About St. George's Catholic Church · Post Falls, Idaho
St. George's Catholic Church (also known as St. George Parish) is a Roman Catholic parish in Post Falls, Idaho, in Kootenai County in the northern part of the state. It belongs to the Diocese of Boise and is currently led by Father Sleeva Raju Madanu, who was appointed pastor on July 6, 2021, succeeding the retiring Father Timothy Ritchey. The parish traces its Catholic roots on the same site back more than a century — sacramental records exist from the early 1900s — and today serves roughly 400 registered families in a fast-growing region of the Inland Northwest. In August 2023 the parish broke ground on a major 14,000-square-foot parish center ("Gather and Grow" campaign) to add classrooms, an adoration chapel, a large reception hall, and dedicated offices for its outreach ministries.
- Established
- 1926
- Patron
- St. George (patron of the parish; sacramental presence on the same site documented from early 1900s)
- Rector
- Father Sleeva Raju Madanu ("Father Sleeva")
- Diocese
- Diocese of Boise (Roman Catholic Diocese of Boise City)
Why belong here
St. George's is a tightly knit parish of about 400 families with deep, multi-generational North Idaho roots, distinguished by its unusually active charity footprint — the Friendship Kitchen, Mission of Charity, and North Idaho Pregnancy Support Center are all run out of the parish itself — alongside a strong Knights of Columbus council, traditional devotions like First Friday healing Masses, Divine Mercy Chaplet, and 24-hour adoration in its new chapel. The parish is in the middle of a once-in-a-generation expansion (the 14,000-square-foot parish center, with new classrooms, an adoration chapel, and dedicated ministry offices opening in 2025), which means new families arriving in the fast-growing Post Falls area have a real chance to shape its programs. For Catholics in northern Kootenai County, St. George's offers the rare combination of a small, personal community and large-parish ministries.
Mass times at St. George's Catholic Church
Weekly Mass schedule
Confession times
- Saturday 4:00 – 4:45 pm (also reported 4:30 – 5:30 pm in one parish bulletin)
- 1st Friday after the Divine Mercy Chaplet
- Sunday 5:00 – 6:00 pm (per the parish bulletin listing)
- By appointment with the pastor
Adoration times
- 1st Friday until 6:00 pm
- Sunday 5:00 – 6:00 pm (per parish bulletin)
- Tuesday after Mass until 10:00 pm
- 24-hour adoration in the new Adoration Chapel (under construction in the new parish center)
Parish Identity & Location
St. George's Catholic Church (often called St. George Parish) is the Catholic parish serving Post Falls and the surrounding northern Kootenai County area of Idaho, in the Diocese of Boise. The parish is located at 2010 N. Lucas Street, Post Falls, ID 83854 (P.O. Box 10, Post Falls, ID 83854), with phone (208) 773-4715. It is a parish of roughly 400 registered families, anchored by multi-generational families whose North Idaho roots go back to the 1890s.
History
Catholic life on the St. George site goes back to the early 1900s. GCatholic dates the parish to 1926; Marquette University's national guide to Catholic records about Native Americans notes that St. George Parish held sacramental records for the Kootenai Mission / St. James Mission on the Kootenai Indian Reservation and for students at the Kootenai Government Indian School (1902–1909). The current church building was constructed in 1970, expanded in the late 1990s to add kitchen, parish-hall and worship space, and is now undergoing another major expansion. The parish has long served as the central parish of a small North Idaho cluster that includes St. Stanislaus Kostka (Rathdrum) and St. Joseph (Spirit Lake).
- 1890s — Beck family settles in Post Falls area (still attending today).
- 1902–1909 — Sacramental records for St. James Mission / Kootenai School kept at St. George.
- 1926 — Year listed for the parish by GCatholic.
- 1970 — Current church building constructed.
- Late 1990s — First major expansion (+~25%).
- 1990–2005 — Father William R. Gould serves as pastor (placed on administrative leave October 16, 2005).
- 2021 (July 6) — Father Sleeva Raju Madanu appointed pastor.
- 2023 (March) — 'Making a Place to Gather and Grow' capital campaign launched.
- 2023 (August 20) — Ground broken on 14,000-sq-ft parish center, led by Bishop Peter F. Christensen.
- 2025 (anticipated) — New parish center nearing completion with Adoration Chapel.
Clergy & Staff
The parish is currently led by Father Sleeva Raju Madanu, who was appointed the third pastor of the modern era by Bishop Peter F. Christensen effective July 6, 2021, succeeding the retiring Father Timothy Ritchey. Father Sleeva (originally from a 200-year priestly lineage in southern India) entered the seminary in 8th grade, has been a priest for 30 years, and became a U.S. citizen in fall 2023. Parish staff includes a parish secretary, Laura Corbin, and a roster of lay leaders (Bob Ellis, Debbie Ellis, Deacon Mike Pentony, Betty Ann Pentony, Steve Gonnella, Sherry Gonnella, Don Beck, Tineke Murphy) who serve on the Building Committee.
- Pastor: Father Sleeva Raju Madanu (since July 6, 2021)
- Parish Secretary: Laura Corbin
- Deacon Mike Pentony (parish deacon)
- Retired priest in residence / supply: Father Bruno Segatta (Diocese of Boise)
Faith Formation & Religious Education
Religious Education (CCD) has been a long-standing ministry at St. George's, historically housed in the parish's old 'CCD House' on parish grounds. After the CCD House and three other lots were sold to fund the new parish center, CCD programming was 'severely curtailed' for a period — Father Sleeva and the Building Committee have identified restoring robust faith formation as one of the chief motivations for the expansion. The new parish center will add six dedicated classrooms, which parish leadership expects will allow them to substantially expand religious-education programming for children, teens and adults, including RCIA preparation for those entering the Church.
- Children's CCD / Catechetical program
- First Communion & Confirmation preparation
- RCIA (Rite of Christian Initiation of Adults)
- Adult faith formation classes
- Six new classrooms included in the parish-center expansion
Outreach & Charity
St. George's runs an unusually large charitable footprint for a parish its size. Three signature outreach ministries — the Friendship Kitchen (community meals), the Mission of Charity (a relief aid agency), and the North Idaho Pregnancy Support Center — are all hosted by the parish. The Knights of Columbus council is also active here. The new parish center will give the Mission of Charity and the Pregnancy Support Center each their own dedicated office and storage space (previously they shared one office on alternate days), and will add new counseling rooms.
- Friendship Kitchen — community-meal ministry
- Mission of Charity — relief aid agency
- North Idaho Pregnancy Support Center
- Knights of Columbus — parish council
- Counseling services (planned in new parish center)
- Parish library / book ministry (in the new fireplace gathering hall)
Parish Center Expansion — 'Gather & Grow'
In March 2023 the parish publicly launched a three-year, $3.7 million capital campaign titled 'Making a Place to Gather and Grow.' About $1.2 million was raised in pledges, supplemented by the sale of the old CCD House and three adjacent lots, a bequest, and the patronage of two anonymous donors. Ground was broken on August 20, 2023, after the 10:30 am Mass, with Bishop Peter F. Christensen, Father Sleeva and roughly 250 parishioners taking part — each receiving their own yellow hard hat. The first phase of construction is a 14,000-square-foot parish center with six classrooms, a large gathering hall seating about 255 around a rock fireplace, parish offices, dedicated offices for the Mission of Charity and the Pregnancy Support Center, a counseling room, an elevator, an Adoration Chapel (a late design swap for Father Sleeva's office), and a glass-walled gathering space outside the sanctuary for parents with small children. Future phases, contingent on additional fundraising, will add a new kitchen and church hall upstairs, plus additional church pews, a new confessional and a choir loft.
- Budget: ~$3.5–3.7 million
- Size: 14,000–16,000 sq ft
- Initial pledges: ~$1.2 million
- Phase I features: classrooms, parish offices, counseling space, Adoration Chapel, gathering hall, fireplace, elevator, glass-walled family gathering space
- Future phase features: new kitchen and church hall, additional pews, new confessional, choir loft
- Building Committee: Father Sleeva, Bob & Debbie Ellis, Deacon Mike & Betty Ann Pentony, Steve & Sherry Gonnella, Don Beck, Tineke Murphy
Sister Mission Churches (Cluster)
St. George's pastor also serves as pastor of two smaller mission churches in the North Idaho Catholic cluster: St. Stanislaus Kostka in Rathdrum (8026 West 2nd Street, Rathdrum, ID 83858) and St. Joseph in Spirit Lake (6284 West Maryland Street, Spirit Lake, ID 83869). These chapels have their own Mass, confession, adoration and Divine Mercy schedules (Mass at St. Stanislaus: Mon/Wed/Fri 8:00 am, Sat 6 pm, Sun 9 am; St. Joseph: Tue 8 am, Thu 8 am, Sun 11 am).
- St. Stanislaus Kostka — 8026 W 2nd St, Rathdrum, ID 83858
- St. Joseph — 6284 W Maryland St, Spirit Lake, ID 83869
Getting Involved & Visiting
Visitors are welcome at all weekend Masses (Saturday vigil 6:00 pm, Sunday 8:30 & 10:30 am), and the parish office is open weekdays at (208) 773-4715. New parishioners can register through the parish office; the parish bulletin (referenced on the official website) lists sign-ups for hospitality, lectors, Eucharistic ministers, choir, RCIA teams, Knights of Columbus, and the various outreach ministries (Friendship Kitchen, Mission of Charity, Pregnancy Support Center).
- Office phone: (208) 773-4715
- Office fax: (208) 777-1549
- Website: http://www.stgeorgesidaho.com/
- Facebook: facebook.com/pages/St George's Catholic Church
- On-site parking available
Pastors & rectors through the years
- Father William R. Gould1990 – 2005 (placed on administrative leave October 16, 2005)
Ordained in 1965 after graduating from St. Thomas Seminary in Seattle; came to St. George's from three years at St. Edward Catholic Church in Twin Falls; also oversaw St. Stanislaus (Rathdrum) and St. Joseph (Spirit Lake); served on the Post Falls Food Bank board and as a Post Falls Public Library trustee; led an 1,800-parishioner parish; requested administrative leave in 2005 over an alleged violation of the diocese's sexual-misconduct policies regarding adults.
- Father Timothy Ritcheysometime after 2005 – 2021 (retired)
Identified the need for a new parish center; retired in 2021, succeeded by Father Sleeva on July 6, 2021.
- Father Sleeva Raju Madanu ("Father Sleeva")July 6, 2021 – present
Appointed by Bishop Peter F. Christensen, moving from St. Joseph's, Sandpoint; led the multi-year 'Gather and Grow' capital campaign and the August 20, 2023 groundbreaking; originally from a priestly family in southern India, 30 years ordained, entered seminary in 8th grade, became a U.S. citizen in fall 2023.