catholicsentinel.org

Concert welcomes principal

MILWAUKIE — For Sarah Brentano’s first year as principal of Christ the King School here, students and new music director Edward Atkinson welcomed her with A Festival of Nine Lessons and Carols, performed on the evening of Dec. 19.
Innovative employment program at De La Salle boosts students’ skills, confidence

On a weekday morning in Southeast Portland, high school sophomore Gabriela Flores sits at a desk, picks up a pencil and concentrates on the work before her. Her task is not to solve for x in a trigonometry equation, nail a history quiz or craft an elegant sentence for an English essay.
Rosary for immigrants set for Jan. 11

A Catholic group is holding monthly rosaries outside Portland’s St. Mary Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception in solidarity with immigrants.
Deo Gratias

Fr. Stephen Kenyon holds the Eucharist before the congregation at Sacred Heart Parish in Medford. The southern Oregon parish now offers a Latin Mass every Sunday.
Spreading Christmas Cheer

Members of St. Stephen Parish in Southeast Portland gathered Dec. 16 to sing Christmas carols for visitors to Portland’s iconic Christmas event, Peacock Lane.
Marian Celebration

While Jan. 1 was the solemnity of Mary, Mother of God, preschool students at St. John the Apostle School in Oregon City are pictured honoring Mary on another special day — her birthday, Sept. 8.
Stained glass

Bishop Emeritus Kenneth Steiner recently blessed a new stained glass window at St. Mary Parish in Vernonia.
Marist inducts first class into hall of fame

EUGENE — Marist High School inducted its first class into its Athletic Hall of Fame this fall. The inductees were selected by a steering committee of Marist alumni, faculty and staff.
UP provost honored by Holy Cross

NOTRE DAME, Ind. — The Congregation of Holy Cross has awarded a Spirit of Holy Cross Award to Thomas Greene, who has served at the University of Portland for more than 35 years. Greene, who has announced his retirement to take effect in June, has been provost since 2013.
Visitors welcome at Bing’s house

SPOKANE, Wash. — On the Gonzaga University campus sits the Bing Crosby House museum, the former home of Harry Lillis “Bing” Crosby and the world’s largest public collection of Bing Crosby memorabilia.
Better safe than sorry

SPRINGFIELD — Everyone remembers fire drills at school. Many businesses do their best by employees by having emergency evacuations. But at Mass? Members of St. Alice Parish showed how it’s done.
Parish group keeps up food delivery

On any Tuesday, a crew is happy to push their lower backs to the limit loading donated supplies into the parish storerooms. On Fridays, volunteers drive out two-by-two, delivering sustenance to apartments and houses and establishing relationships.
Bringing love to the heart of the city for a century

St. André Bessette Parish in Portland’s Old Town, which turned 100 this year, stands at a crossroads of transients and downtown workers. It’s always been a place of social contrast and the surprising Christian love that results.
More than a hundred consecrated to Mary in Stayton parish

STAYTON — This feels like Christmas, thought Carolyn Rich, moments before Mass began at Immaculate Conception Parish here Dec. 8. Among the people sitting in the church pews were more than 100 parishioners and area Catholics preparing to consecrate themselves to Mary.
Real presence talk in Gervais

GERVAIS — Sacred Heart-St. Louis Parish here welcomes Deacon Harold Burke-Sivers to speak at Sacred Heart Church on Thursday, Jan. 9, at 6:30 p.m.
Do you hear what I hear?

Broadway star and Tony Award nominee J. Robert Spencer’s recently released song, “Waiting on Christmas,” features St. Agatha School students singing in the background. The single aims to join the ranks of classic family Christmas songs with its catchy tune of holiday cheer.
Albany Knights donate to Special Olympics

On Dec. 4, athletes and Linn County Special Olympics representatives received a check for $1,262 from the Knights’ financial secretary Gary Haworth at our Lady of Perpetual Help Church in Albany.
New church gets new windows

GRANTS PASS — The new church building at St. Anne Parish here was dedicated and blessed but the community is still working hard to beautify the house of worship.
Bringing parishioners together

SPRINGFIELD — For years the first item on every pastoral council meeting at St. Alice Parish was unity. “We’re in danger of being two parishes in one building,” longtime council member Mike Whitney remembers hearing time and again. The concern was mirrored across both the English-speaking and the Spanish-speaking communities of parishioners.
Thirsting for Catholic life

Archbishop Alexander Sample delivered a strong message of welcome to refugees during a Mass Oct. 27 at St. Joseph the Worker Parish in Southeast Portland.
How a parish and businesses teamed up to do good

TIGARD — In 2009, Ron Gustin visited the busy St. Vincent de Paul food pantry at his lifelong parish, St. Anthony here. He was amazed that hundreds of needy families receive food each month.
St. Mathew students ditch classrooms for the coast

HILLSBORO — This fall, sixth graders from St. Matthew School here ventured to the coast to Camp Magruder for a week of Outdoor School.
24-hour vigil at UP honor vets

University of Portland Air Force and Army ROTC conducted a 24-hour vigil in honor of Veterans Day, concluding with a commemoration ceremony Nov. 11 at the Praying Hands/Broken Wall Memorial on campus.
Way to go, hot shots

The 2019 CYO fall Hot Shots basketball season concluded on Nov. 9 with a tournament that had 10 teams participating for medals and trophies. Both Cathedral and Holy Redeemer schools hosted the big day. As always, watching these young players compete is a highlight of the CYO sports year.
Amid God's splendor

Dominican Fr. Corwin Low celebrated Mass on a promontory over Horse Lake south of the Sisters mountains in central Oregon.
Gonzaga to build science and engineering facility

SPOKANE — Gonzaga University plans to construct a $56 million science and engineering facility. In September the Jesuit school held a ceremonial groundbreaking for the project, which will add more than 82,000 square feet of labs, classrooms, faculty offices and a studio for collaborative STEM projects. The facility is scheduled to open in the fall of 2021.
They keep the church and its furnishings worthy for worship

When these church workers do their job, no one notices. If they were to stop, worshippers would be horrified by curtains of cobwebs, layers of dust, fields of wrinkles and hymnals in utter disarray.
How’s it going, Mr. Galati?

After 33 years as an educator in Portland Public Schools, Joe Galati took the helm at Holy Family School in Southeast Portland July 1. Four months into his tenure, members of the school community were curious about what he thinks of this new experience.
Parish moves toward zero waste

EUGENE — The evening sun sparkles, following a week of early September rains, as St. Thomas More parishioners gather at a makeshift sidewalk bistro in front of the Newman Center for the parish’s annual appreciation barbecue.
Westside parish honors Dia de los Muertos

HILLSBORO — Father José Ortega Tejeda’s photo sat on one of the Dia de los Muertos altars at St. Matthew Parish here the weekend honoring All Souls. The photo of the Missionaries of the Holy Spirit priest, who died in August of last year, was one of many photos and items honoring the dead.
Feast day observed at parish

MYRTLE CREEK — All Souls Parish here quietly marked its patronal feast day Nov. 3, the Sunday following All Souls Day, with the use of the prayers, preface and special intercessions from the All Souls Mass. Father Karl Schray shared with the congregation Pope Benedict XVI’s message about the feast day as well as the origin of the parish’s name.
It follows you everywhere

Rosemary Kennedy is a mom of three teenagers. She initially made her children wait until the minimum age allowed on social media websites — around 14 or so. But that’s not where her involvement ended.
Lecture on faith and science

Science led her to Christ. That’s the short version of Stacy Trasancos’ story. Trasancos, a chemist trained at Penn State, delivers the next installment of the Archbishop’s Lecture Series, set for Monday, Dec. 9, 7 p.m.-9 p.m. at St. Anthony Parish in Tigard.
Crucifix crafted by parishioner hangs behind the altar in North Plains

NORTH PLAINS — Walking into the sanctuary at St. Edward Parish here, the life-size crucifix hanging behind the altar draws worshippers into the space. The figure of the crucified Christ is not just an ornament but a chance for meditation on the paschal mystery.
Lawmaker speaks at Madeleine

The altar society at The Madeleine Parish in Northeast Portland welcomed State Senator Michael Dembrow (D-NE Portland) to speak Monday, Nov. 4. His talk will focused on the steps the Legislature has taken regarding homelessness and the new strategies he envisions could end the crisis in Portland and across Oregon.
Byzantine parish welcomes new pastor

St. Irene Byzantine Catholic Church in Portland has a new priest — Father Vasyl Mutka. Born in Drohobych, Ukraine, Father Mutka came of age when the Ukrainian Catholic Church was considered the largest illegal church in the world because it was banned by the Soviet Union.
Prayer shawl ministry conference held

KEIZER — Crocheters and knitters from eight different parishes gathered Sept. 28 for the seventh annual Prayer Shawl Ministry Retreat held at St. Edward Parish here.
New parochial vicar at St. James

MCMINNVILLE — Father Joseph Hung Nguyen was named Parochial Vicar at St. James here effective Oct. 1.
70th wedding anniversary

Donald and Joanne Raab Dindia, members of St. Philip Neri Parish in Southeast Portland, are celebrating their 70th wedding anniversary Nov. 7.
Walking with intention

More than two decades ago, Jesuit High School began the Children’s Cancer Association Walk as a rock-and-roll concert. It evolved into a portion of the Portland Marathon and then into a walk.
Blanchet community makes pilgrimage to namesake’s gravesite

SALEM — Earlier this fall, students and staff of Blanchet School here loaded five buses and took a pilgrimage to St. Paul Church and cemetery to visit the gravesite of Archbishop Francis Norbert Blanchet, the first archbishop of the Oregon Territory and for whom the school is named.
Sharing the journey

“Sharing the Journey II,” a program on immigration featuring Franciscan Sister Veronica Schueler, chancellor of the Archdiocese of Portland, and John Herrera, Immigration Legal Services Director for Catholic Charities, was held for Monday, Oct. 28, at St. Henry Church in Gresham.
Fond memories of school

MILWAUKIE — The Catholic Sentinel of April 3, 1919 carried the news. In the growing riverside town of Milwaukie, Father John Bernard and the people of St. John the Baptist Parish would build a school over the summer — two rooms for now, more later.
Dindias of St. Philip Neri Parish celebrate 70 years

Donald and Joanne Raab Dindia, members of St. Philip Neri Parish in Southeast Portland, are celebrating their 70th wedding anniversary Nov. 7.
UP provost announces he’ll retire

After more than 35 years as an instructor, administrator, professor and leader at the University of Portland, Thomas Greene will retire at the end of the academic year.
Heavenly Rainbow

On a recent rainy day, a double rainbow kisses St. Helen Church in Sweet Home.
Quilt fair marks 49 years

VERNONIA — People from across the region descended upon St. Mary Parish here last month to eat soup, chat with old friends, and survey the quilts and crafts on display at the annual Quilt and Craft Fair.
New staff join parish

ASHLAND — Our Lady of the Mountain Parish here welcomed two new staff members recently.
WATCH: St. John the Apostle School marks 175 years

OREGON CITY — The 19th-century missionary Father Pierre-Jean De Smet would have been befuddled by the parents’ iPads — whipped out to capture young square dancers’ springy steps — and the slideshow flipping through decades of images.
Tamale benefit in Hillsboro

HILLSBORO — The Hillsboro Council of the Knights of Columbus held its first tamale sale after each Mass the weekend of Sept. 21-22.
Jesuit wins rivalry game

HILLSBORO — Jesuit High School claimed unofficial 6A Oregon Catholic football leadership Oct. 4 with a 42-26 win over crosstown rival Central Catholic.
Prize-winning writer

Paula Gomolski, a sixth grader at Holy Family Academy in Salem, shows off her certificate and second-place ribbon she earned in this year’s Catholic Daughters of the Americas’ National Education Contest.
Graffiti cleaned up at Holy Rosary

The Dominican priory at Holy Rosary Parish was hit with graffiti in early September. The parish had the markings removed.
God at work through Vincentians in Washington County

Hillsboro’s farmland and neighborhoods are Oregon picture perfect, wisps of mist framing comfortable farmhouses, copses of woods and tidy homes with well-kept gardens.
Cooperation across school lines

Think of your neighborhood parish school, the Catholic high school across town and the University of Portland as three separate entities?
New hall at UP a home to ethics enterprise

The newest building on the University of Portland campus houses an institute for promoting morals and ethics, a defining mission for the 118-year old Catholic college.
New program director for camp

Sister Colleen Schmitt is the new Camp Howard summer program director. She joined the Sisters of St. Mary of Oregon in 2014.
His art was tops

EUGENE — A student from O’Hara School here has won a national education contest sponsored by the Catholic Daughters of the Americas.
Parish plans a new welcome center

GRESHAM — St. Henry Parish here is on a quest to build a 6,215-square-foot multi-purpose facility attached to its current church vestibule.
Knights on the job for rectory remodel