St. Paul

Welcome to St. Paul Parish

St. Paul Catholic Church is a small but historically rich Roman Catholic parish located on the Swinomish Indian Reservation near La Conner, Washington. The parish belongs to the Archdiocese of Seattle and, since the 2024 Partners in the Gospel pastoral planning initiative, is grouped into Parish Family 1 under Pastor Fr. Mel Strazicich, alongside St. Mary Parish in Anacortes and St. Francis Xavier in the San Juan Islands. St. Paul's pastoral and administrative questions are handled through the St. Mary Anacortes office (360-293-2101), and sacramental records inquiries are directed to Monica Lewis, Pastoral Assistant for Administration.

History

Catholic evangelization among the Swinomish people began as early as 1840, when Mass was first celebrated on Whidbey Island. The first purpose-built chapel — poles with a mat roof, a bell hung outside — was established on the future reservation. That same bell is said to still hang in the current church, and is reputed to have rung on the day the Point Elliott Treaty was signed in 1855. The mission at St. Paul was formally begun by Oblate missionaries from St. Anne's, Tulalip, in the years 1867–1868. For well over a century it was not an independent parish but a 'mission attended to' by priests based at neighboring parishes: St. Joachim's in Bellingham, Sacred Heart in La Conner, Immaculate Conception in Mount Vernon, and St. Charles in Burlington. In 1992 St. Paul became a full parish, with administration shared between Seattle archdiocesan priests and Jesuits of the Oregon and Western Provinces.

• 1840: First Catholic services to the Swinomish on Whidbey Island.
• 1867–1868: St. Paul's mission founded by Oblate missionaries from St. Anne's, Tulalip; present church building dated 1868.
• 1888–1891: Attended by priests from St. Joachim's, Bellingham.
• 1893–1913 and 1918–1970: Attended by priests from Sacred Heart, La Conner (under pastors including Rev. J.B. Boulet, Rev. C. DeDecker, Rev. P.G.A. Winter, Rev. P.J. Dubbel, Rev. M. Murphy, Rev. P. Gard, and Rev. D. Daly).
• 1913–1918: Attended from Immaculate Conception, Mount Vernon.
• 1970–1992: Attended from St. Charles, Burlington.
• 1992: Became an independent parish.
• 2010: Icon 'Mother of God of Lasting Things' blessed at Pentecost Mass (commissioned under Jesuit pastor Father Jerry Graham).
• 2014: Hosted indigenous-Catholic gathering at which Archbishop J. Peter Sartain celebrated Mass.

Parish Family 1 & Partners in the Gospel

As part of the Archdiocese of Seattle's 2024 Partners in the Gospel strategic pastoral plan, St. Paul was united with St. Mary (Anacortes) and St. Francis Xavier (San Juan Islands) as Parish Family 1 under one pastor, Fr. Mel Strazicich. A parochial vicar (Fr. Xavier S. Bazil, H.G.N.) and a pastoral assistant for administration (Monica Lewis) serve the family. The arrangement allows the smaller mission-parish of St. Paul to share resources — staff, communications, faith formation — with its larger sister parishes while retaining its own Mass schedule, location, and Swinomish-reservation identity.

• Pastor: Rev. Mel V. Strazicich
• Parochial Vicar: Rev. Xavier S. Bazil, H.G.N.
• Pastoral Assistant for Administration: Monica Lewis
• Sister parishes: St. Mary (Anacortes), St. Francis Xavier (San Juan Islands: Friday Harbor, Orcas & Lopez)

Mass & Liturgy

St. Paul offers Sunday Mass at 5:00 PM. Special services such as the annual Ash Wednesday Mass are scheduled locally (e.g., 1:30 PM on Ash Wednesday 2025), with additional Mass times available at the sister parish of St. Mary, Anacortes, when pilgrims visit. Confessions are heard beginning thirty minutes before each Mass. The Archdiocese of Seattle's Mass Time mobile app also publishes the most current schedule for the parish.

• Sunday — 5:00 PM
• Ash Wednesday (annual) — 1:30 PM
• Confession: 30 minutes before Mass
• Weekday Masses, perpetual adoration and additional reconciliation times available at St. Mary, Anacortes

Devotions & Traditions

St. Paul is known for two devotional hallmarks. The first is the daily St. Joseph Novena, shared through the parish's Facebook page to begin each day in prayer. The second — and most distinctive — is the annual Blessing of the Fleet on the Swinomish Channel, when more than 400 tribal members and local residents gather for a seafood feast, process to the channel, and receive the pastor's blessing of fishing vessels, fisherwomen and fishermen, high school seniors, and dignitaries. Fr. Mel Strazicich presided at the 2023 Blessing of the Fleet.

• St. Joseph Novena (daily, shared via Facebook)
• Annual Blessing of the Fleet on the Swinomish Channel (May)
• Lenten Day of Reflection (co-hosted, March 2025) with Religious Sisters of Mercy and Martha Ministry lunch

Sacred Art: *Mother of God of Lasting Things*

The most cherished cultural treasure of St. Paul is an icon entitled *Mother of God of Lasting Things*, written by Portland iconographer Mary Katsilometes and commissioned by the parish under then-pastor Father Jerry Graham, SJ. It was blessed and installed at St. Paul Church during Pentecost Mass on May 23, 2010. The icon depicts the Blessed Virgin Mary as a Coast Salish woman holding the Christ Child as a Native infant; Mary and Jesus wear earth-toned traditional clothing, the child's cradle is of cedar bark, and mother and child are wrapped in blankets woven of dog hair and mountain-goat fur. They are surrounded by moving water — symbolizing both Christian baptism and creation — with leaping salmon representing the Eucharist as 'lasting nourishment' from the Living Water.

• Title: Mother of God of Lasting Things
• Iconographer: Mary Katsilometes (Portland)
• Commissioned under: Father Jerry Graham, SJ
• Blessed: Pentecost, May 23, 2010
• Location: St. Paul Church, Swinomish Reservation

Sacraments & Records

Sunday Mass with reconciliation beforehand is offered at the parish. Sacramental records — baptisms, marriages, and burials — for St. Paul have been kept since the late 19th century. Archdiocese of Seattle archives hold these records (contact: [email protected] / 360-293-2101). For the celebration of any sacrament (baptism, marriage, anointing, first Communion, Confirmation), parishioners are encouraged to contact the parish office.

• Baptism, marriage, and burial records from 1878 onward
• Records contact: [email protected] / 360-293-2101
• Mailing: 4001 St. Marys Drive, Anacortes, WA 98221

Faith Formation & Youth

Faith formation for St. Paul is coordinated through Parish Family 1 with St. Mary Anacortes and St. Francis Xavier. A newly formed Island Catholic Youth Group for ages 13–17 — together with the annual 'Faith on Fire' youth conference (July 25-27, 2025) — gives teens across the Anacortes-Swinomish-San Juan parish family a Catholic peer community. Adult formation events include seasonal Days of Reflection during Lent, hosted at the Father Auer Center at St. Mary Anacortes with talks, discussion, and lunch served by the Martha Ministry.

• Island Catholic Youth Group (ages 13-17)
• Faith on Fire Youth Conference (July 25-27, 2025)
• Lenten Days of Reflection (Religious Sisters of Mercy)

Visit & Contact

St. Paul Catholic Church is located at 17456 Pioneer Parkway, on the Swinomish Reservation, in or near La Conner, WA 98257. From Pioneer Parkway, turn onto Snee-Oosh Road; the church sits on the corner. Although Mass is celebrated only once a week (Sunday 5 PM), the parish office line is answered by St. Mary Parish in Anacortes (360-293-2101), where staff can assist with registrations, sacramental requests, and offerings.

• Physical address: 17456 Pioneer Parkway, Swinomish / La Conner, WA 98257
• Mailing address: 4001 St. Marys Drive, Anacortes, WA 98221
• Phone: (360) 466-5737 (parish) / (360) 293-2101 (office)
• Email: [email protected]
• Website: https://stmaryanacortes.org/
• Facebook: facebook.com/St-Paul-Catholic-Church-100874339957122/