About St. Paul the Apostle · Eltopia, Washington
St. Paul the Apostle (also known as St. Paul's Catholic Church) is a small Roman Catholic parish serving the rural farming community of Eltopia, Washington, in Franklin County, eastern Washington. Founded by Catholic farm families who settled the Columbia Basin after the Grand Coulee Dam brought irrigation to the region, the parish belongs to the Diocese of Spokane and today celebrates Mass three times a week — Sunday morning, Tuesday evening, and Thursday morning — together with Eucharistic Adoration and weekly confession. The parish is currently clustered with St. Vincent de Paul in Connell and San Juan Diego Mission in Basin City under a single pastor, and it continues to support the mission in Basin City as it has for decades.
- Established
- 1964
- Patron
- St. Paul the Apostle
- Rector
- Rev. Fr. Luta Nsubuga
- Diocese
- Diocese of Spokane
Why belong here
St. Paul the Apostle is a faithful Catholic community in the heart of eastern Washington's Columbia Basin farmland — built and sustained for six decades by the farming families it still serves. Visitors can expect a warm rural parish with a strong devotional life: Sunday morning Mass, weekday Masses on Tuesday evening and Thursday morning, weekly Eucharistic Adoration on both weekdays, and regular Tuesday confessions. The parish is also a long-standing supporter of the San Juan Diego Mission in Basin City, so belonging here means belonging to a wider regional Catholic family of three clustered parishes under one pastor.
Mass times at St. Paul the Apostle
Weekly Mass schedule
Confession times
- Tuesday 4:00 PM – 4:45 PM
Adoration times
- Tuesday 4:00 PM – 5:00 PM
- Thursday 9:30 AM – 10:30 AM
Parish History
St. Paul the Apostle was born out of the post-war Catholic farm settlement of the Columbia Basin. In the early 1950s, families moving onto newly irrigated land near Eltopia had to drive as far as Ritzville, Lind, Othello, or Connell for Sunday Mass. Their longing for the Eucharist closer to home gathered them into a community that first celebrated Mass in a quonset hut in August 1957, and later in the Eltopia School. Encouraged by Father Oosterman, supported by Bishop Topel, and helped by a grant from the Catholic Extension Society, the 58 families of the new parish acquired land on Glade Road and broke ground on their own church in 1963 — supplying most of the labor themselves. Easter Sunday 1964 saw the first Mass in the completed building.
- First Mass celebrated August 1957 in a quonset hut in Eltopia
- Early worship later moved to the Eltopia School
- Land acquired and ground broken on Glade Road, 1963
- Easter Sunday 1964 — first Mass in the new church
- Catholic Extension Society grant supported the build
- Bishop Topel and Father Oosterman encouraged and supported the parish
1989 Renovation & Etched-Glass Windows
In 1989 the parish undertook a major renovation of the church building. The altar was relocated to the east end and the pews were turned around, the roof was reconfigured to add a kitchen and restrooms, and the upper level was converted into classrooms with a bell tower. The north exterior wall was removed to open the worship space for musicians, the Stations of the Cross, and additional seating. Rather than install traditional stained glass, Father Bob Turner commissioned Kansas City artist Kathy Barnard to create a set of etched-glass windows depicting Saints Peter and Paul, St. Paul's Conversion, the Stoning of Stephen, and — at the entrance — agricultural scenes of the surrounding farming area.
- Altar moved to the east end of the church
- Pews turned around to face the new altar
- Bell tower, classrooms, kitchen, and bathrooms added
- Etched-glass windows by Kathy Barnard (Kansas City), commissioned by Fr. Bob Turner
- Window subjects: Saints Peter and Paul, St. Paul's Conversion, Stoning of Stephen, and local farm scenes
Sacraments
The parish celebrates the Eucharist on Sundays, Tuesdays, Thursdays, and on the First Friday of each month, and offers the Sacrament of Reconciliation every Tuesday afternoon before the Tuesday evening Mass. Eucharistic Adoration of the Blessed Sacrament is offered twice weekly.
- Eucharist (Mass)
- Reconciliation / Confession — Tuesday 4:00–4:45 PM
- Eucharistic Adoration — Tuesday afternoons and Thursday mornings
Parish Cluster: Connell, Basin City, Eltopia
St. Paul the Apostle is served together with two neighboring communities as a single pastoral cluster within the Diocese of Spokane: St. Vincent de Paul Parish in Connell (the cluster's anchor parish, with the rectory) and San Juan Diego Mission in Basin City (440 Bailie Blvd). St. Paul the Apostle has been a long-standing supporter of the mission in Basin City, and the three communities share one pastor. On Ash Wednesday, for example, the cluster rotates between the three churches for Mass and the distribution of ashes.
- St. Vincent de Paul, Connell — 220 Dayton, Connell (rectory: 509-234-2262)
- San Juan Diego Mission, Basin City — 440 Bailie Blvd
- St. Paul the Apostle, Eltopia — 14181 Glade Road
- All three share a single pastor under the Diocese of Spokane
Clergy & Pastoral Leadership
Father Luta Nsubuga is the current pastor of St. Paul the Apostle, assigned on July 1, 2023 by Bishop Thomas Daly to serve the three-parish cluster of St. Vincent de Paul (Connell), St. Paul the Apostle (Eltopia), and San Juan Diego Mission (Basin City). Previous pastors include Fr. Gustavo Ruiz-Juarez, Fr. Jose Luis Hernandez, Fr. Bob Turner (who oversaw the 1989 renovation and the etched-glass windows), and Father Oosterman, who encouraged the founding Catholic community in the late 1950s. Jane Dailey and Regina Janosky have served as parish administrators.
- Fr. Luta Nsubuga — current pastor (assigned 2023)
- Fr. Gustavo Ruiz-Juarez — previous pastor
- Fr. Jose Luis Hernandez — earlier pastor
- Fr. Bob Turner — pastor during the 1989 renovation
- Father Oosterman — early pastor who encouraged the parish's founding
Diocese of Spokane
St. Paul the Apostle is a parish of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Spokane, which covers Eastern Washington. The parish is registered with Washington State as a nonprofit corporation (St. Paul The Apostle Catholic Parish – Eltopia, UBI #602725443), incorporated in 2007, and uses the Diocese of Spokane for its official email domain (@dioceseofspokane.org).
- Diocese of Spokane
- Bishop Thomas Daly (current diocesan bishop)
- Parish mailing: PO Box 268, Eltopia, WA 99330-0268
Visit, Directions & Contact
St. Paul the Apostle welcomes visitors at 14181 N Glade Road, Eltopia, WA 99330. From Highway 395, take the Eltopia exit west for about 5 miles, turn right onto Glade North Road, and continue roughly one mile — the church is on the left. The parish phone is (509) 297-4371.
- Address: 14181 N Glade Road, Eltopia, WA 99330
- Phone: (509) 297-4371
- Email: [email protected]
- Website: http://stpaulseltopia.org/
- Directions: Hwy 395 W. Eltopia exit, 5 miles, right on Glade N. Rd., ~1 mile to the church
Pastors & rectors through the years
- Father Oosterman
Early pastor who encouraged the Eltopia Catholic community as they organized and built their first church.
- Rev. Fr. Bob Turner
Led the major 1989 renovation; commissioned the etched-glass windows by Kathy Barnard.
- Rev. Fr. Jose Luis Hernandez
Listed as pastor in older directory entries.
- Rev. Fr. Gustavo Ruiz-Juarez
Pastor serving St. Paul the Apostle with St. Vincent de Paul (Connell) and San Juan Diego Mission (Basin City); listed through about 2022.
- Rev. Fr. Luta Nsubuga2023–present
Assigned July 1, 2023 by Bishop Thomas Daly as pastor of St. Vincent de Paul, Connell; St. Paul the Apostle, Eltopia; and San Juan Diego, Basin City.