March 22, 2026 – St. Joseph Catholic Church

Archdiocesan News

Ascend Youth Leadership Retreat

When: July 27-29, 2026
Where: Archbishop Brunett Retreat Center

All high school students are invited to join us for the Ascend Leadership Retreat. Students will discover their God-given gifts, grow in spiritual maturity and learn how to lead with integrity, compassion and purpose in their communities. Registration is now open!

Sponsored by the Archdiocese of Seattle’s Youth Ministry.

Parish News

St Joseph, Ferndale Faith Formation Volunteers Needed

If you are interested in any of the following volunteer opportunities please contact [email protected] or or 360-745-1654

Teen Adoration Chaperones: Be an adult participant on a rotating list of adults to provide welcoming, presence, answering questions, and help with food from 4:30-6pm Wednesdays.
Middle School and High School Full Communion and Inquiry Catechists: Assist Faith formation director and OCIA director with catechism and preparation for the Sacraments of Initiation for teens ages 12-17. Wednesdays 5:30pm-8pm Sundays 12pm-2pm
OCIC Volunteer coordinator: A member of our OCIA team focusing on the needs of children 8-17 years of age coming into the Catholic Church. Working with the volunteer OCIA director to answer initial inquiries and then helping children and their families prepare sacraments of initiation, connecting with sponsors and mentors, teaching classes. Classes currently held on Wednesday evenings 6pm-8pm and Sunday after Mass.
Confirmation Preparation Catechist: A volunteer member of our faith formation team that provides catechism and preparation for the sacrament of Confirmation to youths ages 12-17 years old. There are 15 preparation classes that that take place spread out over the school year beginning in October and finishing around April/May. Classes are held Wednesdays 6pm-7:30pm.
Kindergarten – 1st Grade Catechist: A volunteer member of our faith formation team that provides catechism, crafts and faith formation for children in grades kindergarten through 1st Grade. Classes are held Wednesdays during the school year 6pm-7:30pm
Baptism Preparation and Family Faith formation support: A volunteer member of our faith formation team that will assist families with baptismal registration, baptismal preparation classes, post baptismal follow up and family support across St. Joseph, St. Anne and St. Joachim.
Catechism classroom assistants: Assist in classrooms and during faith formation activities to help the main catechist with welcoming children, lessons, activities, support and preparation. Classes meet Wednesday evenings 6pm-7:30pm. Assistants are also appreciated for Faith formation activities such as Jesus Day Camp, Adventure Camp, Sunday Story time, and other children’s activities.
Godparents and Sponsors for OCIA/OCIC: Individuals who are confirmed and over the age of 16 who are practicing Catholics in good standing with the Catholic Church. These adults mentor and provide spiritual guidance for people of all ages who are preparing to be received into the Catholic Church and/or receiving confirmation. Training classes and support group is starting this spring 2026.

New Phone Tree Coming to Assumption and Sacred Heart

A new phone tree will be implemented at Sacred Heart and Assumption parishes on April 8th. This phone tree will direct callers to the department that they wish to speak to. This will further allow Assumption, Sacred Heart, St. Joseph Ferndale, and Whatcom regional staff to directly transfer calls within the phone system, making for a more fluid and easy system for parishioners and staff alike. St. Joseph’s Lynden phone system will be transitioned in the coming months.

Partners in the Gospel

Opportunities & Challenges Listening Sessions

Financial Viability Bulletin Announcement

Before the next Listening Session, which will occur after Easter, the PFAC will be looking at the 5th viability metric which is the entire parish family’s financial viability. The information gathered after analyzing the following 6 data points will be shared with the parish family prior to the upcoming Listening sessions. These necessary details are being formed into a combined report for your review and will soon be available

Total Parish family income: This is how much money comes into the parish from all sources. The goal is for a parish family to account for all the sources and determine which are consistent every year or one-time.
Ordinary income: Describes money that comes into the parish from sources that are considered ordinary like weekly collections and holy day collections. It does not include items like rental income or one-time bequests. The general goal is for a parish family to have an ordinary income of $1 million or more.
Parish margin: This is how much more (or less) the parish brings in each year over what it spends. The goal is for parishes to have a positive margin, meaning less is spent than is brought in each year.
School margin: Just as the parish needs to show a positive margin (less is spent than brought in), so does a school. Parish financial support is included in both parish and school margin calculations.
Debt: This is raw debt. While debt is often required for parish family projects, the goal for a parish family should be to actively pay down any debt.
PRF balance: A PRF, Parish Revolving Fund, is a deposit and loan fund operated by the archdiocese for parishes and schools. The PRF balance indicates overall financial health and the ability to invest in routine capital, maintenance, and respond to emergency expenditures. There is no set dollar amount goal for this metric, but PRF balance should be sufficient to reach the PRF to insured value ratio described above.

Listening Sessions for Opportunities and Challenges

To support the next phase of our Partners in the Gospel process, this round of Listening Sessions has been intentionally streamlined. Fewer sessions allow us to encourage parishioners to attend at a location other than their usual one — helping us build new relationships across the wider Whatcom Catholic community.

Sunday, April 19, 2pm: Sacred Heart
Wednesday, April 22, 10am: St Anne
Friday, April 24, 7pm: St Joseph, Ferndale, Spanish
Saturday, April 25, 10am: St Joseph, Lynden
Tuesday, April 28, 6:30pm: St Joseph, Ferndale
Saturday, May 2, 10am: Assumption

Church Events

Knights of Columbus Salmon Dinner

When: Friday, March 27th 5:30pm
Where: St Joseph, Ferndale

Knights of Columbus are hosting a Fish Dinner following Stations of the Cross and Confessions. Everyone is welcome to attend this delicious meal.

St Peter Salmon Dinner

The Knights of Columbus will be hosting a salmon dinner on Friday, March 27th at St. Peter’s. The dinner is a fundraiser for seminarian formation. The dinner will be at 6PM, followed by Stations of the Cross at 7.

Ladies Movie Night

When: Tuesday, March 24, 5:30-8pm
Where: St Anne

St. Anne’s Altar Society is hosting a movie night on Tuesday March 24th from 5:30 pm to 8 pm. Pizza, Pop and Popcorn will be provided. All ladies welcome!

St Joseph Grounds Clean Up

When: Saturday, March 28, 2026, 9am-4pm (or earlier if we get everything done)
Where: St Joseph, Ferndale

We will be cleaning and weeding flowerbeds and trimming bushes, to beatify our grounds for Easter and to get them ready for the growing season. Lunch will be provided. Come and join us, it is a great opportunity to volunteer and get to know some of our wonderful parishioners. If you have any questions, call Nita Harksell at 360-380-6134.

Help Us Prepare for Easter!

When: Tuesday, March 31, 10-2pm
Where: St Anne

St. Anne’s Altar Society invites all parishioners to join us for a work party on Tuesday, March 31st, from 10:00 AM to 2:00 PM. As we prepare our sanctuary for the joy of the Easter season, we would love your help with cleaning the church.

He Is Risen!

When: Sunday, April 5, after 9:30am Mass
Where: St Anne

Please join the St. Anne’s Altar Society in the Parish Hall immediately following the 9:30 AM Easter Mass on April 5th! We invite you to celebrate with a selection of pastries, coffee, and refreshments. We look forward to seeing you there!

Roof Recovery Appeal

Last fall we completed a necessary roof replacement to prevent further water damage and protect our parish facilities. This work was essential to avoid much larger, long-term repairs.

To recover financially we must raise $73,000 in one-time gifts. If you can, please donate today. For full details, read Fr. Moore’s complete letter on the St Joseph Website.

Youth Group Events

Where: St Joseph Ferndale, Disciples Den

The Youth Group has an exciting week ahead!

Sunday, March 22, 12-2pm: Youth Group & Adoration, St Joseph, Ferndale, Disciples Den
Thursday, March 26, 6-8pm: Shadow Stations Rehearsal, Assumption Gym
Friday, March 27, 5:30pm: Shadow Stations of the Cross, Assumption Gym

Lent Information

CRS Rice Bowl: Embracing God’s Love, United in Generosity

God created man and woman in his image, reminding us that every person is sacred and reflects God’s love. Each of us has a purpose, woven into God’s plan. Our support of CRS Rice Bowl provides hope and opportunity to families around the world. Let’s reflect on how our prayers, fasting, and almsgiving can help our sisters and brothers fulfill their potential. Visit crsricebowl.org/week-5 to read this week’s Story of Hope

Donation of Cash or Check would be appreciated. Banks are limiting coin deposits.

School News

Bingo Thanks

Thank you to everyone who came out on Saturday for our first Family Bingo Night! Your support of our 8th graders, participation in the chili contest, and enthusiasm throughout the evening made it a huge success. It truly was an incredible night filled with fun and with our favorite community.

A special congratulations to the Cotter family for taking home the top prize with their delicious Taco Tuesday chili!

We are so grateful for such a wonderful and supportive Assumption Family—thank you for making the night so memorable!

Love from your 8th Grade Families

Accreditation Visit 2026

We’re excited to share that we are approaching our WCEA (Western Catholic Educational Association) school accreditation visit, a rigorous and cyclical review process that evaluates the quality of a school’s Catholic identity, educational programs, and operational viability every six years. After 17 months of preparation, we are ready for a team of six educators from around the Archdiocese of Seattle to be with us March 23-25 to verify our self-study, meet with stakeholders, and review findings. We ask for prayers and strength for the visiting team, Fr. Moore, Mr. Ramos, our students and staff as we wrap up things.

All parishioners are welcome to join our All-School Mass on Wednesday, March 25, at 8:15am as we host the Accreditation team. There will be no school mass on Friday, March 27, and instead will be a regular daily mass with benediction to start at 7:45am. Thank you.

Affiliated Organizations

Agape Service Project – Now Hiring!

We are seeking enthusiastic, faith-filled individuals to join our seasonal staff this summer. We have current opening for Agape Program Coordinator – YR 1, Head Cook, Assistant Cook, Language Access Specialist (Spanish). Job details can be found at archseattle.org/careers (search “Agape”). Agape operates out of Assumption Parish and School with encounter experiences in Lynden, Everson, and Ferndale. Questions? Please contact Jennifer Lautenbach, Agape Project Coordinator at [email protected] or (206) 382-4865.

Catholic Relief Services Collection

As you may know, 2025 was a difficult year for Catholic Relief Services, particularly for its partners overseas. Reductions in US Government-funded programs have led to staff cuts and elimination of programming.

Loss of funding means millions of people are at risk. Children are starving. Families are fleeing conflict. Entire communities are being cut off from the aid they need to survive. As government support declines, your compassion becomes essential. In addition to supporting Rice Bowl, you can make an additional donation to the CRS Collection.

The CRS collection was established by the US bishops to support 6 Catholic agencies working for families including CRS, USCCB Migration and Refugee services and Catholic Legal Immigration Network, which among other services, helps to assist our international priests and nuns. Thank you for your support!

Interfaith Coalition: Turning a House Back Into a Home

Imagine walking through your front door after spending weeks away, only to find everything that made your house a ‘home’ is gone. The sofa where you read to you kids, the kitchen where you shared meals, and even the clothes in your closet – all lost to the floodwaters.

For many in our community, the water has finally receded, but the challenge is just beginning. They are moving back into empty shells of houses and starting over from scratch.

We are collecting essential items to help some of our neighbors who are finally able to return home and rebuild their lives. If you have any of the following in good condition, please consider donating: https://www.interfaith-coalition.org/item-donations

Furniture

Couch
Dining Table Set
Dressers
End tables
Dining Room Chairs

Household Supplies

Pots and pans
Dishes
Disposable cups and utensils
King size bedding
Diapers size 7

Clothing

Clean, gently used clothes – Boys 4/5 and 14/16
Shoes – Boys (4, 7, 7.5), Girls (6), Womens (8) and Mens (9.5, 10, 11)
Socks for boys (4 and 14)/girls (6)

How Can You Help? Your ‘extra’ could be someone else’s ‘everything’. Whether it’s a spare dresser in your garage or a bag of outgrown clothes, your generosity provides more than just hysical goods – it provides hope.

Drop Off Location: Interfaith Coalition Office 495 E Bakerview Rd, Bellingham WA 98226
Drop off time for small items: Monday through Friday 9 am to noon, until March 27th

Please call to arrange for delivery of larger items
Phone Number: 360-734-3983
Thank you for standing with our community as we dry out and move forward together.

Upcoming

Wednesday, March 25

Solemnity of the Annunciation of the Lord

Thursday, March 26

Thursday of the Fifth Week of Lent

8:30-8:45am: Confessions – St Anne
8:30am: Stations of the Cross – St Anne
9-10am: Mass – St Anne Offered in memory of Steven Kizer, RIP
10:30: Small Lent Group – St Anne, Hall
5-6pm: Mass – St Joachim Offered in memory of Helen Norton, RIP
6-8pm: Youth Group Shadow Stations Rehearsal – Assumption Gym
6:30pm: Small Lent Group – St Joseph, Ferndale, Disciples Den

Friday, March 27

Friday of the Fifth Week of Lent

9am-9:30am: Mass – St Joseph, Ferndale
10am: Small Lent Group – St Joseph, Ferndale, Disciples Den
5:30pm: Fish Fry – St Joseph, Ferndale
6pm: Shadow Stations of the Cross – Assumption Gym

Saturday, March 28

Saturday of the Fifth Week of Lent

9am-4pm: Groundskeeping Work Party – St Joseph, Ferndale
3pm-4pm: Confessions – St Joseph, Ferndale
4:30-4:45pm: Confessions – St Anne
5pm-6pm: Mass – St Anne
7pm: Faith Alive with Fr Tyler – Sacred Heart

Sunday, March 29

Palm Sunday of the Lord’s Passion

8am-8:15am: Confessions – St Joachim
8:30am-10am: Mass – St Joachim
10:30am-12pm: Mass – St Joseph, Ferndale
12-2pm: Youth Group – St Joseph, Ferndale, Disciples Den

In case you Missed it

Holy Week Schedule

St Joseph, Ferndale

April 2, Holy Thursday, 7-8:30pm
April 3, Good Friday Confession, 6-7pm
April 3, Good Friday Service, 7-8:30pm
April 4, Easter Vigil, 8-10:30pm
April 5, Easter Sunday, 10:30-11:30am

St Joachim, Lummi

April 5, Easter Sunday, 8:30-10am

St Anne, Blaine

April 5, Easter Sunday, 9:30-11am

For the full Holy Week schedule, please see whatcomcatholic.org.

Shadow Stations of the Cross

When: Friday, March 27, 6pm
Where: Church of the Assumption, Gym

The youth of St. Anne & St. Joseph in Ferndale invite you to experience a powerful presentation of the Stations of the Cross. Using shadows, the youth portray the Passion of Jesus in a moving and memorable way. Please join for their final performance.

Faith Alive with Fr. Tyler

When: Saturday March 28th, 7-8pm
Where: Sacred Heart Church, 1110 14th St, Bellingham

Everyone is invited to a special evening of Faith Alive with Fr. Tyler. He’ll be speaking on the beauty and power of Marriage—a perfect chance to deepen your faith and appreciation for this sacrament. Whether you are married, engaged, or just looking to strengthen your understanding, this is for you. Invite a friend.

Easter Egg Hunt

When: Sunday, April 5th, after 10am Mass
Where: Assumption

An Easter egg hunt will take place after the 10am mass at Assumption on Sunday April 5th. We ask that you hold off on participating in the hunt until mass has ended and bring your own baskets or bags to collect eggs in. There will be a collection box labeled “Easter Egg Recycling” placed near the Hope House collection bin in the gathering space and next to the office at Assumption School after Easter Sunday to recycle any plastic eggs for next year.

LAMENTATION

When: Saturday, April 11, 2026, 1pm-3pm
Where: Assumption School, Teacher’s Lounge Room

Assumption Parish will host LAMENTATION, an eight-week grief ministry program written and led by Deacon Dale Pollard with the parish grief ministry team. The series is open to Whatcom Catholic parishioners who have experienced the loss of a loved one.

Contact Dr. Kathy Ernst at [email protected] or 253-356-5523 for information.

Divine Mercy Sunday

When: Sunday, April 12, 2026 3:00 pm
Where: St Joseph, Ferndale

The parish will observe Divine Mercy Sunday with the singing of the Divine Mercy Chaplet at 3:00 p.m. at St. Joseph Church in Ferndale. The chaplet is a traditional prayer of the Church associated with the feast.

Lent Food Drive

40 Day Food Drive for the Ferndale Foodbank and Blaine Foodbank St. Joseph, Ferndale and St Anne, will be running a 40-day drive for the foodbank. Parishioners are encouraged to either give $40 to the foodbank or bring 40 cans of food. Donated food expiration date must be no more than 2 years old. St Joseph Ferndale has so far donated 114lbs of food.

Information can be found at the St. Joseph, Ferndale Parish office.

Jesus Day Camp

Save the Date June 22-26, 2026, for Jesus Day Camp at St Joseph, Ferndale.

St Joseph, Ferndale Rummage & Bake Sale

St Joseph Adopt a Flowerbed

We have many flowerbeds around our lovely campus that need someone to give them the TLC that they need throughout the year. We Want You. Adopt A Flowerbed. You may keep the flowerbed clean on your own time, no set day or time to do it. You would be keeping them weeded and any shrubs trimmed as needed. Some of them are such that new flowers may be planted, but most are just pulling weeds. If you already have a bed, let me know if you will continue to keep it up, or if you wish to change flowerbeds, or if you need someone to help you, or if you need to discontinue. Contact Nita Harksell at 360-380-6134 or see her after mass on Sundays