Genesis
It is difficult to describe the beginning of a parish. What we all know is
that the beginning of any new parish stems from the command of Christ, “Go
teach all nations’ With these words, Father Lawrence Willenborg began his
history of St. Vincent de Paul Parish at the time of its dedication in May
of 1965. Even though it was canonically established by Archbishop Thomas A.
Connolly on November 24, 1961, its genesis was really with the hearts of the
people of faith (approximately 300 families) who were its first
parishioners. It was their faith in Christ that formed the foundation upon
which our parish would be built. It would again be the faith of the
parishioners over the years that would eventually give form and direction to
this unique community of faith.
It is not always easy to recognize the “spirit” that has to go into the
brick on mortar phase of a parish’s growth, but there is no other way to
explain the industrious effort undertaken by so very many at the beginning.
Initially, the plans only called for a church, a hall, and a CCD center.
That was in 1963. But when the word came from the Sisters of Notre Dame de
Namur that their community might be able to staff a parish school,
permission was given to expand the fund raising project to include a school
and a convent. In those hopeful and optimistic days immediately following
the close of the Second Vatican Council, Sr. Clair Marie’s offer could not
be refused. Our vision as a parish was already expanding.
Green and Growing
While the influence of Vatican II was just beginning to filter down to local
parishes, Father Willenborg wasted no time in drawing people around himself
to be about doing his part to “teach all nations.” Everything was new, even
the tried and true parish organizations like the Altar Society and the Holy
Names Society. We were green and growing. Guilds flourished, and it wasn’t
long ‘til Boy Scouts were a familiar part of parish life, perhaps the first
youth activities group in the parish. All had tasks to do, from fund raising
to taking a house-to-house census of the parish to landscaping the parish
grounds.
One of Father Willenborg’s great loves was children. CCD classes began early
under the volunteer guidance and support of such people as Jon Pinney. When
Mary Lou Murphy took over, Bess Ruppert was her volunteer secretary. Even
the school grew in stages, and it wasn’t until 1968, when Sr. Patricia was
principal, that all eight grades were in place. Father trained the altar
boys, who were among the first in the Archdiocese to experience the altar
facing the people. It seems St. Vincent’s developed its progressive
character early on, again reflecting the faith community itself.
Parish Council
The first Parish Council began in 1970, with its charter reflecting an
openness, characteristic of the freshening breeze of ecumenism, that allowed
membership to include persons who may not be of the Catholic Faith. But, by
this time, other breezes were blowing also, and some were unsettling. While
the parish was growing rapidly with the changing Federal Way community,
changes were also happening in the church. For many people, confusion
surfaced about what was growth and what was just change. People were asking
new questions. Others were asking old questions, but were given new answers.
In many ways, the church was becoming very critical of itself even of
established practices. The first Parish Council emerged in this atmosphere.
One of its first tasks was to deal with the size of the school. Considering
many factors, it decided to reduce its size to only six grades, one through
six but maintain its full enrollment of 240. Also, because of the growing
size of the parish and the greater need to get the parishioners closer to
one another, it decided to create within the parish 11 “mini-parishes.” Each
of those areas was to have a representative on the parish council. A
willingness to risk by moving out into such uncharted waters was a growing
characteristic of the faith community of St. Vincent's.
Renewal
It became clear to many people that the renewal of the church could not
happen only at the structural level. It also had to happen at the personal
level, within the faithful themselves. For this reason, many parishioners
were attracted to the Cursillo Movement, the Marriage Encounter Weekend and
the Life in the Spirit Seminars. Each in its own way developed the
leadership potential of both men and women in the church. Many St. Vincent's
parishioners became leaders in these movements at the Diocesan level not to
mention in our parish, Father Pat McDermott, the first assistant pastor of
St. Vincent's provided guidance to the Charismatic Renewal.
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The first pastoral
change came with the appointment of Father Harold Quigg in 1972. The breezes
of change were still strong when Father Quigg arrived. By now, the church
community was growing at a rapid pace, often drawing parishioners from the
greater Federal Way area, as our neighboring parish, St. Theresa’s was
unable to handle its expanding population in Twin Lakes and North Tacoma.
Lay Ministry
This became clearly evident as a result of the Bicentennial Questionnaire in
1976. The mini-parishes were going strong at this time, and the voice of the
people was heard. Needed new ministries surfaced, like that to formerly
married Catholics. Deacon Del Hoover was instrumental in reaching out to
this part of our community. Someone was also needed to oversee youth
ministry to provide continuity when priests seemed to come and go so fast.
By this time too, the place for lay lectors, eucharistic ministers, and even
girls serving at the altar was identified and filled.
This does not mean the parish was all work and no play. Parish festivals
gave way, in 1976 and 1977, to the POOF Auctions. Beyond soliciting funds,
POOF set out to build community. Held at the Twin Lakes Golf and Country
Club, Pat Hunt, the chairperson, coordinated these very successful efforts.
But St. Patrick’s Day was a time of fun for the parish too. You didn’t even
have to be Irish.
With Father Quigg also came a significant expansion of lay ministry in the
parish. Due to the changes in society, as more and more women moved into the
work force, the need to develop the parish staff became imperative. Because
of the expanded activities, there was no way the priests themselves could
direct all that was going on. While the influence of such associate pastors
as Fathers Michael Batterberry and Barry Ashwell was truly great, the time
for lay ministry had come.
Music
New sounds were heard in the church as strumming guitars joined the
traditional organ at Sunday liturgies. Music had always played a significant
role in our parish celebrations, beginning with formation of the first choir
in September of 1964 under the direction of Diane Randall. Christmas of that
year was its birthday, as its full sound filled the church at Midnight Mass.
Even Father Willenborg, who had a fever of 104 that night, could hear the
“angels” sing. John Madden joined the choir in the spring of 1965, and
became its second director that fall.
Good music in English was hard to find. Consequently, many hymns from the
Protestant tradition found their way into our services. Lee Hanson, a
Presbyterian at the time, joined Father Willenborg and John Madden in
coaxing the people to sing. By 1976 the choir had grown along with the
selection of good liturgical hymns. Composers like Ray Repp and Sebastian
Temple had come to the church’s rescue, and Don Barrows came to John
Madden’s, as he became the third (and present) choir director. Lee and Lois
Hanson and Mary Osborn still remained as founding members of the choir.
Joe and Jim Hafner brought guitar music to the liturgy in 1969. Bob Sroka
was soon to join them with his talent and enthusiasm. Because of the
difficulty of getting good music, Bob and his wife Kit began to write some
of their own. They stayed with the Folk Choir” until 1977. At that time, Lee
Harris, a transfer from St. John Vianney Parish, stepped in to help. These
pioneers prepared the way for Sue Rockwell and her contemporary group.
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Modifications
As the mini-parish concept began to falter. Father Ouigg saw the need for
involving the lay volunteer leadership in a new way, so he restructured the
Parish Council into a Board of Trustees and an Administrative Council. These
two bodies were to assist in the planning and implementation of parish
programs and policies. It was about this time, also, that the sisters moved
out of the convent. It was converted into staff offices and meeting rooms
now known as the Willenborg Center.
In 1980, the parish’s second All Parish Family Mass was held at Federal Way
High School, this time to proclaim its Five Year Goals. The kind of parish
St Vincent's had become was now very evident. It would be an oversight not
to mention also the effort that went into the decorating for such events,
not to mention the church for Christmas and Easter. Tim Ham, Bruce Leach and
Virginia Roni performed miracles each time. No one would have ever guessed
the church was originally intended to be only a gym.
We Are Family
Perhaps nothing caught the spirit of St. Vincent's more accurately than what
happened as a result of the “Year of the Family” in 1980. “WE ARE FAMILY’
bumper stickers surfaced all over Federal Way. St. Vincent's saw itself as a
family and simply wanted to proclaim it for all to hear. To support this
value, the Family Ministry Office was opened in the parish, with Robin
LaMoria as its first director. Now there was someone to support the seniors
of the parish as never before, as well as single parents, and the formerly
married. The parish also committed itself to reaching out to its own needy
by tithing 10% of its gross income to help families and individuals in
distress, whether it be by providing professional counseling or emergency
help. At this time the parish also developed its marriage preparation
program to assist those couples coming to the church for marriage. All of
this was another way our parish tried to fulfill its mission “to teach all
nations.”
Like any family, we had our hard times over the years. Yet, we were able to
deal with most of them in responsible and faithful ways. Father Pat Callahan
came to our parish in 1981 as its third pastor. As a man of many gifts and a
strong sense of direction, he remodeled the church to its present
configuration. As much as anything, he helped us realize our call to be a
family at worship; that we needed one another to live the faith we shared.
While his leaving our parish was difficult for us in many ways, as was his
eventual leaving the active ministry, he challenged us to be a people of the
faith we proclaimed.
It was at this time. March of 1983 that Father Tom Vandenberg came as
administrator of St. Vincent's until a pastor could be assigned. As it
turned out we got three all at once: Father Jerry McCloskey and Father
Michael Tucker joined him to form a pastoral team, each sharing the pastoral
role. Needless to say, many were confused, not to mention the priests
themselves. It was decided that this “trinitarian experiment” should not
continue. Father Vandenberg became pastor ‘cum solo” in 1982 when Father
Jerry Woodman was assigned as the Parochial Vicar.
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A Time To…
These years of our history continued to see the desire to grow and improve
our life and work as a people of faith. Again, the parish leadership went
through a major adjustment. A pastoral Council was formed following a year’s
study by the parish leadership. Its membership reflects all major areas of
parish ministry, as well as special committees to assist in the decision
making process regarding finances, personnel, facilities and planning.
Considering the size of our parish, this design is meant to lessen the
administrative load on our parish priests
We were still working at the spirit of joy too. The ‘Family Vincente” lived!
Appreciation Dinners, Guadalupe Festivals, Lovers’ Masses and coffee and
doughnuts continued as a part of our desire to grow in unity. First
Communions still brought tears to parents, as did weddings and funerals of
loved ones. Yet, joy was mingled with those tears in each case. That is what
happens to people of faith. And who can estimate the impact of RENEW? It was
clear that God was still with us after 25 years.
While we had taken the
inevitable step into the computer age, thanks greatly to the help of Father
Woodman, we continued to struggle in our efforts to be a people of the
Gospel, who try to proclaim it by our words and lives. We were in a time of
healing and coming together. We were in a time of paying off past debts,
financially and otherwise, and were turning toward the future with hope. We
were in a time of consolidation and evaluation, a time of thanksgiving for
yesterday and renewal for tomorrow.
A Dream Begins to Happen
On Mother’s Day 1995, over 400 parishioners turned out for our
groundbreaking ceremony. At last, there was evidence that a new church would
actually be built, the fulfillment of a dream that goes back to the days of
Father Larry Willenborg, the first pastor of St. Vincent de Paul Parish. In
a letter from Archbishop Thomas A. Connolly, Father was told not to spend
too much on “accouterments” for the church because the building’s use as a
church was to be only temporary. That was 31 years ago.
The dream for a new church was kept alive by Father Harry Quigg and the
parishioners in the 1970’s. In fact, plans were in the works to build a new
church in the early l980’s. But, as providence would have it, Father Quigg
was transferred from St. Vincent's, and with him the momentum for the new
church was lost. But the stirrings to do something were felt by Father
Patrick Callahan. Not here long enough to fulfill the dream, he did a great
favor for the parishioners by rearranging the worship space in the old
church so all could experience something of “gathering around the altar.”
As the growth of Federal Way in the 1980’s translated into the rapid growth
of St. Vincent de Paul Parish, it was not long that the dreams of years
before became current once again. Space for expanding ministries became
critical, the seventh and eighth grades were reinstated in the parish
school, and the old worship space was clearly inadequate in terms of size
and in answering the call for the renewed liturgy initiated by the Second
Vatican Council. In addition, St. Vincent de Paul Parish had become a
gathering place for many of the Vietnamese Catholic Community for liturgical
celebrations and educational programs.
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“FULFILLING OUR
VISION” became the theme of our fund raising drive that began in the
fall of 1990. Our goal was $1.6 million. $1.7 million was pledged. Support
for the building project was strong, both in the parish and from the
Archdiocese. Obstacles to overcome were many. Delays came one after the
other. When the three-year pledge drive was over, many people continued to
give to the building fund. Thanks to a bequest of over $800,000 from the
estate of parishioner Ray Brown, we were able to continue when cost
estimates skyrocketed.
Mother’s Day 1995 was bright and sunny. Hopes were high. The ground was
ceremoniously broken. And then, after more unexpected delays, the work
finally began in September. A resilient dream was about to be fulfilled. New
dreams were about to be born.
We began worshipping in our new church in September of 1996. The Parish had
just completed Phase I of our major development process. We also added a new
nursery wing and parking lots. Phase II of the remodeling of the old church
into an activity center, and extension to the parish and addition to the
school for space for a kindergarten, classrooms, and library was to begin.
About The
Building Project
Our Dream for Completing Our Facilities
A new Education Center to be built over the wing of the new church complex,
to include:
1. Science classroom and lab
2. Computer classroom and lab
3. Library for parish school and Religious Education classes
The addition of a Kindergarten in the current school where the “birdcage”
was located.
Renovate and modernize the parish social hall’s 35-year-old kitchen and add
additional space by extending the west wall.
Add a small kitchenette in the new church storage area, to encourage the use
of this area for small functions.
What had occurred during 2001-02
When our Phase II Fund Drive completed its 5-year duration in December of
2001, it was obvious that we had insufficient funds available to proceed
with our expansion plan. We needed to make up for the contributions lost
during the five years by employment changes or families moving away.
So during October and November of 2001, we conducted an intense
fifteen-month pledge drive to make up this difference, choosing to do this
without the help of an outside fundraiser. With the help of many, many
parishioners, we succeeded in receiving $533,927 in pledges. With this
commitment, and the money we currently had in the bank, we approached the
Archdiocese about the possibility of a small loan. We were approved to
borrow $276,800 (should we need it), and it would be added on to our
mortgage without increasing the monthly payment.
Once we had the funding, the Building Committee went to work with Bassetti
Architects to come up with drawings. The Committee then interviewed and
selected Shinstine Construction as the contractor. After that, everyone
involved was working on designs, costs, permits, complications, and even
colors, It was all proceeding as scheduled, and construction was scheduled
to begin in early spring of 2003.
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Phase II 2003
Phase II expansion began in February 2003 and we were seeing our old
building transformed into the school of our dreams!
The construction included the addition of a kindergarten classroom, science
lab, computer lab and library as well as expansion of the parish hall. We
were extremely thankful for everyone who supported us financially and
through prayer to help us see this vision to completion. The construction
was scheduled to finish in mid-August and we would open the doors in
September and welcome our very first Kindergarten classroom.
The school year opened with the addition to the school completed, and we
welcomed our very first Kindergarten class. The dedication of the building
was held on September 7th 2003 with Archbishop Brunett on hand to bless our
new space.
Father Tom’s Letter
Dreams do come true! At long last, our parish plant was complete, the
fulfillment of our dreams that go back decades. The major push to bring our
parish up to its capacity for ministry began back in the 1980’s with the
purchase of two portables needed to reinstate the 7th and 8th grades to our
parish school. An extensive parish survey led to the decision to build our
new church, which was dedicated seven years ago. (Can you believe it has
been that long ago already?)
It was obvious that we were not just dreamers. Committed parishioners took
it under their wing to remodel the old church into a wonderful gym and
activities center. Not only did it provide a space for in door activities
for our school children, but also for our Grapevine children who used it on
Monday nights during the school year. During that time, we had a five-year
pledge drive for the second and final phase of our development efforts, but
it fell short of our goal, much to my failure to do a mini-reminder campaign
after the third year of the five.
But once we got back on track, the construction wasn’t long in starting. And
now it is over! We have a school library, science room and computer room
deserving of the commitment we have made to provide the best education
possible for the students in our school. We have a kindergarten for our
little ones, a dream that was so long in coming. And our refurbished and
expanded parish hall will be able to handle the crowds as never before,
whether it be for a Lenten fish fry or a Lovers’ Celebration dinner-dance.
Finally, we were able to put a small kitchenette off the south narthex.
Small luncheons, like for our Vincentians, will now be so much more
manageable.
At last, the stage is set. Our focus can now be on the ministries of service
to our people. A new day for our parish has begun. So, on your mark, get
set, ….
This may be the end to our history for now, but the Spirit that formed and
shaped it still breathes in the hearts of the faithful of St Vincent's.
Where ever it leads us, one thing is sure: We needn’t fear. We are not
alone.
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