In 1931, St. Edward Seminary opens on land on the northeast shore of Lake Washington (what was called the “Deer Park” area). The 366-acre land was bought by Bishop Edward John O’Dea (using his inheritance) who donated the property to the Diocese of Seattle. Bishop O’Dea hoped that the seminary would supply the needed priests to accommodate the growing Catholic population in the Pacific Northwest. The minor seminary (high school) would be used, following the bishops’ ordinances of the Northwest Province, by the Sulpician Fathers (Society of St. Sulpice), whose order is to educate, guide, and support fellow priests. In 1935, major seminary classes were added to the curriculum. But by 1958, it became clear that there was a need for both seminaries, and St. Thomas the Apostle Seminary was created as a major seminary (six-year college) on 50 acres above the area where St. Edward Seminary lay. St. Edward then returned to a minor seminary status.

Sulpician Father Edward J. Hogan became Rector at St. Thomas Seminary in 1971. During his tenure, he helped create an on-site parish for seminarian training. 450 families were assigned from neighboring parishes (St. Mark - Seattle, St. Brendan – Bothell, and Holy Family – Kirkland) to create St. John Mary Vianney Parish. (Note: St. John Mary Vianney is the patron saint of Priests.) Thus, our parish was born at the seminary in October 1971. Fr. Hogan was officially appointed our first Pastor of our newly founded parish in 1973. Fr. Hogan became the first Sulpician to serve in both Seminary Administration and Pastoral obligations capacity and watched our parish grow into an active parish. Seattle Times Religion Editor Ray Ruppert said during this time that our parish “is believed to be the only Catholic parish in the United States, perhaps in the world, with a seminary.”

“For where two or three are gathered in my name, there am I in the midst of them.” Matthew 18:20

Fr. Hogan welcomed the St. Vincent De Paul Society as an outreach for the parish. A Catholic lay organization, St. Vincent de Paul Society’s mission is “A network of friends, inspired by Gospel values, growing in holiness and building a more just world through personal relationships with and service to people in need.” Known as Vincentians, the group worked to help provide for neighbors in need within our parish boundaries.

Fr. Hogan also had help from a group of women parishioners who assisted with parish activities and Bazaars. The women were affectionately called “Hogan’s Heroines”, a tribute to Fr. Hogan and referencing a popular 1965-1971 TV show called “Hogan’s Heroes.” Priests, Seminarians, and Sisters were also involved with the Heroines at St. Thomas. One of the highlights of the corroboration was a Halloween Haunted House for the community to enjoy. During Fr. Hogan’s tenure, he saw St. John Vianney launch in a thriving community, writing a Mission statement, forming a Pastoral Council (a consultative group to assist the Pastor), conduct Catechism classes for our youth, and evolve into an enthusiastic parish.

Fr. Robert L. Turner, SS, was a Professor at St. Edward Seminary (1965-68), and Professor at St. Thomas Seminary (1970-74). During Fr. Hogan’s tenure, he became Rector at St. Thomas (1974-76) and had first-hand knowledge of the on-site parish and its’ positive effect on teaching the Seminarians pastoral care and parish life. With this experience, he was a suitable replacement for the retiring Fr. Hogan and became our 2nd Pastor in 1975. During his tenure, enrollments in the Seminaries were slowly declining, and in 1976, the seminaries closed.

With the seminaries closed, but St. John Vianney parish thriving, Fr. Turner and the parish became financially responsible for the seminary building. Fr. Turner initiated, developed, and established activities that would help remove the financial burden by using St. Thomas as a conference center. The Center had a multitude of programs including a co-op preschool, a theater, providing lunch and socializing for the elderly, and reserving meeting spaces for diocesan organizations and programs. Archbishop Raymond Hunthausen himself was directly involved at the Center in a Sanctuary Program for troubled youth. Another concern during this time was the rest of St. Edward’s property. Archbishop Hunthausen, who was a former student at St. Edward’s Seminary, had the vision to preserve the grounds as a state park. Thus, in 1977, the State of Washington bought 316 of 366 acres with a Water Conservation Fund grant from the National Park Service and the Washington Interagency Committee for Outdoor Recreation. It was renamed St. Edward State Park in 1978.

The remaining 50 acres were the St. Thomas property that our parish was on. By 1981, the parish, with an agreement with the Archdiocese of Seattle, formally assumed total responsibility from the Society of St. Sulpice (who until then supplied pastoral care) of St. John Vianney and the re-named St. Thomas Center. The Archdiocese continued the pastoral care for St. John Vianney, and the parish continued to run the Center as a non-profit organization. Over time, the parish and center grew in volume and scope, and it became increasingly difficult for the parish to find space available for its programs and activities, including trying to find space to host its’ own fundraising events. It became clear that the Parish needed to think about their own space.

“I made known to them your name and I will make it known, that the love with which you loved me may be in them and I in them.” John 17:26

In 1984, Archdiocesan Priest Fr. Theodore “Ted” Marmo replaced Fr. Turner as Pastor. The Archdiocese requested St. John Vianney parish to discern the need to continue to use St. Thomas Center and the parish in the same facility. A survey went out to the parishioners. Results were: 1/3 of the parishioners wanted to lease the land; 1/3 of the parishioners were thinking of returning to their former parishes; and lastly, 1/3 requested moving to a new place. There was even a discussion of our Filipino community set up their own parish. After much discernment, Fr. Marmo, the Parish, and the Archdiocese decided that to meet its needs, they had to find a new permanent place for St. John Vianney.

Fr. Marmo formed a Finance Council that worked with the Archdiocese and found a new location to purchase. In March 1987, Fr. Marmo established the Building Committee. They were responsible for implementing and completing the process of completion of the new parish home and ease the move to a new property in the Finn Hill neighborhood (an area of Kirkland). The Building Committee hosted numerous town hall meetings, and surveys with the parishioners to assure their ideas were honored regarding their new home. They also met with the Parish Staff to discern administration needs. The compilation of this information created a Discernment Report in 1988. From this report, there was a suggestion to have a design competition open to the whole architectural community. Liturgical Consultant and Jury Coordinator Carl Easters (AIA), in his commentary in the 1989 SJV Architectural Competition booklet stated “There is an old saying that inside of every architect there is a church. This (competition) was an opportunity to verify that philosophy.”

The response was overwhelming. Entrants received were not only from the United States but also from the British Isles and Europe. Thirty designs were submitted by fifty entrants (one submitted three designs; another submitted two). The process was intentionally designed as a blind competition. The winning entrant’s name was not revealed until after the decision was made by the jury. The final design for our parish was by Architects Roy Koczarski (Seattle, WA) and Ronald Weeks (London, UK), representing the Percy Thomas Partnership.

The parish had a ground-breaking ceremony in 1991 with Archbishop Raymond Hunthausen attending as one of our honored guests. The permit process, however, took a full year to complete. Construction finally began in 1992. During the construction, more than 150 parishioners were directly involved in various phases of the project, including a Christmas Caroling party to serenade our new neighbors; two open house events including a parish picnic on the new grounds that attracted 600 people; a security group to monitor our building off-hours (the building did not have doors or windows at that time); landscaping the grounds; helping complete the interior rooms such as the kitchen, and moving in furniture, church articles, and belongings from the Seminary.

In 1992, Fr. Jay DeFolco became Pastor of our new building with Ed White serving as our Deacon. Fr. Steve Szeman helped with weekend Masses. Our first Mass in our new building was on Saturday, October 16, 1993, at 5 pm. Archbishop Thomas Murphy dedicated our building (now with doors) on the weekend of October 30-31, 1993, with a census of 1008 families.

“Be hospitable to one another without complaining. As each one has received a gift, use it to serve one another as good stewards of God’s varied grace.” 1 Peter 4:9-10.

To continue to grow the parish community, Fr. Jay DeFolco formed the Welcoming Commission and Parish Life Commission. Their ministry was to welcome new parishioners, help build community and enhance our parish life. He asked parishioner Lori Butsch to help lead and organize the committees that would be under this umbrella. New members would be personally invited to our Sunday Coffee and Donuts and join in our social events such as our parish picnic. Our census grew to 1100 families within 5 months of opening our doors at our new home. We also continued the Worship Commission/Liturgy group from when we were at the seminary. The group would aid the Pastor with organizing and planning church decorating and special liturgies such as Ash Wednesday, and Easter Masses. They also recruited and trained our new lay ministers and other duties depending on the needs of the pastor.

Parishioners also assisted in creating furniture and accents for our parish. George Vipavetz designed and created 14 crosses for our Stations of the Cross along the back perambulatory of our main church, and created our Processional Cross. Clarence Haider crafted chairs and kneelers for our Blessed Sacrament chapel. Dave Thompson restored the Presider’s Chairs from St. Thomas Seminary, with upholstery fabric provided by Sally Roselli, Ginny Tessler, and Mary Jane Jones. The Loretto Panels, windows from the small sisters’ chapel at St. Thomas were cleaned and prepared for mounting by Tom Antinori. Designed by Gary Reul, the panels were inserted into lighted window boxes by Dave Thompson. The Altar and Ambo were designed by David Leak. New Eucharistic vessels and oil cruets for our sacred oils were designed by Beverly Shields which had a unique teal blue and green color which is hard to achieve in pottery. All of this was in line to compliment the artifacts and furnishings from St. Thomas Seminary that our parishioners efficiently moved to our new parish in two 24’ trucks donated for use by Ray Bolanos.

Landscaping for our parish grounds was daunting. 120+ Parishioners stepped up week after week to move rocks (creating a lovely river rock dry stream bed), tilling the soil and planting donated Douglas Fir and Cedar trees (Rod Bakken), plants (Beth Timmons), bushes, bark (Ray and Marion Bolanos), and roses. Our grounds were also blessed to be home to Parishioners Dan and Sue Coleman’s forty specially developed hybrid rhododendrons.

Many programs became fertile through our parishioners' help at our parish. The Knights of Columbus started a new council (#11408) in our parish. The Knights started Pancake breakfasts to help raise funds for various programs. A Prayer Chain was created with parishioners praying for those who requested prayers. Stephen’s Ministry also had parishioners who went through the training course to be available for one-to-one care to those experiencing a difficult time in life. St. Vincent de Paul Society Vincentians continued to honor their motto of serving the poor with love, hope, and joy by helping with food donations and monetary aid to those in need. Our Filipino Community began the Holy Rosary Society to pray the Rosary to Mother Mary. Deacon Ed White and his wife Dianne led our Grief Ministry. We continued our Choir from the Seminary and had a rotation of brilliant musicians for our weekend Mass.

Concepts and dreams from our parish community also came to light with the help of our parishioners. One day, one of our 5 pm Mass musicians, Bev Graham, was in Seattle and was approached by a homeless man asking for some food. This led her to make 30 sandwiches for them from her savings. She then shared her desire to increase this and asked Fr. Jay if it was possible to expand this wish using our kitchen and our parishioners’ help. Operation: Sack Lunch was formed. Our volunteer parishioners and our youth group helped increase sandwich-making to 100 sandwiches every week. In 2019, Bev’s dream is now a non-profit program that is corporate-sponsored by various partners such as Microsoft and Whole Foods (oslserves.org) who now feeds 7,500 meals a day, and is considered a First Responder, creating an equitable emergency meal system based in Seattle, WA for those in need.

In 1993, Parishioner Peggy Anderson had a dream to help each other and extend comfort, care, and support. This was prompted by a young Mom who was dying of kidney disease. Peggy and her friends wanted to help her but felt overwhelmed with fulfilling all the needs for her. Fr. Jay allowed Peggy and her husband Ken to share this desire during the three Masses one weekend. They asked the parishioners if they would be willing to be “on-call” once a month for volunteering by making meals on a short-time basis for families who have new babies, recovering from surgery, elderly who need some assistance, or maybe lost a loved one, so no one person would feel overwhelmed by serving. Sonshine (as in Jesus, Son of God, shine!) Ministry was born!

Parishioners Mimi Eyster, Caryl Bornhoeft, and Darleene Brown stepped forward as the coordinators for Sonshine. Together, they manage scheduling meals and the expanded card ministry, which includes sending Perpetual Prayer Mass cards to provide spiritual comfort. Each person who receives one of these Mass cards is enrolled in a Perpetual Mass Association and a contribution is made in their name. Each month Sonshine volunteers send cards for an array of different occasions (e.g., Thinking of you, Get Well, Sympathy, Birthday, Anniversary, or Holiday). “Welcome to our Church” cards are also sent to new parishioners. Additionally, Sonshine sends monthly appreciation postcards to their volunteers who helped during that month.

Once a month, Sonshine Ministry hosts an “In Loving Memory” Candle Lighting at a Daily Mass to honor deceased loved ones. Sonshine Ministry has also hosted Appreciation Luncheons for the SJV Staff and receptions for Music Director Margaret Graham’s Spring Concerts. In 2021, Sonshine has an active group of fifty kind, generous and caring volunteers that continue Peggy’s dream of “Jesus with Skin On” comfort, care, and support. As Mimi has said, “God’s grace and His blessings have sustained this ministry.”

“I have the strength for everything through him who empowers me.” Philippians 4:13.

Fr. William Heric became our Pastor in 1997. With our Filipino Community, he celebrated Simbang Gabi (a devotional nine-day series of Masses leading to the birth of Jesus) which placed our parish on the Archdiocesan Mass Schedule as an annual place to visit for the celebration.

Once lacking in space at the St. Thomas Center for our own needs, our parish was built with a 2nd floor below with classrooms, a space for large events, and a supply closet for incidentals. We use the rooms for our children’s catechism and summer Vacation Bible School. Our children were introduced to many of our ministry programs and outside ministries such as Operation: Rice Bowl, and Bridge Ministry during their Sunday school classes. They enjoyed hosting Mother/Father’s Day breakfasts, Baby Jesus Showers and partook in our Lenten soup nights. We also welcomed outside services to use our rooms such as Alcoholic Anonymous, our local Boy and Girl Scouts troops, and the Columbia Boys and Girls choir to name a few.

We held our yearly events (Parish Picnic, Parish Life Volunteer Appreciation party, Senior Luncheons). To support our parish, we continued Knights of Columbus breakfasts, Garage sales, Winter Bazaars in our social hall, Filipino dinner dances, and our Annual Auction. Parishioners looked forward to lining up in our Social Hall for Mission Trek’s annual bake sales.

In 1998, we received Fr. Frank Walsh, SJ as an interim administrator, then in July, Priest Administrator Fr. John Ludvik. In 1999, we hosted our first Bridge Ministry Christmas party in our social hall that was well attended. Our Junior and Senior High Youth group continue to work hard to earn the privilege to go on our Mission Treks to Eastern/Western Washington and Mexico, a ministry that they have done for 10 years now. Trekkers also help sell Christmas Trees in our back parking lot for our community. To sponsor our Trekkers, Youth Leader Jan Kline organized Brick, Block, and Beam fundraisers that they would use to help build houses. Our parish became known as a welcoming and hospitable place for the community.

“Feed the hungry. Give drink to the thirsty. Shelter the homeless. Visit the sick. Visit the prisoners. Bury the dead. Give alms to the poor.” The seven Corporal Works of Mercy

Fr. Kevin F.X. Duggan became our Pastor in 2000. He hosted a parish convocation and a series of community listening brunches and lunches to decide the future work and goals for the parish. Our main Chapel doors were renovated to allow for a proper eucharistic procession flow for our weekend Masses. Other considerations such as an elevator to help those who need aid going up and down to our second floor below were written on our needs list.

When daughter Sarah returned home from the Youth Group Mexico trip in 1990, she invited her Mom, Jan Kline, to become involved. She volunteered on a trek in partnership with other parishes but it didn’t fulfill her as she had hoped. She heard of Esperanza from parishioner Jerry Graddon. Becoming a volunteer Youth Leader, she asked then Pastor Fr. Marmo, if she could go to San Diego, CA to investigate this program to see if this would be a better resource of faith formation for the high schoolers. She was impressed with how the group worked with the family that they were building houses for. As Jan has said, “It was back-breaking, heat extreme, but heart and soul-filling. They fed us. We walked away having contributed to life change for a family or more.” In 1992, now Youth Minister at SJV, Jan Kline’s Mission Trekkers have been driving annually to Tijuana with donated vans, “Trekkers” (Youth), adult volunteer chaperons, and plenty of faith, spirit, and endurance to build houses brick by brick. In 1995, High school graduates wanted to continue their faith experience, so Jan launched a College Trek. Years of hearing of such spirit-filled testimonies that the youth shared during Mass after they came home prompted Adults to join in this mission. Now in 2000, the first Adult Trek headed to Tijuana, Mexico.

“For I was hungry and you gave me food, I was thirsty and you gave me drink, a stranger and you welcomed me.” Matthew 25:35

Notre Dame and Peace Corps Sudan alum Jim Niquette went on our first Adult SJV Esperanza Mission Trek.  The week brought him to an epiphany. “I’m losing my soul in Corporate America.” He sold his business and applied to the Carter Foundation to do work in Sudan but was moved to Ghana.

On a visit to Seattle, Jim met with Youth Leader Jan Kline and showed her photos of the Guinea worm. He presented a financial proposal to Fr. Kevin. He challenged our parish to help raise $20,000 to finance a drill to supply a mechanized borehole (water well) for the village of Savelugu in the northern region of Ghana. Parishioner Edith Godar read the report and at once donated $5000 to the cause. Other parishioners followed her lead, and we raised the entire amount in three weeks.

Jan Kline and a group of parishioners went to Ghana to celebrate with the village and their new fresh water borehole. CRS (Catholic Relief Services) Staff then gave a tour to another area further out showing us that there were starving people without access to water. That vision stirred our group. Thus, Water Access Now was born, with SJV parishioners on the inaugural Board of Directors.

Water Access Now’s (WAN) mission is to bring water to villages with the most need and has a good chance of sustaining a well. By 2011, WAN became a non-profit organization with donors from SJV keeping it supported. Over 196 water systems have been financed. Our faithful SJV parishioners continue to aid the effort to finance clean water sites. CRS has continued its partnership in Water Access Now.

We celebrated 30 years as a parish with the year-long celebration starting with a parish picnic on October 14, 2001; in February 2002, a Valentine’s Day dance; on August 3rd (the Feast day of our patron saint, St. John Vianney), a pilgrimage procession from St. Thomas Seminary to our parish; September 15th, our annual picnic. Our anniversary celebration ended with a Mass followed by a come-as-your-favorite-saint costume party on November 1st (All Saints Day). Our parish, starting from a beginning census of 450 families at the Seminary, was now 1,041 strong.

In 2004, our parish was asked if we could host Tent City 4 (TC4) on our parish grounds. Tent City 4 is a homeless encampment of up to 100 persons. Neighbors surrounding our parish property were concerned and we hosted neighborhood Town Meetings to allow civil conversations. Our parish filed a request on October 28th to allow TC4 to be located on our property. With an agreement of providing health and safety that previous host communities had obtained, TC4 took up residency on our front lawn from November 2004-February 2005. When asked by a TV News Reporter wondering about the concern that our lawn would not grow back (they used pallets and tents on our lawn), parishioner Jim Vaughn smiled and responded, “No worry! The grass will grow back even better than before!”

Dave Warmuth served as our Deacon from 2000-2005. Dave was ordained as a Deacon in 1978. His dedicated wife, Ruth has stated, “He felt he was called to do that service. He loved serving people, he loved the church and he loved his faith. He was a good listener and nonjudgmental.”

"He loved reading, learning, and trying new things," said Ruth Warmuth, his wife of 53 years. "And he was very successful at everything he did." In 1980, Mr. Warmuth left a career in journalism and communications to serve the Roman Catholic Church full-time as an ordained deacon. He assisted Fr. Kevin with Mass, marriages, and baptisms. He passionately taught Bible classes and faith formation courses, as well as leading the Rosary. He took a very active role in facilitating the move of Tent City 4 onto the SJV grounds in 2004.

Our hearts were filled with sadness when he passed away from cancer on October 28, 2006. Our parish dedicated Classroom 8 at SJV to Dave to honor his commitment to Catholic teaching. The Mission Trekkers dedicated a house they built in Tijuana, Mexico to him.

“The second is this: ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’ There is no other commandment greater than these.” Mark 12:31

Fr. Michael “Mike” Wright became our Pastor in 2005. In May of 2006, he announced in his monthly newsletter that our parish would host Tent City 4 for a second time, and become part of their housing rotation. Thus, TC4 stayed from November 2006 through February 2007, and November 2008 through February 2009.

When we bought our parish property, there was a residential plot positioned between the north and south entrance/exit that was owned by another family. Fr. Mike and the family agreed to allow us a “first right of refusal” if they decide to move out. That way, we could use that property as a possible Rectory, using the present house that is there.

In 2006, Children and Family Life Leader Laura Stanger and parishioner Chris Lystad were planning the Catechism classes for our children K-6th grade. They wanted to have a faith formation program that lived out the same excitement and joy that our summer Vacation Bible School program gives our children. So, they created Catholic Kids Catechism Club (CKCC). They incorporated fun games (e.g., Super Bowl Sunday where the winning team would have the most toppings on their ice cream sundae bowl) with learning the expected Archdiocesan Curriculum grade level catechism. Each grade became a “clubhouse” (i.e., Early Birds, God’s Gang, Meal Makers, Faithful Followers, Busy Bees, Lucky Sevens). For example, the Meal Makers (2nd grade) would learn about the Sacraments of Reconciliation and Eucharist, while the Busy Bees (4th grade) would learn about the Beatitudes, Spiritual and Corporal Works of Mercy, and moral decision making.

In teaching about Corporal Works of Mercy during the Lenten season, the Clubhouses would learn about how Catholic Relief Services (CRS) helps people out of poverty through microloans. They would get a loan of $20.00 to start a small business and their profits would go toward supporting CRS. Popcorn and Pretzel sales, Easter egg sales, and homemade cards are a few of the examples the clubhouses would sell to help Operation Rice Bowl.

The year ended with the Famous Survivor Party, bug-eating, and all! And the clubhouse with the highest number of points earned by completing various challenges not only received the bragging rights, their name on our perpetual plaque, and a group party! Everyone had a great time and fun was had by all while they learned about their faith!

After leading a LifeTeen retreat based on a Dr. Seuss theme in 2007, Youth and Young Adult Leader Maybeth Terashima thought it would be enriching to do a similar type of youth group retreat but based on the popular book series Harry Potter by JK Rowling. Working with Laura Stanger, they planned and developed the first Harry Potter (HP) retreat “Agape and the Sorcerer’s Stone” in 2008. Youth Leader Jan Kline assisted Maybeth and helped co-lead the retreat. Some of the highlights of the retreat include being sorted into “houses” (by the Sorting Hat), playing Quidditch, and watching the HP movie that is attached to the retreat.

Each year since the retreats have been in rotation based on one of the books. The youth also enjoy bi-weekly “Cramming Nights” where they break into teams learning their catechism and answering questions for points, weaving in the Gospel in what they are learning that week. They continue the fun from the HP retreats by having Angry Birds catapults, Noodle fencing, or an Obstacle Course. The end of the year Minute-to-Win-it event is also a highlight to showcase the kids’ knowledge of our faith as well (e.g., list the 10 Commandments, the Gifts of the Holy Spirit). The importance of learning and understanding our faith is a commitment that Maybeth ensures, but she shares that she thinks she “learn more from our Youth than they do from me. Each and every one of them is a gift” and she feels “very blessed to have such a fulfilling job.”

Our ministries in 2008 for Women's faith formation now include a Women’s Retreat at Far-away Retreat House in Longbranch, WA. The retreat house was originally built by Frank McDermott’s family (who co-managed the Bon Marche store in Seattle). The Seattle Archdiocese established Far-a-way as a retreat house serving religious and nonprofit communities. Two parish women’s groups emerged from the annual retreat that continued the women's friendships: Rummikub group (a tile-based game combining the elements of the card game rummy and mahjong) and Women’s Book Club (books chosen by the club members). When the Archdiocese sold the property, the Women’s Retreat had to find a new retreat home and after one retreat at Frog Creek Lodge, we have permanently moved to St. Andrew’s Episcopal Retreat House in Union, WA.

In 2009, Fr. Ramon Santa Cruz became our Pastor. An avid cook and baker, he enjoyed participating in our summer Chili cook-off and hosted dinner fundraisers with him as the Head Chef. He also planned and supervised our Auction dinners. A highlight for our children was our Easter Egg Hunt because Fr. Ramon would create a hand-crafted large candy Easter Egg for the winner who found the golden egg!

Honoring the agreement they held with Fr. Mike in 2005, the family that owned the property that was positioned between our north and south entrance/exit by our parish asked if we were interested in buying it. With the blessing of Archbishop Alex J. Brunett, we began the process to raise funds to help with purchasing the property. We began a renovation in the house to bring it up to date and the current Washington State code. By 2010, we use it as a Rectory, for our Pastor to live in (before this, the Pastor lived off-site) and for meetings as well. This completed our property area to the main street.

During a Valentine’s Day event in the Social Hall in 2009, Jan Kline stopped by Carolyn Bertsch, Jeanne Solomon, Joan Riibe, and Cheryl Alvear’s table. Jan chatted with them and shared that she felt that there should be some sort of get-togethers for Seniors in our Parish. The ladies agreed that it was a great idea.

The same group of ladies were in the front office together and Jan again approached them saying, “I think we should have a Senior Group at SJV, and you four young ladies would be perfect to make it happen.” They looked at each other and said, “I guess we are elected to get the ball rolling.”

The ladies formed a committee, and the plans for the SJV Single Seniors began. They decided to start off with hosting a once-a-month get-together aligning with the month’s celebrations (e.g., St. Patrick’s Day, Thanksgiving) with some of the meals prepared by parishioner Mike McAuliff. Other events were tried such as Movie Night, but it became clear that the Seniors relished the time to visit and have a conversation together. They also found a game called “Left, Right, Center” and it became a staple of their evenings.

After 12 years of chairing the committee, Carolyn, Jeanne, Joan, and Cheryl stepped down and handed the reins to Ron Petrusha, Pat Barnato, Ellen Dashiell, Carmen Collins, and Connie Vaughn. But in 2020, the virus COVID-19 spread around the world, affecting group gatherings. This did not discourage the new committee. They came up with monthly ZOOM meetings to get the seniors online to chat and not feel isolated. Thus, what started out as an idea blossomed into an integral part of the SJV social calendar for single seniors in our parish.

Since the start of our new parish on Finn Hill, our parishioners have helped keep the yard around our property maintained with two seasonal “clean-ups” in the Fall and the Spring. The event was organized by parishioners Vern Endres, Tony Zimmerman, and the Facilities Committee. In 2010, Tony and his wife Dee attended a Mass at Mary Queen of Peace in Sammamish, WA. He saw that they had an “Adopt-a-Bed” program for keeping up the Church grounds (similar to Washington State’s “Adopt-a-Highway” program). He thought that this program might be a good way to maintain our property landscape in between the spring and fall clean-ups. He placed fliers in the weekly parish bulleting about this and got a wonderful response. Now, parishioners have their assigned outside area that they can keep under control, with permitted plants and shrubs they can plant to beautify their assigned area.

November 2010 brought Tent City back to our property (November 2010 – February 2011). We also had a special event at this time. We paid off our mortgage! We celebrated by having a “burning of the mortgage” celebration in November.

Fr. Ramon and our Filipino community hosted the Internationally known Bukas Palad Music Ministry in April 2011. “Bukas Palad” (literally meaning ‘open palm’ in Tagalog) was touring North America and stopped by our parish to give a concert. Fr. Ramon also sang lead with a few of their prayerful songs. Bukas Palad’s membership of over a hundred voices has sung for the last 25 years.

“Train the young in the way they should go; even when old, they will not swerve from it.” Proverbs 22:6

Our Children’s Faith Formation Program has always focused on nurturing our children through stimulating, faith-filled, and fun programs. These programs: Catholic Kids Catechism Club (CKCC), Children’s Liturgy of the Word (CLOW), Sacramental Preparation, Mom’s Morning Out (MMO), and Vacation Bible School (VBS), celebrate each child as a wonderful gift from God while fostering growth in the development of education, faith, and community.

Laura Stanger wanted to continue the Moms’ and toddlers’ friendships and connections by adding a pre-school to our church. That way, they didn’t have to disperse to different pre-schools and lose the beginning of faith formation together. She asked parishioner Annette Schwientek if she would like to begin this adventure. Annette’s background as a veteran Early Child Education teacher and her participation as a long-time volunteer with our various Children and Youth Group activities made her a perfect person to help Laura with setting up the program.

Annette and Laura wrote a proposal for a pre-school to Fr. Ramon and the Pastoral Council. With Annette as the Preschool Director, the program would incorporate catechesis and an academically enriched environment for the preschooler to learn. There was no beginning budget, so the program would subsist on the parents’ tuitions. After discernment, Fr. Ramon and the Council approved the program. With Annette’s creativity and resourcefulness, she and her husband Klaus worked with furnishings (with modifications and paint when needed), books and toys for the classroom from our parish closets, Goodwill, St. Vincent de Paul, or donations from our parishioners to prepare the new classroom. In September 2011, eight children (ages 3-5 years old) were registered for our pre-school. Parishioner Julie Brejda aided Annette with the classes. The younger ages attended Mondays and Fridays from 9 am-12 noon; the older kids attended Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays.

In April/May 2012, Annette proposed to renovate and expand the pre-school classrooms by removing a dividing wall to allow for a better space flow area for the students to learn. Parishioner Brian Lampe (a Structural Engineer) volunteered his services and assessed to make sure all was done to code. Parishioner Greg Seiler (an Architect/Contractor) volunteered his services and helped Annette and Klaus complete the construction, adding cabinets and a sink with hot and cold running water. Laura Stanger found rugs at Goodwill that became the inspiration for parishioner Marit Zimmerman’s painting of the school’s color theme. Lastly, thanks to the Pre-school Parents and Microsoft matching donations, the classrooms also received new flooring and replaced the early mismatched shelving with shelving on wheels to help Teachers set up their classrooms accordingly.

Outside, a new sandbox and play structure was installed, and a fence was erected around the perimeter of the back playground area which was approved by the Archdiocese’s safety guideline regulations. Fr. Ramon blessed the completed structure in the summer of 2015.

SJV Catholic Preschool was a success. This allowed Annette to gradually increase the student capacity. It serves as an extension to our Faith Formation Program, adopting the same focus and philosophies while providing a more structured program for our three to five-year-old students.

Our Confirmation candidates and Senior High Youth group in 2012 continued engaging in their Corporal Acts of Mercy by visiting the Denny Juvenile Detention Center in Seattle to make Valentine cards and treats for the incarcerated brothers and sisters. Echo Glen detention center in Snoqualmie also invited our girls to a basketball team challenge. In October, Tent City 4 came to our parish and stayed until January 2013.

In our continuing to improve our building project list, we installed a new elevator. The elevator was dedicated to long-time and beloved parishioners Carson and Dode Eckmann, one of the founding members of our parish when it was at the Seminary. Carson and Dode were very active in supporting our Seminarians, even inviting them for outdoor activities such as skiing or having lunch at their lakeside house.

The next item that we had to correct was a leak in our roof. The Facilities Committee with some roofing engineers and contractors worked hard on designing a proper spire (tower) to address the ongoing leak problem.

In 2015, our St. Vincent de Paul (SVDP) parish group, known now as the SJV-Kirkland Conference, became formally aggregated at the SVDP international level. Since Fr. Hogan’s tenure (1972), SVDP has operated largely from monetary donations from our parishioners. The Vincentians continue their work with the parish office staff to coordinate year-round requests for assistance from neighbors in need within our parish boundaries. This includes such needs as help with rent payments, utility bills, motel stays, or bus tickets to name a few. A food box in our Narthex is organized and managed by our Vincentians who then place the donated non-perishable food items from our parishioners in the on-site food pantry.

The Vincentians continue to run a Fall food drive and organize Christmas Baskets and the Giving Tree program, which helps 60-70 families each year. They occasionally coordinate the SVDP truck (aka “Stuff the Truck”) on our parish grounds so parishioners can bring unwanted household items for the local SVDP Thrift Stores. The Vincentians volunteer with parish activities as well, helping with Soup Night, fundraisers, PREPARES Pregnancy and Parenting support, and assisting the parish staff with other specialized needs. In 2021, our parish currently has 20 Vincentian volunteers, and since moving to the Kirkland church, we have totaled about 85 volunteers.

In January 2016, the Archdiocese of Seattle released a list of clergy and religious brothers and sisters for whom “allegations of sexual abuse of a minor have been admitted, established, or determined to be credible.” This was published as part of the Archdiocese’s “ongoing commitment to transparency and to encourage persons sexually abused by clergy or by anyone working on behalf of the Church to come forward.” SJV Pastor Ted Marmo (1985-1992) was laicized pursuant to credible allegations of sexual abuse of minors (protect-seattlearchdiocese.org). Anyone sexually abused by clergy or by anyone working on behalf of the Church is encouraged to contact the Pastoral Outreach Coordinator at 800-446-7762.

“As each one has received a gift, use it to serve one another as good stewards of God’s varied grace.” 1 Peter 4:10

In 2017, Fr. Vu Tran became our Pastor. He demonstrated a commitment to Men’s Spirituality in the parish by launching a summer-time Men’s Retreat at St. Andrew’s Retreat house in Longbranch, WA. He also learned the game Left-Right-Center (a game of chance with three specially marked die “left”, “right”, “center”) during our Seniors’ monthly potlucks. In joining the tradition of our previous Pastors, he helped build houses with the Mission Trekkers in Tijuana, Mexico.

Fr. Vu also wanted to support couples in the vocation of Marriage. When engaged couples want to be married in our church, they are required to do marriage prep, either through the Archdiocese, or our Marriage Prep program called Preparing to Live in Love. Fr. Vu saw the need to have similar formation support of the couple once they are married. The Cana Commission was one way to do this. Cana Commission is comprised of four SJV married couples who lead fun and reflective programs for our married parishioners to strengthen their commitment to marriage. Programs have included a dinner with discussion questions and a presentation from the Cana Commission; a Happy Hour; and Adoration and Reconciliation Service. They have been well received and well attended.

Each year, the parish would have a Gala Auction and dinner, with a Family Auction prior. It was a daunting task to maintain both events due to the magnitude of labor to catalog donated items and planning both events. After years of comparing the amount of work it took to do both events and realizing the small revenue that the Family Auction supplied for it, the Committee was finding that it was not as cost-effective to do both. After much discussion, the Auction Committee decided to cancel the Family Auction part and find a replacement event to generate better revenue.

The Knights of Columbus (K of C) held an annual Golf Tournament each year. The Auction Committee approached them and asked if they could take over the Tournament as a replacement for the Family Auction, thinking this would be an excellent event since it could be organized any time during the year (Spring through Fall). Doing so would help ease the planning and production of our Fall Gala Auction by keeping it separate. There was some concern because the Knights would have to relinquish a revenue source of their own but finally did give their permission to the Auction Committee.

In 2019, the Knights requested that the Golf Tournament be renamed to honor a long-time parish and K of C member Del Brown. The Auction Committee respectfully agreed, and it is now called the Del Brown Memorial Invitational Golf Tourney. Auction Committee Chair Brian Kasen and Mike Archer also decided to open the Tourney to other parishes to help generate additional revenue by increased participation. Adding raffle tickets for give-away prizes, the purchase of mulligans and other enticements for lower scores, and providing lunch exceeded the profits by 46% that the Family Auction provided.

“But whoever drinks the water I shall give will never thirst; the water I shall give will become in him a spring of water welling up to eternal life.” John 4:14

On February 28th, 2020, a woman staying at LifeCare of Kirkland was diagnosed with a case of coronavirus, or COVID-19. Because this was a new virus, we did not have a vaccine, and cases were showing that the virus compromises lungs, while spreading faster than influenza. It soon spread to 81 residents, 34 staff members, and 14 visitors. 23 of them died. The virus became an issue for our nation as well as countries.

To try to stop the spread of this virus in Washington State, Governor Jay Inslee cited a “shelter in place” state-wide order that requires everyone in the state to stay home. This was similar to proclamations in California and New York. It was called the “Stay Home, Stay Healthy” order. This proclamation required every Washingtonian to stay home unless they need to pursue an essential activity; close all businesses except for “essential” business; ban all gatherings for social, spiritual, and recreational purposes.

On March 11th, 2020, Seattle Archbishop Paul D. Etienne sent out a directive to all parishes to do their part to slow down this pandemic by suspending all spiritual/social events including weekday or weekend Masses. St. John Vianney had to stop Mass gatherings and activities. Parishioners were temporarily dispensed from the obligation to attend Sunday Mass until Masses were re-instated.

The SJV Staff needed to figure out a plan to connect our parishioners to have Mass. Following other parishes in our state, and in the world, Fr. Vu and the Staff then set up filming Mass to show on our Facebook account. Catholic.org also gave times and dates of Masses all over the world that you can attend via YouTube or their websites. Marriages and Funerals were still conducted, but limited to 30 people, sitting 6-feet apart in pews. This was compensated by recording their celebrations for the families’ Facebook for the rest of their guests to see.

Our Staff continued to increase sanitizing with every visit from a parishioner or guest. Our Staff did a deep clean of our parish and set up cleaning stations to adhere to the CDC (Center for Disease Control) requirements. The front entry had sign-in sheets, sanitizers, and facemasks made by our parishioners for those to use if they did not have one before coming into our church. The Chapel was open for private prayer during the week. Faith Formation programs such as Bible Study and Catholic Apologetics classes were now led on a cloud-based video communications app called Zoom.

Continually checking with the changes in the King County and State mandates, SJV adjusted hours and limitations accordingly for the rest of the year. Mass was slowly allowed to be outdoor, then indoor with a limit on how many could attend. Staff set up required online reservations were to help keep the legal capacity for worship under the health guidelines. Staff member Ana Klepper became more adept at recording our Mass for our website. Eventually, our Daily Mass and Adoration re-started with parishioners spaced 6-feet apart and wearing masks.

Pre-school Director Annette Schwientek, working with Archdiocesan guidelines for safety with COVID-19, had an approved addendum added to the parents’ handbook so the students could safely continue pre-school classes at our parish. The Pre-school re-opened in September 2020.

Our Quilt Club was asked to help. Starting with three members in 2011, our now 11-member Quilt Club has been making quilts for those in nursing homes, the Eastside Baby Corner, and Evergreen Hospice. From 2016 – 2019, they donated 150+ quilts every year.

In 2020, the Center for Disease Control (CDC) and Washington State mandates requested that every person who was outside their home wear a mask. Our Quilters looked up the guidelines of what type of material to use, what size was proper, and how many layers of material to use to help prevent the spread from a person to person. The Quilt Club would meet outside of the church weekly due to the pandemic to give the masks and quilts for collection. Their weekly mask delivery to the parish was sent to Evergreen Hospital and Tri-parish Food Bank (935 Pederson Road Burlington, WA). From February through December 2020, the Quilt Club donated over 4892 cloth masks (2177 to Evergreen Hospital and 2715 to Tri-parish) for the cause. The Quilt Club was still able to donate 40+ quilts for 2020.

Other parishioners who sewed also donated masks. In 2021, Lilia Ortiz, Tri-Parish Food Bank Director, and Mary Gilbert, Holy Family parishioner & Tri-Parish Food Bank volunteer wrote a thank you letter to our parish for the masks, which was reaching 10,000 masks. Calling us the “Miracle Mask Makers”, Lila stated in her letter, “Knowing there are people in our community who reach out with such thoughtfulness, makes a real difference, especially during this time of Covid. During our Saturday food bank distribution, clients come not only for food assistance but for the beautiful face masks that you have made. Many clients have said, ‘someone has hand-sewn this mask just for me!’”

As we enter 2021, King County is now in Phase 3 of the Washington State Healthy Roadmap to Recovery Plan. Three vaccinations are now authorized and approved by the CDC. Our Staff continues to follow the guidelines by continuing to keep our parish lean and ventilated, wearing masks, and limiting the capacity for in-house Mass and visits.

Celebrating 10 years in 2021, SJV Preschool now are four classes (3’s, 3+, 4’s, and Pre-K) serving 53 families, with an optional additional day (Storybook Adventure) for our 4’s students. Her staff now has 8 – 10 teachers and assistants working with her. Reflecting on this, Annette said, “Looking back at the past 10 years, I am in awe of what we have accomplished. We were inspired, guided, and supported by the Holy Spirit every step of the way. We are grateful for the support of the parish and the incredibly generous donations made by so many preschool families who were part of the journey.”

Even though we are in limitations in how we attend church, we continue to fulfill our faith formation. Baptisms and First Eucharist are scheduled to honor the capacity limit of our Mass; Weddings and Funerals are recorded so families can see them on our website or the family’s Facebook. Our Staff works tirelessly to maintain our connection to parishioners.

“You are the light of the world. A town built on a hill cannot be hidden. Nor do they light a lamp and then put it under a bushel basket; it is set on a lampstand, where it gives light to all in the house.” Matthew 5: 14-16

For over 50 years, hundreds and hundreds of St. John Vianney parishioners have collectively created a shining light on the top of Finn Hill. The contributions of these individuals have created a robust faith community in the Archdiocese of Seattle.