About Holy Rosary · Scotts Mills, Oregon
Chapel of the Holy Rosary is a small Roman Catholic mission chapel located in the rural Crooked Finger area of Scotts Mills, Oregon, in the Cascade foothills about five miles southeast of town. Built in 1892, it is a mission of St. Mary Catholic Parish in Mount Angel and falls under the Archdiocese of Portland in Oregon. The chapel is best known for its long-running annual Marian Pilgrimage, held every August 15 (the Solemnity of the Assumption) since 1954, making it the only parish in the Archdiocese of Portland to have continuously observed an annual pilgrimage for that long. A Sunday Mass is celebrated at the chapel each week as part of St. Mary's parish schedule.
- Established
- 1892
- Patron
- Our Lady of the Rosary (Blessed Virgin Mary)
- Rector
- Fr. Ralph Recker OSB
- Diocese
- Archdiocese of Portland in Oregon
Why belong here
Holy Rosary is a small, rural mission chapel with deep roots in the Cascade-foothills Crooked Finger community — a place where the same families have worshipped since 1892 and where a 70-plus-year-old Marian pilgrimage tradition is still kept alive each August 15. Worshipping here means joining a tight-knit congregation under the pastoral care of the Benedictine monks of St. Mary, Mount Angel, in one of Oregon's most historic small Catholic settings, with Sunday Mass, the Assumption pilgrimage, and a parish-run historical museum in the church basement.
Mass times at Holy Rosary
Weekly Mass schedule
Confession times
- Confession is offered at the parent parish, St. Mary in Mount Angel — Saturday 3:00 PM to 5:00 PM, and by appointment (call the Parish Office at (503) 845-2296).
Adoration times
- Eucharistic Adoration is offered at the parent parish, St. Mary in Mount Angel, in the Adoration Chapel (Mon–Fri during the day, with extended hours on Thursdays until 9:00 PM). Ask the Parish Office for the chapel code.
About Holy Rosary Chapel
Holy Rosary is a small Catholic mission chapel in the Crooked Finger area of Scotts Mills, Oregon, in the Cascade foothills about five miles southeast of town. It is a mission of St. Mary Catholic Parish in Mount Angel and is served by the Benedictine community there under the Archdiocese of Portland in Oregon. Sunday Mass is celebrated weekly, and the chapel is best known for its long-running annual Marian Pilgrimage on August 15.
- Mission of St. Mary Catholic Parish, Mount Angel
- Archdiocese of Portland in Oregon
- Served by the Swiss-American Benedictine Congregation
History
The chapel was built in 1892 in the rural Crooked Finger farming settlement, in the Cascade Foothills at an elevation of about 1,642 feet. For more than a century it has served farm and ranch families in the area, and it remains a mission of the Benedictine-run St. Mary Parish in Mount Angel. A parish historical museum in the church basement preserves the story of the community.
- Church built in 1892
- Long-standing mission of St. Mary Parish, Mount Angel
- Parish historical museum maintained in the basement
The Marian Pilgrimage (since 1954)
On the Solemnity of the Assumption, August 15, 1954 — chosen because it fell on a Sunday that year — Holy Rosary held its first Marian pilgrimage. Father Hildebrand Melchior, OSB, then Administrator, called the parishioners together in early July 1954 and asked if any knew of pilgrimages from small European shrines; many recalled hearing their parents speak of pilgrimages 'in the old country.' Inspired by the fervor he had seen at Lourdes, Father Hildebrand felt the small parish could do 'something big for Our Lady.' The pilgrimage began during Pope Pius XII's Marian Year, marking the 100th anniversary of the definition of the Immaculate Conception, and pilgrims who visited Marian churches that year could receive a plenary indulgence.
- First pilgrimage: Sunday, August 15, 1954
- Organized by Fr. Hildebrand Melchior, OSB, Administrator
- Held during Pope Pius XII's Marian Year
- Continuously observed every year since — the only such annual pilgrimage in the Archdiocese of Portland
The Pilgrimage Tradition Today
Each August 15, pilgrims gather in the evening, recite the Rosary in procession, and walk along a wooded path beside the church where parishioners have erected small shrines honoring the Blessed Virgin Mary. Refreshments are served afterward in the church basement, and self-guided tours of the church are available before and after Mass.
- Rosary recited in procession at 7:00 PM
- Wooded path with small Marian shrines built by parishioners
- Mass of the Assumption follows the procession
- Refreshments in the church basement afterward
Mass and Sacraments
Sunday Mass is celebrated at Holy Rosary as part of the wider St. Mary Parish schedule. All other sacraments — Baptisms, Marriages, Anointing of the Sick, Funerals, and OCIA — are coordinated through the parent parish office in Mount Angel.
- Sunday Mass: 9:00 AM (English) at Holy Rosary
- Saturday Vigil Mass: 5:30 PM at St. Mary, Mount Angel
- Daily Mass: Monday–Friday 7:00 AM at St. Mary, Mount Angel (Morning Prayer precedes at 6:50 AM)
- Spanish Mass: Sunday 12:30 PM at St. Mary, Mount Angel
Visit and Contact
The chapel sits on Ettlin Loop Road off Crooked Finger Road, five miles southeast of Scotts Mills in the Cascade Foothills. Because it is a mission of St. Mary, all inquiries and scheduling are handled through the St. Mary Parish Office in Mount Angel.
- Address: 21782 Ettlin Loop, Scotts Mills, OR 97375
- Parish Office: St. Mary Catholic Church, 575 East College Street, Mt Angel, OR 97362
- Phone: (503) 845-2296
- Email: [email protected]
- Website: stmarymtangel.org
Community and Heritage
Holy Rosary remains a small but devoted Catholic presence in the rural Crooked Finger community, supported by the Benedictines of Mount Angel. The annual Assumption pilgrimage and the parish-run historical museum in the basement reflect a congregation that takes seriously its role as a keeper of local Catholic heritage in the Cascade foothills.
- Benedictine pastoral care from Mount Angel
- Parish historical museum in the church basement
- Annual pilgrimage as a community anchor since 1954
Pastors & rectors through the years
- Fr. Hildebrand Melchior, OSBAdministrator in 1954
Organized the first Marian pilgrimage in 1954, inspired by the pilgrims he had seen at Lourdes.
- Fr. Philip Waibel, OSBPastor as of 2015
Led the 61st annual Assumption pilgrimage in August 2015.