Watch the Vigil livestream here
Friday, October 28, 7 pm
St. James
Cathedral, Seattle
Presider and homilist, Fr. Jim Dalton
Watch the Funeral Mass livestream here
Saturday, October 29, 10am
St.
James Cathedral, Seattle
Archbishop Paul D. Etienne to preside, Fr.
Michael G. Ryan is the homilist
---------
Father
William Treacy died Sunday, October 16th at the age of 103. He spent his
final days at his home on the grounds of Camp Korey in Mount Vernon. A
leader of Ecumenical and Interfaith relations in the Pacific Northwest,
Father Treacy touched the hearts and minds of people of diverse faith
traditions throughout the world. He came to Seattle in his early 20’s
and ended up creating a television series with Rabbi Raphael Levine of
Temple De Hirsch Sinai in 1960 called Challenge. The program aired for
fourteen years on KOMO Television, exploring interfaith issues,
particularly between Christianity and Judaism. Their friendship
ultimately led to the purchase of a farm in Skagit County. Together they
created a facility called Camp Brotherhood which promoted understanding
between people of different faiths, cultural backgrounds, and
ethnicities.
Born in County Laois, Ireland on May 31, 1919, he
was the first child of John and Mary Delaney Treacy. He was educated in
elementary and high schools in Kilkenny and in 1937 entered St.
Patrick’s Seminary in Maynooth. There he was ordained a Catholic priest
on June 18th, 1944.
After six months of ministry in his home
diocese of Ossory, Fr. Treacy answered the call of Bishop Shaughnessy to
volunteer for service in the Archdiocese of Seattle. It was to be a
temporary assignment of five years, but extended to span the remainder
of his life. He travelled on the ‘Ile de France’ troop ship to New York,
made his way to Seattle in 1945 and was initially assigned to St.
Alphonsus Parish in Ballard. He served for sixteen years as a member of
the Chancery staff for the Archdiocese of Seattle, while also serving as
the chaplain of Holy Names Academy from 1952 to 1964. His first
assignment as a pastor was at St. Patrick’s Parish in Seattle, followed
by assignments to St. Michael Parish in Olympia, Our Lady of the Lake
Parish in Seattle and as the first resident pastor of St. Cecilia Parish
in Stanwood. On his retirement as pastor in 1989, Father Treacy remained
active, assisting at numerous churches including Sacred Heart Parishes
in Bellevue and La Conner, Immaculate Conception Parishes in Arlington
and Mount Vernon, St. Paul Parish on the Swinomish Reservation and at
St. Thomas More Parish in Lynnwood.
Father Treacy’s ministry
extended far beyond his parochial responsibilities. He served as the
Archdiocesan Chaplain of the Legion of Mary from 1948 to 1978. While
serving as the Chaplain to Council 676 of the Knights of Columbus, he
directed the nation-wide program for advertising Catholic teachings in
city newspapers.
One of Fr. Treacy’s great legacies was serving
as a panelist on the KOMO TV program “Challenge” from 1960 to 1974. Fr.
Treacy and Rabbi Raphael Levine of Temple De Hirsch Sinai teamed with
rotating Protestant Ministers to offer a Sunday night Interfaith program
called “Challenge”. Each Sunday night they would discuss important
current events from an interfaith point of view. In 1960, their program
“Who Crucified Christ” received a national award from the National
Conference of Christians and Jews.
Fr. Treacy and Rabbi Levine’s
television collaboration led to a close personal friendship, one
which resulted in the purchase of a 300-acre Skagit Valley farm in 1966.
The two men created an interfaith center they would call “Camp
Brotherhood”. It ultimately hosted more than a quarter of a million
people from different faith and wisdom traditions, including groups from
Afghanistan, Pakistan, Israel, Palestine, India, and other nations who
sought to learn how to bring harmony to themselves, each other, and the
human family. When physical ownership of the property was assumed by
Camp Korey in 2016, that interfaith work continued in the programs of
the group Paths to Understanding. Father Treacy continued to serve as an
advisor to this non-profit until his passing, a group that seeks to
bridge bias and build unity through multi-faith peacemaking.
Fr.
Treacy’s mother and father, Mary and John, his sister Mary and brothers
Sean and Joe preceded him in death. He is survived by his grandniece
Lorena and nephew John, and countless other relatives and friends.
Fr. Treacy challenges us with his personal motto: “What’s the loving
thing to do!”
Eternal rest grant unto him, O Lord, and let Your perpetual light
shine upon him. May his soul, and all the souls of the faithful
departed, rest in peace.
_________