The Sacred Heart of Jesus

Greetings!

Last Thursday, Archbishop Etienne spoke of the fully human nature of Christ. Fully human with a real heart that could break, that could long, that could grieve. And fully divine, which means that love has no bottom to it.

His new pastoral letter on the Sacred Heart of Jesus begins right here. He writes that the Heart of Christ is not a pious image or a sentiment; it is "a person to be known, a love to be received." The devotion to the Sacred Heart isn't nostalgia. It is, as he quotes Jesuit Father John Croiset, "nothing else than an exercise of love."

He invites each of us — families, parishes, schools — to rediscover that love. To enthrone it in our homes. To offer our days from within it. To let our hearts be formed by his.

Jesus told his disciples: "This is my commandment: love one another as I love you." This letter shows us where that kind of love comes from and where it leads.

I encourage you to take some time this week to read it. Please share it with your families through your newsletters and other distribution methods.

Sacred Heart Pastoral Letter — Archbishop Paul D. Etienne, May 2026

* * * * *

Thank you to each of you who were able to join us last Thursday for our final meeting of the year. For resources from the day, including Sam’s and Lisa’s presentations, visit here.

If you have not already had an opportunity to do so, please complete the two brief surveys that were shared at the end of the meeting:

OCS May Principal Meeting Exit Slip

AI Workshop Feedback for Sam Procopio

With gratitude,

NICHOLAS FORD | Superintendent

Office for Catholic Schools | Archdiocese of Seattle

OPERATIONS CALENDAR & MONTHLY TASK LIST

Click here & log into mycatholicschool.org

Principal Weekly Meetings

5/21/2026 - Summer Communication and Upcoming Summer Events with Kristin Moore

5/28/2026 - End of Year Meeting and Celebration

Upcoming Events

June 19, 2026

Juneteenth - Chancery Closed

July 3, 2026

Chancery Closed - Independence Day

July 29, 2026

New Principal/Pastor Retreat

August 3, 2026

New Principal Orientation

Seattle University - Oberto Commons

August 4, 2026

Kickstart

Seattle University - Campion Hall

August 5 and 6, 2026

INSPIRE

Seattle University - Campion Hall

View Chancery to Parish (C2P) Newsletter

MISSION & CATHOLIC IDENTITY

Christ in the Classroom Leadership Retreat Registration

We look forward to gathering with you at the Seabeck Conference Center from September 23-25 for our annual Christ in the Classroom Leadership Retreat. Click here to learn about the retreat and register today!

Sacred Heart Pastoral Letter and Devotion

Archbishop Etienne invites all school leaders to read and share his new pastoral letter, "Learn from Me, for I am Meek and Humble of Heart," and to join him in fostering devotion to the Sacred Heart within their school communities. The letter can be found here.

Loving Jesus Through the Sacred Heart Devotion Toolkit

Please encourage your community to visit archseattle.org/sacredheart to learn about the Sacred Heart devotion, access prayers for homes and classrooms, and utilize the promotional toolkit. A week-long curriculum for the 2026-27 school year about the history and practice of the Sacred Heart devotion is being developed for elementary and middle school students and will be published by August.

Solemnity of the Assumption at Cheney Stadium

Please join Archbishop Etienne, Bishop Schuster, and thousands of the faithful on August 15 at Cheney Stadium in Tacoma for an outdoor Mass celebrating the Solemnity of the Assumption. Admission is free and all are welcome, though tickets are required. Click here to learn more and register.

Seattle Mariners Faith and Family Day!

Enjoy a fun faith and family day on August 1 at T-Mobile Park with the Archdiocese of Seattle special group pricing, a postgame concert and player speaker series. Register here and please share this flyer with your school community.

No Unlikely Saints - A Mental Health Retreat, June 20

This retreat is designed for those struggling with mental illnesses or those concerned and wanting to help others. Join us and learn how mental illness can become a pathway to holiness by exploring the lives of saints who struggled with mental illness. Learn more and register here.

GOVERNANCE & LEADERSHIP

Personnel & Policy Notes for the Week of 05/18/26

Updates this week: HR presentation on upcoming hiring changes, effective 7/1/2026; Registration link for new employee orientation.

Click here to read more.

University BLC Program Applications

Leadership Programs with our partner universities. See the list with areas for teachers, leaders, pastors and more to participate. PACE and CSTC included. Click here!

University of Notre Dame Remick Webinar

Live webinar tomorrow to learn more about the Mary Ann Remick Leadership Program - an Educational Leadership program at the University of Notre Dame. The webinar will take place on Tuesday, May 19 at 8:00pm EST. Click here to register.

ACADEMIC EXCELLENCE

Accreditation Member Registration 2026-27

Accreditation Team Registration for 2026-27 is now open. Please sign up if you are interested in joining an accreditation team as a delegate for 2026-27.

GRACE Spring Workshop Resources

Find all resources to the GRACE Spring meeting (and all meetings from this last school year) in our shared folder.

Early Learning Weekly Newsletter

Important Resources and Reminders for Early Learning Programs. Click here to learn more.

Teacher Certification

Here are a list of programs from OSPI that can help you certify your teachers. Currently, we are working with our partners to find more affordable pathways that full-time employees can participate in.

OPERATIONAL VITALITY

CSTC Teacher Request Form

There are still CSTC placements available! Fill out the form to request a Seattle University CSTC teacher for the 2026-27 school year. Contact Chris Smith, smithc31@seattleu.edu with questions.

PACE Teacher Request Form

There are still PACE placements available! Fill out the form to request a University of Portland PACE teacher for the 2026-27 school year. Contact Ryan Darmody, darmody@up.edu with questions.

Benefits for Hourly School Staff

A new approach to collecting employee contributions to Health Insurance Premiums will start soon. See the attached note from Benefits and Payroll. Please make sure you understand the transition.

2026-2027 Budget Season

Please share your 2026/2027 Budget with John Sullivan. Please include your assumptions and your Three to Five Year Plan.

Amazon Prime Diocese

Do you need details? ask John Sullivan. Do you need to sign up? Reach out to Jeanette.Bader@seattlearch.org or call 206-382-4851.

Giving Gifts to Teachers and Staff

If you are giving a gift to a teacher or other member of your staff, please review the attached before you resolve how the gift will be shared.

Resumes from Recruitment Events - Updated 4.27.2026

Resumes have been added to our recruitment folder from our events for the 2025-2026 school year. Bookmark this page!

Know Your Operating Cash

This time of year it is critical for each of our schools to know their Operating Cash. Please contact John Sullivan if you need help.

Fulcrum

Move Your Feet Grant Impact Reports – Due June 30, 2026

In December 2025, each school in the Archdiocese of Seattle received a Move Your Feet grant. These were one-time unrestricted grants inspired by the Move Your Feet initiative in solidarity with Annunciation Catholic School, and Luke 12:48 – “Much will be required of the person entrusted with much and still more will be demanded of the person entrusted with more.”

As a reminder, the conditions for these grants are:

Use the funds by no later than June 30, 2026.
Submit an electronic impact report to Fulcrum by no later than June 30, 2026.

(link to form: Fulcrum Foundation Move Your Feet Impact Report – Fill out form)

Include Fulcrum in your annual report and/or any donor listings.

Contact Susan Ocoma, Fulcrum’s Senior Programs Director, with any questions (susan.ocoma@fulcrumfoundation.org).

News & Resources

No News this Week!

If you have something you would like to share in this section, please contact Ellie Bailey! eleanor.bailey@seattlearch.org

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