St. Catherine

About St. Catherine Mission

St. Catherine Mission is the Catholic mission church of Cathlamet, the small county seat of Wahkiakum County on the lower Columbia River in southwest Washington. It is one of five worship sites that together make up a single combined parish community led from St. Rose de Viterbo Catholic Church in Longview. The parish family at St. Catherine numbers just 43 households, and the church is listed in the Archdiocese of Seattle's directory under the care of the pastor of St. Rose de Viterbo. The mailing address for the mission is given as c/o St. Rose, 701 26th Ave, Longview, WA 98632.

History of the Mission

The Catholic presence along the lower Cowlitz and Columbia Rivers goes back to the early 20th century, when itinerant priests — traveling on horseback or by sternwheeler — celebrated Mass in homes and an abandoned Methodist church in and around Cathlamet. When Bishop O'Dea of Seattle founded St. Rose de Viterbo parish in Longview in 1927, four outlying missions were attached to it from the beginning: Castle Rock, Kalama, Woodland, and Cathlamet. In 1943, three of those missions were detached, but Cathlamet remained linked to St. Rose. The mission was detached a second time in 1984, when it was reassigned to the pastor of St. Mary's in Castle Rock. Eleven years later, in 1995, it was reattached to St. Rose de Viterbo as part of a broader realignment — and it has been served from Longview ever since.

• Pre-1910: Cathlamet Catholics served by visiting priests traveling by river or horseback.
• 1927: St. Rose de Viterbo established in Longview; Cathlamet attached as a mission.
• 1943: Missions of Woodland, Kalama, and Castle Rock detached from St. Rose; Cathlamet remains.
• 1984: St. Catherine Mission detached from St. Rose, reassigned to St. Mary's pastor in Castle Rock.
• 1995: Mission reattached to St. Rose de Viterbo and remains there.

Clergy and Parish Staff

Because St. Catherine is served by the combined parish staff based at St. Rose de Viterbo in Longview, its clergy and administration are shared across the community. The pastor of St. Rose also serves as pastor of St. Catherine Mission, supported by a parochial vicar, a deacon, and parish staff who coordinate administration, liturgy, and sacramental preparation across all five worship sites.

• Rev. Brian D. Thompson — Pastor
• Rev. Vinner Raj Simeon Raj, H.G.N. — Parochial Vicar
• Deacon Fred Johnson
• Pastoral Assistant for Administration
• Administrative Assistant
• First Communion / Confirmation Coordinator

Ministries and Outreach

Through its connection to St. Rose de Viterbo, St. Catherine parishioners have access to the wider parish's ministries, including faith formation for children and youth, sacramental preparation for First Communion and Confirmation, and the combined parish's outreach to those in need. A St. Vincent de Paul conference associated with the parish is active in the Cathlamet area, and the parish welcomes newcomers and those interested in becoming Catholic through the RCIA process offered across the combined community.

• Eucharistic Adoration (weekly, Thursday afternoon)
• Faith formation for children and youth
• First Communion and Confirmation preparation
• St. Vincent de Paul — outreach to those in need
• Becoming Catholic / RCIA
• Welcome to newcomers

Sacraments

The principal sacraments are available through St. Catherine Mission and the wider St. Rose de Viterbo community. Mass is celebrated weekly at the mission on Saturday evening; Reconciliation is available by appointment; and First Communion and Confirmation are prepared and celebrated within the combined parish's sacramental programs.

• Eucharist — Saturday Vigil 5:00 pm (Holy Days by arrangement)
• Reconciliation — by appointment, 360-425-4660
• Eucharistic Adoration — Thursday 2:00–3:00 pm
• First Communion — prepared regionally, celebrated at the combined parish
• Confirmation — prepared regionally, celebrated at the combined parish
• Funerals, anointing, and other pastoral needs — coordinated through the parish office

Visiting and Parish Office

St. Catherine Mission shares its parish office with the entire combined community at St. Rose de Viterbo in Longview. The office is open Monday through Thursday, 9:00 am to 5:00 pm, and on Friday by appointment. The combined community's Mass schedule and bulletin are the source of any week-to-week changes at the mission.

• Mailing address: c/o St. Rose, 701 26th Ave, Longview, WA 98632
• Parish office phone: 360-425-4660
• Parish office fax: 360-577-5820
• Mission site phone: 360-795-8725
• Office hours: Monday–Thursday 9:00 am–5:00 pm; Friday by appointment
• Email: [email protected]

The Combined Parish Community

St. Catherine Mission is one of five worship sites of a single combined parish family. The other sites are St. Rose de Viterbo (Longview), Immaculate Heart of Mary (Kelso), St. Mary (Castle Rock), and St. Joseph Mission (Kalama). Together they share clergy, staff, faith-formation programs, and a common Sunday Mass schedule that includes a weekly Spanish Mass at St. Rose. A livestream of the 11:00 am Sunday Mass at St. Rose is available on the parish's Facebook page for those who are ill or homebound.

• St. Rose de Viterbo — 2571 Nichols Blvd., Longview
• Immaculate Heart of Mary — 2200 Allen St., Kelso
• St. Mary — 120 Powell Rd., Castle Rock
• St. Joseph Mission — 136 N 4th St., Kalama
• St. Catherine Mission — 400 Columbia St., Cathlamet
• St. Rose School — preschool through 8th grade, Longview