and the parish points anyone interested toward its main OCIA program.
Becoming Catholic Through OCIA
The Order of Christian Initiation of Adults, recently renamed OCIA from the older Rite of Christian Initiation of Adults, is the formal process by which adults and older children enter the Catholic Church. The parish runs OCIA classes for anyone seven years of age and older who is unbaptized, baptized in another Christian tradition, or baptized Catholic but not yet fully initiated through First Communion and Confirmation. The process moves through several stages: a no-fixed-duration Inquiry period for those just beginning to ask questions; the Catechumenate, the major time of formation that can last up to a year for the unbaptized; Purification and Enlightenment during Lent, marked by the scrutinies and other rites; the celebration of the Sacraments of Initiation at the Easter Vigil; and the period of Mystagogy in the Easter season that follows, when the newly initiated are welcomed fully into the Christian community.
Inquirers meet at the parish office, walk through the faith together, and are matched with sponsors from the OCIA team. Baptized Christians seeking full communion with the Catholic Church follow a similar but typically shorter path, which can be celebrated at any time of year rather than being tied to the Easter Vigil. Children seven years old and above who have not yet been baptized can also begin the Order of Christian Initiation of Children, which mirrors the adult process and concludes with the celebration of the Sacraments of Initiation.
Adult Faith Formation
Adult faith formation at Our Lady of Sorrows rests on four offerings: ongoing OCIA and OCIC inquiry for those discerning entry into the Church, two parish Bible study groups, subscription access to the online platform FORMED, and the Archdiocese of Seattle's catechetical certification program. The parish Bible study meets on Monday evenings at 6:30 PM and again on Friday mornings at 9:45 AM, and both groups are open to anyone who wants to read the Scriptures together and grow in the practice of prayer.
FORMED, the parish's online learning platform, gives every parishioner around-the-clock access to Catholic video teaching, audio talks, books, and study programs on any device with internet access - well suited for Bible study, marriage prep, parenting in the faith, or simply continuing formation. The Archdiocese of Seattle also offers a catechetical certification program that trains Catholics to pass on the faith both in their content and in their pedagogy.
Lay Ministries of the Liturgy
The parish's liturgies are made possible by a stable of lay liturgical ministries, all of which the priests invite new volunteers to join. Sacristans prepare the altar before Mass and clean it afterward. Extraordinary Ministers of the Eucharist assist with the distribution of Holy Communion. Lectors proclaim the readings at Mass. Altar servers - men and women, girls and boys old enough to carry out the role's responsibilities - assist the presider at the altar. Ushers greet parishioners and guests at the door, help people to their seats when needed, and take up the collection.
The Music Ministry fills the parish's weekend Masses with song, and the parish is glad to welcome new singers and instrumentalists at the Saturday 5:00 PM Mass, the Sunday 1:00 PM Mass, or on Holy Days. An active Altar Society launders and irons the altar linens and keeps the worship space tidy; a Flowers and Grounds crew cares for the parish's outdoor spaces; and a Funeral Society assists at funeral Masses. Parishioners can sign up for these and other ministries - including the homebound ministry, the Faith Formation team, the Liturgy Commission, the Arts and Environment team, Coffee Hour, Women's Outreach, the Facilities Committee, Groundskeeping, Money Counting, and the parish office itself - through the parish's volunteer sign-up.
Outreach: Knights of Columbus, St. Vincent de Paul, and the Immigrant and Refugee Ministry
Two longstanding Catholic organizations anchor the parish's social mission. The Knights of Columbus council is open to practicing Catholic men eighteen and older and is the principal sponsor of the weekly Tuesday-evening and Thursday-morning Rosary and Eucharistic Adoration, the Lenten Soup Suppers and Stations of the Cross on Friday evenings during Lent, and the annual Ministry Fair. The Society of St. Vincent de Paul reaches into the Snoqualmie Valley to assist the less fortunate with food vouchers and help paying utility bills; the conference can be reached through the parish office.
An Annual Parish Giving Tree, sponsored by the St. Vincent de Paul conference, fills the hallway each Thanksgiving weekend with tags representing local families in need. Parishioners pick a tag, purchase and wrap a gift, and return it under the tree. A Senior Thanksgiving Dinner, sponsored each year by the parish's middle and high school youth group, brings together youth and parishioners aged sixty and older for an evening of food and conversation. The parish's Ministry to the Sick and Homebound visits parishioners who are unable to attend Mass, whether they are recovering at home or living in nursing facilities.
The parish also participates in the Archdiocese of Seattle's Immigrant and Refugee Ministry, a ministry that serves and advocates for immigrants, refugees, asylees, migrants, unaccompanied children, and victims of human trafficking. The ministry hosts parish Welcome Circles, Know Your Rights trainings, immigration summits, walking pilgrimages, vigil Masses, fund collections, listening sessions, and weekly sacramental ministry inside the Northwest Detention Center in Tacoma.
Parish Life, Staff, and Stewardship
The daily life of the parish is supported by four councils. The Parish Pastoral Council, chaired by Kristen Mattoni, helps set priorities and direction for the parish and keeps lines of communication open with parish leadership and the Archdiocese. The Finance Council, chaired by Matt Green, advises the pastor on the stewardship of parish fiscal resources, conducts long-range financial planning, and oversees the preparation of the annual parish budget. The Liturgy Committee coordinates the various liturgical ministries - sacristan, lector, extraordinary minister, usher, altar server, music ministers, altar society, and arts and environment - and is led in its various roles by a team that includes Peggy Buckingham, Jeff Krueger, George Soler, Chris Brookes, Carmela Wolf, and Carol Valdemor. The Facility Committee, chaired by Joe Mattoni, advises the pastor on the maintenance and operation of the parish's buildings and grounds.
The parish staff is small and dedicated. Nohora Segura serves as the parish Administrative Assistant. Elaine Hayden is the parish bookkeeper. Tina Laguna, the Faith Formation Coordinator, oversees faith formation, OCIA and OCIC, and the parish's liturgical coordination. Mike Vanover is on the maintenance team.
Parishioners and friends support the parish through Pushpay, the parish's online giving platform, which allows one-time and recurring donations from any device. The annual report, published each year after the close of the pastoral year, collects together the parish's worship, prayer, formation, outreach, and financial activity and is shared widely with the parish family. Father Oakland signs each year's report with a verse from the Letter to the Hebrews: "Jesus Christ, yesterday and today, the same forever." That conviction runs through the parish's life. A Catholic parish in a Pacific Northwest valley, rooted in 1891, formally established in 1929, walking with its neighbors in this century as in the last, the same Lord at the center, and the parish's invitation is simple: We welcome you all to be part of our community.