Century-old Eucharistic Procession tradition lives-on at St. Joseph, Valley

Valley, WA— Pinned to a billboard in the back of the old white church is a single sheet of typewritten paper detailing a brief church history. Catholics have been in south Stevens County since the late 1800s. The current 118-year-old church was built in 1905 and was ministered to by Jesuits on horseback for many years before it became a diocesan church.

The undated history proudly mentions that “St. Joseph’s was one of the few places where the Church’s Feast of Corpus Christi was celebrated yearly by an outdoor procession.” Despite the decline in piety around Eucharistic processions for many years, St. Joseph's community persevered, keeping the festivities alive for many years. Only in the late 1960s, when “there was a scarcity of small children in the parish, and the procession lagged,” the tradition “slipped into history.”

However, in recent years, a beacon of Eucharistic hope emerged in the American church in the form of the National Eucharistic Revival. And so the century-old tradition resurfaced with a renewed sense of joy and faith in the True Presence.

As the history recounts, the families in the parish played a crucial and active role in maintaining the various altars for the annual procession. At one point, nearly eight or nine altars on the church properties were scattered in the surrounding woods. Today, only three original altars stand, each continuing to be lovingly maintained by the families: the Mallys, the Skoks, and the Stroyans, respectively. There is a newer altar towards the back of the church dedicated to the unborn and cared for by various families, showcasing St. Joseph's strong sense of community and commitment to life.

The pews in the small church were packed on Sunday for Corpus Christi as families old and new gathered for this historic celebration. Father Vincent Gilmore, pastor, celebrated Holy Mass at 10 a.m., followed by a brief exposition of the Blessed Sacrament on the Altar before Father processed Jesus outside. Young girls made a path of rose petals, and the faithful sang songs of adoration and praise to the Eucharistic Lord.

As the procession moved from altar to altar, groundskeeper Don Mally peeled the bell by rope from the choir loft. The bell reverberated through the countryside, announcing Jesus’ presence and reminding all of the timelessness of Jesus Christ and His Church.