Father Lou | First Mass

For the past three years, I've had the incredible honor of photographing a young priest celebrating his first Mass after being ordained by the Archdiocese of Seattle. It is always a weekend filled with immense joy and reflection, for both the priest and anyone who knows him personally. This year, I was able to photograph a good family friend, Father Louis Cunningham.

Father Lou was friends with my youngest sister in high school, and our family's paths crossed many times over the past several years. If you have ever had the chance to interact with Father Lou, I'm sure you can attest to his enthusiasm and love of life. He has wanted to be a priest from a very early age, and it was amazing for everyone who was there a couple of weekends ago to witness the fruits of all those years of studying and hard work.

Usually, a new priest will celebrate his first Mass at the parish he considers his home parish. For Father Lou, this meant coming back to St. Anthony Catholic Church in Renton. The celebration itself was beautiful, with a packed congregation and lots of smiles to go around. It was especially meaningful for me to see both Father Michael and Father Colin among the priests joining Father Lou at the altar.

Photographing the story of a Mass is always a lovely challenge, and I hope very much that the images below help convey to you how wonderful the day truly was.