Click any image below to view the individual biographies of some of our Pastors. These profiles ran in the Catholic Northwest Progress in 2009/10 as part of "Year for Priests."

To contact a priest use our Find A Priest and Find a Parish search functions.

Fr. James P. Coyne

Fr. Joseph A. DeFolco

Fr. Oliver Duggan

Fr. Kevin Duggan

Fr. Patrick Freitag

Fr. Emilio Gonzalez

Fr. W. R. Harris

Fr. Richard Hayatsu

FATHER JAMES P. COYNE
Pastor, St. John the Baptist Parish, Covington

HOMETOWN:
Chicago. Raised in Shoreline, Wash., St. Luke Parish

DATE AND PLACE OF ORDINATION:
May 24, 1975, St. James Cathedral

GREATEST JOY AS A PRIEST:
Celebrating the sacraments and being there for people.

GREATEST CHALLENGE AS A PRIEST:
Administration as a pastor

A SCRIPTURAL PASSAGE THAT INSPIRES YOU:
"But we hold this treasure in earthen vessels, that the surpassing power may be of God and not from us." (2 Cor. 4:7)

RECREATION:
Reading, traveling, especially in the U.S.

FATHER JOSEPH A. "JAY" DEFOLCO
Pastor, Holy Cross Parish, Lake Stevens - St. Mary, Marysville - St. Anne, Tulalip; chaplain, The Denny Juvenile Justice Center, Everett

HOMETOWN:
Centralia, baptized at St. Mary Church; from age 3 grew up in St. Luke Parish, Shoreline

DATE AND PLACE OF ORDINATION:
June 29, 1985, St. James Cathedral

GREATEST JOY AS A PRIEST:
Preaching the good news and sharing the message of Christ with others. I have always felt that as a priest I am in the front-row seat in witnessing what God is doing in people's lives. I pray each day that I can make a difference in at least one person's life and allow them to know how much God loves them. In recent years I have been privileged to serve the youth that are incarcerated. It is there that I have witnessed many miracles and God's forgiveness transforming lives.

GREATEST CHALLENGE AS A PRIEST:
Trying to meet all the various needs of the people we serve.

A SCRIPTURAL PASSAGE THAT INSPIRES YOU:
"The Spirit of the Sovereign Lord is on me, because the Lord has anointed me to preach the good news to the poor. He has sent me to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim freedom for the captives and release for the prisoners, to proclaim the year of the Lord's favor." (Is 61:1-2)

RECREATION:
Camping, fishing, gardening, reading, model railroading and being an uncle and a brother.

FATHER OLIVER F. DUGGAN
Pastor, Assumption Parish, Seattle

HOMETOWN:
Carlow, Ireland, Cathedral Parish of the Assumption

DATE AND PLACE OF ORDINATION:
All Hallows College, Dublin, Ireland

GREATEST JOY AS A PRIEST:
Parish pastoral work.

GREATEST CHALLENGE AS A PRIEST:
Preaching.

A SCRIPTURAL PASSAGE THAT INSPIRES YOU:
"All the ends of the earth have seen the salvation of God." (Ps 98:3)

RECREATION: Walking and golf.

FATHER KEVIN F.X. DUGGAN
Pastor, Mary, Queen of Peace Parish, Sammamish

HOMETOWN:
Philadelphia, Pa., Queen of Angels Parish

DATE AND PLACE OF ORDINATION:
June 13, 1998, St. James Cathedral

GREATEST JOY AS A PRIEST:
Celebrating the Eucharist with God's people, especially when everyone participates fully and actively.

GREATEST CHALLENGE AS A PRIEST:
Meeting and balancing the various expectations and needs in parish communities that are increasingly characterized by cultural and ecclesiological diversity.

A SCRIPTURAL PASSAGE THAT INSPIRES YOU:
"My grace is sufficient for you, for power is made perfect in weakness." (2 Cor 12:9) This passage reminds me that I must trust ever more in Christ, and to quit trying to do it all on my own. It helps me to have more confidence in God and to keep going despite my own imperfections.

RECREATION:
In solitude, I like to read and to swim. In company with friends, I like to go to the movies, to go for walks/hikes and to try different restaurants. I also enjoy stimulating intellectual conversation.

FATHER PATRICK W. FREITAG
Pastor, St. Monica Parish, Mercer Island

HOMETOWN:
Seattle, Our Lady of Fatima Parish

DATE AND PLACE OF ORDINATION:
June 8, 1996, St. James Cathedral

GREATEST JOY AS A PRIEST:
Preaching the Gospel; celebrating the sacraments; teaching the faith; leading people to a personal encounter with Jesus Christ.

GREATEST CHALLENGE AS A PRIEST:
Taking care of myself.

A SCRIPTURAL PASSAGE THAT INSPIRES YOU:
"And behold, I am with you always, until the end of the age." (Mt. 28:20)

RECREATION:
Spend time with family and friends; walk my dog, Kiesha; study the origin and structure of the universe.

FATHER EMILIO R. GONZALEZ
Pastor, St. Joseph Parish, Lynden and St. Peter Mission, Deming

HOMETOWN:
Mount Vernon, Immaculate Conception Parish

DATE AND PLACE OF ORDINATION:
June 18, 1988, St. James Cathedral

GREATEST JOY AS A PRIEST:
Celebrating Eucharist and the sacraments.

GREATEST CHALLENGE AS A PRIEST:
Working in a bilingual, bicultural parish.

A SCRIPTURAL PASSAGE THAT INSPIRES YOU:
"One thing I ask of the Lord; this I seek: To dwell in the Lord's house all the days of my life, To gaze on the Lord's beauty, to visit his temple." (Ps 27:4) (Romans 1:20)

RECREATION:
Oil painting, ceramics, porcelain, reading, gardening, time with nephews, niece, grandnephews, grandniece and my 95-year-old father.

FATHER W. R. HARRIS
Pastor, St. James Parish, Vancouver

HOMETOWN:
Seattle, St. John Parish

DATE AND PLACE OF ORDINATION:
June 17, 1978, St. James Cathedral

GREATEST JOY AS A PRIEST:
Bringing Christ to the world through the daily offering of the Mass.

GREATEST CHALLENGE AS A PRIEST:
How best to prepare the "soil" of people's hearts to receive and live the truth of Jesus Christ.

A SCRIPTURAL PASSAGE THAT INSPIRES YOU:
Be doers of the Word and not hearers only, deluding yourselves. For if anyone is a hearer of the Word and not a doer, he is like a man who looks at his own face in a mirror. (James 1:22-23)

RECREATION: Visiting with friends and family, cooking, going to movies.

FATHER RICHARD K. HAYATSU
Pastor, St. Francis of Assisi Parish, Seattle

HOMETOWN:
Seattle, St. Mary and Our Lady Queen of Martyrs parishes

DATE AND PLACE OF ORDINATION:
May 22, 1965, St. James Cathedral

GREATEST JOY AS A PRIEST:
Working with people in all aspects of parish life.

GREATEST CHALLENGE AS A PRIEST:
Getting everyone loving each other and working together to build up the kingdom of God.

A SCRIPTURAL PASSAGE THAT INSPIRES YOU:
Peter sinking in the water while walking toward Jesus (Mt 14:27–32). Even Peter can sink!

RECREATION:
I golf (or try to), ski and do photography.

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Meet Our Priests

FATHER JAMES P. COYNEPastor, St. John the Baptist Parish, Covington

FATHER JOSEPH A. "JAY" DEFOLCOPastor, Holy Cross Parish, Lake Stevens - St. Mary, Marysville - St. Anne, Tulalip; chaplain, The Denny Juvenile Justice Center, Everett

FATHER OLIVER F. DUGGANPastor, Assumption Parish, Seattle

FATHER KEVIN F.X. DUGGAN Pastor, Mary, Queen of Peace Parish, Sammamish

FATHER PATRICK W. FREITAG Pastor, St. Monica Parish, Mercer Island

FATHER EMILIO R. GONZALEZ Pastor, St. Joseph Parish, Lynden and St. Peter Mission, Deming

FATHER W. R. HARRIS Pastor, St. James Parish, Vancouver

FATHER RICHARD K. HAYATSU Pastor, St. Francis of Assisi Parish, Seattle