SEATTLE – On the first Sunday that public Masses were suspended in the Archdiocese of Seattle due to the coronavirus outbreak, Catholics in Western Washington joined themselves spiritually through livestreamed Masses and other forms of prayer.

“I stopped by St. Louise (Bellevue) for private prayer and streamed the Mass celebrated privately at St. Louise by Bishop [Daniel] Mueggenborg,” said Mary Curtis, a member of St. Louise de Marillac Parish. “Comforting to be, even if electronically, with my parish, my pastor,” she said.

Curtis and other Catholics around the archdiocese responded to Northwest Catholic’s question, “What are you doing today to keep the Lord’s Day holy?” that was posted March 15 on its Facebook and Instagram platforms.

Dana Tonkin of Kirkland said she livestreamed the Mass that Archbishop Paul D. Etienne celebrated in a chapel at St. James Cathedral, then took a walk “in the beautiful sunshine, admiring God’s glory.”

At one point, approximately 2,400 people were viewing the livestream of the archbishop celebrating Mass. (Archbishop Etienne plans to livestream daily Masses at 8:30 a.m. beginning March 17.)

Other local Catholics said they watched Masses on EWTN TV, Pope Francis celebrating Mass at the Vatican, or Masses livestreamed from their parishes — including St. Charles Borromeo in Tacoma, Blessed Sacrament in Seattle, St. Michael in Olympia, St. Monica on Mercer Island and St. Pius X in Mountlake Terrace.

Watching Mass wasn’t the only way local Catholics set the day aside for God.

“We live streamed Mass as a family and are opting for Catholic programming instead of secular programming,” said Enjoli Carter of St. Stephen the Martyr Parish in Renton.

Marrissa Cornia of St. Joseph Parish in Chehalis said her day included prayer, meditation, online Mass, the daily readings and abstaining from meat.

After watching Mass online, Carol Wilcox of Immaculate Conception Parish in Arlington said she “prayed my novena prayers, researched some Sunday devotions for my grandchildren and friends.”

Andrew Casad said he set up a prayer corner near the TV, “prayed Lauds as a family, watched/participated in virtual Mass with candles, a ‘well’ of water, crucifix, etc., then had a nice brunch … during which we prayed the Office of Readings, and now are putting out St. Patrick’s Day decor.”

“Prayers for all domestic churches,” added Casad, who is steward for Christian Initiation and Matrimony at St. Michael Parish in Olympia.

The archdiocese has also provided a list of recommended resources to grow closer to God while public Masses are suspended.

How to participate in livestreamed Masses

Here are some parishes that are livestreaming (or recording) Masses and posting video of the Mass for later viewing. Check parishes for times: Blessed Sacrament, Seattle Christ Our Hope, Seattle Church of the Assumption, Bellingham Holy Cross, Lake Stevens/Granite Falls Holy Innocents, Duvall Holy Family, Kirkland Holy Redeemer, Vancouver Holy Rosary, West Seattle North American Martyrs, Edmonds Our Lady of Lourdes, Vancouver Our Lady of Sorrows, Snoqualmie Our Lady Star of the Sea, Bremerton Sacred Heart, Bellingham St. Andrew, Sumner St. Anthony, Renton St. Benedict, Seattle St. Brendan, Bothell St. Charles Borromeo, Tacoma St. Elizabeth Ann Seton, Bothell ( St. Frances Cabrini, Lakewood St. Joseph, Issaquah St. Joseph, Seattle St. Joseph, Vancouver St. John the Baptist, Covington St. Louise de Marillac, Bellevue St. Luke, Shoreline St. Madeleine Sophie, Bellevue St. Mark, Shoreline St. Mary, Aberdeen St. Michael, Olympia St. Monica, Mercer Island St. Nicholas, Gig Harbor St. Olaf, Poulsbo St. Pius X, Mountlake Terrace St. Stephen the Martyr, Renton St. Vincent de Paul, Federal Way WWU Newman Center, Bellingham

If you’d like to add your parish’s link for livestreamed or recorded Masses, email This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. document.getElementById('cloakc8d0f7cc025723b96f665de800dc57bd').innerHTML = ''; var prefix = 'ma' + 'il' + 'to'; var path = 'hr' + 'ef' + '='; var addyc8d0f7cc025723b96f665de800dc57bd = 'editor' + '@'; addyc8d0f7cc025723b96f665de800dc57bd = addyc8d0f7cc025723b96f665de800dc57bd + 'seattlearch' + '.' + 'org'; var addy_textc8d0f7cc025723b96f665de800dc57bd = 'editor' + '@' + 'seattlearch' + '.' + 'org';document.getElementById('cloakc8d0f7cc025723b96f665de800dc57bd').innerHTML += ''+addy_textc8d0f7cc025723b96f665de800dc57bd+''; .