The faith has been present in the San Juan Islands for generations. We can look back to our indigenous brothers and sisters in the faith, who welcomed the French-Canadian Missionaries from Quebec to the people of this region in the early 1800’s. On what is now the American side of the International Border with Canada, the chiefs of northern Puget Sound personally met with and invited Fr. Francis Blanchet to send the Blckrobes to their peoples. Fr. Blanchet subsequently celebrated the first Catholic Mass in this region on what is now called Whidbey Island in 1840. The remnants of the Cross the Native Peoples made for that historic event now reside on the Swinomish Smokehouse on their Reservation near LaConner.
It was these various Coast Salish peoples who first welcomed the Catholic Religion to this region. We are blessed that members of these Coast Salish people who welcomed and invited the Catholic faith to these lands and waters are still practicing the faith with us today.
The first Protestant Church – Center Church – was built on Lopez Island in 1888. But Catholics have evidently been on and around Lopez Island since before that time. Our own records are spotty, but there is evidence that Catholics have welcomed priests on an ongoing basis to Lopez Island for well over 70 years or more, especially during the summers. However, for all this time, Catholics on Lopez Island have never worshipped in their own space. We’ve had Mass in private homes, we’ve had Mass at Henderson Camp, and for several decades, up until very recently, we’ve had Sunday Mass – on Saturday – at Center Church by the Cemetery outside of Lopez village.
In 1962 the Weeks Family bequeathed a plot of land to the Catholic Archdiocese of Seattle – so that one day Catholics might have a home of their own on Lopez Island. That plot of land has remained ‘as is’ for all this time, until two summers ago, when parishioners began clearing the lot of brush. In addition, this past winter, a group of about 15 parishioners donated time and materials to build a lovely grotto to Our Lady of Guadalupe.
On Sunday, August 16, approximately 150 people gathered to celebrate the first Mass on this same plot of land. The worshipers included representatives from every parish of this parish family; St. Paul, Swinomish; St. Mary, Anacortes; St. Francis Xavier, Friday Harbor (on San Juan Island), and St. Francis, Orcas Island, and of course, the parishioners from St. Francis on Lopez Island. NOTE: the San Juan Islands have always been all one parish.) In addition, there were representatives from most every other Protestant church on Lopez Island, and a few tourists who stumbled into more than they were expecting for Sunday Mass!
Why after all these years are parishioners clearing this land? You guessed it – they have a great hope and desire to build a church of their own. The placement of the altar and seating for the parishioners at Mass on Sunday was intentionally reflective of the spot where the Church would potentially be built. I shared with those who gathered Sunday that I wanted to be with them to celebrate this historic Mass as a sign of my admiration of their faith as well as an expression of my desire to support them as they look to the future. This was my third trip to these Islands in recent months which has partially been to have a first-hand experience of the vitality of the faith and activity.
While the parish family has more work to do to complete their one parish plan, the parishioners on Lopez Island are gathering all the necessary information and preparing some preliminary drawings to seriously explore the possibility of having a worship space of their own. Below is an image of the proposed church they hope to build. Please keep this endeavor in your prayers as together we continue to work and pray to discern the right path forward.
Following Mass everyone enjoyed a great meal. The salmon was provided by the Swinomish Indian Tribal Community through St. Paul’s parish – which was a significant gift, not only because of the amount donated, but because of the sacred role salmon plays in the life of the Salish people, and because it was shared from the Tribal stocks reserved only for Native ceremonial use. In keeping with the traditions of our ancestors in the faith, it was a tremendous gesture of friendship and welcome between Naatives and the Church in the region.
I am grateful to Fr. Mel Strazicich for the historical information shared in this post. Additionally, and more importantly, I am grateful to Fr. Mel, Fr. Marlo, the women religious, Deacon Lyle and all the lay staff who are making such great progress in bringing these parishes together. At the same time, I wish to express my gratitude to the many parishioners who live the faith daily and take responsibility in each location for carrying out the basic ministries and mission.
Island life is unique, presenting its own daily challenges. Transportation on and off the islands can be unpredictable for a variety of reasons. Because of this it has always been difficult to have regularly scheduled Masses on all of the islands. In recent years parish leaders have found a way to use a variety of transportation options (planes, ferries, water taxi’s and personal boats!) to make the Mass schedule more reliable for parishioners. This is just one factor impacting a more vibrant practice of the faith on Lopez and the other islands.
I will close by acknowledging that most other parishes in the Archdiocese of Seattle are undergoing similar combining of parishes into one new family. Similar levels of effort by dedicated pastoral leaders along with renewed engagement in the mission of the Church by parishioners is reinvigorating the faith across western Washington. We truly have much for which to give thanks!
Peace!
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