About Sacred Heart · Enumclaw, Washington
Sacred Heart is a small rural Catholic parish in Enumclaw, Washington, rooted in the faith of the Eastern European (Austrian and Slovenian) immigrants who settled the Enumclaw plateau in the 1880s. The parish serves about 588 registered households (≈700 weekly Mass attendees) and is part of Parish Family 32 in the Archdiocese of Seattle under the Partners in the Gospel initiative. It maintains a Spanish-language Mass each Sunday, a preschool, faith formation for children, and oversees the historic Holy Family (Krain) Cemetery where an All Saints' Day candlelight rosary tradition still continues more than a century later.
- Established
- 1888 (mission), 1898 (parish)
- Patron
- The Most Sacred Heart of Jesus
- Rector
- Rev. Stephen S. Woodland
- Diocese
- Archdiocese of Seattle
Why belong here
Sacred Heart offers the rhythms of a small-town parish with deep roots: weekday and Sunday Mass (including a weekly Spanish-language Mass at noon), Thursday all-day Eucharistic Adoration, a 24/7 adoration chapel, parish preschool, sacramental preparation for First Communion and infant baptism, and ongoing adult faith formation. Members keep alive over a century of Eastern European Catholic devotion — most strikingly the All Saints' Day candlelight rosary at the old Holy Family Cemetery in Krain — while being part of Archdiocese of Seattle Parish Family 32 that links them with neighboring St. Aloysius and St. Barbara parishes.
Mass times at Sacred Heart
Weekly Mass schedule
Confession times
- Wednesdays: 5:00–5:45 PM
- Saturdays: 3:30–4:45 PM (also in Spanish per Archdiocese listing)
- Sunday: 9:00 AM and 12:00 PM (en Español, per parish homepage)
Adoration times
- Thursdays: 9:30 AM – 9:00 PM in the Church
- Chapel open for prayer 24/7 — contact the parish office for the door code (La capilla está abierta para la oración 24 horas al día, 7 días a la semana. Para obtener el código, póngase en contacto con el despacho parroquial.)
Parish History
Sacred Heart was established in 1888 as a mission of Holy Family parish in Krain, ten miles north of Enumclaw, and became a parish in its own right in 1898. The original downtown church at Griffin and Porter was built in 1887–89, destroyed by fire in 1911, and rebuilt on the same site. In 1973 the parish moved to its present property at 1614 Farrelly Street, but it carried the old church's steeple with it as a memorial to the Austrian and Slovenian Catholic settlers who had founded the parish.
Eastern European Catholic Heritage
Settled by Eastern European (chiefly Austrian and Slovenian) Catholic immigrants who began homesteading the plateau in 1881, Sacred Heart has carried their strong traditions and devotions across more than a century. The most visible survival is the annual All Saints' Day candlelight rosary at the old Krain cemetery.
The Holy Family / Krain Connection
As the railroad came through Enumclaw, the town of Krain and its Holy Family Church gradually disappeared; only the cemetery remains, which Sacred Heart Parish now administers. The 'foot of the hill' name given by the founders in their native language is still used locally.
Clergy & Staff
The parish is currently led by Pastor Rev. Stephen S. Woodland with Parochial Vicar Rev. James W. Northrop. The parish history page also references Fr. Louis 'Lou' Cunningham as priest administrator. Staff includes Faith Formation Coordinator Kelsey Skogen, Catechist Director Danielle Curl, Hispanic Ministry Office Lilia Arroyo, Preschool Director Beth Coppin-Cross, Director of Sacred Music Briana Berger, and Deacon George Mounce III who assists with Hispanic ministry.
Faith Formation & Religious Education
Under Catechist Director Danielle Curl (with a Master's in Theology from the University of Dallas), Sacred Heart runs sacramental prep for children, youth ministry, and adult continuing faith formation. A two-year catechumenal process begins in 1st grade using Ascension Press curricula ('God's Plan in Scripture' in Year 1 and 'Renewed and Received' in Year 2), with a $50/year fee and financial assistance available. Children age 7+ preparing for full initiation meet bi-monthly with Deacon George on Sundays plus weekly age-appropriate catechesis.
Sacramental Preparation
Infant Baptism (children up to 7) requires a Baptism prep class and supporting sacramental certificates. Children older than 7 are catechumens preparing for Baptism, Confirmation, and First Communion together at the Easter Vigil. First Communion and First Reconciliation follow the two-year program described above. Couples seeking Marriage Preparation should contact [email protected].
Hispanic Ministry / Ministerio Hispano
Lilia Arroyo serves as the parish's Pastoral Assistant for Spanish-speaking parishioners, translating parish materials, handling Spanish-language requests, and coordinating Spanish-language programs and liturgical ministries with volunteers. Deacon George Mounce III (and his wife Penny), based at St. Francis Cabrini in Lakewood, assists with Hispanic ministry at Sacred Heart while serving the whole parish.
Sacred Heart Preschool
Directed and taught by Beth Coppin-Cross, Sacred Heart Preschool has served the plateau community for over twenty-five years. The morning session runs 9:00–11:30 on Tuesdays, Wednesdays, and Thursdays; an afternoon session meets 12:00–2:30 on Tuesdays and Thursdays. Children must be potty-trained and be at least three years old by Sept. 1. Tuition for 2024–25 is $200/month for the morning session and $170/month for the afternoon.
Sacred Music
Director of Sacred Music Briana Berger — a pianist who studied under Dr. William Nyaho and holds multiple Kodály-method singing certifications — leads the parish in a deep, full, and joyful worship of God alongside Fr. Lou.
Holy Family / Krain Cemetery
Administered by Sacred Heart Parish, the Holy Family (Krain) Cemetery sits on about one acre off Southeast 400th Street on the Enumclaw plateau. Originally called St. Gall the Abbot when it was purchased from Martens and Marie Medie in April 1900 (the Medies helped found Holy Family Church in 1889), the cemetery today has gravesites available for purchase and was improved and expanded in 2017 with the consecration of a new section by the Archbishop thanks to a generous donation and the work of the parish Cemetery Committee.
Parish Family 32 / Partners in the Gospel
In 2024, under the Archdiocese of Seattle's Partners in the Gospel pastoral planning process, Sacred Heart Enumclaw was placed in Parish Family 32 alongside St. Aloysius (Buckley, 98321) and St. Barbara (Black Diamond, 98010), sharing one pastor across the three parishes within the Pierce Deanery. Pastoral planning information is published by the Archdiocese and Catholic Tacoma.
Contact & Visiting
The parish office (and preschool) is at 1614 Farrelly Street, Enumclaw, WA 98022, reached at (360) 825-3759 (parish office), (360) 825-0718 (preschool), or fax (360) 825-6832. Email the parish at [email protected]. The office relies on many volunteers who will pass your message to the appropriate staff, priest, or deacon.
Pastors & rectors through the years
- Monsignor Farrelly1934–1970
Best-known and longest-serving pastor (36 years); beloved by children for the Tootsie Roll candies he carried; the parish's Farrelly Street address and 'Tootsie Roll Lane' driveway honor him.
- Fr. George Rink
Pastor during the building and 1973 relocation to the current Farrelly Street site.
- Fr. Bill Hausmann
Recent pastor.
- Fr. Dick Basso
Recent pastor.
- Fr. Gary Zender
Renovated the present church: added a skylight and baptismal font and removed the orange carpet.
- Fr. Jim Northrop2000–2005
Remembered for his strong faith and singing voice.
- Fr. Victor Olvidaafter 2005
Shared stories of growing up in the Philippines; broadened the parish's sense of the universal Church.
- Fr. Jose 'Junn' C. Chavenia, Jr.
Brought a quiet, healing presence; served only two years.
- Fr. Anthony K.A. Davis2011–2021
Dynamic leadership; renewed the parish's desire to be a place of welcome and loving service.
- Fr. Louis 'Lou' Cunninghampost-2021
Priest Administrator per parish history page; grew up in South Seattle; ordained for the Archdiocese of Seattle in 2018.