Parish History

St. Anthony's had humble beginnings when missionaries from Steilacoom and Seattle served the area in 1864. The best available records indicate that Father Vary was the first Roman Catholic priest to minister to the white settlers of the Green River Valley. Soon the area belonged to St. Bernard Church at White River when it was dedicated in 1876. The first mass in Kent was said in 1899 by Father Winter, at Redmans Hall. Mass was celebrated monthly. In 1904, the good people of Kent erected a building to house the Parish, and in 1906, St. Anthony, Kent, became a parish rather than a mission. Father P. A. Flavin was the first resident Pastor.

Father John Daly was named pastor of St. Bernard and St. Anthony in 1917. Mass was celebrated on the 1st and 3rd Sundays. The list of parishioners was growing, and the need for a larger worship space was realized. June 25, 1924, the groundbreaking was held; and St. Anthony Kent, was dedicated by Most Reverend Bishop O'Dea on February 22, 1925. The new brick church cost approximately $36,000, and had a seating capacity of 325. In 1926, the rectory was renovated; and Father Martin Bourke was appointed Assistant Pastor.

November 1, 1954, Father Daly passed on to Eternity: and in March, 1955, Father Patrick Lyons was appointed Pastor. In 1957, the new Rectory and Parish Hall were completed. With the membership of St. Anthony still increasing; Father Ted Sondergeld was appointed Assistant Pastor in 1964.
In 1966, St. Stephen the Martyr was established in Renton; thereby redefining the Parish boundaries of St. Anthony. The Religious Education Complex was completed in 1972, to aid in the spiritual guidance to the young people. Upon the death of Fr. Lyons on May 25, 1973, Fr. Sondergeld was appointed Parish Administrator.

Fr. Andrew Donohoe was appointed Pastor of St. Anthony in 1977, and continued to serve the Parish until his retirement in 1984. The membership roles were continuing to grow, and in 1979, Sr. Lillian Anderson joined the staff as a Pastoral Associate. Sr. Lillian served the Parish until June, 1984.
In 1984, Fr. Peter Duggan was appointed Pastor of St. Anthony. Sr. Catherine Pendergast joined the staff as Pastoral Associate, and served the people of St. Anthony until June, 1993.

The population forecasts for the area, and the increasing shortage of Parish priests caused the Archdiocese to ask Fr. Duggan and the people of St. Anthony to study the feasibility of doubling the worship space at St. Anthony. In 1990, Fr. Duggan and the Pastoral Council appointed a Building Committee to research renovation or new building options. In 1991, the boundaries of St. Anthony were again re-defined with the establishment of St. John the Baptist Parish in Covington.

Plans for a new worship space were presented to and accepted by the Archdiocesan Commissions in 1991. Both a liturgical consultant and architect were hired. Fund raising for the new worship space was undertaken in 1992, and in 1993, the General Contractor was hired.

On April 24, 1994, the Ground Breaking Ceremony was presided over by Archbishop Thomas Murphy, and the new worship space was indeed a reality. Construction began in June 1995. Holy Spirit Church was dedicated on May 7, 1994.

Priests since the dedication of the new church:
Fr. Peter Duggan, July 6, 1984 to January 1, 1997
Fr. Michael J. Ryan, July 1, 1997 to June 30, 2005
Fr. Simon Kim, July 1, 2005 to June 30, 2006
Fr. Vince Pastro, July 1, 2006 to June 30, 2015

Fr. Ray Cleaveland was assigned to Holy Spirit on July 1, 2015. Two of the projects Fr. Cleaveland completed was the renovation of St. Anthony’s Chapel and the inside of Holy Spirit Church. He served the community until September 30, 2020. Bishop Eusebio Elizondo served as the interim pastor as a new priest was permanently appointed.

Fr. Carlos Orozco is our current priest administrator, assigned here July 1, 2021.

Today, Holy Spirit Parish and Historic St. Anthony’s Chapel continues to serve the needs of our ever growing and changing community.