Welcome!
Hello, and welcome! I am Fr. Jeffrey Moore, a priest of the Archdiocese of Seattle. This is my personal website, where I post my homilies, reflections, and other ministerial resources.
Everything on this website is my responsibility alone. While I intend everything to be in accord with Catholic teaching and in obedience to the Archbishop of Seattle, these remain the words of one, individual priest.
Contact Information
E-mail: frmoore@whatcomcatholic.org
The absolute best way to contact me. I choose not to have an office phone number.
Scheduling: priests@whatcomcatholic.org
Monitored by our Executive Assistant for Clergy
Mailing Address (both personal and professional)
5781 Hendrickson Ave
Ferndale, WA 98248
About Me
Background and Call to Priesthood
I was born and spent the first ten years of life in a suburb of Dallas, TX. After my parents divorced, my mother, younger sister, and I moved to Seattle to be closer to my mother’s family.
I was baptized in the local Presbyterian church on Nov. 12, 1989, but we only attended sporadically while in Texas. After the move to Seattle we regularly attended Catholic Mass with my grandparents, and I officially joined the Catholic Church on February 14, 1999.
I was attracted to the faith from my first exposure. As a child I found the rules and structures comforting during a particularly chaotic period. In high school, the sacraments of the Church gave me the strength I needed to fight the many sinful temptations we face as teenagers, and the intellectual tradition called me to be defined by something greater than myself. By college, my faith was the bedrock of my life, the source of my strength, and was fueling me with a deep purpose and mission.
During my junior year of college, God decided that it was time to talk about vocation, and he got my attention at a young adult retreat hosted by the Archdiocese of Boston. First, he gave me the grace of deep prayer. Then, a month later, he challenged me to look at priesthood (since, previously, I had been so convinced it was not for me that I never investigated it). I obeyed, thinking it to be a test of faith more than a serious prospect, but the more I looked, the more I realized that there was a deeper call that I needed to take seriously. By the summer before my last year of college, I determined that, if I did not follow this call to its end (either losing the call or getting ordained), I would lack peace because I would always wonder “what if?” After completing my engineering degree, I entered seminary, where God continued to confirm my call all the way to the point of ordination.
Upon reflection, my attraction to priesthood was a natural extension of my love of the Catholic faith. Secular culture is dangerous, and I have seen it lead to unhappiness for so many. It was my Catholic faith, and my relationship with Jesus Christ, that saved me from secularism, hedonism, materialism, and their ilk. I believe that God has called me to help others to know Jesus Christ, so that they, too, can know the deep and true happiness that only Jesus can provide.
Professional Interests
I love structures of every kind and find myself constantly asking how various parish structures and programs might be improved to make our parishes more faithful to the Church and evangelically effective to the culture. I have a particular interest in Canon Law and the law tradition of the Church.
Personal Interests
Despite living in one of the most beautiful places on God’s green Earth, my interests are decidedly un-natural. I love problem solving and games of all sorts, both board games (complicated, German-style) and video games (adventure and world-building). I also find debates and discussions thrilling. If you can provide me a mental challenge, I am probably interested.
Ministry Assignments
Whatcom Catholic Churches, Whatcom County (July 2024 – present) – Pastor of “Family #2” in the Archdiocese of Seattle’s Partners in the Gospel initiative, encompassing the churches in Bellingham, Blaine, Deming, Fairhaven, Ferndale, Lummi, and Lynden.
Assumption Parish, Bellingham (July 2019 – June 2024) – Pastor
[Technically, Priest Administrator from July 2019 – June 2022, and Pastor thereafter.]
Skagit Valley Cluster (July 2017 – June 2019) – Parochial Vicar to Mount Vernon, Burlington, Sedro-Woolley, La Conner, and Concrete
Lewis County Cluster (Summer 2016) – Diaconate summer internship, including Centralia, Chehalis, Toledo, Mossyrock, and Morton
Providence St. Peter’s Hospital (Summer 2015) – CPE
St. Michael, Olympia (Spring 2015) – Seminary pastoral internship
Sacred Heart / WWU Newman Center, Bellingham (Summer 2014) – Summer internship
St. Charles Borromeo, Tacoma (Summer 2012) – Summer internship
St. Anthony, Renton (2010-2011) – Pastoral Year in preparation for seminary
CYO Camps Gallagher and Hamilton (Summer 2010, Summer 2011) – Challenge course specialist at Camp Gallagher in 2010 and Lodge Leader at Camp Hamilton in 2011
[N.B.: Camp Gallagher is no longer run by the Archdiocese of Seattle.]
Educational History
Theology – University of St. Mary of the Lake / Mundelein Seminary, Mundelein, IL (Masters in Divinity and Bachelors in Sacred Theology)
Pre-Theology – Mt. Angel Seminary, Mt. Angel, OR
Undergraduate – Franklin W. Olin College of Engineering, Needham, MA (Bachelors of Science in Engineering, with a concentration in Computing)
Secondary School – John F. Kennedy Memorial High School, Burien, WA
Primary School – Highland Village Elementary, Highland Village, TX (K-4); St. Bernadette Parish School, Burien, WA (5-8)
Fr. Moore 