About Our Lady of Perpetual Help · Saint John, Washington
Our Lady of Perpetual Help is a small Catholic parish serving the farming community of St. John, in Whitman County, eastern Washington. Founded in 1960, the parish is a mission-style church in the Diocese of Spokane and is currently clustered with neighboring parishes — St. Patrick in Colfax and St. Joseph in La Crosse — under a single pastor. The parish registers its lay leaders and clergy with the State of Washington as a non-profit corporation, and Sunday Mass is celebrated weekly with confessions offered before Mass and by appointment.
- Established
- 1960
- Patron
- Our Lady of Perpetual Help
- Rector
- Rev. Jesuraj Jeyalaban, HGN
- Diocese
- Diocese of Spokane
Why belong here
Our Lady of Perpetual Help offers faithful Catholics in St. John and the surrounding Whitman County wheat country a weekly Sunday Mass and the sacraments without having to drive to larger towns. As part of the Colfax–La Crosse–St. John parish cluster, it shares a pastor with two neighboring communities, giving parishioners access to regular confession, devotions, and sacramental preparation through St. Patrick's in Colfax. It is a small, rural parish where faith, family, and the agricultural rhythm of the Palouse come together.
Mass times at Our Lady of Perpetual Help
Weekly Mass schedule
Confession times
- Sunday — followed by Mass
- Anytime by appointment
Parish Identity & Patron
Our Lady of Perpetual Help takes its name from the popular Marian title associated with the famous Byzantine icon kept by the Redemptorists at the church of San Matteo in Rome. The parish was founded in 1960 in the farming community of St. John, Washington, and is part of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Spokane. The feast of Our Lady of Perpetual Help is celebrated on June 27.
- Patron: Our Lady of Perpetual Help
- Feast day: June 27
- Diocese: Spokane
- Rite: Roman Rite
History
The parish was established in 1960 to serve the small agricultural community of St. John in Whitman County, in the heart of the Palouse wheat country of eastern Washington. As with many small rural parishes in the diocese, it has been administered as part of a multi-parish cluster — currently sharing its pastor with St. Patrick Parish in Colfax and St. Joseph in La Crosse. The parish is registered with the Washington Secretary of State as a non-profit corporation (incorporated May 10, 2007).
- Founded: 1960 (per GCatholic)
- Incorporated as WA Nonprofit on May 10, 2007 (UBI #602725404)
- Clustered with St. Patrick (Colfax) and St. Joseph (La Crosse)
Cluster & Pastoral Care
Our Lady of Perpetual Help is one of three parishes served by a single pastor. The cluster also includes St. Patrick Catholic Parish in Colfax (the cluster office) and St. Joseph in La Crosse. The current pastor is Rev. Jesuraj Jeyalaban, HGN. Day-to-day parish correspondence flows through the cluster office at 1018 S Main St., Colfax, WA 99111.
- Cluster parishes: St. Patrick (Colfax), St. Joseph (La Crosse), Our Lady of Perpetual Help (St. John)
- Current pastor: Rev. Jesuraj Jeyalaban, HGN
- Cluster office: 1018 S Main St., Colfax, WA 99111
- Parish phone: (509) 397-3921
Parish Leadership & Past Clergy
Public records from the Washington Secretary of State show several priests and laypeople who have served as governing persons of the parish corporation over the years. Fr. Victor M. Blazovich is listed as a former registered agent; Rev. Raymond Kalema, Rev. Jeffrey Core, and Msgr. Kevin Codd appear as past governing clergy. Lay governors have included Eileen Schmidt (P.O. Box 96, St. John, WA 99171), Michael J. Savelesky, Candi and Candy Behrens, Jeffrey Cope, and Linda Siller.
- Rev. Victor M. Blazovich — former registered agent
- Rev. Raymond Kalema — former governing person
- Rev. Jeffrey Core — former governing person
- Msgr. Kevin Codd — former governing person
Sacraments & Devotions
Sunday Mass and Reconciliation are the two sacraments specifically mentioned in the parish's published schedule. Sacramental preparation for baptism, first Communion, confirmation, and marriage is coordinated through the cluster office in Colfax.
- Eucharist (Sunday Mass)
- Reconciliation (by appointment)
- Sacramental preparation through cluster office
Visiting & Contact
The parish does not maintain an independent website; the most up-to-date public information is available through the Diocese of Spokane's parish directory and through St. Patrick's cluster website. Visitors and parishioners are encouraged to call the parish office or email through the diocesan address listed below.
- Address: 403 Liberty St, St. John, WA 99171
- Phone: (509) 397-3921
- Email: [email protected]
- Diocese directory: dioceseofspokane.org/parish-directory
Pastors & rectors through the years
- Rev. Victor M. Blazovich
Listed as registered agent for the parish corporation (earlier era)
- Rev. Raymond Kalema
Listed as governing person/officer; contact email [email protected]
- Rev. Jeffrey Core
Listed as governing person/officer of the parish corporation
- Msgr. Kevin Codd
Listed as governing person (governor), Pullman, WA address
- Rev. Jesuraj Jeyalaban, HGN
Current pastor, leads the cluster: St. Patrick Colfax, St. Joseph La Crosse, and Our Lady of Perpetual Help St. John