Mount Saint Michael
Encyclopedia
Mount Saint Michael is a traditional Catholic
church in Spokane, Washington
. It serves as the home of Saint Michael's Academy
and as a parish center for traditionalist Catholics in the Spokane area. It is staffed by the priest
s, brothers
and sisters
of the Congregation of Mary Immaculate Queen
(CMRI). The main building serves as the motherhouse for the sisters. The rectory for the priests and brothers is also located on the property in a separate building. Mount Saint Michael It is listed as a National Historic Place
by the National Park Service
.
mission just north of Spokane in the mid-19th century to serve the Native Americans
in the area. In 1878, Caruana's successor, Father Joseph Cataldo
, moved the mission to its current location with a purchase of almost 1,000 acres (4 km2) of land at the price of $2 per acre. From 1881 until 1915, Mount St. Michael was used primarily as a farm, supplying Gonzaga College
with fresh produce and dairy products.
In the spring of 1915 construction began on a scholasticate
to accommodate the rising number of vocations to the Jesuit order at the cost of $400,000. Father Arthuis, who had just completed St. Aloysius Gonzaga
Church at Gonzaga University
, was placed in charge of construction. He built a railroad 1100 feet (340 m) in length to convey building materials up the 320 foot (98 m) bluff. The four story Tudor
-Gothic
building was built in the shape of a “T” and contained a chapel, dining room, kitchen, gymnasium, physics and chemistry labs, lecture halls and residences for the scholastics.
In the 1920s a grotto of Our Lady of Lourdes
was built by one of the Jesuit brothers in fulfillment of a vow. Mass is offered at the outdoor chapel and faithful often gather here to pray the Rosary
.
In 1929 work began on the three-story west wing. The new wing housed another 100 students and contained the new library. In 1930 a seismometer
from Gonzaga University was moved to a basement laboratory at Mount St. Michael, where seismologists kept careful records of seismic activity. Mount St. Michael soon gained international acknowledgement as an important seismographic center.
At this time the 700 acre (2.8 km2) farm provided all the food needed for the seminary. Jesuit brothers, farmers, tailors, bakers, cobblers, bee keepers and horticulturists, saw to the material needs of the community and the formation of the candidates placed in their charge. It was said to be one of the finest Jesuit houses of study in the world.
In the 1960s the Jesuit order experienced a drastic drop in the number of vocations and Mount St. Michael closed its doors as a scholasticate in 1968. For the next ten years, Mount St. Michael served as a residence for retired Jesuit priests and as an ecumenical prayer and retreat center.
, a K-12 school for boys and girls.
A chapel located on the second floor serves as the parochial and school church and is used for the solemn celebration of the sacred liturgy in the Tridentine Mass
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Traditionalist Catholic
Traditionalist Catholics are Roman Catholics who believe that there should be a restoration of many or all of the liturgical forms, public and private devotions and presentations of Catholic teachings which prevailed in the Catholic Church before the Second Vatican Council...
church in Spokane, Washington
Spokane, Washington
Spokane is a city located in the Northwestern United States in the state of Washington. It is the largest city of Spokane County of which it is also the county seat, and the metropolitan center of the Inland Northwest region...
. It serves as the home of Saint Michael's Academy
Saint Michael's Academy
Saint Michael's Academy is an American Traditionalist Catholic day and boarding school for boys and girls in grades kindergarten through twelve. Founded in 1968, as Maria Regina Academy, St. Michael's is located in Spokane, Washington, United States. The school is administered by the sedevacantist...
and as a parish center for traditionalist Catholics in the Spokane area. It is staffed by the priest
Priest
A priest is a person authorized to perform the sacred rites of a religion, especially as a mediatory agent between humans and deities. They also have the authority or power to administer religious rites; in particular, rites of sacrifice to, and propitiation of, a deity or deities...
s, brothers
Lay brother
In the most common usage, lay brothers are those members of Catholic religious orders, particularly of monastic orders, occupied primarily with manual labour and with the secular affairs of a monastery or friary, in contrast to the choir monks of the same monastery who are devoted mainly to the...
and sisters
Nun
A nun is a woman who has taken vows committing her to live a spiritual life. She may be an ascetic who voluntarily chooses to leave mainstream society and live her life in prayer and contemplation in a monastery or convent...
of the Congregation of Mary Immaculate Queen
Congregation of Mary Immaculate Queen
The Congregation of Mary Immaculate Queen is a Sedevacantist Traditionalist Catholic religious congregation dedicated to promoting the message of Our Lady of Fatima and devotion to the Virgin Mary according to the teachings of St. Louis-Marie Grignion de Montfort, whom they regard as their...
(CMRI). The main building serves as the motherhouse for the sisters. The rectory for the priests and brothers is also located on the property in a separate building. Mount Saint Michael It is listed as a National Historic Place
National Register of Historic Places
The National Register of Historic Places is the United States government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures, and objects deemed worthy of preservation...
by the National Park Service
National Park Service
The National Park Service is the U.S. federal agency that manages all national parks, many national monuments, and other conservation and historical properties with various title designations...
.
Early History
St. Michael's was founded by Father Joseph Caruana as a JesuitSociety of Jesus
The Society of Jesus is a Catholic male religious order that follows the teachings of the Catholic Church. The members are called Jesuits, and are also known colloquially as "God's Army" and as "The Company," these being references to founder Ignatius of Loyola's military background and a...
mission just north of Spokane in the mid-19th century to serve the Native Americans
Native Americans in the United States
Native Americans in the United States are the indigenous peoples in North America within the boundaries of the present-day continental United States, parts of Alaska, and the island state of Hawaii. They are composed of numerous, distinct tribes, states, and ethnic groups, many of which survive as...
in the area. In 1878, Caruana's successor, Father Joseph Cataldo
Joseph Cataldo
Joseph Cataldo S.J. was an Italian-American Jesuit priest who founded Gonzaga University in Spokane, Washington....
, moved the mission to its current location with a purchase of almost 1,000 acres (4 km2) of land at the price of $2 per acre. From 1881 until 1915, Mount St. Michael was used primarily as a farm, supplying Gonzaga College
Gonzaga University
Gonzaga University is a private Roman Catholic university located in Spokane, Washington, United States. Founded in 1887 by the Society of Jesus, it is one of 28 member institutions of the Association of Jesuit Colleges and Universities and is named after the young Jesuit saint, Aloysius Gonzaga...
with fresh produce and dairy products.
In the spring of 1915 construction began on a scholasticate
Scholasticism
Scholasticism is a method of critical thought which dominated teaching by the academics of medieval universities in Europe from about 1100–1500, and a program of employing that method in articulating and defending orthodoxy in an increasingly pluralistic context...
to accommodate the rising number of vocations to the Jesuit order at the cost of $400,000. Father Arthuis, who had just completed St. Aloysius Gonzaga
Aloysius Gonzaga
- Early life :Aloysius Gonzaga was born at his family's castle in Castiglione delle Stiviere, between Brescia and Mantova in northern Italy in what was then part of the Papal States. He was a member of the illustrious House of Gonzaga...
Church at Gonzaga University
Gonzaga University
Gonzaga University is a private Roman Catholic university located in Spokane, Washington, United States. Founded in 1887 by the Society of Jesus, it is one of 28 member institutions of the Association of Jesuit Colleges and Universities and is named after the young Jesuit saint, Aloysius Gonzaga...
, was placed in charge of construction. He built a railroad 1100 feet (340 m) in length to convey building materials up the 320 foot (98 m) bluff. The four story Tudor
Tudor style architecture
The Tudor architectural style is the final development of medieval architecture during the Tudor period and even beyond, for conservative college patrons...
-Gothic
Gothic architecture
Gothic architecture is a style of architecture that flourished during the high and late medieval period. It evolved from Romanesque architecture and was succeeded by Renaissance architecture....
building was built in the shape of a “T” and contained a chapel, dining room, kitchen, gymnasium, physics and chemistry labs, lecture halls and residences for the scholastics.
In the 1920s a grotto of Our Lady of Lourdes
Our Lady of Lourdes
Our Lady of Lourdes is the name used to refer to the Marian apparition said to have appeared before various individuals on separate occasions around Lourdes, France...
was built by one of the Jesuit brothers in fulfillment of a vow. Mass is offered at the outdoor chapel and faithful often gather here to pray the Rosary
Rosary
The rosary or "garland of roses" is a traditional Catholic devotion. The term denotes the prayer beads used to count the series of prayers that make up the rosary...
.
In 1929 work began on the three-story west wing. The new wing housed another 100 students and contained the new library. In 1930 a seismometer
Seismometer
Seismometers are instruments that measure motions of the ground, including those of seismic waves generated by earthquakes, volcanic eruptions, and other seismic sources...
from Gonzaga University was moved to a basement laboratory at Mount St. Michael, where seismologists kept careful records of seismic activity. Mount St. Michael soon gained international acknowledgement as an important seismographic center.
At this time the 700 acre (2.8 km2) farm provided all the food needed for the seminary. Jesuit brothers, farmers, tailors, bakers, cobblers, bee keepers and horticulturists, saw to the material needs of the community and the formation of the candidates placed in their charge. It was said to be one of the finest Jesuit houses of study in the world.
In the 1960s the Jesuit order experienced a drastic drop in the number of vocations and Mount St. Michael closed its doors as a scholasticate in 1968. For the next ten years, Mount St. Michael served as a residence for retired Jesuit priests and as an ecumenical prayer and retreat center.
Sedevacantist Congregation
In 1977, the Jesuits sold Mount St. Michael to the Congregation of Mary Immaculate Queen. Mount St. Michael serves as a Traditional Catholic Parish, K-12 school, Convent, and rectory for the priests and brothers.Today
Mount St. Michael serves a variety of needs for Spokane area Traditional Catholics. The east wing serves as a cloistered residence for the religious sisters. The west wing houses church offices, a religious gift shop with hundreds of traditional Catholic books and religious goods, a voluminous library stacks and Saint Michael's AcademySaint Michael's Academy
Saint Michael's Academy is an American Traditionalist Catholic day and boarding school for boys and girls in grades kindergarten through twelve. Founded in 1968, as Maria Regina Academy, St. Michael's is located in Spokane, Washington, United States. The school is administered by the sedevacantist...
, a K-12 school for boys and girls.
A chapel located on the second floor serves as the parochial and school church and is used for the solemn celebration of the sacred liturgy in the Tridentine Mass
Tridentine Mass
The Tridentine Mass is the form of the Roman Rite Mass contained in the typical editions of the Roman Missal that were published from 1570 to 1962. It was the most widely celebrated Mass liturgy in the world until the introduction of the Mass of Paul VI in December 1969...
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