About St. Joseph · Spokane, Washington
St. Joseph Catholic Parish (Parroquia de San José) is a Roman Rite Catholic parish in Spokane's West Central neighborhood, at 1503 W. Dean Avenue, within the Diocese of Spokane. It was only the second Catholic church built in the City of Spokane, with its origins in 1890 when a Jesuit priest purchased the Dean Avenue and Walnut Street property for a Catholic congregation on the north side of the Spokane River. The present brick church, a striking example of Late Gothic Revival architecture, was completed on October 27, 1901. Today St. Joseph serves a bilingual Catholic community, offering Mass in both English and Spanish, weekly Eucharistic Adoration, and the Sacrament of Reconciliation, in a tradition that has continued for more than a century and a quarter.
- Established
- 1890
- Patron
- Saint Joseph (spouse of the Virgin Mary, foster father of Jesus, patron of fathers, workers, and the Universal Church)
- Rector
- Rev. José Millan
- Diocese
- Diocese of Spokane (Roman Catholic)
Why belong here
St. Joseph offers a rare bilingual Catholic home in Spokane's West Central neighborhood, with both English and Spanish Masses every Sunday and a daily Tuesday Mass, so families can worship in the language closest to their heart. It is a historic parish — one of Spokane's two oldest Catholic parishes, set inside a stunning 1901 Gothic Revival church and a 1924 Collegiate Gothic convent that are on the Spokane Register of Historic Places — where a small, multigenerational community gathers for Adoration and Confession on Thursdays. Joining or visiting St. Joseph means becoming part of more than 130 years of continuous Catholic life on the north side of the Spokane River.
Mass times at St. Joseph
Weekly Mass schedule
Confession times
- Thursday: 6:00 PM – 7:00 PM (Spanish, alongside Adoration and Rosary)
Adoration times
- Thursday: 6:00 PM – 7:00 PM (Spanish Rosary and Eucharistic Adoration of the Blessed Sacrament)
About St. Joseph Catholic Parish
St. Joseph Catholic Parish — known in Spanish as Parroquia de San José — is a Roman Rite Catholic parish serving the West Central neighborhood of Spokane, Washington, in the Diocese of Spokane. The parish's mission is to gather English- and Spanish-speaking Catholics at the historic corner of Dean Avenue and Walnut Street, where a small but multigenerational community has worshipped continuously since 1890. The parish celebrates the Eucharist in both languages, devotes Thursday evenings to Adoration and Confession, and continues a tradition of Hispanic ministry that meets the spiritual needs of Spokane's growing Latino Catholic population.
History of the Parish
The parish was founded in 1890, when Jesuit Father Leopold Van Gorp purchased property at Dean Avenue and Walnut Street and transferred it to the Corporation of Roman Catholic Bishops of Nisqually. A wood-frame church was built first; within nine years it was overcrowded, and the present brick church was completed and dedicated on October 27, 1901. Designed pro-bono by architect Julius A. Zittel in the Late Gothic Revival style, the church was enlarged in 1909 and has remained substantially unchanged on the exterior ever since. A school was added in 1905 staffed by the Sisters of the Immaculate Heart of Mary of Scranton; a convent in the Collegiate Gothic style followed in 1924, and a gymnasium across the street in 1928. The parish marked its 125th anniversary in 2015.
- 1890 — Property purchased; first wood-frame church built
- 1901 — Present brick church dedicated October 27
- 1905 — Parish school opened (Sisters of the Immaculate Heart of Mary)
- 1909 — Church enlarged and remodeled
- 1923 — Fire damaged the school's third floor
- 1924 — Convent built (later converted to Parish Center/offices)
- 1928 — Gymnasium built across the street (used until late 1960s)
- 2015 — 125th anniversary celebrated
The Church Building & Architecture
The 1901 church is a textbook example of Late Gothic Revival ecclesiastical architecture. Its cruciform plan is anchored by a tall steeple, brick masonry walls, Gothic arches with label moldings, Gothic tracery and quatrefoils, stained-glass windows, stepped buttresses, a domed apse, and a Gothic-arched pediment over the front entrance. The 1924 convent next door continues the Gothic vocabulary in the Collegiate Gothic style, and together with the former gymnasium across the street, the parish complex is listed on the Spokane Register of Historic Places.
- Architect: Julius A. Zittel (firm: Preusse & Zittel)
- Style: Late Gothic Revival (church); Collegiate Gothic (convent)
- Materials: brick masonry, stained glass, stone detailing
- Status: Spokane Register of Historic Places
Clergy & Parish Leadership
The parish is led by Pastor Rev. José Millan, who is also listed among the priests of the Diocese of Spokane. The parish is also served by Rev. Brian Sattler, Rev. Paul Vevik, and Rev. Msgr. Brian Mee, all named on the diocesan priest directory as associated with St. Joseph's address at 1503 W. Dean Avenue.
- Rev. José Millan — Pastor
- Rev. Brian Sattler
- Rev. Paul Vevik
- Rev. Msgr. Brian Mee
Bilingual & Hispanic Ministry
In response to Spokane's growing Latino Catholic community, St. Joseph now celebrates Sunday Mass in Spanish as well as English, offers its Thursday Reconciliation and Eucharistic Adoration hour in Spanish, and provides the Spanish-language Rosary on Thursday evenings. Bilingual announcements, parish name ('Parroquia de San José'), and sacramental schedules make the parish a true home for both English- and Spanish-speaking families.
- Spanish Sunday Mass — 11:00 AM
- Thursday Spanish Rosary — 6:00 PM
- Thursday Spanish Confession — 6:00–7:00 PM
- Thursday Spanish-language Eucharistic Adoration — 6:00–7:00 PM
Location, Visiting & Contact
The parish sits in the heart of Spokane's West Central neighborhood, surrounded by late-19th- and early-20th-century homes and within walking distance of downtown Spokane and the Spokane River. The parish can be reached by phone at (509) 328-4841, and the parish email is [email protected]. The official website is stjosephspokane.org, and updates are also posted on the parish's Facebook page.
- Address: 1503 W. Dean Avenue, Spokane, WA 99201
- Phone: (509) 328-4841
- Email: [email protected]
- Website: http://stjosephspokane.org/
- Facebook: facebook.com/StJosephCatholicChurchSpokane
- Neighborhood: West Central, Spokane
Pastors & rectors through the years
- Rev. Leopold Van Gorp, SJ1890
Jesuit priest who purchased the Dean Avenue and Walnut Street property and sold it to the Corporation of Roman Catholic Bishops of Nisqually; oversaw the building of the original frame church.