Catholic Diocese of Spokane, Washington

From the

Official News Magazine of the Diocese of Spokane

(From the May 20, 2010 edition of the Inland Register)

Assignments change for nine present priests of the Spokane Diocese this summer. In addition, a deacon to be ordained to the priesthood this summer will receive his first parish assignment.

Effective July 1:

Father Victor Blazovich, pastor of St. Mary Parish, Spokane Valley.
Father Eugene Tracy, pastor of St. Francis Xavier Parish, Spokane.
Father Kenneth St. Hilaire, pastor of St. Patrick Parish, Spokane.
Father Thomas Connolly, pastor of St. Charles Parish, Spokane.
Father Richard Root, pastor of Holy Family Parish, Clarkston.
Msgr. John Steiner, who retires June 30, will be administrator of the parishes in Ritzville, Lind, and Washtucna.
Deacon Lutakome Nsubuga, who will be ordained to the priesthood May 21 at 7 p.m. at the Cathedral of Our Lady of Lourdes, will be parochial vicar of St. Thomas More Parish, Spokane.

Effective Aug. 1:

Msgr. Kevin Codd, pastor of St. Thomas More Catholic Student Center, Pullman.
Father Alejandro Zepeda, pastor of Sacred Heart Parish, Othello.
Father David Kuttner, pastor of the parishes in Oroville and Tonasket.

Father Blazovich was ordained a priest on June 23, 2000.

He first served the diocese as parochial vicar of Our Lady of Fatima Parish, Spokane, before being named pastor of the parishes in Colton and Uniontown the following year.

In 2004 he became pastor of the parishes in Colville, Kettle Falls, and Northport.

Three years later, he was named pastor of St. Francis Xavier and St. Patrick parishes in Spokane. This year he also has served as the principal of St. Patrick School.

Father Tracy has been pastor of St. Charles Parish, Spokane, since July 2003.

He was ordained a priest on Sept. 6, 1991.

His assignment to St. Francis Xavier is a return of sorts; his first assignment as a priest was to the parish, as parochial vicar.

In 1992 he became pastor of the parishes in Connell and Eltopia, and three years later moved to St. Peter Parish, Spokane.

That assignment was followed by an appointment as pastor of St. Anthony, Spokane, before his move to St. Charles in 2003.

Father St. Hilaire was ordained to the priesthood June 29, 2007. After priestly ordination he returned to Rome to complete advanced theological studies in spirituality. In July 2008 he was named parochial vicar of St. Francis Xavier and St. Patrick parishes in Spokane, as well as Director of Spiritual Formation at Bishop White Seminary, Spokane.

Father Connolly, also ordained a priest on June 23, 2000, has been pastor of Holy Family Parish, Clarkston, since July 2005.

As a parochial vicar, he served St. Mary Parish, Spokane Valley, and St. Joseph Parish, Rockford, before he was assigned as pastor of the parishes in Dayton, Pomeroy, and Waitsburg in 2003.

Father Richard Root was ordained a priest on May 23, 1990.

He, too, is returning to a former parish assignment: he first was assigned to Holy Family, Clarkston, as parochial vicar, from 1990-1991.

After a year as parochial vicar of the Cathedral of Our Lady of Lourdes, Spokane, he became pastor of the parishes in Colton and Uniontown, and was named the diocese’s Vocations Director that year as well.

In 1994 Father Root became rector of Bishop White Seminary. The following year he was named Director of Deacon Formation.

He left the Spokane Diocese on a temporary leave to his home diocese of Syracuse, N.Y., in 2000.

Besides being pastor of St. Mary Parish, Spokane Valley, Msgr. John Steiner, retiring June 30, also is co-Vicar General of the Spokane Diocese. (Editor’s note: an interview with Msgr. Steiner was featured in the May 20, 2010 edition of the Inland Register.)

He was ordained to the priesthood April 12, 1969.

His service as a priest has been a wide mix of both diocesan administration as well as parish ministry. He taught at the diocese’s high school seminary, earned degrees in liturgy and counseling, and has been Director of Liturgy, Chancellor, and Moderator of the Curia for the diocese.

He was associate pastor of the Cathedral of Our Lady of Lourdes before serving as pastor of Our Lady of Fatima, Spokane; St. John Vianney, Spokane Valley (and where he was later in residence), St. Thomas More, Spokane, and, most recently, St. Mary, Spokane Valley.

He was invested as a monsignor in 1997.

Deacon Luta Nsubuga, to be ordained a priest on May 21, is completing studies at The Catholic University of America in Washington, D.C. He also holds a bachelor of arts degree in biology from Washington State University.

Msgr. Kevin Codd, ordained a priest on Aug. 25, 1979, was assistant pastor of St. Mary Parish, Spokane Valley, until 1983, when he was named pastor of the parishes in Brewster and Twisp.

He spent a year – June 1988-June 1989 – serving in the diocese’s Guatemala Mission prior to his assignment as pastor of St. Patrick Parish, Walla Walla.

After a sabbatical, he was pastor of Immaculate Conception, Oroville, until he was appointed rector of the American College, a seminary in Louvain, Belgium.

In 2007 he was elevated to the rank of monsignor, and the next year moved to Othello as pastor of Sacred Heart Parish.

Parochial vicar of St. Thomas More Parish in Spokane, Father David Kuttner is the new pastor of the parishes in Oroville and Tonasket.

Father Kuttner was ordained June 26, 2009, after studies at Bishop White Seminary and North American College, Rome.

Before entering priestly formation, Father Kuttner was a teacher and coach.

Father Alejandro Zepeda was ordained a priest on July 7, 2006.

His first two assignments as a priest were as parochial vicar, first for St. Patrick and St. Francis of Assisi parishes in Walla Walla, and then, in July 2008, at St. Patrick, Pasco.

He has served as pastor of the parishes in Oroville and Tonasket since Oct. 1, 2008.