# Roman Catholic Diocese of Spokane

The Diocese of Spokane (Latin: Dioecesis Spokanensis) is a Latin Church ecclesiastical territory or diocese of the Catholic Church in Washington State in the United States. It is a suffragan diocese in the ecclesiastical province of the metropolitan Archdiocese of Seattle.
The mother church of the Diocese of Spokane is the Cathedral of Our Lady of Lourdes in Spokane. As of 2023, the bishop of Spokane is Thomas Daly. The diocese was erected on December 17, 1913.

## Territory

The Diocese of Spokane encompasses the following counties:
Okanogan, Ferry, Stevens, Pend Oreille, Lincoln, Spokane, Adams, Whitman, Franklin, Walla Walla, Columbia, Garfield and Asotin.
As of 2025, approximately 85,000 Catholics were served by the diocese in 80 parishes.

## History
### 1830 to 1913

The Catholic Church presence in the present-day state of Washington dates to the 1830s. At that time, missionary priests traveled from the British Province of Quebec to minister to Catholics in present-day Oregon, Washington State and British Columbia.
In 1843, the Holy See established the Vicariate Apostolic of the Oregon Territory, which covered a huge swath of territory from California to Alaska. In 1846, Pope Gregory XVI divided the vicariate into three dioceses, with the Washington area part of the new Diocese of Walla Walla.
In 1847, dissident Cayuse tribesman killed 11 Protestant missionaries and kidnapped others in southeastern Washington in what became known as the Whitman massacre. It was followed that same year by the Cayuse War, lasting several years between the tribe and the territorial government of Oregon. As the result of these conflicts, the Vatican in 1850 abandoned the Diocese of Walla Walla, shifting jurisdiction of the areas to the Diocese of Oregon City. Later that year, Pope Pius IX suppressed the Diocese of Walla and erected the Diocese of Nesqually to replace it. In 1859, the church reestablished itself in Walla Walla, opening St. Patrick's Parish.
In 1881, the Church of St. Joseph was started in a converted carpenter's shop, the first Catholic church in Spokane.Gonzaga University was opened by 1887 by the missionary Reverend Joseph Cataldo in Spokane. In 1907, the Vatican suppressed the Diocese of Nesqually, replacing it with the Diocese of Seattle, covering all of what was now Washington State.

### 1913 to 1950

The Diocese of Spokane was erected by Pope Pius X on December 17, 1913, its territory taken from the Diocese of Seattle. While the canonical decree was signed in December of 1913, the news was publicly broken by The Catholic Bulletin in the Diocese of Saint Paul on February 7, 1914.
The pope named Bishop Augustine Schinner from the Diocese of Superior as the first bishop of Spokane. Schinner retired in 1925.
The second bishop of Spokane was Monsignor Charles White from the Diocese of Grand Rapids, named by Pope Pius XI in 1927. During his 28-year tenure, White built St. Anthony School and convent, Sacred Heart School and convent, the Sisters of the Good Shepherd Home in Spokane, Marycliff High School for Girls in Spokane, St. Charles Parish, St. Joseph Parish in Trentwood, and St. John Vianney Parish in Spokane.
In other areas of the diocese, White built the Grand Coulee Dam Parish in Grand Coulee, the nurses' home and school in Colfax and Tonasket Hospital in Tonasket. For Native Americans, he established St. Gertrude Parish in Monse and St. Jude in Usk. He also established the Confraternity of Christian Doctrine and the National Catholic Rural Life Conference in the diocese.

### 1950 to 2015

In 1951, Pope Pius XII erected the Diocese of Yakima, taking territory from the Diocese of Spokane. In early 1955, Pius XII named Reverend Bernard Topel of the Diocese of Helena as coadjutor bishop to assist White. When White died later that year, Topel automatically succeeded him as bishop of Spokane.
During his 22-year tenure, Topel established several parishes and schools, the Mater Cleri Seminary in Colbert, the Bishop White Seminary at Gonzaga University, the Immaculate Heart Retreat House, homes for unwed mothers, and housing for the elderly. Topel retired in 1978. To replace Topel, Pope John Paul II named Reverend Lawrence Welsh of Helena in 1978. In 1990, shortly after Welsh was arrested in Spokane for driving under the influence of alcohol, he resigned as bishop of Spokane.
John Paul II appointed Bishop William S. Skylstad of Yakima as the next bishop of Spokane in 1991. He retired in 2010. To replace Skylstad, Pope Benedict XVI selected Bishop Blase J. Cupich of the Diocese of Rapid City in 2010.
In 2011, Cupich discouraged priests and seminarians in his diocese from participating in demonstrations in front of Planned Parenthood clinics or supporting 40 Days for Life, an anti-abortion movement that conducts vigils at facilities that offered abortion services. Cupich later clarified his position through a statement that said that he wouldn't forbid priests from praying outside the clinics. In 2012, Cupich supported the decision of Gonzaga University to invite Anglican Bishop Desmond Tutu to speak at its graduation ceremonies and receive an honorary degree, against which the Cardinal Newman Society and others active in the anti-abortion movement were protesting. In 2014, Cupich became archbishop of the Archdiocese of Chicago.

### 2015 to present

In 2015, Pope Francis named Auxiliary Bishop Thomas Daly from the Diocese of San Jose as the next bishop of Spokane. In a February 19, 2020, statement, Daly wrote that he was concerned by the Gonzaga University School of Law's establishment of an LGBTQ+ Rights Clinic without first consulting him. 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."
In June 2020, Dr. Rob McCann, the head of Catholic Charities of Eastern Washington, posted a video in which he endorsed the Black 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."
Daly met with McCann, then posted a statement disapproving of McCann's statements along with the violence at some George Floyd protests. Daly further stated that "BLM is in conflict with Church teaching regarding marriage, family and the sanctity of life." He condemned the "horrific and unjustified" murder of George Floyd and outlined steps that the diocese would take with Catholic Charities to address racism.
In November 2020, Sacred Heart Catholic Church and New Testament Baptist Church in Brewster suffered damage from arson attacks. The damage to Sacred Heart was minor, but New Testament was damaged beyond repair. A suspect in both crimes was arrested in March 2022.
As of 2023, Daly is the current bishop of Spokane.

### Sex abuse and bankruptcy

In December 2004, the Diocese of Spokane declared Chapter 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.
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 the Spokesman-Review had published the contents of private letters.
In May 2012, the diocese reached an agreement with mediators and litigants to settle outstanding claims, In 2015, the diocese reached a settlement with its former legal firm during the bankruptcy process, thus avoiding trial.

## Bishops
### Bishops of Spokane

* Augustine Francis Schinner (1914–1925)
* Charles Daniel White (1926–1955)
* Bernard Joseph Topel (1955–1978)
* Lawrence Welsh (1978–1990), resigned; later appointed Auxiliary Bishop of Saint Paul and Minneapolis in 1991
* William S. Skylstad (1990–2010)
* Blase J. Cupich (2010–2014), appointed Archbishop of Chicago (Cardinal in 2016)
* Thomas Anthony Daly (2015–present)

### Other priests of this diocese who became bishop

* William Joseph Condon, appointed Bishop of Great Falls in 1939
* Walter James Fitzgerald Consecrated bishop February 24, 1939, appointed Vicar Apostolic of Alaska 20 May 1945

## Education
### High Schools

As of 2025, there are four high schools in the Diocese of Spokane:
* Chesterton Academy of Notre Dame – Spokane
* Desales High School – Walla Walla
* Gonzaga Prep – Spokane
* Tri-Cities Prep – Pasco

### College

Gonzaga University – Spokane

## Province

    See: List of the Catholic bishops of the United States#Province of Seattle