About St. Alphonsus · Dufur, Oregon
St. Alphonsus Catholic Church is a small rural parish in the wheat-farming community of Dufur, Oregon, situated in the Diocese of Baker. It serves as the parish church for several mission communities in neighboring Sherman County — St. Mary in Maupin, St. Mary in Wasco, and St. John the Baptist in Grass Valley. The parish is currently shepherded by Reverend Thankachan Joseph, SDB (a Salesian of Don Bosco), and its Mass and confession schedule shifts with the seasons, reflecting the rhythms of life in the Columbia River Gorge region.
- Patron
- St. Alphonsus Liguori
- Rector
- Reverend Thankachan Joseph, SDB
- Diocese
- Diocese of Baker
Why belong here
St. Alphonsus is a faithful Catholic witness in the small town of Dufur, where the rhythms of wheat farming and ranching still set the pace of community life. Weekend Mass and the Rosary are offered in two complementary schedules across the year — Saturday evening in summer, Sunday morning in winter — making it easier for parishioners and visitors from across the Columbia Plateau to keep holy the Sabbath. With mission communities in Maupin, Wasco and Grass Valley also under the pastor's care, the parish is a true hub of Catholic life in northern Sherman and Wasco counties.
Mass times at St. Alphonsus
Weekly Mass schedule
Confession times
- Saturday 5:00 PM – 5:25 PM (April 1 – September 30, before 5:30 PM Mass)
- Sunday 10:00 AM – 10:25 AM (October 1 – March 31, before 10:30 AM Mass)
- Or by appointment
About St. Alphonsus Parish
St. Alphonsus is the Catholic parish church of Dufur, Oregon, a small wheat-country town in the Columbia River Gorge region. It belongs to the Diocese of Baker and is the spiritual home of Catholics across northern Sherman and Wasco counties. Weekend Mass, confession and the Rosary are all offered weekly, with a seasonal schedule that shifts from Saturday evenings in the warmer months to Sunday mornings in the cooler ones.
History of Catholic Life in the Region
Catholicism in this part of Oregon began as an outreach from St. Peter's Church in The Dalles, with missionary circuit riders riding out to celebrate Mass once or twice a month — often in parishioners' homes. Around the turn of the twentieth century, Maupin was designated the parish church and Dufur a mission. As the population shifted, Dufur itself became the parish church, with Maupin, Wasco, Grass Valley and Antelope functioning as its mission communities.
- 1904: First Catholic church in Sherman County built in Wasco for $3,000, serving the Fox, Macnab and Van Patten families.
- 1928: Second church dedicated in Grass Valley (St. John the Baptist), supporting the German Buether and von Borstel families.
- 1954: Father Martin Quigley named first resident pastor of the Sherman County churches.
- Catholic Extension Society assisted with construction of churches in Wasco, Grass Valley and Antelope.
Mission Churches
St. Alphonsus serves as the parish church for a cluster of mission communities spread across Sherman County. Each mission retains its own identity and parish life, but is cared for pastorally from Dufur.
- Church of St. Mary, Maupin
- Church of St. Mary, Wasco
- Church of St. John the Baptist, Grass Valley
Pastor and Clergy
The parish is currently served by Reverend Thankachan Joseph, SDB, a member of the Salesians of Don Bosco. He is also listed by the Diocese of Baker as pastor of St. Mary Church in Wasco and St. John the Baptist Mission in Grass Valley, reflecting the regional pastoral cluster St. Alphonsus anchors.
- Reverend Thankachan Joseph, SDB — Pastor
- Parish office: (541) 467-2580
- Mailing address: PO Box 395, Dufur, OR 97021
Parish Identity & Governance
St. Alphonsus is incorporated in the State of Oregon as a domestic nonprofit corporation — 'Saint Alphonsus Catholic Church of Dufur, Inc.' (Registry #10715498), registered October 8, 2002, with the Roman Catholic Bishop of the Diocese of Baker named as the entity of record.
- Legal entity: Saint Alphonsus Catholic Church of Dufur, Inc.
- Oregon Registry #10715498, registered October 8, 2002
- Mailing: PO Box 395, Dufur, OR 97021
- Rite: Roman-Latin (Roman Rite); Language: English
Pastors & rectors through the years
- Father Martin Quigley1954
First resident pastor of the Sherman County churches (including Dufur); named in 1954
- Father Augustine Okwuzu
Pastor at the time of the 2009 Sherman County history article