Faculty & Staff

First Year at SPCS: 2018

Dear Brothers & Sisters in Christ,

As you all know, I have returned to my hometown of Tacoma. I was born at St. Joseph Hospital on March 26, 1962. I was baptized at Saint Patrick Catholic Church, my home parish until I went to the seminary in 1998. I went to public school, attended Jefferson Elementary and Mason Middle School, and graduated from Woodrow Wilson High in 1980. Then, I had the opportunity to attend the “greatest university in the world,” which is, of course, Washington State University in Pullman. Go Cougs! My faith came alive at the Newman Center at the St. Thomas More Chapel. I loved my time at WSU.

After graduation in 1984, I took a year off before applying and attending law school at the University of Puget Sound—attending law school in the old Rhodes Department store with the familiar noise of the old escalators! I spent the next ten years practicing law in Anchorage, Alaska, and Seattle, Washington. I loved my time in Alaska; it was a great adventure! In Alaska, I reconnected with my faith and went deeper into a life of prayer. When I did, I thought of a vocation to the priesthood that had been there before that came to the surface. I spoke to my pastor, Fr. Seamus Laverty, and then to Archbishop Murphy. Inspired by the life and witness of Pope Saint John Paul II, I was accepted into the program and completed my formation at Mount Angel Seminary in Saint Benedict, Oregon.

After my ordination in 2002, I served first at St. Charles Borromeo in Tacoma before becoming pastor at Sacred Heart in Bellingham and Chaplain at the Newman Center at WWU, which I thoroughly enjoyed! I was then asked to pastor the six parishes in Lewis County, which exposed me to ministry in a rural area. Archbishop Brunett then appointed me as Vicar for Clergy in 2010. That allowed me to work with him and Archbishop Sartain in supporting and guiding our priests, deacons, seminarians, and other ministries at the Chancery. It was a wonderful experience and gave me a heart for the renewal and transformation of our clergy, which I continue to help with by assisting at retreats and doing spiritual direction. I was pastor at St. Mark in Shoreline for six years. There, I was confirmed in my calling to be a pastor, a spiritual father to the flock that God has entrusted to my care, which now includes all of you!

Fr. David Mulholland

Pastor

Tacoma Parish of Saint Patrick | Holy Cross