St. Gregory’s Catholic Church is one of the oldest Catholic parishes in Alaska.
Shortly after the 1867 transfer of Russian claims to Alaska were transferred to the United States, a petition with 120 names was sent to the Bishop of Vancouver Island requesting a priest. The first Catholic priest to spend time in Sitka, Father Carley, came here from Victoria in 1877 and held services for about a month. Then in May 1879, John Altoff, the Wrangell pastor, and Bishop Seghers came to Sitka to formally establish the St. Gregory Nazianzen parish.
Archbishop Charles J. Segher of Vancouver Island came here in 1885, and bought a log building on what’s now Baranof Street. Father Heynen held services there in November.
In May 1922, that building was torn down and a new church built.
Priests visited Sitka from Juneau until 1940, when Father T.O. Ryan became the first resident pastor of St. Gregory’s in modern times.
During World War II, Catholic Sea Bees built pews, excavated the basement for a furnace room, and built a wing above it for the pastor’s office and residence.
Father Maurice Corrigan, S.J., became pastor in 1961 and took a parish census which found 137 Catholic families here. He launched a drive for a new, larger church building, and on Sept. 5, 1973, it was dedicated. It stands between 605 Lincoln Street and 606 Etolin Street, overlooking Crescent Harbor. The front entrance is off the parking lot on the Etolin Street side.
The old church was restored as a chapel and re-dedicated as Ave Maria Chapel, on Feb. 14, 2004.
Daily Mass is 12:05 p.m. Monday through Friday, Saturday Mass is 5 p.m. and Sunday Mass is at 11 a.m.
The phone number is (907) 747-8371; the fax number is (907) 747-8401.
