Diocese of Yakima

Last updated
Diocese of Yakima

Dioecesis Yakimensis
St. Paul Cathedral - Yakima 01.jpg
St. Paul Cathedral
Coat of arms of the Diocese of Yakima.svg
Coat of arms
Location
CountryFlag of the United States.svg United States
TerritoryCentral Washington State
Ecclesiastical province Province of Seattle
Statistics
Population
  • Total
  • Catholics
  • (as of 2022)
  • 751,808
  • 190,000 [1]  (Increase2.svg25.3%)
Parishes39
Information
Denomination Catholic
Sui iuris church Latin Church
Rite Roman Rite
EstablishedJune 23, 1951
Cathedral St. Paul Cathedral
Current leadership
Pope Leo XIV
Bishop Joseph J. Tyson
Metropolitan Archbishop Paul Etienne
Bishops emeritus Carlos Arthur Sevilla
Map
Diocese of Yakima.jpg
Website
yakimadiocese.org

The Diocese of Yakima (Latin : Dioecesis Yakimensis) is a diocese of the Catholic Church in central Washington State in the United States. It is a suffragan see in the ecclesiastical province of the metropolitan Archdiocese of Seattle. The mother church is St. Paul Cathedral in Yakima. As of 2025, the bishop is Joseph J. Tyson.

Contents

Territory

The Diocese of Yakima comprises Benton, Chelan, Douglas, Grant, Kittitas, Klickitat and Yakima Counties.

History

1950 to 2000

The Diocese of Yakima was erected on June 23, 1951, by Pope Pius XII. Its territory was taken from the Dioceses of Seattle and Spokane. The pope named Joseph Dougherty of Seattle as the first bishop of Yakima. [2] In 1969, Dougherty became an auxiliary bishop of the Archdiocese of Los Angeles.

The second bishop of Yakima was Monsignor Cornelius Power of Seattle, selected by Pope Paul VI in 1969. [3] Five years later, he became archbishop of the Archdiocese of Portland. To replace Power, Paul VI named Nicolas Walsh from the Diocese of Boise in 1974. After only two years, Walsh became an auxiliary bishop in Seattle. [4]

In 1977, Paul VI appointed William S. Skylstad of Spokane as the next bishop of Yakima. After 13 years of service as bishop, Skylstad became bishop of Spokane in 1990. [5] He was replaced by Pope John Paul II with Monsignor Francis George in 1990. George was named archbishop of Portland in 1996. [6]

Auxiliary Bishop Carlos Arthur Sevilla of the Archdiocese of San Francisco was the next bishop of Yakima, named by John Paul II in 1996. [7]

2000 to present

Sevilla retired in 2011. To replace Sevilla, Pope Benedict XVI named Auxiliary Bishop Joseph J. Tyson of Seattle the same year. [8] In 2011, Tyson began a migrant ministry program in which every seminarian assists and ministers to migrant workers. [9] This was inspired by the Youth Migrant Project in the Archdiocese of Seattle. [10]

In November 2023, the diocese erected a memorial stone in the Calvary Catholic Cemetery in Yakima to the saint Maria Goretti. The stone contains a prayer for healing for all victims of sexual abuse. [11]

As of 2024, Tyson is the bishop of the Diocese of Yakima.

Sex abuse

Bishop Tyson (2017) Bishop Joseph Tyson.jpg
Bishop Tyson (2017)

In January 2008, the Diocese of Yakima agreed to pay $25,000 each to four women who stated they had been sexually abused by Michael Simpson. The alleged crimes took place at Saint Aloysius Parish in Toppenish when the plaintiffs were minors. [12]

In May 2008, Sevilla admitted that he failed to notify parishioners in the diocese about Jose Joaquin Estrada Arango, a priest convicted in 2008 of fondling a 14-year-old girl in Oregon. Estrada had worked in four parishes in Yakima between 2001 and 2003. [13]

The Richland Police Department arrested Robert Davalle, a permanent deacon at Christ the King Parish in Richland, in June 2017 on two counts of first-degree child molestation. [14] Two sisters had accused him of touching them inappropriately in the 2000s. [15] He pleaded guilty in May 2018 to two counts of child molestation and was sentenced to prison for at least five years. [16]

In July 2019, the diocese published a list of 21 priests and deacons with credible accusations of sexual abuse of minors. [17] In September 2019, the Vatican instructed Archbishop Paul Etienne of Seattle to investigate Sevilla's handling of sexual abuse cases and to determine if he retaliated against diocesan employees who criticized his actions. In July 2022, Francis released a formal reprimand to Sevilla over his handling of sexual abuse allegations. [18]

Bishops of Yakima

  1. Joseph Patrick Dougherty (1951–1969)
  2. Cornelius Michael Power (1969–1974), appointed Archbishop of Portland in Oregon
  3. Nicolas Eugene Walsh (1974–1976), appointed auxiliary bishop of Seattle
  4. William Stephen Skylstad (1977–1990), appointed Bishop of Spokane
  5. Francis George (1990–1996), appointed Archbishop of Portland in Oregon and later Archbishop of Chicago (elevated to Cardinal in 1998)
  6. Carlos Arthur Sevilla (1996–2011)
  7. Joseph J. Tyson (2011–present)

Churches

As of 2025, the Diocese of Yakima had 44 parishes. [19]

Education

As of 2025, the Diocese of Yakima had six elementary schools and one high school: [20]

References

  1. ↑ "Diocese of Yakima". Catholic-Hierarchy. Retrieved 2025-08-26.
  2. ↑ "Bishop Joseph Patrick Dougherty [Catholic-Hierarchy]". www.catholic-hierarchy.org. Retrieved 2023-10-21.
  3. ↑ "Archbishop Cornelius Michael Power [Catholic-Hierarchy]". www.catholic-hierarchy.org. Retrieved 2022-08-30.
  4. ↑ "Bishop Nicolas Eugene Walsh [Catholic-Hierarchy]". www.catholic-hierarchy.org. Retrieved 2023-10-21.
  5. ↑ "Bishop William Stephen Skylstad [Catholic-Hierarchy]". www.catholic-hierarchy.org. Retrieved 2023-10-21.
  6. ↑ "Francis Eugene Cardinal George [Catholic-Hierarchy]". www.catholic-hierarchy.org. Retrieved 2023-10-21.
  7. ↑ "Bishop Emeritus Carlos A. Sevilla, S.J." Diocese of Yakima. Retrieved 2021-10-20.
  8. ↑ "Bishop Joseph Jude Tyson [Catholic-Hierarchy]". www.catholic-hierarchy.org. Retrieved 2025-04-18.
  9. ↑ Muth, Chaz (11 October 2018). "Working alongside migrant laborers prepares seminarians for priesthood". Crux. Retrieved 16 March 2020.
  10. ↑ Carroll, Megan (7 September 2017). "Parish Youth Spend Summer Serving Migrant Farmworker Families in Skagit Valley". Northwest Catholic. Retrieved 16 March 2020.
  11. ↑ Joel, Donofrio (2023-12-17). "Yakima Diocese monument in Calvary Cemetery criticized by clergy sex abuse victim advocates". Yakima Herald-Republic. Retrieved 2025-04-18.
  12. ↑ "Yakima Diocese Sex Abuse Case Settled". NBC Right Now. 2008-01-08. Retrieved 2023-05-26.
  13. ↑ Salmon, Jacqueline L. (2008-05-11). "Vatican protecting bishops, activists say". The Seattle Times. Retrieved 2021-10-20.
  14. ↑ Mann, David (June 28, 2017). "Richland police arrest suspected child molester". YakTriNews.com. Retrieved 2025-04-18.
  15. ↑ Haas, Elise (August 3, 2017). "Richmond Deacon appears in court, following two child molestation charges". KERP. Retrieved 2025-04-18.
  16. ↑ "Church deacon gets prison for sexually assaulting girls". AP News. 2018-09-13. Retrieved 2025-04-18.
  17. ↑ AYER, TAMMY (2019-07-10). "Yakima Diocese lists priests and deacons with substantiated allegations of sexual abuse". Yakima Herald-Republic. Retrieved 2023-05-26.
  18. ↑ "Former Yakima bishop reprimanded by pope for 'mistakes'". The Pillar/. 2022-07-18. Retrieved 2023-05-26.
  19. ↑ "Parish Archives". Diocese of Yakima. 2019-05-13. Retrieved 2025-03-19.
  20. ↑ "Schools". Diocese of Yakima. Retrieved 2025-03-19.

46°35′48″N120°31′46″W / 46.59667°N 120.52944°W / 46.59667; -120.52944

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