About St. Helen · Junction City, Oregon
St. Helen Catholic Church is a multicultural Roman Catholic parish serving Junction City, Oregon, and is twinned with its mission parish, St. Rose of Lima in nearby Monroe. It belongs to the Metropolitan Archdiocese of Portland in Oregon, within the Metropolitan Eugene vicariate, and shares a pastor and one staff team with St. Rose. Today roughly 300 households — including a vibrant Spanish-speaking community reflected in regular Spanish-language Masses — worship at the 7-acre campus on West 6th Avenue.
- Established
- 1959 (parish established); first Mass December 1960
- Patron
- St. Helen (Saint Helena)
- Rector
- Rev. Christopher Siluvai Rayan
- Diocese
- Archdiocese of Portland in Oregon (Roman Catholic, Latin Rite) — Metropolitan Eugene vicariate
Why belong here
St. Helen is a small, multicultural parish in the heart of the Willamette Valley where English- and Spanish-speaking families worship side by side, with a Spanish Mass on Sunday and on Tuesday evenings. The parish keeps a steady rhythm of prayer — daily Mass, weekly Friday Eucharistic Adoration with bilingual rosary, and Saturday confessions — alongside warm community traditions like the November Holiday Bazaar, Lenten Taco Sale, Advent Posadas, Mother's Day brunch, and parish bingo nights with its mission parish, St. Rose of Lima in Monroe.
Mass times at St. Helen
Weekly Mass schedule
Confession times
- Saturday 4:00 PM (St. Helen, bilingual, until 4:45 PM per the parish directory)
Adoration times
- Friday 9:00 AM – 6:00 PM, St. Helen chapel, with bilingual Rosary and prayers at 5:00 PM
About St. Helen Catholic Parish
St. Helen Catholic Church serves Junction City, Oregon, as a multicultural Roman Catholic community within the Archdiocese of Portland in Oregon. The parish shares its pastor, staff, bulletin, and phone line with its mission parish, St. Rose of Lima in Monroe, just down the road. St. Helen is home to about 300 households, including a substantial Hispanic community that is visible in the Sunday and Tuesday Spanish Masses and in bilingual confession and adoration.
- Parish of approximately 300 families
- Part of the Archdiocese of Portland in Oregon (Metropolitan Eugene vicariate)
- Twinned with St. Rose of Lima, Monroe — same pastor and staff
History
Catholic presence in Junction City began with St. Mel (1916), a mission of St. Rose of Lima in Monroe. St. Mel closed in 1927, and for three decades Junction City Catholics traveled to Monroe or Harrisburg or worshipped in rented spaces. In 1959, with 83 families, the parish of St. Helen was established. Ground was broken in 1960 on the present seven-acre West 6th Avenue site for what was planned as a school complex; when those plans were shelved, the building was completed as the church and the first Mass was celebrated in December 1960. A parish hall was added next door in 1985.
- 1916 — St. Mel Mission dedicated at 9th and Ivy Street (mission of St. Rose of Lima, Monroe)
- 1927 — St. Mel closed; Junction City Catholics travel to Monroe, Harrisburg, or rented halls
- 1959 — St. Helen parish established with 83 families; Fr. Lowell Blackburn named first resident pastor
- Dec 1960 — First Mass celebrated on the West 6th Avenue site
- 1960s — School and convent plans shelved; planned gym finished as the church
- 1985 — Parish Hall constructed next to church
Vision & Mission
St. Helen's published vision and mission statement frames the parish as a multicultural Catholic community united in Jesus Christ through the sacraments and proclaiming God's love for all. Four pillars organize parish life: Faith Practices, Education, Outreach, and Stewardship — encouraging parishioners to share time, talent, and treasure.
Sacramental & Devotional Schedule
Confessions are heard Saturday afternoons at St. Helen, and Friday is the parish's day of Eucharistic Adoration in the chapel, running from morning until early evening and closing with a bilingual Rosary.
- Reconciliation: Saturday 4:00 PM, St. Helen (bilingual, until 4:45 PM)
- Eucharistic Adoration: Friday 9:00 AM – 6:00 PM, St. Helen chapel
- Bilingual Rosary & prayers during Friday Adoration starting 5:00 PM
Parish Ministries & Groups
Parishioners run an active calendar of ministries and events that knit the two communities together. The parish shares Knights of Columbus meetings at St. Rose and a Women's Group at St. Helen's parish hall, while coffee hours, prayer groups, and seasonal fundraisers mark the rhythm of the year.
- Knights of Columbus — 1st Tuesday of the month at St. Rose, Monroe
- Women's Group of St. Helen — 2nd Thursday of the month in the Parish Hall
- Intercessory Prayer group for others
- Pastoral Council (monthly)
- Coffee and refreshments after Sunday Masses (once or twice a month)
- St. Helen Holiday Bazaar — November
- Posadas during Advent
- Taco Sale during Lent
- Mother's Day Mass & Brunch
- Ham Breakfast — November at St. Rose
- Bingo Nights — alternating between the two parishes
- Liturgical ministries and Sacramental Preparation (First Communion, Confirmation)
Sacraments & Preparation
St. Helen celebrates the sacraments of Reconciliation (Saturday 4:00 PM, bilingual), the Eucharist at daily and weekend Masses, and prepares parishioners for First Communion and Confirmation through parish programs.
Clergy & Pastoral Succession
The parish has been served by a dozen priests since 1959. The succession reflects the history of the Archdiocese of Portland: long tenures in the 1980s and 1990s under Frs. McNamee and Black, shorter assignments since, with current priestly leadership shared with mission parish St. Rose of Lima.
- Pastor: Rev. Christopher Siluvai Rayan (per the Archdiocese clergy listing)
- Listed in parish directory history: Fr. Charles E. Holden (2014–), Fr. Edgar Rivera, Fr. Maro Escano (2011–2014, now Vicar Forane for Albany/Corvallis)
Visiting & Joining
Whether you come for the Saturday Vigil, a Spanish Sunday Mass, or Friday Adoration in the chapel, the parish bills itself as a warm bilingual Willamette Valley community with room for everyone. The Mission & Vision statement underlines welcome, formation, and outreach to those in need — and parish traditions like the Holiday Bazaar, Posadas, Taco Sale, and Mother's Day brunch give newcomers plenty of ways to participate.
Pastors & rectors through the years
- Fr. Lowell Blackburn1959–1967
First resident pastor; celebrated the first Mass in December 1960.
- Fr. Louis Rodakowski1967–1970
- Fr. Nicholas Deis1970–1972
- Fr. Earl Larsen1972–1975
- Fr. Ronald Warren1975–1978
- Fr. David Hazen1978–1981
- Fr. Patrick McNamee1981–1989
- Fr. Joseph Black1989–2003
- Fr. Charles Zach2003–2009
- Fr. Thomas Layton2009–2011
- Fr. Mariano 'Maro' Escano2011–2014
Now Vicar Forane for the Albany/Corvallis vicariate.
- Fr. Charles E. Holden2014–listed in parish history