Decision #8.0 - Sunday Mass Proposal
For a PDF version is this post, clink [LINK].
Updates
Update 8.1: [LINK] Proposal for the priest rotation given this new schedule.
Update 8.2: [LINK] An alternative proposal that keeps the 8:30 am Mass at Sacred Heart, but that impedes Fr. Tyler’s ability to say the Viking Catholic Mass each week. Also, a reconsideration of priest rotations in general.
Introduction
Now that the Catholic Churches of Whatcom County are operating as a unit, it is opportune and increasingly necessary to adjust our Mass times – both weekend and daily – for a more effective use of our priests.
This document aims to lay out the considerations involved in the Sunday Mass revision, so that the clergy, staff, and parishioners can have a collaborative conversation.
These are medium-term Mass changes, meaning that the goal is to provide a stable schedule for 3 - 5 years. All long-term decisions, as well as any decisions to cease offering weekend Masses on a campus, must be made via the Partners in the Gospel process.
Urgency
Two primary factors make this an urgent question that should not wait until the conclusion of the Partners in the Gospel process.
Spanish-Speaking Priests: The Claretian order of priests has agreed to send one of their priests to serve as a Parochial Vicar in Whatcom County, as long as he is given the freedom to focus primarily on Spanish-speaking ministry. We need to create a structure by which this Claretian can cover the Spanish Masses almost exclusively.
Relationship with Priests: Feedback is fairly universal that parishioners do not feel like they “know” their priests. The two months of relationship-building with the vicars seems to be undermined by the six months before a vicar repeats at a location. Given the arrival of the Claretians, it is an opportune time to try something new.
Process
The goal is to make new the Mass times effective on the weekend of August 30/31. This allows Fr. Moore to hear from parishioners during the months of June and July, and then to prepare people for the change during August. The two “optional” decisions (Lummi & Lynden/Deming) can be delayed much beyond this.
Fr. Moore plans to do townhall-style listening sessions after all of his Masses during June and July, as well as to engage parishioners in other media, like e-mail.
Primary Proposal – Bellingham/Spanish
Goal
Allow the same priest to celebrate all Spanish Masses on a given weekend and have that priest be a Claretian the majority of the time.
Problem to be Solved:
Presently, each Whatcom priest must celebrate 3 x English Masses each weekend (1 x Saturday evening, 2 x Sunday morning).
The current Spanish Masses are additional to the 3 x required English Masses. A priest celebrating a Spanish Mass must do 2 x Saturday and 2 x Sunday Masses, or 1 x Saturday and 3 x Sunday Masses. A priest celebrating both Spanish Masses, as the Claretians have asked to do, will need to celebrate 2 x Saturday and 3 x Sunday Masses.
Per Canon 905, 2 x Saturday and 3 x Sunday Masses is a maximum load. It would be illegal for this priest to celebrate any extra Masses on (e.g. weddings, quinceañeras) on Saturday or Sunday.
Most of our baptisms, almost half of our weddings, and all of our quinceañeras are in Spanish, so a Spanish “specialist” priest should plan to have additional liturgies almost every weekend. It would be unjust if he were given 4 x regularly scheduled weekend Masses before his other weekend liturgies were added.
Conclusion: We must reduce the number of English Masses so that the Spanish-specialist priest only has 3 x regular Masses before any weddings, quinceañeras, or baptisms are added.
Proposal
Combine the Assumption and Sacred Heart 5:00 pm Masses, so that no priest has to celebrate 2 x Saturday vigils.
Combine the Assumption and Sacred Heart 8:00 am / 8:30 am Masses, so that the Spanish priest only has to celebrate 1 x English Sunday morning Mass.
Move the Ferndale Mass to 8:30 am.
Visual Aid
Considerations
Underutilized Buildings
One of the Archdiocesan goals of Partners in the Gospel is to eliminate Mass times that underutilize existing buildings. That is, if there are two Masses at which the church is less than 50% full, those Masses should be combined. Even without the compelling reason of accommodating a Spanish-speaking priest, the 5:00 pm and 8:00/8:30 am Masses in Bellingham underutilize their buildings and would be looking at consolidation anyway.
Mass Location
Ideally, the 5:00 pm Mass would remain at Sacred Heart and the 8:00 am Mass would remain at Assumption. This allows both churches to cut only one Mass. However, the ability to do so depends on capacity, since Sacred Heart can seat about half the parishioners that Assumption can seat.
Unfortunately, after checking capacity against attendance, it is inescapable that both Masses would need to be hosted at Assumption.
Combined 5:00 pm Attendance: 319
Combined 8:00/8:30 am Attendance: 416
Assumption Capacity: 545
Sacred Heart Capacity: 255
Ferndale Mass Time
Must be placed early enough that the priest has time to socialize with parishioners and still make it to Sacred Heart by 11:00 am. Assuming a maximum drive time of 30-minutes, and 15-minutes of sacristy preparation, the priest must leave Ferndale by 10:15. An 8:30 Mass is likely to end before 9:45, so this leaves 30 – 45 minutes for the priest to socialize.
Decision Sheet – Lummi
Options
Option #1: Retain the 8:30 am Mass time. Have a Claretian priest 3 out of every 4 weekends.
Option #2: Move the Mass to 2:00 pm or later. Fr. Moore celebrates the Mass every week.
Considerations
Pastor vs. Vicar
Priests working with Native American communities report that it takes longer for Natives to trust and open up to their priests than it does other communities. To that end, Native ministry in most effective if the same priest is present to a specific community long-term.
In parish life, the Pastor is supposed to be the source of long-term stability, while vicars might switch out frequently. Having a vicar serve as the primary minister for Lummi could result in more interrupted relationship-building. The concern is that trust will be established just in time for it to be lost through a reassignment.
Diocesan vs. Religious
Religious Order priests and their charisms are a gift to the Church. However, the nature of Native ministry is that it is rooted in a specific location and history. Priests of the Archdiocese of Seattle are more likely to understand – and have a personal stake – in that location and that history, since diocesan priests are also tied to a specific location. Relying on a religious order priest as the primary minister risks weakening the 150-year bond between the Lummi people and priests of the Archdiocese of Seattle.
Optional
There is no competition for the 2:00 pm Sunday Mass time. As such, St. Joachim can make a decision much later, outside the timeline of this overall proposal. If St. Joachim wanted to retain the 8:30 am time for the rest of the Jubilee Year, for example, and then move to 2:00 pm after the Jubilee concludes, it can certainly do so. [This change would also allow the Claretian priests to start a Spanish Mass in Ferndale.]
Decision Sheet – Saturday Vigils
Options
Option #1: Retain 5:00 pm as the universal Saturday Mass time.
Option #2: Move the Mass in Blaine to 4:00 pm and the Masses in Lynden to 4:00 pm and 6:00 pm.
Considerations
Context
Universal law is ambiguous about how early a Sunday liturgy can be celebrated on Saturday. Until recently, the Archdiocese of Seattle prohibited Vigil Masses before 5:00 pm. In October 2025, Archbishop Etienne changed the policy to allow Vigil Masses as early as 4:00 pm, which is more common across the United States.
Winter Hours
Our latitude in Whatcom County means that, from November until January, we often see the sun setting during the 4:00 pm hour. Saturday Vigils are disproportionately favored by older parishioners, many of whom struggle to drive at night. The earlier we can offer a Vigil Mass, the safer it will be for those parishioners. This is especially true for our Blaine community.
Lynden Spanish Mass
Depending on the length of announcements, homily, or other in-Mass inclusions, the Spanish Mass in Lynden may not let out until 8:30 pm. Spanish Masses have proportionally more children than any other Mass, and such a late end-time is especially hard on children. Spanish communities also tend to have more activities before and after their Masses, and an earlier Spanish Mass time allows more room for those activities after Mass.
Variety
Parishioners have a wide variety of schedules, making a variety of Mass times a benefit. Rather than move every Vigil Mass to 4:00 pm, keeping the Bellingham Vigil at 5:00 pm allows for a 4:00, a 5:00, and a 6:00 pm Mass in the county every Saturday.
Decision Sheet – Viking Catholic Mass
Options
Option #1: Remove the Viking Catholic Mass from the county schedule. Publish it only internal to the Viking Catholic organization.
Option #2: Consider the Viking Catholic Mass part of the county schedule. Offer it year-round, even when school is not in session.
Considerations
Location
For decades, Mass was offered on the WWU campus. During COVID it was moved to Sacred Heart, briefly moved back to campus, and then was moved to Sacred Heart again. There are two primary reasons why Sacred Heart appears to be its home for the near future:
Students prefer a church experience. Being an active Catholic is a counter-cultural experience in the younger generations, so those who chose to be active prefer a robust expression of Catholicism. In the most recent years of offering Mass on campus, Viking Catholic noticed that many of its most involved students were choosing to attend Mass in a local parish because of the elevated liturgical experience. There is also a desire to experience a wider segment of the Church, including families with children and older folks.
Viking Catholic is trying to minister to Whatcom Community College and Bellingham Technical College, in addition to Western Washington University; and, in some sense, to all people 18 – 25 years old. It is easier for non-WWU Catholics to access Mass at a local church than on the WWU campus.
Mass “Ownership”
A key aspect of college ministry is allowing the college students to take ownership of the liturgical ministries and experience, as a way for them to begin taking ownership of their personal faith. It is essential that, while school is in session, this remain a “college” Mass.
County Variety
There are many reasons why non-college students might benefit from a 5:00 pm Sunday Mass, and it is helpful if county parishioners can begin to rely on it year-round.
Decision Sheet – Lynden/Deming
Options
Option #1: Retain status quo (8:30 am Deming, 11:00 am Lynden)
Option #2: Switch Mass times (8:30 am Lynden, 11:00 am Deming)
Option #3: Expand Mass gap (8:00 or 8:15 Deming, 11:15 or 11:30 Lynden)
Considerations
Priest Presence in Deming
Deming’s location is such that priests and even some parishioners struggle to get there except on Sunday mornings. The best way for a priest to be more present in Deming is to expand the time he can spend there on Sunday mornings. That can be done by placing the Deming Mass after the Lynden Mass, allowing the priest to stay for an additional 1 – 3 hours; or by expanding the gap between the Masses, giving that extra time to the priest.
Lynden, with its parish office and rectory, sees priests more regularly apart from Sundays, so Deming should have priority in the Sunday conversation.
Optional
This Mass change has no effect on the rest of the county schedule, so there is no urgency in making this decision. However, it is important that Deming parishioners understand what their options are for increasing priest presence and it is important that these parishioners make a deliberate decision.
Example Schedule
By Date / Time
Saturday
4:00 pm – Blaine
4:00 pm – Lynden
5:00 pm – Assumption
6:00 pm – Lynden (Spanish)
Sunday – Bellingham
8:00 am – Assumption
10:00 am – Assumption
11:00 am – Sacred Heart
12:30 pm – Assumption (Spanish)
5:00 pm – Sacred Heart (w/ WWU)
Sunday – North / East County
8:15 am – Deming
8:30 am – Lummi
8:30 am – Ferndale
11:15 am – Lynden
By Priest Rotation
Priest #1
(Sat.) 5:00 pm – Assumption
8:00 am – Assumption
10:00 am – Assumption
Priest #2
(Sat.) 4:00 pm – Blaine
8:30 am – Ferndale
11:00 am – Sacred Heart
Priest #3
(Sat.) 4:00 pm – Lynden
8:15 am – Deming
11:15 am – Lynden
Priest #4 (Spanish)
(Sat.) 6:00 pm – Lynden (Spanish)
8:30 am – Lummi
12:30 pm – Assumption (Spanish)
Floating
Ideally, Fr. Tyler during the school year, with rotation during the summer.
5:00 pm – Sacred Heart (w/ WWU)
Appendix 1 – Current Attendance Numbers and Capacity Percentages
[4] Average Mass population for May 2025
For average human width’s, reference: https://ergocenter.ncsu.edu/wp-content/uploads/sites/18/2017/09/Anthropometric-Summary-Data-Tables.pdf
To see the math behind these numbers, open the [EXCEL SPREADSHEET].