Bishop appoints new director of Cor Christi, propaedeutic year program

Rev. Kyle Ratuiste

SPOKANE, WASHINGTON—Most Rev. Thomas A. Daly, Bishop of Spokane, appoints Rev. Kyle Ratuiste as the Director of Cor Christi; Effective July 1, 2025, while continuing as Director of Vocations for the Diocese of Spokane. 

Fr. Ratuiste will lead Cor Christi, the Propaedeutic Stage program for first-year seminarians at Bishop White Seminary, which has entered its fourth year since its establishment.  As Director of Cor Christi, he will be directly responsible for the initial human, spiritual, intellectual, and pastoral formation of young men from as many as 10 dioceses across 7 Western States. 

“Cor Christi is one of a few Propaedeutic programs in the country specifically for young undergraduate seminarians. Father Ratuiste is ideally suited to lead its continued expansion,” Bishop Daly noted.

Father Ratuiste will continue to serve as Director of Vocations, a position he has held since 2019. Since his priestly ordination in 2015, he has served as Parochial Vicar in Walla Walla and the Cathedral of Our Lady of Lourdes. He was born and raised in Pasco, Wash. Ordained in 2015, he is a lifelong alumnus of Catholic education, graduating from St. Patrick’s School in Pasco, Tri-Cities Prep High School, Bishop White Seminary, and Gonzaga University. He holds a Bachelor of Sacred Theology and Master of Divinity degrees from the Catholic University of America, as well as a Master of Science in Bioethics from the University of Mary. 

Bishop Daly thanks Father Barnett for his dedication to forming the next generation of priests and responding to the Holy Father’s call to establish a Propaedeutic Year program, Cor Christi.  The outgoing rector of Bishop White and current director of Cor Christi, Very Rev. Daniel J. Barnett, will be reassigned in the diocese. All new pastoral assignments will be announced in Spring 2025.

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