About Sacred Heart · Wellpinit, Washington
Sacred Heart Church is a small Roman Catholic parish in Wellpinit, Washington, located on the Spokane Indian Reservation and served within the Roman Catholic Diocese of Spokane. It has been a predominantly Native American (Spokan) congregation since its establishment in the early 20th century and stands alongside the adjacent Sacred Heart Catholic Cemetery on the reservation. The parish is historically linked with two companion Spokan communities in the area — Our Lady of Lourdes at West End and St. Philip Benizi at Ford — forming a tri-parish ministerial cluster that today is cared for primarily by diocesan clergy. Sacred Heart sits at 6156 Ford-Wellpinit Road, a few miles off the main reservation road, and gathers its worshipping community primarily for Sunday celebration of the Eucharist.
- Established
- 1920
- Patron
- Sacred Heart of Jesus (Most Sacred Heart of Jesus)
- Rector
- Rev. Brian Sattler
- Diocese
- Diocese of Spokane
Why belong here
Sacred Heart is a small, close-knit Catholic community rooted in the Spokan people of the Spokane Indian Reservation, with more than a century of continuous worship and sacramental life on the same ground. It is one of only a handful of parishes in the region with Native Catholic heritage, and it shares ministry with two neighboring reservation parishes — Our Lady of Lourdes and St. Philip Benizi — giving parishioners a regional Catholic family of faith. For Catholics living in or traveling through the Wellpinit–Ford–West End area of the reservation, Sacred Heart offers weekly Sunday Mass, connection to the diocesan and Jesuit missionary tradition that brought the faith to inland Washington, and a sacred resting place for family and ancestors in the historic Sacred Heart Catholic Cemetery behind the church.
Mass times at Sacred Heart
Weekly Mass schedule
History of Sacred Heart Parish
Catholic worship at Sacred Heart traces its origins to the early 20th century on the Spokane Indian Reservation. According to the Marquette University Guide to Catholic Records About Native Americans, Spokane diocesan priests established and administered Sacred Heart from 1920, and from 1943 onward the pastor stationed here also cared for Our Lady of Lourdes Mission at West End. In 1972 administration was transferred to the Society of Jesus, and in 1988 both Our Lady of Lourdes and St. Philip Benizi were raised to independent parish status. The church building itself is dated by GCatholic to 1943.
- Parish established 1920 (diocesan).
- Church building dated 1943.
- Jesuit administration began 1972.
- Companion parishes elevated 1988.
Jesuit Mission Heritage on the Spokane Reservation
Catholic life on the Spokane Reservation belongs to a much wider network of Jesuit missions in the inland Pacific Northwest. The Jesuits first came to the region in 1841 when Fr. Pierre-Jean De Smet, S.J. established the Rocky Mountain Mission at the invitation of the Salish Flatheads and Nez Perce. A later superior, Fr. Joseph Mary Cataldo, S.J., is credited with extending missionary work across the greater Spokane area and with learning numerous Native American languages. Gonzaga University and Gonzaga Preparatory School, both founded in 1887 by the Jesuits, grew from this same missionary movement that eventually staffed Sacred Heart, Our Lady of Lourdes, and St. Philip Benizi.
- Rocky Mountain Mission founded 1841 by Fr. De Smet, S.J.
- Fr. Joseph Mary Cataldo, S.J. extended missions across the Spokane region.
- Gonzaga Prep and Gonzaga University founded 1887 by the same Jesuit mission.
Sacred Heart Catholic Cemetery
Directly behind Sacred Heart Church, on Catholic Cemetery Road (BIA Highway 261), lies the Sacred Heart Catholic Cemetery. The cemetery is on the edge of the town of Wellpinit and is owned by the Spokane Tribe of Indians. It holds approximately 188 recorded burials in the NW¼ NE¼ of Section 35, Township 28N, Range 38E, Stevens County, and serves as the historic resting place for generations of Catholic Spokan families attached to Sacred Heart parish.
- Located behind the church, on BIA Highway 261.
- Owned by the Spokane Tribe of Indians.
- Approximately 188 recorded burials.
- See Stevens County records.
Tri-Parish Cluster: Sacred Heart, Our Lady of Lourdes, and St. Philip Benizi
Sacred Heart is the senior parish in a tri-parish Catholic community on the Spokane Indian Reservation, the only parishes in repository WA-33 of Marquette's guide. Until 1988 all three were served from Sacred Heart; Our Lady of Lourdes at West End was attended from Sacred Heart from 1943 to 1972 (diocesan era), then by the Jesuits from 1972 to 1988 before becoming its own parish. St. Philip Benizi at Ford (5247 Hubert Road, Ford, WA 99013) was likewise raised to parish status in 1988. Today pastoral care for all three is coordinated as the 'Spokane Reservation, Ford and Wellpinit' cluster listed by the Diocese of Spokane.
- Sacred Heart — 6156 Ford-Wellpinit Road, Wellpinit.
- Our Lady of Lourdes — West End, WA 99040.
- St. Philip Benizi — 5247 Hubert Road, Ford, WA 99013.
- Combined sacramental registers held by the Diocese of Spokane, 1920–present.
Clergy and Pastoral Care
The parish is currently administered under the Diocese of Spokane's priest directory with Rev. Brian Sattler listed as pastor for the Spokane Reservation cluster covering Sacred Heart at Wellpinit, Our Lady of Lourdes at West End, and St. Philip Benizi at Ford. The historical administration of Sacred Heart was by diocesan priests from 1920 to 1972 and by Jesuits from 1972 onward, with the companion parishes only becoming independent in 1988.
- Rev. Brian Sattler — current pastor (Diocese of Spokane).
- Diocesan priests administered the parish 1920–1972.
- Jesuits administered the parish 1972–present.
Visiting Sacred Heart
Sacred Heart is located at 6156 Ford-Wellpinit Road in Wellpinit, WA 99040, on the Spokane Indian Reservation. The parish office can be reached at (509) 258-6915, with the address listed by Marquette's archival guide as P.O. Box 214, Wellpinit, WA 99040. Because it is a small reservation parish with limited publicly listed online resources, visitors and parishioners are encouraged to call ahead for Mass times, sacramental preparation, and cemetery information.
- Address: 6156 Ford-Wellpinit Road, Wellpinit, WA 99040.
- Mailing: P.O. Box 214, Wellpinit, WA 99040.
- Phone: (509) 258-6915.
Pastors & rectors through the years
- Spokane diocesan priests1920–1972
Established and administered Sacred Heart Church from 1920; from 1943 also attended the Our Lady of Lourdes Mission at West End.
- Society of Jesus (Jesuits), Oregon / Western Provinces1972–present administration of the parish complex
Jesuit administration of Sacred Heart began in 1972; the 1988 elevation of Our Lady of Lourdes and St. Philip Benizi to parish status occurred under Jesuit care.
- Rev. Brian Sattler
Currently listed by the Diocese of Spokane as pastor for the Spokane Reservation cluster — Ford and Wellpinit — covering Sacred Heart, Our Lady of Lourdes, and St. Philip Benizi.