About St. Catherine · Oakesdale, Washington
St. Catherine of Alexandria is a small Roman Catholic parish serving the Whitman County farming community of Oakesdale in the Palouse region of Eastern Washington. The parish belongs to the Diocese of Spokane and, like most rural parishes in this part of the diocese, is served as part of a multi-parish grouping — currently twinned with Sacred Heart in Tekoa and St. Joseph in Rockford. Worship is centered on a weekly Sunday Mass in the historic church at 4th and Steptoe in downtown Oakesdale, with the parish office contact line shared across the tri-parish cluster.
- Patron
- St. Catherine of Alexandria
- Rector
- Rev. Maria Lazar, HGN
- Diocese
- Diocese of Spokane
Why belong here
St. Catherine offers the gift of a small, tight-knit rural Catholic community in the heart of the Palouse, where neighbors know each other by name and the Sunday Mass is the spiritual heartbeat of the week. The parish is currently grouped with Sacred Heart in Tekoa and St. Joseph in Rockford, which means members also share the wider fellowship of three historic Eastern Washington farming communities. For Catholics living in or passing through southern Whitman County, it is a welcoming, faithful home for the Eucharist and the sacramental life of the Diocese of Spokane.
Mass times at St. Catherine
Weekly Mass schedule
About St. Catherine of Alexandria Parish
St. Catherine of Alexandria is a small Catholic mission parish in the farming town of Oakesdale, Whitman County, in the Palouse country of Eastern Washington. It is part of the Diocese of Spokane and is currently grouped with two neighboring rural parishes — Sacred Heart in Tekoa and St. Joseph in Rockford — under a single pastor. The parish is listed in the official diocesan parish directory under its full title, St. Catherine of Alexandria, OAKESDALE, and shares its sacramental life and clergy with the surrounding agricultural communities.
Parish Identity & Patron
The parish takes its name from St. Catherine of Alexandria, an early Christian virgin-martyr venerated since the Middle Ages and one of the Fourteen Holy Helpers. Her liturgical feast is celebrated on November 25. The parish's official diocesan and civic filings use the full title "St. Catherine of Alexandria Parish" or "St. Catherine Catholic Parish – Oakesdale."
- Patron: St. Catherine of Alexandria
- Feast day: November 25
- Diocese: Diocese of Spokane
- Rite: Roman-Latin
Clergy & Pastoral Leadership
Like many small rural parishes in Eastern Washington, St. Catherine is part of a multi-parish pastoral cluster. The Diocese of Spokane's priest directory lists the pastor of St. Catherine together with the pastors of the Tekoa and Rockford parishes. Current and recent clergy are listed below.
- Rev. Maria Lazar, HGN — Pastor, appointed July 1, 2025; also pastor of Sacred Heart (Tekoa) and St. Joseph (Rockford); residence at Immaculate Heart Retreat Center, Spokane.
- Rev. Theophilus "Theo" Hwande, VC — Pastor, 2024–2025; concurrently assisted at St. Patrick, Pasco on weekdays.
Tri-Parish Cluster: Oakesdale, Tekoa & Rockford
St. Catherine is currently clustered with Sacred Heart Parish in Tekoa and St. Joseph in Rockford. The 2025 diocesan assignments describe this grouping as a single pastorate under Rev. Maria Lazar, HGN, with the pastor residing at the Immaculate Heart Retreat Center in Spokane and traveling to each of the three churches. This cluster model is a long-standing way the Diocese of Spokane keeps small rural parishes active and accessible to local worshippers.
- St. Catherine, Oakesdale
- Sacred Heart, Tekoa
- St. Joseph, Rockford
Mass & Worship
Public worship at St. Catherine centers on the weekly Sunday Mass. Independent Mass-time listings (catholicmasstime.org, masstimesusa.com, and the Diocese of Spokane parish directory) give Sunday as the parish's regular Mass day. Worshippers are encouraged to call the parish contact line to confirm the current schedule, especially around holy days and rural winter conditions.
- Sunday Mass — 8:30 AM (per catholicmasstime.org, masstimesusa.com, and CatholicClocks)
Location & Visiting
The parish is located in the small town of Oakesdale, Washington, in the rolling wheat- and legume-growing Palouse region of the state. The church sits at the corner of 4th Street and Steptoe Street in downtown Oakesdale; the Diocese of Spokane parish directory lists the address as 310 W Steptoe Ave. Oakesdale lies south of Spokane in Whitman County, near the Idaho border.
- Address: 310 W Steptoe Ave (4th & Steptoe), Oakesdale, WA 99158
- Phone (parish line): (509) 285-6672
- Mailing address (per WA Secretary of State): 2732 Trestle Creek Rd, Thornton, WA 99176
Diocesan & Civic Filings
St. Catherine Catholic Parish – Oakesdale is registered with the Washington State Secretary of State as a WA Nonprofit Corporation (Unified Business Identifier #602725422), incorporated May 10, 2007. The current registered contact e-mail domain is @dioceseofspokane.org, reflecting the parish's canonical connection to the Diocese of Spokane.
Pastors & rectors through the years
- Rev. Theophilus "Theo" Hwande, VC2024–2025
Appointed pastor of St. Catherine, Oakesdale and Sacred Heart, Tekoa in the 2024 priest assignments, while continuing assistance at St. Patrick, Pasco during the week.
- Rev. Maria Lazar, HGN2025–present
Appointed effective July 1, 2025 as pastor of St. Catherine (Oakesdale), Sacred Heart (Tekoa), and St. Joseph (Rockford), with residence at Immaculate Heart Retreat Center in Spokane.