Name of Church St. Joan of Arc Church
Address 773 N. 11th Street, Coeur d’Alene, ID 83814
Phone number 208-660-6036
Website www.stjoanarc.com
Mass times Weekdays, 6:30 a.m. & 12:15 p.m. Saturdays, 6:30 a.m. & 9:30 a.m. Sundays, 7:30 a.m., 9:30 a.m. (sung Mass), noon and 5 p.m. All Masses are Latin Tridentine.
Confessions Saturdays, 30 minutes before each Mass and 4 – 5 p.m. Weekdays, 30 minutes before each Mass. Sundays, 6:45 am through the noon Mass; 4:15 p.m. before the evening Mass.
Names of priests Fr. Dennis Gordon, pastor. Fr. Michael Flick, assistant pastor. Both are members of the Priestly Fraternity of Saint Peter; its priests are traditional, orthodox and offer the Mass and sacraments according to pre-Vatican II rites. Listen to Fr. Gordon preach here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z4_hXwGGcbc. Other sermons are posted on the website, although you’ll need to ask for password access when you visit the parish.
Music The Sunday 9:30 a.m. liturgy is a High Mass, meaning it is sung. It incorporates a choir, organ and incense. Low Masses have no music.
Special activities Men’s and Women’s groups, various groups for youth, catechism classes, 24-hour adoration beginning on Friday morning and ending on Saturday, Fatima devotions and procession
Fellow parishioners This is an English-speaking, working class community. Many are large families. Coeur d’Alene is a tourist town on a lake, however, so you may see some visitors. Some parishioners drive in from hours away. The parish has seen significant growth in recent years, from about 400 parishioners in 2012 to about 650 today.
Parking The lot is small, so you may need to park on the street.
Acoustics Fine. Remember, during the Low Mass the priest prays softly most of the time, so you may want to sit in the front if you want to hear.
Cry room Yes, in the rear. It is separated from the church by glass. It is for moms only; usually those nursing babies.
Additional observations This is delightfully old-school parish, the only one of its kind in the State of Idaho operating with permission of the Bishop of Idaho, Peter Christensen. Please wear your “Sunday best”; women are asked to wear a dress or skirt and head covering. The big news at the parish is that construction of a new parish church will soon begin; once sufficient buildings are constructed the parish will relocate. The new property is about 10 miles to the west in Post Falls, Idaho. The parish is having a $9 million capital campaign to raise the funds. The Fraternity also serves a traditional Carmelite convent in Post Falls, currently home to eight traditional Carmelite nuns. Also, just three blocks away from the current Coeur d’Alene site is the beautiful and historic St. Thomas the Apostle Catholic Church, well worth a visit when you’re in the area.
The FSSP priests, many of whom are in their thirties, give awesome sermons. I am sure these priest do too. It gives one hope for the future.
God bless the FSSP … good, solid, holy men.
Please join me in praying to Our Lady of Good Success for the “good success” of the FSSP and all other traditional orders and societies throughout the world.
Notice the Mass schedules: four on Sundays, two on Saturdays (and no Saturday “vigil Mass” for lazy people), and two on weekdays. I believe that the FSSP church in Sacramento has as many or perhaps even more. There are few diocesan churches with that many Masses and it’s no wonder given the beautifully celebrated Masses and the highly committed and devoted parishioners.
God bless and thank God for the FSSP.
Yes.
The FSSP is wonderful, as are other Traditional orders and societies, including the SSPX (which needs to agree to some inclusion within the institutional Church).
My favorite thing to do on a Sunday when traveling in the US or Europe is to attend Sunday Mass at a different Catholic Church. The 12 noon Mass at Joan of Arc was my choice while Visiting CDL. I grew up w the Latin Mass so I looked forward to turning back time just this once. I left thanking God for Vatican II. I either sat or knelt looking at the back of the priest’s beautiful vestment. The sermon was not uplifting and spoken with little passion. There was no interaction between the priest and congregation, no joy as we celebrated this great mystery of the Eucharist. Children sat or knelt like robots. No one smiled or greeted one another. That being said I respect the fact that many attended Mass.and found comfort in their manner of…