[3][4] As of 2019[update], the Saint Francis Xavier Mission is the oldest Catholic church in the state.

[5] The first recorded Mass held at the site was on December 16, 1838, by François Norbert Blanchet, who co-founded the mission with Modeste Demers.

[1][9] One of the largest changes that has impacted the Church of Saint Francis Xavier since the departure of the Franscscian Friars is the lack of clergy.

Senior class members from Jesuit High School in Beaverton, Oregon, since 1996, undertake a traditional 12-mile (19 km) walk from the Cowlitz Salmon Hatchery to the mission.

Described as a pilgrimage and a rite of passage, the event is a show of class unity and friendship that involves prayer and reflection.

As of 2023[update], approximately 7,000 people, mostly students, family, and faculty, have participated in the walk.