About St. Andrew · Pendleton, Oregon
St. Andrew's Mission is a Roman Catholic mission parish located on the Umatilla Indian Reservation in Pendleton, Oregon, within the Diocese of Baker. Founded in 1888 and administered by the Jesuits for well over a century, it has long served the Cayuse, Umatilla, and Walla Walla peoples of the Confederated Tribes. Father Mike Fitzpatrick, SJ currently serves as pastor of the mission and also as pastor of Sacred Heart Mission in nearby Athena, with Deacon Daniel Martinez assisting at liturgy. Sunday Mass is offered twice — at 10:30 AM and 7:00 PM — to accommodate the working ranching and reservation community of eastern Oregon.
- Established
- 1888
- Patron
- Saint Andrew the Apostle
- Rector
- Rev. Michael J. Fitzpatrick, SJ
- Diocese
- Diocese of Baker
Why belong here
St. Andrew's is the historic Catholic home of the Confederated Tribes of the Cayuse, Umatilla, and Walla Walla peoples on the Umatilla Indian Reservation, with a documented Jesuit ministry stretching back to 1888. A parishioner here joins a small, multigenerational Native Catholic community that celebrates Sunday Mass twice (10:30 AM and 7:00 PM), offers First Communion and ongoing Religious Education supported by the Bureau of Catholic Indian Missions, and is pastorally served by a Jesuit priest and a deacon. For Catholics on the reservation and in greater Pendleton, it is the natural place to worship, raise children in the faith, and carry on a uniquely Plateau missionary heritage.
Mass times at St. Andrew
Weekly Mass schedule
Confession times
- After Mass on Sundays (St. Andrew's)
- Before Mass on Sundays (Sacred Heart, Athena)
Parish Identity & Heritage
St. Andrew's Mission is the Catholic parish of the Umatilla Indian Reservation, located at 48022 St. Andrew's Road in Pendleton, Oregon. It belongs to the Diocese of Baker and is pastored by the Society of Jesus. The mission is a small but historic Native Catholic community serving the Confederated Tribes of the Cayuse, Umatilla, and Walla Walla peoples.
- Type: Mission (Roman Catholic, Latin Rite)
- Diocese: Baker (seat: Redmond, Oregon)
- Founded: 1888 by the Jesuits
- Predecessor foundations: St. Anne Mission, Umatilla River (1847, 1852, 1865)
- Mailing address: 48022 St Andrew's Rd, Pendleton, OR 97801
History
Catholic mission work on what is now the Umatilla Indian Reservation began in 1847, when Bishop Augustin M.A. Blanchet and Rev. John B.A. Brouillet, with Cayuse leader Taawitoy, founded St. Anne Mission on the Umatilla River. The first two foundations (1847–1855) were destroyed amid the Cayuse War; the Oblates of Mary Immaculate reestablished the work in 1865–1868, after which Portland archdiocesan priests attended to the station from 1868 to 1888.
- 1888 — Jesuits (Oregon Province predecessors) take over administration and reestablish the parish as St. Andrew Mission and School.
- 20th century — A mission school is opened and accredited; the parish becomes the sacramental and educational center of the reservation's Native Catholic community.
- Sisters of St. Francis of Philadelphia (Aston, PA) assist at the related St. Anne School on the reservation.
- The Jesuit-operated school is eventually reorganized as Nixyaawii Charter School by the Confederated Tribes.
- 1889–1999 — The mission's records are preserved in the Oregon Province Archives, collection ORE 1.47.
Archival & Documentary Holdings
St. Andrew's is unusually well documented for a small mission. The Oregon Province Archives of the Society of Jesus hold two linear feet of records (collection ORE 1.47, 1889–1999), and Marquette University's Raynor Library Archives (entries OR-20 and OR-21) list sacramental registers from 1865 onward and roughly 3 cubic feet of student records from the mission school.
- Jesuit Oregon Province Archives, ORE 1.47 — legal records, correspondence with the Bureau of Catholic Indian Missions, house diaries, Sunday announcements, financial 'status temporalis,' and a 1925 'St. Andrew's Manual of Devotions.'
- Multiple unpublished mission histories by Fathers Thomas Neale, SJ (1942), Michael O'Malley, SJ, James Hurley, SJ (1954), and G. Steckler, SJ.
- Chief Domenik Shausin, 1927 speech on the old mission school.
- Marquette 'Guide to Catholic Records About Native Americans' — entries OR-20 and OR-21.
Clergy & Staff
St. Andrew's is pastored by Father Mike Fitzpatrick, SJ, who also serves Sacred Heart Mission in Athena and directs Kateri Northwest Ministries from Spokane. Deacon Daniel Martinez assists at liturgy. The parish is corporately organized as 'Saint Andrew Catholic Mission of Pendleton, Inc.' (Oregon Registry #10729994), with Father Fitzpatrick as president and Teresa/Theresa Parker as secretary.
- Rev. Michael J. Fitzpatrick, SJ — Pastor (also Sacred Heart Mission, Athena; Director, Kateri Northwest Ministries)
- Deacon Daniel Martinez — Deacon
- Office contact: (541) 276-0767; e-mail [email protected]
- Father's cell: (541) 969-6444; e-mail [email protected]
- Bishop of Baker (canonical superior): Most Reverend Liam Cary
Mass & Sacramental Schedule
The published schedule on the parish website lists weekend Mass times, Holy Day times, and reconciliation arrangements for both St. Andrew's and its sister mission Sacred Heart in Athena.
- St. Andrew's — Sunday 10:30 AM
- St. Andrew's — Sunday 7:00 PM
- Sacred Heart, Athena — Sunday 8:00 AM
- Holy Day Mass (unless otherwise announced): St. Andrew's 7:00 PM; Sacred Heart, Athena 5:30 PM
- Reconciliation: St. Andrew's — after Sunday Masses; Sacred Heart, Athena — before Sunday Mass
Religious Education & First Communion
The mission runs ongoing catechetical formation for children and youth, supported by a grant from the Bureau of Catholic Indian Missions through the Black and Indian Mission Office. On Sunday, April 3, 2016, Father Fitzpatrick presided at the First Communion of 35 young people, assisted by Deacon Daniel Martinez and acolyte Ren Feller, with catechists Patt O'Brien, Gloria Martinez, and Yadira Gonzalez preparing the students.
- Catechetical team: Patt O'Brien, Gloria Martinez, Yadira Gonzalez
- Supported by Black and Indian Mission Office / Bureau of Catholic Indian Missions grant
- Most recent First Communion documented: 35 children, April 3, 2016
Contact & Visiting
Parishioners and visitors can reach St. Andrew's Mission by mail, phone, or e-mail using the addresses listed below. The parish is also listed in the Diocese of Baker's Parish Finder and on the Jesuits West 'Rocky Mountain Missions' roster.
- Address: 48022 St. Andrew's Road, Pendleton, OR 97801
- Office phone: (541) 276-0767
- Parish e-mail: [email protected]
- Pastor's cell: (541) 969-6444
- Pastor's e-mail: [email protected]
- Diocese of Baker Parish Finder: https://dioceseofbaker.org/parishfinder
Related & Sister Communities
Father Fitzpatrick is pastor of both St. Andrew's and Sacred Heart Mission in Athena, and the two share weekend Mass and reconciliation arrangements. GCatholic lists Sacred Heart in Athena as a mission church under the same pastoral unit as St. Andrew's.
- Sacred Heart Mission, Athena, OR — Sunday Mass 8:00 AM; Holy Day 5:30 PM
- Reconciliation at Sacred Heart before Sunday Mass
- Listed together on the Diocese of Baker parish roster and the Jesuits West 'Rocky Mountain Missions' roster