About Us:

Prior to 1983, The Prince of Wales area was part of the greater Diocese of Juneau Missions. In 1925, Bishop Joseph Crimmont designated northern POW as a mission assigned to St. Rose in Wrangell, and southern POW under the designation of St. John the Evangelist to Holy Name in Ketchikan. Activity and visits were intermittent until the Diocese, under the guidance of Bishop Michael Kenny, assigned full-time ministers to the Island. Records are hazy as to when Sister Nadine Grogan was assigned, but she and Father Michael Nash began the "real" history of the Catholic community now known as St. John's by the Sea.

Father Nash was assigned September 1, 1983, as the first priest serving Prince of Wales Island and the surrounding island communities. A licensed pilot, he used his airplane in his ministry and from his base in Thorne Bay, made true outreach a reality. Sister Nadine was stationed in Craig and together they made the Catholic Church a presence in the local communities. They laid the groundwork for the parish that evolved from their ministry.

Sister Laetitia Lariviere arrived in August of 1987, and Father James Blaney arrived within the same year. At that time, the Catholic faith community was using the Presbyterian Church facilities in Craig for worship services. Property had been acquired in Klawock, however, and the church building project gained momentum. Many hands and many talents working together conceptualized, designed, and created a center for the Catholic community, a place for worship and education, for hospitality and sharing. Bishop Kenny blessed and dedicated the new church on April 28, 1992; thus, the mission had become a parish.