Beware scam requests

Email accounts of priests and religious around the archdiocese are being “ghosted” in attempts of provoking money from the Catholic faithfu
Haitian school, with Oregon support, seeks to expand into a network

A Catholic nonprofit that educates Haitian children is set to expand from one school to 10. The Haitian Project gets regular support from Oregon Catholics, including a team at The Madeleine Parish that organizes an annual Northeast Portland garage sale for the cause.
WATCH: Traditional confirmation rite celebrated

Twenty Catholic youths from around western Oregon gathered Sept. 18 for a confirmation rite that pre-dates liturgical reforms of the Second Vatican Council.
The intercession of St. Michael the Archangel

ROSEBURG — When Father José Manuel Campos Garcia first arrived at St. Joseph Parish here, surrounded by the green hills of the area, he felt what he calls a shadowiness. Not long after the priest was assigned to serve the Willamette Valley parish, 10 students at Umpqua Community College were killed when a shooter opened fire at the school. It was around this time Father Campos started praying the St. Michael prayer after daily Mass.
Success in his wake: La Salle Prep student Johnny Maitland is a skiing champ

Johnny Maitland might not walk on water, but he comes pretty close. The 14-year-old La Salle Prep student was for a time ranked No. 1 in the world for slalom waterskiing, a sport requiring athletes to zigzag across a boat’s wake navigating six buoys — all on one ski going about 35 miles per hour.
For 25 years, Polish festival has offered ‘witamy’

Joseph Bylina, a musclebound Polish fisherman who immigrated to the United States in 1982, donned his best white suit and a bold red-and-white tie for North Portland’s annual Polish festival Sept. 22-23.
Faustina performances set

Several Oregon and southwest Washington parishes are hosting St. Luke Production performances in October.
The transitus of St. Francis

MILWAUKIE — Franciscans are meeting at St. John the Baptist Parish Oct. 3 to commemorate the birth of St. Francis into eternal life. The event will begin at the church at 7 p.m. with light refreshments to follow.
Playground blessing

There’s a reason to rejoice for children at Holy Cross parish and school in North Portland. After years of fundraising, a new playground will be blessed at the parish Sept. 28 at 4:45 p.m. with a barbeque to follow.
Coastal icon writing

BROOKINGS — Parishioners at Star of the Sea Parish here danced through delicate brush strokes Aug. 14-18, writing icons with a visiting iconographer from Olympia, Washington.
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.
$1 million humanitarian award to be presented at UP

Three finalists for the 2018 Opus Prize, a $1 million award that recognizes individuals or organizations who address critical social issues within their communities, recently were announced by the Opus Prize Foundation and the University of Portland.
A new church for St. Anne

GRANTS PASS — It was a moving moment as Archbishop Alexander Sample took to the new ambo at St. Anne Parish — with joy in his eyes — looked at Father Bill Holtzinger in the crowd and spoke of the pastor’s work in building a new church for the faith community here.
Seven new principals step into their roles at archdiocesan schools

Seven archdiocesan Catholic schools will welcome new principals this September. Some, like Jon Myers at All Saints, are already fixtures in their school communities — Myers has worked at All Saints for 24 years — while others, like Lesley Lindell, the new principal at St. Matthew School in Hillsboro — are new to the families and teachers they will lead.
Catholic schools plan

A strategic plan for the future of Catholic schools in western Oregon is moving from ideas to action. But the process will go deliberately.
Teens receive healing of Holy Spirit

SPOKANE — Teenagers from Resurrection Parish in Tualatin were part of the large community of Northwest adolescents who gathered for the Steubenville Northwest Catholic Youth Conference in July.
A new pastor

Flanked by seven Knights of Columbus honor guard members, Fr. Joseph Hoang stands beside Fr. Ignacio Llorente Aug. 21. Fr. Hoang was officially installed as pastor of St. Anthony Parish in Waldport by Fr. Llorente, who represented Archbishop Sample and the Archdiocese of Portland during the ceremon
From tending flowers to earning trophies: Highlights from Valley Catholic School

BEAVERTON — Located on the campus of the Sisters of St. Mary of Oregon, Valley Catholic is a close-knit community of students, families and educators.
UP welcomes one of largest classes in school history

The University of Portland welcomed the class of 2022 as first-year students arrived on campus and moved into residence halls Aug. 23. At approximately 1,000 students, the new freshman class is one of the top three largest classes in university history.
New faces and new places at The Madeleine School

When students at The Madeleine School in Northeast Portland returned from summer vacation, they found two new teachers and many new spaces in the process of being upgraded — thanks to The Madeleine’s ongoing capital campaign.
St. Paul School makes improvements to front office

EUGENE — To increase safety and security, St. Paul School has updated its front office. With help from the Archdiocese of Portland’s Safety First grant program, St. Paul was able to bring not just safety, but also a more welcoming entrance to the school.
New school year, new principal at St. Rose

Last year was an eventful one for an Oregon native who married, moved to the Hollywood district and became St. Rose School’s vice principal shortly after. But the excitement wasn’t over yet for Christine Penwell.
New staff, saint-focused theme at St. Matthew

HILLSBORO — As the children return to campus at St. Matthew School here, they will be greeted by new additions to the staff for the 2018-19 academic year.
New teachers share love of sports, learning

St. John Fisher School in Southwest Portland welcomes two new teachers: Inga Mannion in sixth grade and Michael Rittman for physical education and health.
Spick-and-span for school

MCMINNVILLE — In preparation for the school year, St. James School here collaborated with members of St. James Parish to clean and spruce up church and school grounds.
St. Ignatius students are citizens of the world

“Being able to collaborate with international partners is going to create better awareness of the world,” says Kristin Jost, third-grade teacher at St. Ignatius in Southeast Portland.
Staff changes at St. Clare bring new faces, goodbyes

St. Clare School in Southwest Portland welcomes three new teachers to the staff this fall and says goodbye to a longtime friend.
‘Everyday blessings’ at St. Cecilia School

BEAVERTON — “Everyday blessings” is St. Cecilia School’s theme for the 2018-19 school year. Blessing can be defined as “a beneficial thing for which one is grateful; something that brings well-being.”
St. Mary’s Academy opens women’s leadership center

In September, St. Mary’s Academy in Southwest Portland opens the doors to a Center for Women’s Leadership, which will offer advanced leadership courses and challenge students to explore leadership styles and methods.
Doing ‘small things with great love’

MILWAUKIE — Members of the St. John the Baptist School community here say the school is committed to helping create leaders who are confident, compassionate, connected in faith and who will put their service into action within their communities. That is why, for the 2018-19 school year, the school adopted the theme “Do small things with great love,” a motto of St. Teresa of Kolkata.
O’Hara teacher receives leadership training at Notre Dame

EUGENE — Angi Meyer, the physical education teacher at O’Hara School here, spent the summer at the University of Notre Dame in South Bend, Indiana, working on her master’s in educational leadership. The Mary Ann Remick Leadership Program of the University of Notre Dame prepares future leaders of Catholic schools “to lead with zeal,” according to the university’s website.
New Nativity teacher has previous ties to parish community

Emily Ruef is the new theology teacher at St. Andrew Nativity School in Northeast Portland, but she is not new to the parish community.
Service on everyone’s schedule at La Salle Prep

MILWAUKIE — No matter how many science, math and religion courses they take, La Salle Prep students’ education isn’t complete unless everybody does a good deed or two.
Jesuit celebrates 25 years of coeducation

Twenty-five years ago, the course of Jesuit’s legacy was changed when the school opened its doors to 260 pioneering young women on the sunny morning of Sept. 1, 1993. After nearly four decades as an all-male institution, the voices of young men and women filled the classrooms and bubbled into the halls — a full chorus of sounds hinting at the bright future ahead.
For everything there is a season

As Ecclesiastes prophetically declares, “For every thing there is a season and a time for every purpose under heaven.” For Holy Redeemer School in North Portland, this back-to-school season witnesses a confluence of firsts and lasts, hellos and goodbyes.
Camp Howard lodge blessed

Father Dave Gutmann led a crowd in prayer Aug. 11 during a blessing of the new Mary’s Lodge at Camp Howard. Donors came forward to pay for the building in the Mount Hood foothills, which replaces a dining hall that had structural problems.
Family on way to mission life

STAYTON — A Catholic family of seven from Stayton has just begun missionary life.

Nick and Millie Hennemann and their five children, ages 1 to 7, left for Louisiana Aug. 25 to train as part of the Family Missions Company.
Holy Family celebrates its 70th anniversary

Holy Family School in Southeast Portland opened its doors Sept. 8, 1948. Enrollment was 27 students. In the ensuing 70 years, enrollment has increased substantially, but the mission of the school remains the same: guiding students to become self-aware and engaged learners, responsible decision makers, and faith-filled learners.
Holy Cross welcomes students with learning differences

At least six students with varying special needs (including Trisomy 21 and communication disorders) will be joining the Holy Cross community.
Ongoing building renovations at Franciscan Montessori school

The history of Franciscan Montessori Earth School in Southeast Portland begins in 1954, when the school structure was built.
De La Salle focuses on equity

De La Salle North Catholic is the most racially diverse private high school in Oregon, according to Niche, an education analytics researcher. The De La Salle student body comprises a racial and cultural mix of capable yet underserved students. The school is 40 percent Latino, 35 percent African-American, 13 percent Caucasian, 9 percent multiracial and 3 percent Asian/Pacific Islander.
Catholics pray for forgiveness

The small community of Catholics at St. Mary Parish here were invited by Father Dick Rossman during the weekend’s Masses to take part in adoration Sunday, Aug. 19, asking for God’s forgiveness after recent clerical abuse revelations in the country.
Catholic social teaching is the focus at Central Catholic

On the reader board outside Central Catholic High School in Southeast Portland the sign reads: “If you want peace, work for justice.” This famous quote from Pope Paul VI greets students and staff as they head into the 2018-19 school year. This year, the school will focus on the theme of Catholic social teaching.
Parish celebrates end of summer

LAKE OSWEGO — A barbeque, a bike blessing and a cupcake walk are just a few of the activities to take place at Our Lady of the Lake’s 5^th Annual Parish Festival Sunday, Sept. 9.
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. The former lineman was known as the “jolly Irish giant.”
Parish invites neighborhood for worship and fun

St. Stephen Parish in Southeast Portland held a festival for the neighborhood July 29 and enveloped the merrymaking in prayer. Revelers could experience Mass, Lebanese food, bands a giant target for soccer balls and Latin vespers in just a few hours.
New provincial elected for Congregation of Holy Cross

NOTRE DAME, Indiana — Father Bill Lies, a member of the University of Portland board of regents, this summer was elected by his peers as the new provincial superior of the Congregation of Holy Cross, United States Province of Priests and Brothers.
$1 million humanitarian award to be presented at UP

Three finalists for the 2018 Opus Prize, a $1 million award that recognizes individuals or organizations who address critical social issues within their communities, recently were announced by the Opus Prize Foundation and the University of Portland.
Catholic school girls continue work for Kenyan peers

In 2006, five girls met in kindergarten at St. Pius X School in Portland. In 2012, they collaborated as middle schoolers to create the Purple Cow Project, which works to provide a better future for girls in Kenya.
An experience of refugee life

St. Ignatius Parish in Southeast Portland on July 29 gave the public a taste of the hardships faced by the world’s 26.5 million refugees. Volunteers converted a parish meeting room into a virtual camp for asylum seekers.
Solving the back-to-school crunch

For some households, August means financial worry as parents try to fulfill long school supply lists. But many outlets exist for free or low-cost supplies.
Young adult barbecue set at St. Mary Cathedral

Young adult Catholics can change into their shorts and shades to spend some time with their shepherd outside of church during a barbecue set for Saturday, Aug. 25.
A knock at the door

Recently married young adults from Holy Trinity Parish in Beaverton were gathering in late July as usual in a member’s home when a knock was heard at the door. The man behind the knock was none other than Archbishop Alexander Sample.
Nigerian bishop visits coast

BROOKINGS — Catholics on Oregon’s southern coast had a rare spiritual experience with a four-day visit from Bishop Augustine Tochukwu Ukwuoma of the Diocese of Orlu in Nigeria. Bishop Ukwuoma is the leader of the home diocese of Father Justus Alaeto, pastor at Star of Sea Parish here.
‘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.