About St. Yves · Mossyrock, Washington
St. Yves is a small Catholic mission church in the unincorporated community of Harmony, Lewis County, Washington — geographically inside the Mossyrock postal area — belonging to the Archdiocese of Seattle. The mission, also locally called St. Ives, is one of the older Catholic outposts in East Lewis County, with roots going back to 1914. It is administered today as part of the West Lewis Parish Catholic cluster (which includes St. Joseph in Chehalis, St. Mary in Centralia, and St. Francis Xavier in Toledo) under the Archdiocese of Seattle's 'Partners in the Gospel' parish-family model, with Mass offered in English on Sundays, Saturdays and Thursdays.
- Established
- 1914
- Patron
- Saint Yves (Ivo of Kermartin), patron saint of lawyers, judges, and the poor
- Rector
- Rev. Milhton H. Scarpetta
- Diocese
- Archdiocese of Seattle (South Sound Deanery)
Why belong here
St. Yves is a small, historic Catholic mission with roots in the timber and farming communities of the upper Cowlitz valley going back to 1914. It is a tight-knit worshiping community where Mass is celebrated three times a week in English (Sunday morning, Saturday Vigil, and Thursday), and where visiting Catholics driving to Mount St. Helens, White Pass, or the surrounding Cascades are welcomed. As part of the West Lewis Parish Catholic cluster, parishioners at St. Yves benefit from the wider ministries of St. Joseph, Chehalis, St. Mary in Centralia, and St. Francis Xavier in Toledo — including Spanish Mass at St. Joseph and a regional faith-formation program — while keeping their own intimate mission identity.
Mass times at St. Yves
Weekly Mass schedule
Confession times
- Saturday 3:00 PM – 4:30 PM at St. Joseph, Chehalis
- One half hour before each weekday Mass (i.e., before Thursday 10:00 AM Mass at St. Yves)
About St. Yves Mission
St. Yves is a Catholic mission church of the Archdiocese of Seattle serving the small community of Harmony, just north of Mossyrock in Lewis County, Washington. Founded in 1914 and named for Saint Yves (Ivo of Kermartin), the patron saint of lawyers, judges, and the poor, the mission has ministered to loggers, farmers, and visitors to the upper Cowlitz valley for more than a century. Today it is administered through the West Lewis Parish Catholic cluster headquartered at St. Joseph in Chehalis.
History
The original St. Yves chapel was built in 1914 on a bluff overlooking Dunn Canyon along the Cowlitz River, on one acre of donated land. Dedicated on July 12, 1914, it was a simple white church with light-blue trim, a steeple and bell, and bore the inscription 'Chapel of Saint Ives – Our Lady of the Valley.' A 1952 addition nearly doubled the building. The original structure was destroyed by fire in the summer of 1989, and a similar church was rebuilt on the same grounds. The mission long served as a daughter community of Sacred Heart Parish in Morton; after Sacred Heart's closure in January 2019, St. Yves took on an expanded role for Catholics across East Lewis County.
- Chapel dedicated July 12, 1914
- 1952 addition nearly doubled the building
- Original church destroyed by fire, summer 1989
- Rebuilt on the same grounds under the same name and dedication
- Traditionally a mission of Sacred Heart, Morton (closed January 2019)
Parish Family & Clergy
St. Yves belongs to Parish Family 42 of the Archdiocese of Seattle under the 'Partners in the Gospel' strategic pastoral plan, grouped with St. Joseph in Chehalis, St. Mary in Centralia, and St. Francis Xavier in Toledo in the South Sound Deanery. The current pastor of the mission is Rev. Milhton H. Scarpetta; the parochial vicar listed on the Archdiocese of Seattle parish page is Rev. Thomas Selvaraj Anthony Muthu, H.G.N.
- Pastor: Rev. Milhton H. Scarpetta
- Parochial Vicar: Rev. Thomas Selvaraj Anthony Muthu, H.G.N.
- Deanery: South Sound
- Parish Family 42 within Partners in the Gospel
West Lewis Parish Catholic Cluster
St. Yves shares its pastoral and administrative life with the other Catholic communities of western Lewis County through the West Lewis Parish Catholic cluster (wlpcatholic.org). St. Joseph in Chehalis serves as the cluster's center of worship and parish office; it offers Sunday Masses in English at 8:30 AM and 10:30 AM and a 1:00 PM Mass in Spanish, plus a Wednesday 9:00 AM children's Mass and a Friday 9:00 AM weekday Mass. The cluster's full weekly schedule is published on the shared parish website.
- St. Joseph, Chehalis — Saturday Vigil 5:00 PM; Sunday 8:30 AM, 10:30 AM, and 1:00 PM (Spanish)
- St. Mary, Centralia — Sunday 8:30 AM; Thursday 9:00 AM weekday
- St. Francis Xavier, Toledo — Sunday 10:30 AM; Wednesday 10:00 AM children's Mass
- St. Yves, Harmony — Thursday 10:00 AM; Saturday Vigil 5:00 PM; Sunday 10:30 AM
Saint Yves Cemetery
Behind the church sits the Saint Yves Cemetery, owned and maintained by St. Yves Parish. Created with the church in 1914, its earliest recorded burial dates to 1918 and it remains in use today. According to the Washington State Archives, the older section contains roughly 117 plotted graves and the newer section approximately 300 unplotted spaces; the cemetery is described as well cared for with ample parking. Records inquiries may be directed through Sacred Heart / St. Joseph parish offices in Morton and Chehalis.
- Oldest burial: 1918
- Old section: ~117 plotted graves
- New section: ~300 additional spaces
- Privately maintained by St. Yves Parish
Visiting & Directions
St. Yves sits about 11 miles west of Morton and roughly 30 miles from St. Francis Xavier in Toledo, in the rural community of Harmony just north of Mossyrock. Travelers coming from US Highway 12 should turn north onto State Route 122 and continue about 1.5 miles; the white-and-blue-trim church and its cemetery are on the left side of the road, just before the road climbs the hill. The mission welcomes visiting Catholics — including travelers heading to Mount St. Helens, White Pass, or the surrounding Cascade resorts.
- 381 State Route 122, Mossyrock, WA 98564
- Phone: 360-748-4953 (St. Joseph parish office)
- On-site parking alongside the church
- Often locally spelled 'St. Ives'
The Patron: Saint Yves (Ivo of Kermartin)
Saint Yves (also spelled Ives), in French Yves Hélory de Kermartin, was a 13th-century Breton priest, lawyer, and judge known for his defense of the poor. He is venerated as the patron saint of lawyers, judges, and the poor — an especially fitting patron for a rural mission church founded by and serving loggers, settlers, and small farmers in the upper Cowlitz valley.
- Patron of lawyers, judges, and the poor
- 13th-century Breton priest, lawyer, and judge
- Feast day: May 19
Pastors & rectors through the years
- Rev. Jacob M. Maurer2015–2019
Pastor of the Lewis County cluster including St. Yves Mission; oversaw the 2019 closure of Sacred Heart, Morton and the welcome of its parishioners at St. Yves and St. Francis Xavier, Toledo.
- Rev. Milhton H. Scarpetta
Listed as current pastor of St. Yves Mission on the Archdiocese of Seattle parish page.