About St. Patrick · Walla Walla, Washington
St. Patrick Catholic Church is a historic Roman Catholic parish in Walla Walla, Washington, founded in 1859 by Father Toussaint Mesplie and served today from its landmark 1881 Gothic brick church at 408 W. Poplar Street. It is the oldest Catholic institution in the Walla Walla Valley, born of the original 1846 Diocese of Walla Walla (now the Diocese of Spokane), and operates as a tri-parish community with Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary and St. Francis of Assisi. The parish offers weekend Masses in English and Spanish, weekly Confession, perpetual Adoration, and a robust faith-formation program, and it is the spiritual home of the tri-parish Catholic schools and the Our Lady of Ransom tuition fund.
- Established
- 1859
- Patron
- St. Patrick (Patron Saint of Ireland, 'Missionary to Ireland')
- Rector
- Rev. Daniel Barnett (appointed pastor of St. Patrick, Walla Walla, effective July 1, 2025; succeeded Fr. Kevin Oiland, who had been appointed in 2024)
- Diocese
- Diocese of Spokane (originally the short-lived Diocese of Walla Walla, established 1846 and suppressed in 1853)
Why belong here
St. Patrick is the historic spiritual heart of Catholic life in the Walla Walla Valley, with a particular devotion to the traditional Latin patrimony of the Church and a bilingual (English and Spanish) liturgical life that welcomes immigrant and Anglo families alike. The parish offers daily and Sunday Mass (with a twice-monthly Latin Mass on the 2nd Sunday), two weekly Confession times including one in Spanish, three weekly Adoration hours, and a tri-parish perpetual Adoration chapel. Its active faith-formation program, Catholic-school partnerships, the Our Lady of Ransom tuition fund, and a flourishing 142-year-old Gothic church just completing a meticulous $1.5 million restoration make it both a deeply traditional sanctuary and a living, working parish for the whole valley.
Mass times at St. Patrick
Weekly Mass schedule
Confession times
- Sunday 9:00 am (St. Patrick)
- Wednesday 4:30 pm (St. Patrick)
- Wednesday 3:00–5:20 pm — Eucharistic Adoration and Confessions (St. Patrick, with Spanish Mass at 5:30 pm)
Adoration times
- St. Patrick — Wednesdays, 4:00–5:30 pm (Adoration, followed by 5:30 pm Spanish Mass)
- St. Patrick — Wednesdays, 6:00–8:15 pm (Eucharistic Adoration, concluding with Solemn Benediction at 8:15 pm)
- Assumption Chapel — Tri-Parish Perpetual Adoration, Thursday 12:00 pm through Saturday 12:00 pm; drop-in hours 7:00 am–6:00 pm, or sign up for a holy hour
Parish Identity and Mission
St. Patrick Parish describes itself as 'Born of the original 1846 Diocese of Walla Walla, faithful to Catholic Teaching, welcoming all into union in Christ to adore God according to the One Holy, Catholic, Apostolic Tradition.' The parish's Spanish-language bulletin gives the same mission in Spanish: 'Nacida de la diócesis original de Walla Walla en 1846, la parroquia de San Patricio, fiel a la enseñanza católica, da la bienvenida a todos a la unión en Cristo para adorar a Dios de acuerdo con la Tradición Única, Santa, Católica y Apostólica. ¡Alabado sea Jesucristo en el Sacramento!' The parish motto is the simple Eucharistic acclamation, 'Praised be Jesus in the Blessed Sacrament.'
History and Origins (1859–Present)
Founded in 1859 by Father Toussaint Mesplie as the first Catholic mission in the Walla Walla Valley, St. Patrick has served the people of Walla Walla County for more than 165 years. The parish built successive churches in 1863 and 1865, sponsored St. Vincent's Academy in 1864, and erected the present Gothic brick church dedicated on Christmas Day, 1881. The HistoryLink.org essay 9516 details the parish's role as the institutional ancestor of St. Mary's Hospital (1879) and of the modern Walla Walla Catholic Schools.
- 1859 – Fr. Toussaint Mesplie founds the parish in a pole-and-shake shelter
- 1863 – Second church building consecrated
- 1864 – St. Vincent's Academy established (precursor of Catholic schools and St. Mary's Hospital)
- 1865 – Third, larger church building completed
- 1872 – Fr. Thomas Duffy becomes the first resident pastor
- 1879 – St. Mary's Hospital established from St. Vincent's
- 1881 – Present Gothic brick church dedicated on Christmas Day
- Transepts added later to complete the cruciform floor plan
- 2019 – Parish begins formal restoration planning under Fr. Matthew Nicks
- 2022 – Fr. Dale Tuckerman arrives and takes over the restoration
- Aug 21, 2023 – Demolition phase of the $1.5M restoration begins
- Mar 17, 2024 – 142nd-anniversary Mass celebrated in the partially restored church
The Building and the 2023–2024 Restoration
The 1881 Gothic Revival church is a brick cruciform landmark on West Poplar Street. The 2023–2024 restoration, led by Fr. Dale Tuckerman, removed the post-Vatican II forward-projected sanctuary, returned the high altar to the east end, realigned the transept pews, rebuilt the communion rail from salvaged stone, replaced the deteriorating front steps, modernized the confessionals, added a glass-walled cry room/narthex beneath the choir loft, cleaned and repainted all 14 Stations of the Cross, replaced art-nouveau chandeliers with gothic lanterns, and added devotional candle stands in the transepts. The faithful await installation of a marble ambo, table altar, and communion-rail stones to complete the project. The parish publishes a weekly-updated Restoration Image Gallery on wwcatholic.org.
- Style: Gothic Revival, brick
- Original shape: rectangular (1881), with transepts later added to form a cruciform plan
- Altar steps: two lower + three upper (Five Wounds of Christ; Trinity)
- Sanctuary furniture: 14 Stations of the Cross, gothic lantern lighting, transept devotional candle stands
- New features in 2023–24: narthex/cry room beneath choir loft, restored communion rail, new front steps
- Budget: approximately $1.5 million
Faith Formation and Catholic Schools
Faith Formation at St. Patrick is directed by Martha Jimenez and serves the tri-parish community. The parish is closely tied to Walla Walla Catholic Schools, whose president is Father Andrew O'Leary, S.J. The parish's Our Lady of Ransom Fund assists families who could not otherwise afford a Catholic school education; donations can be made by check to St. Patrick Parish with the memo 'Our Lady of Ransom Fund' or by selecting that designation in the online giving form. The parish's school ministry is a direct continuation of St. Vincent's Academy, founded by the parish in 1864.
- Faith Formation Director: Martha Jimenez
- Walla Walla Catholic Schools — President: Fr. Andrew O'Leary, S.J.
- Our Lady of Ransom Fund — Catholic school tuition assistance
- St. Vincent's Academy — founded 1864 (parish school heritage)
Clergy and Staff
St. Patrick is pastored as part of a tri-parish collaboration with Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary and St. Francis of Assisi, sharing deacons, staff, and a single phone system. The current pastor is Father Daniel Barnett, appointed by Bishop Thomas Daly effective July 1, 2025. The parish bulletin lists three deacons (one retired), a seminarian on pastoral placement, a Faith Formation director, and an office manager.
- Pastor: Rev. Daniel Barnett (since July 1, 2025)
- Parochial Vicar (tri-parish): Rev. Andrew O'Leary, S.J.
- Deacon Jim Barrow
- Deacon Maclobio Robles
- Deacon Olegario Reyes (Retired)
- Seminarian: Andrew Kelley (on Pastoral Placement)
- Faith Formation: Martha Jimenez
- Office Manager: Brisa Maya ([email protected])
Hispanic Ministry (Parroquia San Patricio)
St. Patrick has a vibrant Spanish-language ministry. A Saturday evening Mass in Spanish, a Sunday noon Mass in Spanish, and a Tuesday/Thursday evening Mass in Spanish anchor the week, supported by Confessions in Spanish on Wednesday afternoons and a long block of Eucharistic Adoration. The bulletin publishes announcements in both English and Spanish, and the parish mission statement is printed in both languages. The parish welcomes quinceañera celebrations and provides a QR code on the bulletin for registration and policy review.
- Saturday 7:00 pm — Santa Misa en Español
- Sunday 12:00 pm — Santa Misa en Español
- Tuesday 5:30 pm — Santa Misa en Español
- Thursday 5:30 pm — Santa Misa en Español
- Wednesday Confessions in Spanish
- Quinceañera registration available via parish QR code
Heritage and Institutional Descendants
Beyond its own parish life, St. Patrick's 1864 founding of St. Vincent's Academy seeded two of the Walla Walla Valley's most enduring Catholic institutions: Walla Walla Catholic Schools and Providence St. Mary Medical Center (originally St. Mary's Hospital, founded 1879 out of the sick-care work of the sisters teaching at St. Vincent's). The parish was also the first institution in the settlement of Steptoeville/Walla Walla, and the first Catholic parish born of the original 1846 Diocese of Walla Walla — a foundational diocese of Catholicism in the Pacific Northwest.
- Diocese of Walla Walla, established 1846, suppressed 1853 — first diocese in the Pacific Northwest with jurisdiction from the Cascades to the Rockies
- Bishop A.M.A. Blanchet — first Bishop of Walla Walla (1846–1850)
- St. Vincent's Academy (1864) → Walla Walla Catholic Schools and St. Mary's Hospital
- Providence St. Mary Medical Center — present-day descendant of St. Mary's Hospital (1879)
Visiting and Practical Information
The parish office at 408 W. Poplar Street is open Tuesday through Friday, 9:00 am–1:00 pm and 2:00–6:00 pm. Visitors are welcome to attend Mass, Confession, and Adoration according to the published schedule, and to view the live restoration photo gallery on the parish website. The parish asks that the sanctuary area be kept quiet and reverent as a 'shoreline between Heaven and Earth,' while the narthex beneath the choir loft may be used as a social area after Mass.
- Parish Office Hours: Tuesday–Friday, 9:00 am–1:00 pm and 2:00–6:00 pm
- Phone: (509) 525-3310, Ext. 3 (St. Patrick)
- Email: [email protected]
- Website: wwcatholic.org (with weekly-updated Restoration Image Gallery)
- On-site parking; downtown Walla Walla location
Pastors & rectors through the years
- Rev. Fr. Toussaint Mesplie1859–
Founder; French-Canadian Oblate priest stationed at The Dalles; built the first pole-and-shake chapel in Steptoeville in 1859 and celebrated the first Mass in the Walla Walla Valley settlement.
- Rev. Fr. Thomas Duffy1872–1884 (d. 1884)
First resident pastor of St. Patrick's; served as the congregation grew from about 400 members; oversaw the construction of the Gothic brick church dedicated in 1881.
- Rev. Fr. Jeffrey Lewis
Listed as a former St. Patrick's Pastor on the parish bulletin.
- Rev. Fr. Matthew Nicksthrough ~2022
Initiated the historic church restoration project in 2019; first worked with an architect to develop a detailed restoration plan and interviewed contractors.
- Rev. Fr. Dale Tuckerman2022–2024
Led the 2023–2024 $1.5 million restoration returning the sanctuary, altar, communion rail, fonts, Stations, confessionals and lighting to a more traditional arrangement.
- Rev. Fr. Curtis Seidel2024 (interim)
Listed as St. Patrick's Pastor in tri-parish bulletin during the 2024 transition year.
- Rev. Fr. Kevin Oiland2024–2025
Appointed pastor of St. Patrick, Walla Walla, effective July 1, 2024, by Bishop Thomas Daly.
- Rev. Fr. Daniel Barnett2025–present
Appointed pastor of St. Patrick, Walla Walla, effective July 1, 2025.