A Roman Catholic Parish in the Heart of Lacey
Sacred Heart Catholic Church sits on Bowker Street in Lacey, Washington, just a few minutes from the state capitol in Olympia. As a parish of the Archdiocese of Seattle, Sacred Heart serves a multilingual Catholic community in Thurston County, drawing worshippers from Lacey, Olympia, Tumwater, and surrounding neighborhoods. The parish's weekly rhythm includes English, Spanish, and Korean Masses, an active sacramental life, a robust faith formation program for every age, and a deep commitment to serving the broader community through food, clothing, financial assistance, and shelter ministries. Sacred Heart is part of Partners in the Gospel, the Archdiocese of Seattle's family-of-parishes initiative, joined in a parish family with St. Columban in Yelm and St. Peter in Tenino.
Mass Schedule and Sacramental Life
Daily Mass is celebrated Monday through Saturday at 9:00 AM. The Sunday schedule offers Mass at 8:00 AM, 10:00 AM, and 12:00 PM in English, with a 2:00 PM Mass in Spanish and a 10:00 AM Korean Mass held in Fabian Hall. A Saturday Vigil Mass is celebrated at 5:00 PM. The Sacrament of Reconciliation is offered on Saturdays from 3:00 to 4:30 PM and by appointment.
For those drawn to extended time in prayer, Eucharistic Adoration is held in St. Frances of Rome Chapel from Thursday morning, after the 9:00 AM Mass, through Saturday at 4:30 PM, a stretch of more than fifty-five hours of continuous adoration. The parish hopes to grow this into Perpetual Eucharistic Adoration and invites parishioners to commit an hour each week in the presence of the Blessed Sacrament. Anointing of the Sick is celebrated during the 9:00 AM Mass on the first Saturday of every month and is also available by appointment or in emergencies.
A Home for Three Language Communities
Sacred Heart is, in effect, three faith communities under one roof. The English-speaking community gathers for the majority of Masses and faith formation offerings. The Hispanic ministry, coordinated by Emely Flores, serves Spanish-speaking parishioners through the 2:00 PM Sunday Mass, Spanish-language baptism and marriage preparation, quinceañera celebrations, and Spanish-language faith formation materials. Parents seeking Spanish baptism resources find a Formulario pre-registro available alongside the English version. The parish also recognizes the importance of quinceañeras as moments when young women renew their baptismal promises and commit to living according to the teachings of Jesus.
The Korean Catholic community at Sacred Heart, rooted in Lacey for about thirty years, gathers for Sunday Mass at 10:00 AM in Fabian Hall, with additional weekday Masses on Tuesday at 10:00 AM, Friday at 7:30 PM, and the second Saturday of each month at 10:00 AM. The community is shepherded by Father Park Seong-jun (Francis), a priest of the Archdiocese of Seoul who was ordained in 2018 and began serving Korean Catholics in Lacey and Olympia in 2025. His ordination motto, drawn from Luke 21:19, is "By your endurance you will gain your lives." The Korean community's stated mission emphasizes being a community that lives together, carries a warm heart, and chooses the poor and suffering first. Active organizations include the Seongmo-hoe (Our Lady's Sodality) and age-based fellowship groups, along with the Legion of Mary and a fragrant prayer group as devotional societies.
Sacraments of Initiation and Beyond
Sacred Heart accompanies parishioners through all seven sacraments. Baptism for children under seven is celebrated communally, never privately, typically during the fourth weekend's Masses each month. Spanish baptisms are scheduled within the 2:00 PM Sunday Mass. Parents attend a baptismal preparation class and provide a copy of the child's birth certificate; godparents must be at least sixteen, fully initiated Catholics in good standing, and (if married) married in the Catholic Church. A non-Catholic may serve as a witness of the Baptism alongside a Catholic godparent.
Confirmation at Sacred Heart follows the Archdiocese of Seattle's restored order, typically celebrated in seventh grade or the equivalent age. Candidates work with Katy Baker, who coordinates both youth ministry and Confirmation preparation. The parish sees Confirmation not as a graduation but as a second anointing with the Holy Spirit, equipping the confirmed to go out as apostles. A sponsor must have received all three sacraments of initiation, be in good standing, and may not be the candidate's parent; a baptismal godparent is an ideal choice. Candidates may select a confirmation name as a sign of their new identity in Christ, though it is not required.
First Reconciliation and First Eucharist are prepared for in the second year of Children's Faith Formation, with two morning retreats as part of the process. Matrimony preparation is offered three times a year through Debera Ricalde for English-speaking couples and Emely Flores for Spanish-speaking couples. Sacred Heart celebrates weddings only within the church, and offers convalidation for Catholics married outside the Church, a process that requires current baptismal certificates issued at least six months prior, a civil marriage certificate, prenuptial forms, witness statements, and participation in marriage preparation. Holy Orders and Anointing of the Sick round out the sacramental life of the parish, with Father Bryan Ochs, Father William Dodoma, and Father Martin Bourke available for conversation with men discerning a priestly or diaconal vocation.
Becoming Catholic: OCIA
For adults and children seeking full initiation into the Catholic Church, Sacred Heart offers the Order of Christian Initiation of Adults, adapted for children and youth. Adult sessions are coordinated by Deacon Ronnie San Nicolas and David Gedrose. Children's and youth OCIA, for ages seven through seventeen, is led by Ann Saunders. The process is gradual, marked by prayer, study, sharing, and sponsorship, culminating in the reception of Baptism, Confirmation, and Eucharist at the Easter Vigil. Non-baptized adults, Christians baptized in another tradition seeking full communion, and Catholics baptized as infants but uncatechized are all welcome. Children must bring a birth certificate on the first day of class. The parish embraces each participant as a cherished member of the family, fostering an environment of love, understanding, and support, with sponsors playing a vital role as companions, listeners, mentors, and pray-ers.
Faith Formation for Every Age
Children's Faith Formation, coordinated by Linda Cooper, includes Beyond Baptism for preschoolers and kindergartners with an adult family member, an Initial Year Family Formation program for first through fifth graders meeting selected Wednesday evenings from 6:00 to 7:30 PM, First Reconciliation and First Communion preparation in Year 2, and Young Disciples for third through fifth graders who have already received First Communion. Children's Liturgy of the Word is offered during the 10:00 AM, 12:00 PM, and 2:00 PM Sunday Masses, inviting children to hear and discuss the readings at their own level before rejoining their families for the Liturgy of the Eucharist. A Cub Scout Pack 7 also calls Sacred Heart home, offering adventure and service opportunities for boys and girls in kindergarten through fifth grade.
Youth Faith Formation, under Katy Baker's direction, gathers middle and high school students for prayer, fellowship, retreats, and service. The program covers topics from prayer and the Bible to the Sacraments, the Beatitudes, and the Corporal and Spiritual Works of Mercy. Activities include Trunk or Treat, the Fat Tuesday Pasta Feed, Soup Supper, game nights, bonfires, bowling, mission trips, and Steubenville Youth Conferences. Youth serve as lectors, choir members, altar servers, and leaders of Teen Stations of the Cross. They also participate in a Blanket Ministry, joining adults in making blankets for those in need.
Adult Faith Formation, guided by Deacon Ronnie San Nicolas, offers Small Christian Communities that meet year-round (Tuesday morning and Tuesday afternoon groups are active, along with a Men's Group), parish-wide Small Christian Communities during Lent and Advent, and formal faith studies in Church History, Scripture, Theology, Catholic Social Teaching, and related subjects. Adult Faith Formation is described as a complete initiation into the life of the Church, integrating life experience with knowledge of the faith, love of God, and love of neighbor. The parish also provides free access to FORMED, an online Catholic formation platform, for every parishioner.
Pastoral Care and Mental Health Ministry
Pastoral Care at Sacred Heart reaches beyond the parish walls. Deacon Terry Barber coordinates the Eucharistic Ministry of the Homebound, bringing Holy Communion to parishioners unable to attend Mass due to illness, accident, or age, a ministry he has served for seventeen years. Deacon Rey Ronquillo, born and raised in the Philippines and ordained in the Archdiocese of Seattle in 2012, guides families through funeral planning, meeting personally to discuss rites, music, readings, and reception details, and arranging livestreamed Masses when loved ones cannot attend.
Stephen Ministry provides one-on-one Christian care with trained lay volunteers for adults who are hurting, meeting on the second and fourth Tuesdays of each month, from 10:00 AM to noon in Hallen Hall Room 4. The Mental Health Ministry, under the patronage of St. Dymphna, patron of those with neurological and mental illnesses, offers accompaniment, spiritual care, and psychoeducational resources for parishioners living with or caring for someone with a mental health disorder. The ministry collaborates with the Archdiocese of Seattle's Mental Health Ministry and Thurston/Mason County NAMI to offer information and training. Parish nurses meet on the second Wednesday of each month from 6:00 to 8:00 PM, offering preventive health education that bridges medicine and spirituality.
Community and Outreach
Sacred Heart's outreach is anchored at 906 Bowker Street, where a suite of programs meets urgent needs in Thurston County. The Emergency Outreach Financial Assistance office, open Monday, Wednesday, and Friday from 10:30 AM to 12:15 PM, helps residents with past-due rent and utilities. The Food Pantry, open the same mornings from 1:00 to 2:45 PM (except holidays), distributes groceries and hygiene items to anyone in need. The most-needed donations include brown grocery bags (small and large), nonperishable staples such as spaghetti sauce, tuna, soups, green beans, corn, peanut butter, and macaroni and cheese, and hygiene products including toilet paper, shampoo, dish soap, laundry soap, and bleach. The Clothing Bank operates Wednesdays and Fridays from 12:30 to 3:00 PM.
The Community Kitchen serves an average of about 150 meals each week, with volunteers meeting every Thursday from 8:00 AM to noon. No prior kitchen experience is required. Sacred Heart also hosts a winter men's shelter, providing beds and warm meals during the cold months, with a dedicated coordinator organizing volunteers from across the parish. A Blanket Ministry meets Tuesday mornings and evenings to make blankets for the sick, nursing home residents, and others in need; no sewing experience is required.
Other outreach efforts include the Respect Life Committee, which meets monthly to pray, plan events, and host public prayer vigils, gathering on the third Tuesday of each month after the evening Mass in Hallen Hall; St. Brigid's Guild, supporting Pregnancy Aid through a November bake sale, a January baby shower, and ongoing dues; St. Jude's Guild, whose members play bingo and provide prizes for residents of Roo-Lan Nursing Center; and St. Margaret's Guild, which hosts parish receptions for First Communion, Confirmation, and community gatherings.
Parish Life, Prayer Groups, and Devotions
The parish's liturgical ministries rely on committed volunteers. Lector Ministry, coordinated by Eleonore Mitchell, always needs new readers, especially for the Saturday 5:00 PM, Sunday 8:00 AM, and Sunday 2:00 PM Spanish Masses. The Music and Liturgy Ministry rehearses every Tuesday at 7:00 PM in Room S2 and welcomes singers and instrumentalists without audition. Eucharistic Ministers assist with the distribution of Holy Communion, and altar servers assist the priest at the altar. Greeters welcome parishioners at every Mass.
Prayer is woven throughout the parish. Our Mother of Perpetual Help Prayer Group meets on the first Wednesday of each month. The Rosary Prayer Group has been active for over two decades, praying the rosary and Divine Mercy chaplet before the Blessed Sacrament. Our Lady of Czestochowa Rosary Group includes more than eighty members who each pray a daily decade. The International Fatima Rosary gathers more than one hundred members on the thirteenth of each month from May through October for multilingual recitation of the rosary, with singing, processions, and prayers for special intentions. Two Seven Sisters Apostolate groups at Sacred Heart ensure that a Holy Hour is prayed each day of the week for one of the parish's priests.
First Friday Devotion honors the Sacred Heart of Jesus through a morning Sacred Heart Novena beginning at 8:30 AM, followed by Mass, consecration, and scapular investiture. The Sacramentors, a men's group, meets monthly for sanctification and formation. StrengthsFinder helps parishioners identify their top five God-given talents for service in family, workplace, and parish.
Families of Incarcerated
Launched in April 2025 and rooted at Sacred Heart, the Families of Incarcerated ministry extends throughout the Archdiocese of Seattle to support those with loved ones behind bars. The ministry offers compassion, community, and prayer to families navigating what can otherwise be a lonely journey. Its work is grounded in the intercession of St. Dismas, the Good Thief, and the conviction that no one is beyond the reach of God's mercy.
Parish Family and Leadership
Father Bryan Ochs serves as pastor of Sacred Heart, supported by Parochial Vicar Father William Dodoma and Senior Priest Father Martin Bourke. Three deacons share in pastoral ministry: Deacon Terry Barber in pastoral care, Deacon Rey Ronquillo in funeral planning, and Deacon Ronnie San Nicolas in liturgy, Adult Faith Formation, and OCIA. Father Park Seong-jun Francis ministers to the Korean Catholic community. The Parish Family Advisory Council, made up of parishioners from Sacred Heart, St. Columban, and St. Peter, advises Father Bryan on the Partners in the Gospel One Parish Plan.
The parish office, located at 812 Bowker Street SE in Lacey, is open Monday through Friday from 8:00 AM to 4:00 PM, and can be reached at (360) 491-0890 or staff@3hearts.org. Mass is livestreamed on YouTube, the weekly bulletin is available through Parishes Online, online giving is set up through PushPay, and the Hallow prayer app connects parishioners to the Nisqually Basin Catholic Churches community.