Father Derek Lappe - Pastor

Father Derek Lappe has been the pastor of our Bremerton Catholic Community since July 1, 2024

 

​Born in 1972, the second of five children, Father Lappe spent most of his youth in Longview, Washington and attended St. Rose de Viterbo Parish. He discovered his vocation to the priesthood when he was a sophomore in high school within the Sacrament of Confession. Through prayer and study, his love for Christ and the Church grew and helped him to say “yes” to God’s plan for his life. 

 

After high school, Father Lappe attended community college for a couple of years before being accepted as a seminarian for the Archdiocese of Seattle and entered Mount Angel Seminary. In 1996, Archbishop Murphy sent him to seminary in Rome at the Pontifical North American College. On June 10, 2000, he was ordained to the priesthood by Archbishop Alexander Brunett.

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After his ordination, Father Lappe served as an associate pastor in Grays Harbor for one year, at St. Charles in Tacoma for one year, as pastor of St. Thomas Aquinas in Camas for six years, and as pastor of Our Lady Star of the Sea for 18 years.

 

​He loves his life as a priest and works hard to build a Parish Family centered on Jesus in the Most Holy Eucharist and the teachings of the Gospels. In his free time Fr. Lappe likes to go backpacking and hunting.