About Immaculate Conception · Seattle, Washington
Immaculate Conception Church is a dynamic, multicultural Roman Catholic parish in Seattle's First Hill/Central Area neighborhood, the oldest standing Catholic church in the city. Founded by the Jesuit Fathers in 1891 and built at its present 18th Avenue location in 1904, it has been a designated Seattle Historical Landmark since 1974 (City Council action in 1977). Today the parish is led by Very Reverend Gary F. Lazzeroni and is part of Parish Family 17 under the Archdiocese of Seattle's Partners in the Gospel pastoral plan, together with St. James Cathedral and Christ Our Hope. The community worships primarily in English and includes a flourishing Eritrean Catholic community which celebrates a separate Sunday Mass.
- Established
- 1891
- Patron
- The Blessed Virgin Mary, under the title of the Immaculate Conception
- Rector
- Very Rev. Gary F. Lazzeroni
- Diocese
- Archdiocese of Seattle
Why belong here
Immaculate Conception welcomes parishioners into one of Seattle's most historically significant Catholic settings — a 1904 landmark church with a 150-foot dome, hand-painted Jesuit ceiling frescos, an in-house Lourdes grotto, and a memorial pipe organ — while remaining a living, multicultural parish in the heart of the city. Whether you join Sunday Mass at 11:00 AM, the 8:00 AM Eritrean Catholic Mass, or Wednesday evening Mass, there are concrete ways to grow: Children's Faith Formation (CFF), RCIA, the Immaculate Youths middle- and high-school group, the Legion of Mary, the Knights and Ladies of St. Peter Claver, the Blessed Peter Calungsod Guild (Filipino Catholics), and the St. Vincent de Paul conference that assists neighbors with rent, utilities, food, and medicine.
Mass times at Immaculate Conception
Weekly Mass schedule
Confession times
- By appointment only — contact [email protected] or 206-322-5970
- Saturdays 8:30–9:30 AM at St. James Cathedral (parish family reconciliation time)
Welcome & Parish Identity
Immaculate Conception Church describes itself as a dynamic, welcoming, multicultural Catholic community working together to honor and serve the Lord through gifts, talents and abilities, strengthened by baptism and nourished by the Eucharist. The parish positions itself as both a deeply historic faith community — the oldest standing Catholic church in Seattle — and a present-day, diverse gathering that calls people from every background to worship, community, and stewardship.
- Oldest standing Catholic church in Seattle
- Multicultural worshipping community from various ethnic backgrounds and traditions
- Led by Very Rev. Gary F. Lazzeroni
- Parish Family 17 with St. James Cathedral and Christ Our Hope
Our History
The parish was founded in 1891 by the Jesuit Fathers on what is now the Seattle University campus; their boys' school grew into Seattle College and then Seattle University. An earlier church stood at Broadway and Marion (1893). In 1904 the present church was built in six months and dedicated by Archbishop Edward John O'Dea on December 4, 1904; at the time its 950 seats made it the largest auditorium in Seattle.
- 1891 — parish founded by Jesuit Fathers
- 1893 — original church at Broadway and Marion
- 1904 — present church built; dedicated December 4 by Archbishop O'Dea
- 1920s — Jesuit ceiling frescos completed
- 1929 — administration transferred to (Arch)Diocese of Seattle
- 1930 — Lourdes-replica grotto built by William Morgan
- 1974 — declared a Historical Landmark
- 1977 — designated by Seattle City Council as a Seattle Landmark
- 1982 — fire; restoration by Bumgardner Architects
The Building & Its Treasures
The Italianate church was designed by Williams and Clark and built in brick with twin wood towers capped by gold cupolas. Its interior features a hand-carved wood communion rail, pulpit, and altar; 22 imported statues from 1890–1920; Jesuit ceiling frescos; stained-glass windows of a type no longer manufactured anywhere in the world; and a memorial pipe organ considered one of the finest in the Northwest. The dome rises 150 feet and the interior Lourdes grotto is a smaller but exact replica of the Grotto in Lourdes, France.
- Italianate brick, Williams & Clark architects
- Twin wood towers with gold cupolas
- 150-foot dome, 950-seat auditorium at dedication
- Hand-painted Jesuit frescos (late 1920s)
- Lourdes grotto replica (1930, William Morgan)
- Memorial pipe organ (in memory of Msgr. Theodore Ryan)
Clergy, Staff & Parish Family Leadership
Immaculate Conception is part of the Archdiocese of Seattle's Partners in the Gospel Parish Family 17, sharing one pastor across three communities. The Very Reverend Gary F. Lazzeroni is pastor; he is assisted at Immaculate Conception by a parochial vicar and a senior priest. A separate priest celebrates the Eritrean Sunday Mass for the parish's Ge'ez-rite community. The parish also retains administrative and volunteer-coordination staff.
- Pastor — Very Rev. Gary F. Lazzeroni
- Parochial Vicar — Rev. Francis K. Thumbi
- Senior/Parish Priest — Rev. Paul A. Magnano
- Eritrean Mass — Fr. Negusse (206-397-2952)
- Pastor Emeritus — Very Rev. Michael G. Ryan
- Volunteer Coordinator (Shanita Stewart-Burrell)
- Administrative Assistant (Grace Neri)
- Maintenance Coordinator (Joseph Fletcher) — per archseattle.org staff listing
Faith Formation & Religious Education
Faith formation is presented as essential to Catholic life at every age. Children's Faith Formation (CFF) meets on Sundays in the rectory-basement classrooms each September through the following summer; RCIA begins each October and concludes at Easter; and the Immaculate Youths middle- and high-school youth group meets each Sunday after the 11:00 AM Mass in the youth-group room of the school building.
- Children's Faith Formation (CFF) — Sundays, rectory basement
- RCIA — October through Easter, Parish Rectory
- Immaculate Youths (grades 6–12) — Sundays after 11:00 AM Mass
Parish Life & Ministries
Beyond the sacraments, parishioners are invited into liturgical and outreach ministries: choir, lectors, altar servers, Extraordinary Ministers of the Eucharist, visits to the homebound, and service to the broader community through the St. Vincent de Paul Society. The parish also hosts prayer-and-service fraternities — the Legion of Mary, the Knights and Ladies of St. Peter Claver, and the Blessed Peter Calungsod Guild for Filipino American Catholics — as well as men's and women's groups and the annual parish bazaar.
- Liturgical ministries: choir, lectors, altar servers, Eucharistic ministers
- St. Vincent de Paul Society — meets 2nd & 4th Sundays before 11:00 AM Mass; helpline 206-767-6449
- Legion of Mary — Sundays after 11:00 AM Mass in the School Hall
- Blessed Peter Calungsod Guild (founded at the parish 2005)
- Knights and Ladies of St. Peter Claver — Domicile 218
- Annual parish bazaar, men's and women's groups
Outreach & Service
Service to neighbors is a visible part of parish life. The St. Vincent de Paul conference uses envelope contributions to assist people with rent, utility bills, food, and medicine; the Legion of Mary visits Catholic residents of Seattle nursing homes and hospitals, bringing Holy Communion, rosaries, miraculous medals, and prayer cards, and makes home visitations to elderly, sick, and homebound parishioners.
- St. Vincent de Paul — rent, utility, food, and medicine assistance; helpline 206-767-6449
- Legion of Mary — nursing-home, hospital, and homebound visits
Stewardship & Giving
The parish encourages online giving through PushPay (pushpay.com/g/icseattlepay) as well as recurring sacrificial giving managed through the Archdiocese of Seattle's OSV/Vanco giving platform. Gift types include one-time and scheduled-recurring contributions toward parish funds such as Stewardship 2024 -007.
- PushPay online giving: pushpay.com/g/icseattlepay
- Recurring gifts via OSV/Vanco for stewardship and parish funds
Visit, Contact & Practical Info
The rectory office is open Monday through Friday, 9:00 AM to 3:00 PM. The parish is located at 820 18th Avenue in Seattle's 98122 zip code, on First Hill. To enter the Wednesday evening Mass, worshippers come through the Rectory door. For appointments, emails, and live-stream links, the parish website (icseattle.org) and parish Facebook page are the official channels.
- Address — 820 18th Avenue, Seattle, WA 98122
- Phone — (206) 322-5970
- Email — [email protected]
- Rectory Office Hours — Monday–Friday, 9:00 AM–3:00 PM
- Live-stream link via website / Facebook
Pastors & rectors through the years
- Reverend Theodore Ryan1929–1960
First diocesan pastor after the Jesuits transferred administration of the parish to the Diocese of Seattle in 1929. Served as Monsignor until his death in 1960; the pipe organ was donated in his memory.