About St. Joseph · Kalama, Washington
St. Joseph is a small Catholic mission parish in Kalama, Washington, situated high on a hill overlooking the town and the Columbia River. It is one of the oldest Catholic communities in southwest Washington, established in the 1870s alongside the arrival of the Northern Pacific Railroad. Today St. Joseph is a mission within Parish Family #43 of the Archdiocese of Seattle, clustered with St. Rose de Viterbo (Longview), Immaculate Heart of Mary (Kelso), St. Mary (Castle Rock) and St. Catherine (Cathlamet), and is pastored from St. Rose de Viterbo in Longview. Its parish life is administered alongside St. Philip in Woodland, the historic parent parish for the Cowlitz County missions, and its current church building is not actively in use due to ongoing building issues.
- Established
- 1876
- Patron
- St. Joseph
- Rector
- Rev. Brian D. Thompson
- Diocese
- Archdiocese of Seattle (Parish Family #43, led by St. Rose de Viterbo, Longview)
Why belong here
St. Joseph is the only Catholic parish in Kalama and offers a small, intimate mission community with deep historical roots in Cowlitz County dating to 1876. Parishioners are welcomed into a wider Parish Family #43 (Longview, Kelso, Castle Rock and Cathlamet) that shares priests, ministries and outreach, giving a small-town mission church a much larger pool of resources. While the historic hilltop church is currently closed due to building issues, the faithful of Kalama continue to be served through neighboring parishes in the family.
Mass times at St. Joseph
Weekly Mass schedule
Confession times
- Saturday 4:30 pm (historically, prior to the building closure)
History of St. Joseph Mission
St. Joseph Mission was established in 1876 by Father François Norbert Blanchet, one of the pioneer missionaries of the Pacific Northwest and later the first Archbishop of Oregon City. The mission was founded at almost the same moment the Northern Pacific Railroad reached Kalama, and it served the small Catholic community of French-Canadian railroad workers, trappers' descendants and local settlers. The current church building was completed in 1909 and stands high on the hill overlooking the town of Kalama and the Columbia River — a position that has long made it one of the most visible landmarks of the town.
- Established 1876 by Fr. François Norbert Blanchet
- Current church building completed 1909
- Hilltop location overlooking Kalama and the Columbia River
- First and only Catholic parish in Kalama
Kalama and the Railroad Era
Kalama's identity — and the founding of St. Joseph — is inseparable from the Northern Pacific Railroad. The town served as the Cowlitz County seat from 1872 to 1922 and as a key rail-river transfer point on the Columbia. St. Joseph's 1876 foundation coincides with the early boom years of the town and reflects the Catholic community that grew up around the rail yards and river landings.
- Kalama was Cowlitz County seat 1872–1922
- Northern Pacific Railroad northern terminus and ferry connection
- Historic parish served railroad and river-town Catholics
Parish Family #43 (Partners in the Gospel)
Under the Archdiocese of Seattle's Partners in the Gospel restructuring — promulgated February 2, 2024 — St. Joseph was grouped into Parish Family #43, led by St. Rose de Viterbo Parish in Longview. The family also includes Immaculate Heart of Mary (Kelso), St. Mary (Castle Rock), and St. Catherine (Cathlamet). A single pastor and pastoral team serve the family, sharing staff, ministries and outreach, with the goal of growing into one canonical parish over about three years.
- Parish Family #43: St. Rose de Viterbo (Longview), Immaculate Heart of Mary (Kelso), St. Mary (Castle Rock), St. Catherine (Cathlamet), St. Joseph (Kalama)
- Lead parish: St. Rose de Viterbo, Longview
- Promulgated by Archbishop Paul D. Etienne, Feb. 2, 2024
Clergy and Staff
St. Joseph is currently pastored as part of Parish Family #43. The pastor is Rev. Brian D. Thompson, and the parochial vicars serving the family include Rev. Vinner Raj Simeon Raj, H.G.N., and (per the Archdiocese's Spring 2026 official appointments) Rev. Jay Bonete. Sarah Hoskins serves on the parish staff. Pastoral contact and sacramental care for St. Joseph parishioners runs through the St. Rose de Viterbo parish office in Longview.
- Rev. Brian D. Thompson — Pastor
- Rev. Vinner Raj Simeon Raj, H.G.N. — Parochial Vicar
- Rev. Jay Bonete — Parochial Vicar (Spring 2026 appointments)
- Sarah Hoskins — Staff
Related Parishes in Cowlitz County
St. Joseph is closely linked historically with two other Cowlitz County missions. GCatholic lists it as a mission of St. Philip in Woodland, the parent parish founded in 1912 and now worshipping in a church built and dedicated in March 2001 after the original was destroyed by fire in April 1990. St. Mary of Guadalupe Mission in Ridgefield is the third member of that mission cluster under St. Philip's pastoral care, and Mass times are coordinated across the three sites.
- Parent parish: St. Philip, Woodland (430 Bozarth Ave, Woodland, WA 98674)
- St. Philip erected 1912; rebuilt and dedicated March 2001 after 1990 fire
- Sibling mission: St. Mary of Guadalupe, Ridgefield
- Contact for the Woodland family: (360) 225-8308 / [email protected]
Contact and Visiting
The historic church is at 136 N 4th Street in Kalama. Because Masses are currently suspended at the mission due to building issues, parishioners and visitors should contact the Parish Family #43 office at St. Rose de Viterbo in Longview for the current schedule, sacraments, and pastoral needs.
- Address: 136 N 4th St, Kalama, WA 98625
- Parish Family #43 phone: (360) 425-4660
- Parish Family #43 email: [email protected]
- Woodland office phone: (360) 225-8308