Our Heritage: St. James Parish
Bishop A. M. A. Blanchet came to Fort Vancouver, the See city of the Diocese of Nisqually, and was enthroned in the Cathedral of St. James and St. Augustine in Fort Vancouver in 1847. The first church, a converted warehouse, burned down. The next church, a larger and more substantial warehouse also burned down. A third church was built outside the stockade along with a bishops house next door. This church, which housed the Sisters of Providence on an upper floor, was occupied and used from 1857 to 1884. Then a new Cathedral was built on the "hill", where it now stands as St. James Parish Church at 12th and Washington streets. The Sisters of Charity of Providence came in 1856 in answer to the plea of Bishop Blanchet, to "take care of his growing Diocese." Five sisters came, with Mother Joseph of the Sacred Heart in charge.

The Sisters of Providence
For 46 years - from 1856 when she landed in Vancouver, WA to 1902 - Mother Joseph responded to the pleas of both Catholics and non-Catholics to establish schools and health-care facilities throughout the northwest. Mother Joseph was the architect, construction supervisor and the chief fund-raiser for many of the projects she instigated. In addition to hospitals and schools, Mother Joseph incorporated the Sisters of Providence in 1858, the second oldest corporation registered in the State of Washington. Providence Academy, established in 1856 was the first Catholic school established by the sisters in the area.

Our Lady of Lourdes School
By 1955, Vancouver was no longer the seat of the diocese of Nisqually, now the diocese of Seattle.In early 1955, the Reverend Robert Dillon, Pastor of St. James Church in Vancouver, was asked by Bishop the Most Reverend Thomas A. Connolly, Archbishop of Seattle to build and maintain his own parish school.Father Dillon, established the St. James Parish School in 1956. This was partly in order to relieve the burden on the Sisters of Providence at Providence Academy, who were educating the children of the parish at the Academy's elementary school. The sisters agreed to staff the parish school and donated much of the necessary equipment and supplies for the new facility. The transfer of the Academy elementary school to the parish coincided with the 100th anniversary of the arrival of the Sisters of Providence in Vancouver. On November 14, 1958, Our Lady of Lourdes Parish was established in the northern portion of St. James Parish. Father James H. Deady was installed as the first pastor on November 28th, 1958.

The school chapel served as the first parish church until a permanent church could be built. The school was renamed Our Lady of Lourdes - St. James School, and was jointly supported by the two parishes. In August 1965, by agreement between the two parishes, the name of the school was changed to Our Lady of Lourdes School, although it continued to serve children from both parishes.

In the beginning, the sisters lived at Providence Academy and commuted to the school. With the closing of the Academy in June 1966, the sisters moved to the fifth floor of the Providence Hospital Nurse's Home, in Portland, Oregon. On September 21, 1967, they moved into a house leased by the parish at 4124 NW Fruit Valley Road. The parish then constructed a large, modern convent, located adjacent to the school at 4809 Franklin. The sisters occupied this convent from May 18, 1968, until 1976, when the one remaining sister vacated it for use by the parish. Sister Mary Leona Miller continued to teach at Our Lady of Lourdes School until 1990, when she retired from full-time ministry.

Today
Today, over 50 years after being built, Our Lady of Lourdes School chapel still serves as Our Lady of Lourdes Parish Church.

After several years of declining enrollment in the 1980's Our Lady of Lourdes emerged as a leader in Catholic elementary education. Student population is holding steady at approximately 290 K-8 students and 50 preschool students. A parish master plan is in place for building a church and expansion of the school facility to better provide for educational needs in the future.

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