Catholic Church Records by
Cumulative Indexes to Munnicks Catholic Church Records
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St. Paul's, St. Paul
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St. Paul's Catholic Church was the first Cathedral in the Oregon Territory and first Catholic Church south of the Columbia River.
Fathers Francois Norbert Blanchet and Modeste Demers arrived in the Oregon Territory in 1838. According to Fr. Wilfred Schoenberg, S.J. in his History of the Catholic Church
in the Pacific Northwest 1743-1983, "on Sunday, November 25, 1838, Blanchet offered the first solemn high Mass at Ft. Vancouver. Frs. Blanchet and Demers made a
census of Catholics and concluded there were seventy-six Catholics at the fort, Canadian and Iroquois, men, women and children."
"Fr. Blanchet first visited the Cowlitz Prairie settlement on December 16th. There were only four Canadian Catholic families at the Cowlitz settlement
and Blanchet said Mass at the home of Simon Plamondon. This was the first permanent mission in what is now the state of Washington. Blanchet was back at Ft. Vancouver
by Christmas."
"Then on Thursday, January 3, 1839 the vicar general embarked for the Willamette Valley. On Saturday about ten in the morning the canoes,
supervised by Etienne (Stephen) Lucier and Pierre (Peter) Beleque landed at the Campement de Sable, or Champoeg. Horses were ready for the rest of the journey and the men
rode the last four miles "horseback", Blanchet going to the log church at St. Paul, stopping here and there en route to visit families. The following day, Sunday, January 6th,
the church was blessed under the patronage of St. Paul, after which was celebrated the first Mass in the valley."
Fr. Blanchet was informed that this log church at St. Paul was originally built in 1836 at Fairfield and that Dr. John McLoughlin felt it was
"not properly located and ordered it to be removed and reassembled on a large prairie, its present beautiful site." This site was originally next to the "old" Catholic cemetery
located now on the main St. Paul, Newberg highway.
Fr. Blanchet didn't take up residency at St. Paul until October, 1839 and at that time brought with him an 80 pound bell which was blessed
and suspended from an oak tree on December 2, 1839.
The present church, pictured above, was consecrated May 25, 1898 by Archbishop Gross. This church is still in use today. Unfortunately, there
are no known pictures of the original log church, however there is a replica displayed outside the church at St. Paul.
The records from St. Paul's parish are some of the earliest in the Oregon territory second only to Ft. Vancouver and include insight into the
first settlers and Oregon and Catholic history. Our records dates are Baptisms 1897-1903, Deaths 1898-1953 and Marriages 1899-1953. The earliest records for St. Paul's were
published by Harriet Munnick in her books Catholic Church Records of the Pacific Northwest and we will not include those records since the St. Paul Mission Historical
Society offers those books for sale. However we do offer the Cumulative Index to the Catholic Church Records of the Pacific Northwest, compiled by Sharon Osborn-Ryan which
covers all of the indexes to Harriet Munnick's seven books.
St. Paul's was the 1st Catholic parish dedicated in Oregon.
Present Day information: St. Paul Parish
20217 Christie St. NE
St. Paul, OR 97137
Mass Schedule:
Saturday: 6:00 pm
Sunday: 8:00 am, 10:00 am
Monday through Thursday: 7:45 am:
Friday, (Summer) 8:00 am: (During School Year) 8:30 am.
Parish Office: (503)633-4611
Rev. Charles D. Borho, Pastor
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