About St. Rose of Lima · Keller, Washington
St. Rose of Lima is a small Roman Catholic mission parish in the unincorporated community of Keller, Washington, situated in the San Poil Valley on the Colville Indian Reservation. It is part of the Diocese of Spokane and is one of four mission parishes clustered under the pastoral care of Rev. Jake Morton, SJ (along with St. Joseph in Omak, St. Michael's in Inchelium, and Sacred Heart in Nespelem). The parish offers a single weekly Sunday Mass and serves the predominantly Native American San Poil and surrounding Colville Reservation communities. The mission is staffed through the Jesuits' Rocky Mountain Mission initiative, which has ministered to Plateau tribes in the Pacific Northwest since the mid-19th century.
- Established
- 1916
- Patron
- St. Rose of Lima (Isabel Flores de Oliva, 1586–1617, first canonized saint of the Americas, patron of Peru, the Americas, and florists)
- Rector
- Rev. Jake Morton, SJ
- Diocese
- Diocese of Spokane
Why belong here
St. Rose of Lima offers Native American Catholics and visitors to the Colville Reservation a place to worship in the San Poil Valley, with Sunday Mass each week. As part of the Jesuit Rocky Mountain Mission — a centuries-old apostolate begun when Father Peter DeSmet, SJ, founded missions with the Colvilles in 1845 — the parish blends Catholic tradition with respect for Plateau Indian culture and community. Parishioners participate in a tight-knit network of four reservation parishes (Omak, Inchelium, Nespelem, and Keller) where lay leadership, family meals, and devotions such as the Corpus Christi procession are central to parish life. Anyone passing through Keller on a Sunday is welcomed to celebrate Mass and experience this living mission heritage.
Mass times at St. Rose of Lima
Weekly Mass schedule
About St. Rose of Lima Parish
St. Rose of Lima is a small Roman Catholic mission parish in the San Poil Valley on the Colville Indian Reservation, in the unincorporated community of Keller, Washington. It belongs to the Diocese of Spokane and is one of four reservation parishes in the area coordinated by the Jesuits' Rocky Mountain Mission. The parish offers a single weekly Sunday Mass and is shaped by its setting as a worshipping community rooted in Plateau Indian Catholic tradition.
History and Heritage
The mission at Keller dates to 1916, when Jesuits from Sacred Heart Parish in Nespelem established St. Rose of Lima Mission to serve the San Poil and neighboring Plateau peoples of the Colville Reservation. It was raised to parish status in 1990. The parish carries forward a long encounter between Catholic faith and Plateau Indian spirituality, documented in the baptism there in 1918 of Skolaskin, the Sanpoil dreamer-prophet.
- Mission established 1916
- Became a parish 1990
- Baptism of Skolaskin (Corpus Christi, May 30, 1918)
- Part of the Jesuit Rocky Mountain Mission network
Parish Staff and Clergy
St. Rose of Lima is pastored by Rev. Jake Morton, SJ, who coordinates four Colville Reservation parishes from the St. Joseph Parish office in Omak. He is assisted by Rev. Joseph Fortier, SJ, and Gregg Wood, SJ, who together serve the parishes of St. Joseph (Omak), St. Michael's (Inchelium), Sacred Heart (Nespelem), and St. Rose of Lima (Keller).
- Rev. Jake Morton, SJ — Pastor
- Rev. Joseph Fortier, SJ — Associate Pastor
- Gregg Wood, SJ
Rocky Mountain Mission and Jesuit Ministry
St. Rose of Lima is one of the parishes of the Jesuits' Rocky Mountain Mission, an apostolate reaching Native American communities across the Pacific Northwest. The work traces back to the 1840s, when Father Peter DeSmet, SJ, founded missions with the Flatheads, Coeur d'Alenes, Kalispels, and Colvilles between 1841 and 1845. Today the Rocky Mountain Mission is coordinated by the Jesuits West Province, and the Colville Reservation parishes are pastored from a hub in Omak.
- Founded on 19th-century Jesuit missions to the Plateau tribes
- Coordinated by Jesuits West Province
- Includes parishes in Idaho, Montana, Washington, and Oregon
Community Life and Ministries
Because the parish is small and widely scattered, day-to-day operations rely heavily on lay leaders and parish staff. As described in Jesuit reporting on the Colville Reservation, lay parishioners serve as musicians, groundskeepers, and administrators, and parish funds are quietly directed toward helping community members with gas, groceries, and emergency needs through a word-of-mouth network.
- Lay-led parish operations
- Parish hospitality and shared meals
- Music ministry
- Discreet emergency-assistance network
Devotions and Traditions
The parish continues to mark the Solemnity of Corpus Christi with an outdoor procession, a tradition documented in photographs from the USA West Province Archives held by Gonzaga University's Digital Jesuits project. This feast has particular significance at St. Rose of Lima: it was on the feast of Corpus Christi in 1918 that Skolaskin, the Sanpoil dreamer-prophet, was baptized at this church.
- Corpus Christi procession (annual)
- Commemoration of the 1918 baptism of Skolaskin
Visiting and Contact Information
Visitors are welcomed at the Sunday Mass. Keller is a small community in the San Poil Valley reached via Highway 21 on the Colville Indian Reservation. The parish shares its telephone line and mailing service with Sacred Heart Mission in Nespelem.
- Address: Mission Road (Hwy 21), PO Box 355, Keller, WA 99140
- Phone: (509) 634-4249
- Pastoral office: 323 Edmonds, Omak, WA 98841 — (509) 826-6401