Parish and School News - Catholic Sentinel

‘Tangible examples of holiness’ at O’Hara

A contingent from the communion of saints annually gathers in a pocket of Eugene. Some have braces, others ponytails. PVC pipes and props are important to these holy souls. But most of all, they want to share their story and fervent love of God.
WATCH: Spiritual fruit

CORNELIUS — Some 40 teens gather around Father Jeff Meeuwsen in the shade of a large tree marking the entrance to a blueberry farm here in late July. The priest leads them in prayer and then he and the other adults disperse umbrellas, sunscreen and buckets for picking.
A crucifix fix

The Portland church named after the cross just had its 68-year-old crucifix restored.

“There were some blemishes showing up,” said Father Mark Bachmeier, pastor of Holy Cross Parish in North Portland. He points at the church’s simple but elegant wooden crucifix, a little smaller than life size. It hangs in the sanctuary.
Parish walks for a cure

Members of Sacred Heart Parish in Southeast Portland came out and walked the Stepping Out To Cure Scleroderma Walk July 14 in honor and support of parishioner Maria Rivelli, who has the disease.
Resurrection Holy Land pilgrimage included youths

TUALATIN — Youths and adults from Resurrection Parish here made a pilgrimage to the Holy Land in late June. The group of 15 — eight youth and young adults and seven adults over age 40 — spent time exploring the Sea of Galilee by boat and walking around the ancient ruins of Capernaum as well as the Mount of Beatitudes.
Junior reserve officer training corps teens honored

Catholic War Veterans – Oregon has announced recipients of its Junior Reserve Officers’ Training Corps Achievement Medals. “It is an honor to recognize these outstanding Catholic youth of our archdiocese,” said Bernard Offley, a retired Army sergeant who leads the local Catholic War Veterans.
St. Stephen hosts exhibit

Artists’ work will be on display at St. Stephen Parish in Southeast Portland for the second year in a row July 29 – Sept. 2. The St. Stephen Festival Art Exhibition honors St. Stephen and his martyrdom.
Steeple crosses at St. Anne

GRANTS PASS — St. Anne Parish here will reach its next milestone this month with the installation of two 10-foot-tall metal crosses on both steeples of its new building. A crane was to install the crosses Aug. 2.
OLOS school reunion set

When the school at Our Lady of Sorrows Parish in Southeast Portland closed in 2007, there was not a formal gathering to say goodbye.

An all-school reunion is in the works to remedy that.
65th annual Crooked Finger pilgrimage set

CROOKED FINGER — The members of Holy Rosary Mission are preparing for their 65th annual Aug. 15 pilgrimage in honor of the Assumption of Mary into heaven.
La Salle student wins art award

MILWAUKIE — “Autumn Leaves,” a graphite drawing by La Salle Prep senior Caitlynn Young, won a silver medal this spring in the drawing and illustration category of the 2018 Scholastic Art and Writing Awards competition.
Scholarship offered in memory of Newman worker

EUGENE — On June 15, 2016, Bernie Conklin died and left a hole in the University of Oregon Newman Center community. A UO graduate and football player in the 1970s, he became the Newman Center’s beloved development director.
Students learn practical care for Earth

EUGENE — This summer has been time to put learning into practice. This spring, first-graders at O’Hara School here recognized Earth Day with a class discussion focusing on ways everyone can do their part to take care of the planet.
Happy Trails

“Cowboy” Josiah Houck and “homesteader” Yvaine Secor, both now first-graders, take a turn on the St. John the Apostle School covered-wagon float during the 2018 Fred Meyer Junior Rose Parade.
Myanmar community welcomes bishops

A smile swept across Archbishop Alexander Sample’s face as a team of Zomi dads and one teen daughter — all in matching button down shirts and blue ties — took the stage after Mass at St. Joseph the Worker Parish in Portland.
Ukrainian Day in the valley

SPRINGFIELD — A celebration of Ukrainian Day will be held at Nativity Ukrainian Parish here Saturday, Aug. 4. The free event will include Ukrainian and Slavic dishes for purchase, as well as baked goods, coffee and soft drinks.
Mayor’s blog notes priest

BANDON — The mayor of this South Coast town writes a weekly blog reflecting on the city’s history. A recent post by Mary Schamehorn included a photo of the late Father Ervin Vandehey hefting lumber in 1958 as the rectory of Holy Trinity Church was being built. The priest was 39 at the time.
Former running back: ‘Be courageous’

“Be strong and courageous.” That was advice from former NFL running back Curt Warner at a fundraising event for Catholic Youth Organization sports at Holy Family School in Southeast Portland.
Global collaboration

St. Ignatius School in Southeast Portland was awarded a three-year grant to participate in a global partnership program through the JDO Foundation. It’s an opportunity for students and teachers to use technology to learn and work with partners across the world.
Honoring years of service

LAKE OSWEGO — A jubilee celebration for Father Joseph McMahon was held at Our Lady of the Lake here June 24. Almost 300 people came to a reception to honor the priest’s 50 years of service.
Reaching out to women and families in need

NEWPORT — Until earlier this year, there was no ministry here serving mothers and fathers in need of assistance. That all changed in the spring when a team of passionate pro-lifers launched a parish-based Gabriel Project.
Building Fellowship Hall

After more than a decade without a gym or parish hall, Sacred Heart Parish in Southeast Portland on June 16 broke ground on a new parish center to be called Fellowship Hall.
Festivities with vespers

St. Stephen Parish will hold its annual St. Stephen Festival Sunday, July 29, from noon to 5 p.m.
The remarkable paintings of St. Mary Cathedral

St. Mary Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception in Portland is host to a variety of beautiful sights, though perhaps the most stunning image that greets visitors is the series of tall paintings hung behind the altar. Franciscan Sister Connie Furseth, who regularly gives tours of the cathedral, offers details about the space’s rich past.
Blanchet student ranks in top 1 percent

SALEM — Nikhil Namburi, who will be a senior at Blanchet School here in the fall, has academic achievements that rank him in the top 1 percent of students in the country. He earned perfect scores on the 2017 PSAT and on the ACT and a near perfect score on the SAT.
New presidents for Lasallian high schools

La Salle Prep taps its principal to serve as next president, CEO; De La Salle North welcomes new face
Mass set to honor Bohemia, Czech lands

Ascension Parish in Southeast Portland will celebrate the 100th anniversary of the establishment of Czechoslovakia September 29 at 5 p.m.

Czechoslovakia, now divided into Czechia and Slovakia, was founded in the aftermath of World War I as one of the successor states of the Austro-Hungarian Empire, then called Bohemia.
Carrying faith through a Westside neighborhood

BEAVERTON — They walked joyfully and prayerfully though downtown Beaverton, led by Father Anthony Ahamefule and Deacon Bill Richardson holding a monstrance beneath an embroidered silk canopy.
Parish food and fun

LINCOLN CITY — Food, games, entertainment, a garden and plant market, arts and crafts, home-baked pastries and breads, and a country store with collectables will be featured during the fourth annual Raise the Roof Fun Festival at St. Augustine Parish here.
Priest reassignments

Two parishes that are staffed by religious orders are welcoming new priests this summer.
Construction begins at St. John Fisher

When Father Richard Thompson first heard the pounding of concrete outside the church at St. John Fisher, he was celebrating morning Mass at the Southwest Portland parish. “That’s music to my ears,” he told Massgoers.
CYO lacrosse faces off with kids K through 12

As lacrosse continues to grow and flourish in the Portland metropolitan area, many youth players are experiencing the sport for the first time with the Catholic Youth Organization. Since 2011, CYO coaches have been guiding kids through basic fundamental skills to advanced techniques.
Track and field lands another successful year

CYO has just ended its 2018 season with some of the best championship meets ever. The Roadrunner’s Regionals, for the third- and fourth-graders, were held at La Salle Prep on the east side, with Our Lady of the Lake overall team winner, and at Valley Catholic on the westside won by St. Pius X. Both meets were held May 12.
Catholics explore transformation through Eucharist

SALEM — Hundreds gathered at the Salem Convention Center for Schola Cantus Angelorum’s sixth annual Sacred Liturgy Conference to hear speakers examine the year’s theme — transfiguration in the Eucharist.
Corpus Christi in Brookings

Parishioners from Star of the Sea Parish in Brookings marched in honor of Corpus Christi. The procession was a first for the small coastal parish.
VBS at Holy Cross

Holy Cross Parish in North Portland will welcome children for a July 9-13 vacation Bible school based on the astronomical theme “Quest for Jesus (in Outer Space!)”
Where the word has been

Our Lady of Sorrows Parish in Southeast Portland celebrated its diversity at Masses on Pentecost by putting pins into a world map. The apostles and all the others who received the Holy Spirit were enabled to spread the message of Jesus throughout their world; the parish celebrated where the word of God already has been.
Auction nets $1 million

More than 700 guests gathered to raise their paddles high in support of the young women of St. Mary’s Academy at the school’s 30th annual auction, “Pearls of Wisdom.” Cathy Marshall of KGW-TV served as the master of ceremonies for the evening, held at the Oregon Convention Center. The event raised nearly $1 million.
Serious soccer fun

OREGON CITY — Once again chants rang out in the halls of St. John the Apostle School here. Red Team versus Black Team; physical education teacher versus priest. The fourth annual Epic Soccer Game took place April 27, and just as in years past it did not disappoint.
Celebrating a first Mass

Freshly ordained Fr. Brent Crowe celebrated his first Mass at Sacred Heart Parish in Medford June 3. The new priest went through RCIA at the southern Oregon parish.
Café Justo opens for business

MILWAUKIE — Café Justo opened on the campus of La Salle Prep this spring, selling coffee drinks to support Mexican growers and raise money for scholarships.
Transitions at Jesuit High School

After 12 years at Jesuit High School in Portland, Jesuit Father JK Adams will leave this summer to serve as theology teacher and chaplain at Gonzaga Preparatory School in Spokane, Washington.
Concert for young adults

TIGARD — Worship, fellowship and live faith testimony filled the church hall at St. Anthony Parish here May 19.

The concert, geared for young adults, was sponsored by the parish and Couples for Christ, a group of family evangelizers.
Closing a chapter in their lives

For four years, students at western Oregon’s Catholic high schools spend five days together every week. They study together, they play sports together, they perform together. They become a community. Then comes graduation — the last time many of them may ever see each other. This is part of the reason that graduation night parties thrive at the schools.
Principal also set to ‘graduate’

Karen Asbury has helped weave the fabric of Portland’s Catholic school community for 45 years. She’s spent the last 23 of those as principal of St. Rose School (formerly Archbishop Howard School), where her colleagues say she set a foundation in faith, service and academic excellence.
Farewell to 20 from St. John the Baptist

MILWAUKIE — The class of 2018 from St. John the Baptist School counts 20 members. Commencement was Tuesday, June 12, at St. John the Baptist Church.
Sherwood grads: When paths diverge, bonds unite

SHERWOOD — For eighth-graders, the end of the school year marks a divergence in the path of life. At St. Francis School here, the welcoming family atmosphere and faith-filled education provides an enduring bond.
St. John the Apostle eighth-graders sent forth

OREGON CITY — St. John the Apostle celebrated its eighth-grade graduates with a baccalaureate Mass at 6:30 p.m. Tuesday, June 12, at St. John the Apostle Church.
Saving Pan: A culinary rescue mission

It seems as though everyone wants to write a book. Three freshmen at St. Mary’s Academy already have checked off that life goal.
St. Clare grads immersed in tradition

Eighth-graders at St. Clare School in Southwest Portland soon joined the ranks of fellow alumni as they celebrated their graduation at 7 p.m. Friday, June 8, in St. Clare Church.
Eighth-graders partner with Catholic Community Services

EUGENE — St. Paul Parish School here celebrated the graduation of 31 eighth-graders at 6:30 p.m. Monday, June 11, at St. Paul Church.
‘Star qualities’ at St. Cecilia

BEAVERTON — St. Cecilia School held its graduation for 31 eighth-graders at 7 p.m. Tuesday, June 12, at St. Cecilia Church here.
St. Pius X eighth graders graduate June 11

St. Pius X School in Northwest Portland sent forth 62 graduates at 6:30 p.m. Monday, June 11, at St. Pius Church. Salutatorian is Sadie Nanson and valedictorian is Avery Powers.
St. Luke graduation June 8

WOODBURN — St. Luke School here will celebrate its 12 graduated in a Mass and ceremony Friday, June 8, at St. Luke Church.
UP has largest class in history

The University of Portland celebrated its commencement last month with nearly 1,200 graduates earning degrees — making the class of 2018 the largest graduating class in the university’s history.
Sacred Heart says goodbye to 20

MEDFORD — Sacred Heart School here celebrated its 20 eighth-grade graduates at 6 p.m. Thursday, June 7, at Sacred Heart Church. Celebrations continued after graduation in the parish hall.
48 to graduate from O’Hara

EUGENE — O’Hara held a graduation Mass for its 48 eighth-graders at 8:30 a.m. Monday, June 11, at O’Hara. Graduation is set for 7 p.m. Tuesday, June 12, at St. Mary Church.
St. Agatha grads to leave peace legacy

St. Agatha School in Southeast Portland held its graduation for 22 eighth-graders at 6:30 p.m. Tuesday, June 12, at St. Agatha Church.
Nativity: Tools to succeed

St. Andrew Nativity School in Northeast Portland celebrated 28 eighth-graders during its graduation at 7 p.m. June 14 at the school.
Central Catholic to graduate 218

Central Catholic High School celebrated the graduation of 218 students June 1, in the University of Portland Chiles Center.
St. Therese grads ready for next step

Eighth-graders from St. Therese School in Northeast Portland graduated June 12 at St. Therese Church.
‘I love being in a system where I can watch my students progress’

STAYTON — Regis St. Mary School will graduate 33 seniors and 20 eighth-graders this year. The seniors’ baccalaureate Mass was Thursday, June 7, at Immaculate Conception Church. Graduation was Sunday, June 10, at the Regis campus. Valedictorian is Emily Adams and salutatorian is Rachel Dolby.
Commencement at Mount Angel Seminary

SAINT BENEDICT — The students of Mount Angel Seminary’s graduating class of 2018 celebrated their baccalaureate Mass Friday afternoon May 11 and commencement exercises the following morning.