About Sacred Heart · Bellevue, Washington
Sacred Heart Parish is a welcoming Roman Catholic community in Bellevue, Washington, founded in 1951 and rooted in Catholic faith that reaches back more than a century on Seattle's Eastside. The parish operates Sacred Heart Church on NE 14th Street in Clyde Hill/Bellevue alongside Sacred Heart School — the first Catholic K-8 school on Seattle's Eastside, opened in 1952. Since 2024, under the Archdiocese of Seattle's Partners in the Gospel initiative, Sacred Heart has been paired with St. Monica Parish on Mercer Island as a parish family under one pastor. The parish is served by a robust lay staff and an active community supporting faith formation for all ages, liturgical music, youth ministry, outreach, and a thriving parish school.
- Established
- 1951
- Patron
- Sacred Heart of Jesus
- Rector
- Very Rev. Kurt W. Nagel
- Diocese
- Archdiocese of Seattle
Why belong here
Sacred Heart offers the richness of a large, established parish with the intimacy of a close-knit Catholic community: weekend Masses at multiple times, daily Mass Monday through Friday, Perpetual Eucharistic Adoration at partner parish St. Monica, weekly rosary, and a full sacramental life including OCIA (Becoming Catholic) classes each Monday evening. Families can enroll children in Sacred Heart School — the first Catholic K-8 school on Seattle's Eastside, serving 445+ students — or in parish faith formation and Emmaus Youth Ministry for grades 6-12. Outreach runs through the parish's St. Vincent de Paul conference, the Community Outreach Committee, and partnerships with Porchlight, Sophia's Way, Jubilee Reach, Prepares, and St. Francis Mission on the Rosebud Reservation, making it an ideal spiritual home for families, young adults, and anyone seeking to grow in faith and serve others.
Mass times at Sacred Heart
Weekly Mass schedule
Confession times
- Saturday, 3:00 pm – 4:30 pm (Sacred Heart Church)
- Wednesday, 8:15 am – 8:45 am (Sacred Heart Church)
Adoration times
- Thursday, 2:00 pm – 4:00 pm (Sacred Heart Church)
- Daily — St. Monica's Perpetual Eucharistic Adoration Chapel
Our History
Sacred Heart Parish traces its Catholic roots in Bellevue back more than a century to the home of Patrick and Victoria Downey, Irish immigrants who settled on the Eastside in the late 1800s. As Bellevue's Catholic community grew, parishioners built the first Catholic Church in Bellevue — a brick Gothic-style structure completed in 1927 on Main Street. After the first Lake Washington floating bridge opened in 1940 and triggered explosive Eastside growth, the Downey family donated land on NE 14th Street, allowing Sacred Heart School (opened 1952) and the present Sacred Heart Church (first Mass December 1959) to be built. A 1993 renovation created today's worship-in-the-round church. In 2024 the parish was joined with St. Monica on Mercer Island as Parish Family 26 under the Archdiocese of Seattle's Partners in the Gospel plan.
- First Catholic Mass in Bellevue: in the Downey family home, late 1800s
- First Catholic Church in Bellevue: 1927 brick Gothic building (still standing on Main Street)
- Sacred Heart School opened: September 24, 1952 — first Catholic school on Seattle's Eastside
- Present Sacred Heart Church first Mass: December 1959
- Major renovation creating 'church in the round': 1993
- Parish Family 26 with St. Monica established: 2024
Mass & Devotional Schedule
Sacred Heart Parish maintains two worship sites — Sacred Heart Church in Bellevue/Clyde Hill and St. Monica's Church on Mercer Island — with shared sacramental life as a parish family. Weekend Masses at Sacred Heart are Saturday Vigil at 5:00 pm and Sunday at 9:00 am, 11:00 am, and 5:00 pm. Weekday Masses are celebrated Monday, Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday at 8:45 am, with an additional 7:00 am Mass on First Fridays. The parish also offers rosary each weekday morning and on Monday evenings, Eucharistic Adoration on Thursdays and after First Friday Masses, and access to the Perpetual Eucharistic Adoration Chapel at St. Monica's.
- Saturday Vigil — 5:00 pm
- Sunday — 9:00 am, 11:00 am, 5:00 pm
- Weekday Masses — Mon/Wed/Thu/Fri 8:45 am
- First Friday — 7:00 am
- Confession — Saturday 3:00-4:30 pm; Wednesday 8:15-8:45 am
- Eucharistic Adoration — Thursday 2:00-4:00 pm; First Friday after 8:45 am Mass; Perpetual at St. Monica
- Rosary — M/Th/F 8:15 am; Wed 8:00 am; Mon 7:00 pm
Our Staff
Sacred Heart Parish is led by Pastor Very Rev. Kurt W. Nagel and Parochial Vicar Rev. Joseph L. Akor, supported by a dedicated lay staff serving in faith formation, liturgy, music, youth ministry, communications, finance, facilities, and administration. Pastoral Assistants lead each major area of parish life, with administrative assistants handling reception, giving, data, and sacramental records.
- Fr. Kurt Nagel — Pastor
- Fr. Joseph Akor — Parochial Vicar
- Cathleen Adams — Pastoral Assistant for Children's Faith Formation
- Bridget Darrow — Pastoral Assistant for Administration
- Robert Eubanks — Facilities Supervisor
- Linda Geere — Pastoral Assistant for Pastoral Care
- Kelsey Heintz — Pastoral Assistant for Middle School Youth Ministry
- Phoebe Kwan — Pastoral Assistant for Liturgy
- Susan Olmos — Pastoral Assistant for Liturgical Music
- Lucy Paulsen — Admin. Assistant for Giving, Data & Sacramental Records
- Sharon Phillips — Pastoral Assistant for High School Youth Ministry
- Annette Seats — Pastoral Assistant for Communications & Stewardship
- Nila Snyder — Admin. Assistant for Reception & Sacramental Registration
- James Applegate, CPA — Bookkeeper/Accountant
Our Leadership
The pastor is assisted by councils and commissions that each focus on a specific area of parish and school life, drawing on the wisdom of lay leaders to direct the parish's mission.
- Pastoral Council — Charlie Herb
- Finance Council — Douglas Withers
- School Commission — Charlie Herb
- Worship Commission — Phoebe Kwan
- Community Outreach Commission — Diana Schiro & Jackie Weeks
- Parish Family Advisory Council
- Parish Family Building Committee
Sacred Heart School
Sacred Heart School, opened September 24, 1952 under the direction of Father Gerald T. Moore with 314 students in K-6, was the first Catholic school on Seattle's Eastside. Originally staffed by the Sisters of Saint Joseph of Newark (whose presence ended in 1974), the school has been led by lay administrators since 1982. Today it serves 445+ students across two classes per grade level in Pre-K through 8th grade, accredited through the Western Catholic Education Association. School Principal David Burroughs leads a faculty and staff dedicated to academic excellence, faith formation, and servant leadership.
- Founded 1952 — first Catholic K-8 school on Seattle's Eastside
- Grades: Pre-K through 8th grade
- Enrollment: 445+ students
- Accreditation: Western Catholic Education Association
- Principal: David Burroughs; Vice-Principal: Erica Pierson
- Faith formation: daily prayer, school Mass three+ times/month, Reconciliation, Adoration, sacramental preparation for 2nd grade, retreats for grades 6-8
- Original staff: Sisters of Saint Joseph of Newark (present through 1974)
Faith Formation
The parish embraces lifelong faith formation from childhood through adulthood. Adult Faith Formation offers ongoing classes, speaker events, missions, Bible studies, and prayer groups, while OCIA (Order of Christian Initiation for Adults) classes meet Monday evenings at 6:30 pm. Children's Faith Formation and the Emmaus Youth Ministry program (for grades 6-12) round out offerings for every age.
- Children's Faith Formation — Cathleen Adams
- Adult Faith Formation — Bible studies, speaker events, missions, prayer groups
- OCIA (Becoming Catholic) — Mondays 6:30 pm
- Emmaus Youth Ministry — Middle School (Kelsey Heintz) and High School (Sharon Phillips)
Emmaus Youth Ministry
Emmaus is the Youth Ministry Program for the parish family of Sacred Heart and St. Monica. As a Eucharist-centered movement within the Roman Catholic Church, it leads teenagers and their families into a deeper relationship with Jesus Christ and His Church, with the Blessed Virgin Mary as intercessor and guide. The program cultivates friendship, community service, and life-giving encounters with God's love, and offers summer camp opportunities such as Lifeteen for middle schoolers.
- Open to grades 6-8 (middle school) and 9-12 (high school)
- Lifeteen Summer Camp for middle school youth
- Middle School contact: Kelsey Heintz
- High School contact: Sharon Phillips
Outreach
The Sacred Heart Community Outreach Committee, grounded in the parish's baptismal call, educates and mobilizes parishioners to share their time, talents, and treasure with those in need. Year-round initiatives include back-to-school backpacks, holiday giving, and ongoing partnerships with local and national service organizations.
- St. Vincent de Paul Sacred Heart Conference — home visits, rent/utility assistance, food, 'Stuff the Truck' events
- Congregations for Kids — backpacks and school supplies each September
- Porchlight — evening meals for homeless men (November)
- Advent Giving Tree — supports eight organizations at Christmas
- Prepares — pregnancy and parenting support
- Jubilee Reach — Groceries for Families Program
- Sophia's Way — serving homeless women on the Eastside
- St. Francis Mission — sister school on the Rosebud Reservation, South Dakota
Ministers of Care & Pastoral Care
Sacred Heart's pastoral care ministry brings Communion to homebound and hospitalized parishioners, supports families planning funerals, and coordinates with the Eastside Deanery Pastoral Care Ministry for after-hours emergency sick calls and hospital ministry at Overlake, Evergreen, Swedish Issaquah, and Snoqualmie Valley hospitals.
- Eucharistic Ministers bring Communion to the homebound and those in assisted living/hospice
- Funeral planning — Funeral Mass, prayer service, or graveside committal
- After-hours emergency sick calls — Eastside Deanery Pastoral Care Ministry, 425-655-3200
- Hospital ministry coordinated through Eastside Deanery
- Contact: Linda Geere, Pastoral Assistant for Pastoral Care
Visit Us & Contact
Sacred Heart Parish welcomes visitors to its campus on NE 14th Street in Bellevue/Clyde Hill. The Parish Office is located at 9450 NE 14th Street and is open Monday-Friday 8:30 am - 4:00 pm; the school office is open Monday-Friday 10:00 am to 2:00 pm during summer. The main phone number is (425) 454-9536.
- Church address: 9460 NE 14th Street, Bellevue, WA 98004
- Parish Office: 9450 NE 14th Street, (425) 451-1773
- School: 9450 NE 14th Street, (425) 454-9536
- Directions via I-405: NE 8th Street Exit West → 100th Ave NE → NE 14th Street; driveway on the right at top of the hill
Pastors & rectors through the years
- Very Rev. Kurt W. Nagel
Current pastor of both Sacred Heart and St. Monica parishes under Partners in the Gospel (as of 2024 Parish Family 26); wrote in 2022-23 Annual Report that he had been 'one year in as pastor' and that he grew up in Bellevue.