Diocese of Spokane Dioecesis Spokanensis | |
|---|---|
 Cathedral of Our Lady of Lourdes | |
 Coat of arms | |
| Location | |
| Country |  United States |
| Territory | Northern and Eastern Washington State |
| Ecclesiastical province | Province of Seattle |
| Population |
|
| Information | |
| Denomination | Catholic |
| Sui iuris church | Latin Church |
| Rite | Roman Rite |
| Established | December 17, 1913 |
| Cathedral | Cathedral of Our Lady of Lourdes |
| Patron saint | Our Lady of Lourdes[2] |
| Current leadership | |
| Pope | Leo XIV |
| Bishop | Thomas Anthony Daly |
| Metropolitan Archbishop | Paul Etienne |
| Bishops emeritus | William S. Skylstad |
| Map | |
 | |
| Website | |
| dioceseofspokane.org | |
TheDiocese of Spokane (Latin:Dioecesis Spokanensis) is aLatin Church ecclesiastical territory ordiocese of theCatholic Church inWashington State in the United States. It is asuffragan diocese in the ecclesiastical province of the metropolitanArchdiocese of Seattle.
The mother church of the Diocese of Spokane is theCathedral of Our Lady of Lourdes in Spokane. As of 2025, the bishop of Spokane isThomas Daly. The diocese was erected on December 17, 1913.
The Diocese of Spokane encompasses the following counties:
Okanogan,Ferry,Stevens,Pend Oreille,Lincoln,Spokane,Adams,Whitman,Franklin,Walla Walla,Columbia,Garfield andAsotin.
As of 2025, approximately 85,000 Catholics were served by the diocese in 80 parishes.[3]
TheCatholic Church presence in the present-day state ofWashington dates to the 1830s. At that time,missionarypriests traveled from the BritishProvince of Quebec to minister to Catholics in present-day Oregon, Washington State and British Columbia.
In 1843, theHoly See established theVicariate Apostolic of the Oregon Territory, which covered a huge swath of territory from California to Alaska.[4] In 1846,Pope Gregory XVI divided the vicariate into three dioceses, with the Washington area part of the newDiocese of Walla Walla.[5]
In 1847, dissidentCayuse tribesman killed 11 Protestant missionaries and kidnapped others in southeastern Washington in what became known as theWhitman massacre.[6] It was followed that same year by theCayuse War, lasting several years between the tribe and the territorial government of Oregon.[7] As the result of these conflicts, the Vatican abandoned the Diocese of Walla Walla in 1850, shifting jurisdiction of the areas to the Diocese of Oregon City.[5] Later that year,Pope Pius IX suppressed the Diocese of Walla Walla and erected theDiocese of Nesqually to replace it. In 1859, the church reestablished itself in Walla Walla, opening St. Patrick's Parish.[8]
In 1881, the Church of St. Joseph was started in a converted carpenter's shop, the first Catholic church in Spokane.[9] The Sisters of Providence started Sacred Heart Hospital in Spokane in 1886; it is todayProvidence Sacred Heart Medical Center.[10]Gonzaga University was opened by 1887 by the missionary ReverendJoseph Cataldo in Spokane.[11] In 1898, the Sisters of Providence opened the Sacred Heart School of Nursing in Spokane.[12] The Sisters of the Immaculate Heart of Mary opened the St. Joseph School in Spokane in 1905.[13]
In 1907, the Vatican suppressed the Diocese of Nesqually, replacing it with the Diocese of Seattle, covering all of what was now Washington State.[14]
The Diocese of Spokane was erected byPope Pius X on December 17, 1913, its territory taken from the Diocese of Seattle.[15] While the canonical decree was signed in December of 1913, the news was publicly broken byThe Catholic Bulletin in theDiocese of Saint Paul on February 7, 1914.[16][17]
The pope named BishopAugustine Schinner from theDiocese of Superior as the first bishop of Spokane.[18] Schinner retired in 1925.
The second bishop of Spokane was MonsignorCharles White from theDiocese of Grand Rapids, named byPope Pius XI in 1927.[19] TheFranciscan Sisters of Perpetual Adoration started the St. Anthony School in 1928.[20] The same order opened Marycliff High School for Girls in Spokane in 1929.[21]
During his 28-year tenure, White built Sacred Heart School and convent, the Sisters of the Good Shepherd Home in Spokane, St. Charles Parish in Spokane, St. Joseph Parish inTrentwood, and St. John Vianney Parish in Spokane.[22] In other areas of the diocese, White built the Grand Coulee Dam Parish inGrand Coulee and the nurses' home and school inColfax. ForNative Americans, he established St. Gertrude Parish in Monse and St. Jude inUsk.[22] He also established theConfraternity of Christian Doctrine and the National Catholic Rural Life Conference in the diocese.[22]
In 1938, the Dominican Sisters of Washington opened St. Martin's Hospital in Tonasket. It is today the North Valley Hospital District.[23]
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In 1951,Pope Pius XII erected theDiocese of Yakima, taking territory from the Diocese of Spokane.[15] In early 1955, Pius XII named ReverendBernard Topel of the Diocese of Helena ascoadjutor bishop to assist White. When White died later that year, Topel automatically succeeded him as bishop of Spokane.[24]
During his 22-year tenure, Topel established several parishes and schools, the Mater Cleri Seminary inColbert, the Bishop White Seminary at Gonzaga University, the Immaculate Heart Retreat House,homes for unwed mothers, and housing for the elderly.[22][25] Topel retired in 1978. To replace Topel, Pope John Paul II named ReverendLawrence Welsh of Helena in 1978.[26] In 1990, shortly after Welsh was arrested in Spokane fordriving under the influence of alcohol, he resigned as bishop of Spokane.[27][26]
John Paul II appointed BishopWilliam S. Skylstad of Yakima as the next bishop of Spokane in 1991. He retired in 2010.[27] To replace Skylstad, Pope Benedict XVI selected BishopBlase J. Cupich of theDiocese of Rapid City in 2010.[28]
In 2011, Cupich discouraged priests andseminarians in his diocese from participating in demonstrations in front ofPlanned Parenthood clinics or supporting40 Days for Life, ananti-abortion movement that conducts vigils at facilities that offered abortion services. Cupich later clarified his position through a statement that said that he would not forbid priests from praying outside the clinics. In 2012, Cupich supported the decision ofGonzaga University to invite Anglican BishopDesmond Tutu to speak at its graduation ceremonies and receive an honorary degree, against which theCardinal Newman Society and others active in theanti-abortion movement were protesting.[29] In 2014, Cupich became archbishop of theArchdiocese of Chicago.
In 2015, Pope Francis named Auxiliary BishopThomas Daly from theDiocese of San Jose as the next bishop of Spokane.[30] In a February 19, 2020, statement, Daly wrote that he was concerned by theGonzaga University School of Law's establishment of anLGBTQ+ Rights Clinic without first consulting him.[31] In his statement, Daly speculated that the clinic might bring the law school "into conflict with the religious freedom of Christian individuals and organizations." He also expressed fear that it "will be actively promoting, in the legal arena and on campus, values that are contrary to the Catholic faith and Natural Law."[31]
In June 2020, Dr. Rob McCann, the head ofCatholic Charities of Eastern Washington, posted a video in which he endorsed theBlack Lives Matter movement and described the Catholic Church as racist. In the video, McCann stated that "For me, as a White person, saying 'I'm not a racist' is like saying 'a fish is not wet'". He also said that "My Catholic Church and my Catholic Charities organization is racist... Our Catholic faith tradition was built on a tradition that a baby born in a manger in the Middle East was a White baby."[32]
Daly met with McCann, then posted a statement disapproving of McCann's statements along with the violence at someGeorge Floyd protests. Daly further stated that "BLM is in conflict with Church teaching regarding marriage, family and the sanctity of life."[33] He condemned the "horrific and unjustified"murder of George Floyd and outlined steps that the diocese would take withCatholic Charities to addressracism.
In November 2020, Sacred Heart Catholic Church and New Testament Baptist Church inBrewster suffered damage from arson attacks. The damage to Sacred Heart was minor, but New Testament was damaged beyond repair.[34] A suspect in both crimes was arrested in March 2022.[35]
As of 2023, Daly is the bishop of Spokane.
In December 2004, the Diocese of Spokane declaredChapter 11 Bankruptcy to manage the claims of people credibly abused by its priests. As part of its bankruptcy agreement, the diocese agreed to pay at least $48 million to the victims as compensation. The money for the settlement was to come from insurance companies, the sale of church property, contributions from Catholic groups and from the diocese's parishes.[36]
In April 2007, four prominent donors to the diocese wrote private letters to Skylstad asking him to resign. In the letters, the donors termed the sexual abuse settlement as a "complete disaster". Skylstad expressed disappointment that theThe Spokesman-Review had published the contents of private letters.[37] In May 2012, the diocese reached an agreement with mediators and litigants to settle outstanding claims.[38][39] In 2015, the diocese reached a settlement with its former legal firm during the bankruptcy process, thus avoiding trial.[40]
Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) agents searched the home and office of Reverend Gary Uhlenkott, a professor of music at Gonzaga University, in May 2013. They found over $1,600 worth ofchild pornography during their searches.[41] Uhlenkott pleaded guilty in February 2018 to viewing depictions of minors engaged in sexual explicit conduct in the second degree and was sentenced in May 2018 to six months in jail.[42]
For 30 years, theJesuit Order housed priests at the Cardinal Bea House at Gonzaga University despite the priests having records as sexual predators in their previous parishes. This practice became public knowledge in 2018. The priests were supposed to be chaperoned when leaving the residence, but they had free movement around the Gonzaga campus. The last of these priests moved out of Cardinal Bea in 2016.[43]
As of 2025, there are four high schools in the Diocese of Spokane:[44]
Gonzaga University – Spokane
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Roman Catholic Ecclesiastical Province of Seattle | |
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47°39′32″N117°25′30″W / 47.65889°N 117.42500°W /47.65889; -117.42500
