Salish School receives land gift from Catholic Charities to establish new campus
News Story by Matthew Kincanon | FāVS News
In a move that fulfills a decades-long dream of the founders of Salish School of Spokane, Catholic Charities of Eastern Washington has given the language immersion school land to establish a new campus near the Spokane River and expand their operations, while making an effort to heal wounds of the past.
A site near the river
Chris Parkin and LaRae Wiley (Sinixt), principal and executive director of the school, said they made an agreement with the nonprofit organization in July 2024 where half of the available land was sold to the school for $1. The site is six acres, and while the boundary lines and other paperwork have not been completed, the school will use around three acres of it.
The new space, according to the school’s website, is part of the River Family Haven project and will expand classroom spaces for the P-12 school, Salish immersion teacher training and adult language and culture classes. Also, the new Cultural and Recreational Community Center (CRCC) will have a gymnasium, cafeteria and sports fields for the school and community.
Wiley said the students are especially excited about getting a gymnasium where they can all gather and hold events such as their piano recitals and winter programs. Usually, they have to rent a space for these kinds of events.
Open to Others
Parkin said the space at their facilities will be also open to other Native groups and nonprofits in the city to support their work on evenings and weekends.
“This will be a permanent resource for the Native community,” Parkin said.
Because the site sits next to the Three Islands Conservation area, Parkin said their community and students will have access to the conserved pine forest and be able to receive their learning and cultural experiences out on the land and the river.
Since they founded the school, Wiley and Parkin said they’ve had a vision of establishing a campus on the river that would have access to a bunch of amenities. In 2010, when they were starting with just six students, that dream seemed impossible to them. However, with this gift, they will be able to make their vision a reality.
When they stand at the site, they can hear birds chirping and the river flowing. Unless the peace is broken by a plane flying over, Parkin said it is so quiet and natural. This contrasts with their current campus, which sits on a busy street with lots of car exhaust and makes it hard to have conversations outdoors.
A Sacred Space
“We are creating sacred space for the language,” Wiley said. “Next to the river and access to the park land below, I think that’s just going to open up a whole lot of cultural activities that we haven’t been able to do. And also it’ll just help our students maintain that tie to the land that they have.”
The property will also be the site of 72 units of permanent, affordable housing and supportive services provided by the Catholic organization. According to a brochure, it will be reserved for households facing limited income, health challenges and skyrocketing housing costs. It seeks to keep families together by connecting them to counseling, employment and education opportunities, medical care and other services.
“This school and housing facility will be a place where the Salish School can grow their impact, live in community on land with historic significance to the Salish community,” said Jonathan Mallahan, president and executive director of Catholic Housing Ventures. “This creates a place of unequivocal belonging for this community for decades to come.”
Righting wrongs of the past
Upon learning they would receive the gift, Wiley said her first reaction was it was too good to be true. As she got to know the charity’s president and CEO, Rob McMann, and work with him more, she recognized that they wanted to make an effort to repair some of the damage committed by the Catholic Church against Native people.
Mallahan said the people at Catholic Charities were inspired by their faith and Catholic Social Teaching that they have a responsibility to themselves and their community to take affirmative actions to advance the cause of justice.
“We recognize the responsibility that our Catholic community has for historic actions and ongoing impacts that suppressed Salish language and culture,” Mallahan said. “We cannot change this history, and we endeavor to do our part to move forward in a better way.”
Despite the excitement of the gift, some board members at the school initially pushed back against it. Wiley said this was due to the genocide committed by the government and church against the Native people. There are many people who are still hurt and experiencing trauma from it.
Wiley said they had to do a lot of education about Catholic Charities and how they are a separate nonprofit from the church and are holding out their hand to make some kind of amends.
“If people are willing and they want to right a wrong or even attempt a bit to do that, then we need to take them where they’re at so that we can all move forward with healing,” Wiley said. “And it’s going to take time to heal.”
Mallahan said the nonprofit has the means and ability to act in a small way to “address historic injustices committed by our community against the Salish peoples. Inaction would be a continuation of this injustice.”
“We are humbled by the unearned trust that the Salish School community has extended to us,” Mallahan said. “They have extended us grace in their willingness to work with us on this project, opened their community to engaging with us in building a better future together. We are working hard to justify this trust and fulfill our responsibility as a partner in this project.”
Wiley hopes that Catholic Charities around the country see what is happening with the school and think about how they can support BIPOC communities and do projects with them in an effort to heal.
While the project doesn’t address all of the difficult history between the church and the tribes, Parkin and Wiley said it’s a good start in the right direction that’s being done in a humble way.
Breaking ground and development
The school’s budget for their project is $10.7 million. Currently they have $7.7 million in place, which includes state and federal grants and a plan to sell their current campus at 4125 N. Maple St. for $1 million. They are currently working to raise the remaining $3 million. Donations can be made on the school’s website.
If everything goes according to plan, Parkin said they will be breaking ground in February 2026, which will begin a two-year construction period. They would be able to move into their new campus in the spring of 2028 at the latest.
A ceremony, in recognition of the gift, will be held on Wednesday, May 21, at 2720 W. Elliot Ct. The short ceremony will include a welcoming prayer and song, speakers from leaders of both organizations and an acknowledgment of the gift of land from the Catholic organization to the school. Afterward, attendees will be invited to walk around the site and see the trails that lead down to the river.
