About St. Thomas More · Spokane, Washington
St. Thomas More is a Roman Catholic parish in north Spokane, Washington, part of the Diocese of Spokane. Established in 1957 to serve a growing north-side community, it opened its parish school in 1962 and dedicated its current church in 1987. The parish continues as a parish-and-school community, celebrating five weekend Masses and a daily morning Mass, with a school that educates children from preschool through eighth grade under the motto "Know, Love, and Serve God." It is staffed by a pastor, a priest in residence, and deacons, along with a parish business manager.
- Established
- 1957
- Patron
- St. Thomas More
- Rector
- Rev. Patrick Kerst
- Diocese
- Diocese of Spokane
Why belong here
St. Thomas More offers a complete parish-and-school Catholic life: five weekend Masses, a daily 7:30 AM Mass, weekday and Saturday Confession, and extensive Eucharistic Adoration (Monday–Friday afternoons and all day Saturday). Families with school-age children benefit from an on-site Catholic preschool-through-eighth-grade school accredited by WCEA, while parishioners are formed through the parish's reach into campus ministry at Washington State University. With an experienced pastor who has served more than three decades in priesthood and a welcoming staff including deacons and a parish business manager, it's a faithful community where members tend to be known by name.
Mass times at St. Thomas More
Weekly Mass schedule
Confession times
- Thursday: 4:30 PM – until finished
- Saturday: 8:00 AM – 9:00 AM
Adoration times
- Monday – Friday: 3:00 PM – 7:00 PM
- Saturday: 8:00 AM – 4:00 PM
Parish Identity and History
Saint Thomas More Parish is a Roman Catholic community in north Spokane, Washington, belonging to the Diocese of Spokane. It was established in 1957 and quickly grew into a parish-school community with the opening of St. Thomas More Catholic School in 1962. The current church building was dedicated in 1987 and continues to serve as the center of parish liturgy and life.
- Founded: 1957
- Parish school opened: 1962
- Current church dedicated: 1987
- Diocese: Spokane
- Patron: St. Thomas More
Mass and Worship
The parish celebrates Mass daily at 7:30 AM Monday through Saturday and offers three Sunday morning Masses — 7:30 AM, 9:00 AM, and 11:00 AM — along with the Saturday Vigil at 4:30 PM. All published liturgies are celebrated in English.
- Saturday Vigil: 4:30 PM
- Sunday: 7:30 AM, 9:00 AM, 11:00 AM
- Weekday Mass: Monday – Saturday, 7:30 AM
St. Thomas More Catholic School
St. Thomas More Catholic School has served families since 1962, with a mission rooted in the parish's call to "Know, Love, and Serve God." The school educates children from preschool through eighth grade and is accredited by the Western Catholic Educational Association (WCEA); it is also affiliated with the National Catholic Educational Association (NCEA). The school building sits immediately adjacent to the parish at 515 W St. Thomas More Way, Spokane, WA 99208, and is administered on-site.
- Grades served: Preschool through 8
- Accreditation: WCEA; NCEA membership
- Motto: "Know, Love, and Serve God"
- Address: 515 W St. Thomas More Way, Spokane, WA 99208
Faith Formation and Religious Education
The parish sees Catholic education as a ministry of the whole faith community and offers religious formation programs for children, youth, and adults. Parents are encouraged to participate actively in parish life as part of their children's faith formation, in keeping with the parish's long-standing partnership between family, school, and parish.
- Children's religious education
- Youth faith formation
- Adult faith formation
Clergy and Staff
The parish is led by Pastor Rev. Patrick Kerst, who also serves the Diocese of Spokane as Vicar for Priests and was ordained on May 23, 1990. He is assisted by a priest in residence, Rev. David Kruse, along with Deacon Tom Heavey and Douglas Banks (who also serves the parish school). Jennifer Siira serves as the parish Business Manager, coordinating administration and finances.
- Rev. Patrick Kerst – Pastor
- Rev. David Kruse – Priest in Residence
- Deacon Tom Heavey
- Douglas Banks – Deacon / school administrator
- Jennifer Siira – Business Manager
Campus Ministry at Washington State University
Beyond its north Spokane campus, St. Thomas More extends ministry to the St. Thomas More Student Center at Washington State University in Pullman, which serves the Catholic community among WSU Cougs. The parish's pastor serves as Vicar of Priests overseeing this outreach, and the center provides a chaplaincy presence for students at 820 NE "B" Street, Pullman.
- St. Thomas More Student Center @ WSU
- 820 NE B St, Pullman, WA 99163
- Phone: (509) 332-6311
Resources and Getting Involved
Parishioners can stay connected through weekly bulletins, Flocknote messaging, online giving, and the parish's FORMED subscription. The parish also publishes announcements and Mass-time updates on its website, including notices about holy-day schedule changes such as the July 4th closure of Thursday Confession.
- Online Giving
- FORMED (Catholic media subscription)
- Weekly Bulletin
- Flocknote parish messaging
Location and Contact
St. Thomas More is located at 505 W St. Thomas More Way in the 99208 ZIP code in north Spokane. The parish office can be reached at (509) 466-3811, with email contact through the parish office address published on the diocesan directory.
- Address: 505 W St. Thomas More Way, Spokane, WA 99208
- Phone: (509) 466-3811
- Website: parish.thomasmorespokane.org
- From North Wall, take Carolina Way (8100 block) and turn right into the parking lot