Since the 1880s the Catholic faithful of the Spokane Valley have worshipped and marked life’s milestones at what would become St. Joseph Catholic Church in Otis Orchards. The land for the construction of the original church was donated by James McLaughlin in 1891 and an adjacent piece of land was donated by Max Rauscher for the cemetery. Construction funds for the new church—a charming whitewashed wooden structure measuring 24 x 40 feet—were raised by the parishioners who also volunteered their labor to build it. Completed in 1892, St. Joseph Church was the first church erected in the Spokane Valley. The first person buried in the cemetery was Permilia Rotchford, daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Richard Rotchford. He was the carpenter who supervised the construction of the church. The first funeral Mass in the new church was for land donor James McLaughlin on January 2, 1892.
The wooden church building stood for 37 years, but on September 1, 1928, it was destroyed by fire. On its site a new St. Joseph Church was built out of durable brick in 1929. It functioned for many years as the center of parish worship before the larger church was erected at the present parish address on Arden Road in 1995. The 1929 brick building is still maintained and used today as the chapel for St. Joseph Cemetery.
Care of St. Joseph Cemetery
Originally families assumed care of their family plots at the cemetery until the St. Joseph Pioneer Cemetery Group was formed in 1952. This group raised money for perpetual care of the cemetery maintaining its beauty and dignity until it was transferred to Catholic Cemeteries of Spokane in 1992. With the addition of funeral services in 2013, Catholic Cemeteries is now Holy Cross Funeral & Cemetery Services. A non-profit ministry of the Diocese of Spokane, it manages and maintains all three local Catholic cemeteries: Holy Cross in north Spokane, Queen of Peace on the South Hill, and St. Joseph.
The Shrine on the Hillside—A Landmark of the Spokane Valley
In the 1950s, on the rocky hillside behind this display, a devout parishioner and artist, Henry Arbes, realized a lifetime dream when he constructed the unique shrine complete with trails, statuary niches, a stone chapel, and a twelve-foot cross at the crown of the site from which a sweeping view of the cemetery and the Spokane Valley may be taken in. Along additional trails atop the hilly landscape he included Stations of the Cross which he carved by hand into the natural granite. Members of the parish and associates supplied the funds for the construction materials used to build this impressive shrine and in later years, electric lighting was also added. Visible from Trent Avenue, this shrine above St. Joseph Cemetery has become a landmark to Valley residents and visitors.
Over time, the elements had taken their toll on the stone chapel at the top of the shrine and, for reasons of safety, it had to be torn down. However, a renovation project on the site funded by donations from the descendants of one of St. Joseph Parish’s pioneer families and dedicated to the memory of their beloved family member, Denise Lynn Odell (1958-2015), was undertaken in the summer of 2019. The generosity of the family which has allowed this historic site to be preserved for the peaceful prayer, reflection, and enjoyment of the community for years to come is deeply appreciated.
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