About Saint Charles [Ruthenian] · Burlington, Washington
Saint Charles is a Ruthenian Byzantine Catholic mission in Burlington, Washington, holding the Byzantine Divine Liturgy on Sunday afternoons inside the Roman Catholic St. Charles Church at 935 Peterson Road. The mission is known as the Skagit Valley Byzantine Catholic Outreach and is shepherded by Fr. Thomas Donlin, pastor of St. John Chrysostom Byzantine Catholic Parish in Seattle. It exists to bring the Byzantine (Eastern) Catholic liturgical tradition — including its chanted Divine Liturgy — to faithful in the Skagit Valley who would otherwise have to travel to Seattle. The mission is in full communion with Rome and attendance at its Sunday Liturgy fulfills the Sunday obligation for Catholics of any rite.
- Patron
- Saint Charles Borromeo (the host parish is named for him; the Byzantine mission shares the worship space under that name)
- Rector
- Rev. Fr. Thomas Donlin (Pastor of St. John Chrysostom Byzantine Catholic Parish, Seattle; celebrant of the Skagit Valley Outreach)
- Diocese
- Eparchy of Van Nuys of the Ruthenians (now Holy Protection of Mary Eparchy in Phoenix) — a Ruthenian Greek Catholic eparchy; the host building is owned by St. Charles Parish of the Archdiocese of Seattle
Why belong here
If you live in the Skagit Valley and hunger for the Byzantine Christian tradition — the chanted Divine Liturgy, the iconography, the communion of Eastern Catholic spirituality — this mission brings that grace to Burlington without the drive to Seattle. It is celebrated in full communion with Rome, so attendance fulfills the Sunday obligation, and visitors of any rite are warmly welcomed. It is also a chance to be part of a small, family-oriented community that lives the qualities of the Acts of the Apostles: unity of faith, communion in prayer, and the common life of charity.
Mass times at Saint Charles [Ruthenian]
Weekly Mass schedule
Confession times
- Available before the Divine Liturgy — please contact Fr. Thomas Donlin at St. John Chrysostom (206-329-9219) to arrange
Skagit Valley Byzantine Catholic Outreach
The Skagit Valley Byzantine Catholic Outreach is the Ruthenian mission hosted at St. Charles Catholic Church, 935 Peterson Road, Burlington, Washington. It exists to bring the Byzantine (Eastern Catholic) Divine Liturgy to Byzantine Catholics of the Skagit Valley and to anyone who wishes to worship in the Eastern tradition. The outreach is shepherded from St. John Chrysostom Byzantine Catholic Parish in Seattle and is celebrated in full communion with the Pope and the Roman Catholic Church.
- Sunday Divine Liturgy: 4:30 PM at St. Charles Catholic Church, 935 Peterson Rd, Burlington
- Celebrated by Fr. Thomas Donlin, pastor of St. John Chrysostom (Seattle)
- Attendance fulfills the Roman Catholic Sunday obligation
Liturgy and Worship
The mission celebrates the Ruthenian (Byzantine) Divine Liturgy — the same rich liturgical tradition used across the Ruthenian Greek Catholic Church. Visitors have noted the chanting and the distinctive spirituality of the Eastern rite as particular gifts of this community. Because it is a small outreach mission within a Roman Catholic church building, the physical setting is Latin-rite, but the rite, prayers, and chant are Byzantine.
- Ruthenian Divine Liturgy on Sunday afternoons
- Byzantine chant and traditional liturgical music
- Open to all Catholics and visitors — Eastern and Latin alike
Connection to St. John Chrysostom Byzantine Catholic Parish (Seattle)
The Skagit Valley Outreach is the Skagit-side ministry of St. John Chrysostom Byzantine Catholic Parish, the canonical Byzantine Catholic parish for western Washington, located at 1305 South Lander Street in Seattle. St. John Chrysostom describes itself as rooted in the family-oriented Church of the first thousand years after Christ, emphasizing the qualities found in the Acts of the Apostles: unity in faith, communion in prayer and the Eucharistic breaking of bread, and the common life of charity. Parishioners in the Skagit Valley register at St. John Chrysostom and travel to the Burlington outreach for Sunday worship.
- St. John Chrysostom Byzantine Catholic Parish, 1305 South Lander Street, Seattle, WA 98144
- Phone: (206) 329-9219; Email: [email protected]
- Pastor: Rev. Fr. Thomas Donlin
Eparchy and Communion
St. John Chrysostom — and therefore the Skagit Valley Outreach — belongs to the Eparchy of Van Nuys of the Ruthenians, now called the Holy Protection of Mary Eparchy in Phoenix. It is one of three Ruthenian eparchies in the United States, suffragan to the Byzantine Catholic Archeparchy of Pittsburgh. As a Ruthenian Greek Catholic community, it is in full communion with Rome and uses the Byzantine Rite while recognizing the Bishop of Rome as its supreme pastor.
- Eparchy of Van Nuys / Holy Protection of Mary Eparchy in Phoenix (since relocation)
- Ruthenian Greek Catholic Church, Byzantine Rite
- Suffragan to the Byzantine Catholic Archeparchy of Pittsburgh
Host Parish — St. Charles Catholic Church, Burlington
The Byzantine mission shares its Sunday worship space with the Roman Catholic parish of St. Charles, a diverse Skagit Valley parish with a long history of witness and service in Burlington, Bow-Edison, Samish Island, Bay View, and Alger. The Latin Mass schedule at St. Charles includes a Saturday Vigil at 5:00 PM, Sunday at 11:15 AM, Monday at 10:30 AM, and Wednesday at 6:00 PM, with additional Spanish and bilingual Masses. The parish is part of the Archdiocese of Seattle (pastor: Rev. Thomas G. McMichael; parochial vicar: Rev. Victor Raj Anas Dass, H.G.N.).
- Address: 935 Peterson Road, Burlington, WA 98233-2663
- Pastor: Rev. Thomas G. McMichael; Parochial Vicar: Rev. Victor Raj Anas Dass, H.G.N.
- Archdiocese of Seattle — parish phone (360) 757-0128
- Partners in Immaculate Conception Regional School, Mount Vernon
- Hosts the Tri-Parish Food Bank and the Youth Migrant Project