Alumni Spotlight- Patrick Barredo

Meet Patrick Barredo

Patrick Barredo is a graduate from Seattle University's Pastoral Leadership Program in the School of Theology and Ministry, ‘07. He serves as the Director of Social Outreach and Advocacy at St. James Cathedral, which in his words requires him to walk with the “Two Feet of Love in Action”. Patrick supervises Cathedral staff and volunteers to feed the hungry, welcome the stranger, and visit the sick and the imprisoned through their meals programs, referral center, mental health and wellness ministry, immigrant assistance and detention ministry. Together with the Cathedral’s Care for Creation team, he drafted the Cathedral’s Laudato Si’ Action Plan, focusing primarily on their Responses to the Cry of the Earth and the Cry of the Poor, and Environmental Education. His advice to SU students: “It may be easy to be discouraged by the plight of our future, but as people of faith, we are called to live with hope. Hope is that spark that helps us see the light of a new day!” 

Read the interview with Patrick

Q: You are the Director of Social Outreach and Advocacy at St. James Cathedral. Can you briefly describe what that work consists of? (What is the main focus in your social outreach and who are the communities you are working with?)

You could say that the pastoral work I do at St. James Cathedral requires me to walk with the “Two Feet of Love in Action”. This response to the Gospel call to love God and love neighbor balances the work of social justice, addressing the systemic and root causes of social issues, with charitable works, addressing the immediate needs of our neighbors. I’m blessed to collaborate with Cathedral parishioners, Catholics throughout Seattle and Washington state, religious leaders from other faith traditions, and dedicated partners from the secular world in areas including life, peace and justice, housing and homelessness, racial solidarity, and care for Creation. I supervise Cathedral staff and volunteers to feed the hungry, welcome the stranger, and visit the sick and the imprisoned through our meals programs, referral center, mental health and wellness ministry, immigrant assistance and detention ministry.

Q: How is engagement around sustainability, environmental justice and integral ecology part of your work?

Pope Francis’ encyclical Laudato Si’ is commonly viewed as an environmental encyclical. But it is more than just a testimony of caring for Earth. Laudato Si’ weaves respect for the environment with respect for all life. Capital improvements to the Cathedral campus affect not just the Cathedral, but also take into account how St. James can work with the surrounding hospitals to consider what energies we rely upon. Formation and education are needed to foster a conversion of heart so that individuals, communities and the State may live in right relationship with Earth. It is a blessing to welcome our dinner guests to cultivate organic produce in the Cathedral Kitchen Garden that will be incorporated into the healthy, nutritious meals that we serve. There is a wealth of creativity in living into the two most fundamental principles of Laudato Si’: caring for the Earth and caring for the poor!

Q: How did St James Cathedral respond to the call by Pope Francis to “Care for our Common Home” through the Laudato Si Action Platform and how are you working with communities to participate in that call? (What have been the successes and challenges in this effort? What are some of the sustainability actions St. James Cathedral has taken in response to the Laudato Si’ Action Platform?)

There was a great abundance of ideas as the Cathedral’s Care for Creation team drafted our Laudato Si Action Plan. We started to develop actions around all 7 goals and soon realized that our team would not be able to provide the necessary leadership to address the many wonderful ideas that we had generated. We have since focused on our Responses to the Cry of the Earth and the Cry of the Poor, and Environmental Education. Three years ago, we partnered with senior engineering majors from Seattle University to help us develop a strategy to get as close to becoming a carbon neutral campus as possible. Through the upcoming Pilgrims of Hope for Creation, we hope to visit waste treatment centers, the Duwamish River Superfund Site and L’Honey, a ministry of St. Leo Parish and the L’Arche community of Tacoma. Before we go on these pilgrimages, we will host a parish-wide Ecology Fair and a book club re-visiting Laudate Deum and Laudato Si’, on the occasion of its 10th anniversary.

Q: When it comes to environmental justice, what are in your opinion the actions individuals can take to move this issue forward? What role can/should a higher education institution such as SU play to promote sustainability in the holistic vision of integral ecology?

As with many other areas in which change is needed, three of the most critical steps for people of faith are to STUDY, PRAY, and ACT. Education and formation are vital in understanding the complex dynamics at work. Prayer roots us in the sacred work that we know needs to be done, hoping for inspiration from the Spirit of God to guide us in these holy endeavors. And, we act, as individuals living in community, giving of ourselves to one another, listening to each other, and finding what models will allow us to share our talents and gifts in valued partnership. St. James Cathedral is blessed to be just five city blocks from Seattle University. We look to Seattle University to live into its role as our local presence of the Academy, shaping our knowledge, educating our parishioners and leaders, and addressing social issues. One recent example of Seattle University’s leadership is the 2025 Earth Day Summit with Dr. Robert Bullard, the father of environmental justice.

Q: What motivates you in this field of work?

Decades before Pope Francis popularized the term, my parents raised my younger brother and I to not fall prey to living in the Throwaway Culture. That mindset says, “I use you as much as I need you, and when I’m not interested anymore, I throw you out.” My wife and I try to instill that same sense of responsibility with our own children. They are aware of the devastating effects of abusive consumption. It helps that we can name amongst our neighbor's majestic trees, bald eagles and the waters of Miller Creek. We are so appreciative of the land on which we live, full of God’s grandeur!

Q: How did your Seattle University education prepare you for your work?

One of the first exercises that my cohort undertook was to understand the concept of The Commons, that which is shared by living beings in a certain geographic space. The first inclination was to consider urban development, including homes, businesses, workplace, and leisure spaces. However, Laudato Si’ broadens the concept of The Commons to include those spaces inhabited by ALL life. Through that lens, all of Creation becomes a resource for one another Rather than looking at Creation care as a model of stewardship, it ought to be viewed through a relationship model of kinship, as each living being considers all life as worthy to be sisters and brothers. The Gospel call to love God and love one another, through the lens of the Commons, includes Earth as worthy of love.

Q: What advice do you have for students who are considering sustainability-focused careers?

I just picked up Hope: The Autobiography by Pope Francis. It may be easy to be discouraged by the plight of our future, but as people of faith, we are called to live with hope. I pray that the students will have the conviction to carry that hope for the future in their hearts as they embark on their careers. Hope is that spark that helps us see the light of a new day!

Q: What is your fondest memory from your days as a student at SU?

Though my time as a student was brief, due to the length of my one-year program, I carry embarrassing (snoring 2 feet from my professor, though I had just gotten off an 18-hour flight), challenging (engaging in divisive conversations within my cohort), and grace-filled (resting in communal prayer during a 3-day retreat) memories. My deepest blessing from the Pastoral Leadership Program is the 4-person small group that listened deeply to one another as we shared the joys and difficulties of pastoral ministry. It was a safe space to vent and be frustrated, but also to be lifted up in appreciation. We continued to meet even after the program ended, but have since gone our separate ways. For those kind souls, I am ever thankful.