About St. Mary · Elgin, Oregon
St. Mary Church in Elgin, Oregon, is a Catholic mission in the Grande Ronde Valley of northeastern Oregon, belonging to the Diocese of Baker. Classified by the diocese as a mission of the parish of Our Lady of the Valley in La Grande, it serves the small-town and surrounding rural Catholic community of Elgin and Union County. The church holds a single Sunday Mass at 12:30 p.m. and shares pastoral staff and liturgy with its mother parish in La Grande, about 30 miles southwest.
- Patron
- Blessed Virgin Mary
- Rector
- Reverend Noby Thomas (Pastor of Our Lady of the Valley, La Grande — overseeing St. Mary Mission)
- Diocese
- Diocese of Baker
Why belong here
St. Mary offers the small-town Catholic community of Elgin and the surrounding Grande Ronde Valley a weekly Sunday Mass in an intimate, single-congregation setting, with full pastoral care shared from the mother parish of Our Lady of the Valley in nearby La Grande. As a mission of a larger regional parish, it provides access to diocesan sacramental preparation, religious education, and faith resources through the La Grande parish office, while keeping worship local for the families and ranchers of northeastern Oregon.
Mass times at St. Mary
Weekly Mass schedule
Parish Identity and Mission Status
St. Mary Church is listed in the Diocese of Baker's Parish Finder as the Catholic mission serving the town of Elgin in northeastern Oregon's Grande Ronde Valley. GCatholic, the Vatican's data resources, and the diocesan directory classify it as a mission of the parish of Our Lady of the Valley in La Grande — meaning sacramental, catechetical, and administrative life is pastorally tied to the La Grande parish while a local Catholic congregation continues to gather in Elgin on Sundays.
- Mission status recognized by Diocese of Baker and GCatholic
- Mother parish: Our Lady of the Valley, La Grande, OR
Location and Directions
St. Mary sits in the small town of Elgin in Union County, Oregon. The diocesan and third-party directory listings give the address as '12th and Alder' (also referenced as 93 S. 12th St. and 1200 Division), Elgin, OR 97827. A directory note describes the church as '3 blocks West of Hwy. 82/204 intersection on 204,' roughly in the 10th & Division area of town.
- Address: 12th and Alder, Elgin, OR 97827
- Mailing: P.O. Box 97, Elgin, OR 97827
- Landmarks: 3 blocks west of Hwy. 82/204 intersection
Clergy and Pastoral Care
Because St. Mary is a mission of Our Lady of the Valley, it is shepherded by the pastoral team assigned to La Grande. The Diocese of Baker's clergy roster lists Reverend Noby Thomas as Pastor of Our Lady of the Valley (the parish that cares for the Elgin mission), and Deacon Joe Garlitz serves the wider La Grande–Elgin–Union pastoral region. Catholic Church Directory entries for the mother parish note the administrator and parochial vicar currently assigned to Our Lady of the Valley, whose ministry extends to St. Mary's mission.
- Pastor (Our Lady of the Valley): Rev. Noby Thomas
- Deacon: Joe Garlitz
- Pastoral care shared with Our Lady of the Valley, La Grande
Diocese of Baker
St. Mary belongs to the Diocese of Baker, which was officially established on June 19, 1903, by Pope Leo XIII. The diocese originally took the title 'Diocese of Baker City'; in February 1952, at the request of Bishop Francis P. Leipzig, the Sacred Consistorial Congregation changed the title to the Diocese of Baker to align the see with current civil usage. The diocesan offices moved from Baker City to the City of Bend in 1987 to be closer to the largest concentration of Catholic population. Today the diocese covers over 6,800 square miles across central, eastern, and southern Oregon, with about 12,500 registered Catholic households across roughly 57 parishes and missions served by some 38 priests. St. Mary is placed in the Northern Deanery of the diocese.
- Diocese established June 19, 1903 by Pope Leo XIII
- Title changed from Diocese of Baker City to Diocese of Baker in February 1952
- Diocesan offices relocated to Bend, OR in 1987
- St. Mary sits in the Northern Deanery
Contact and Visit
Parishioners and visitors can reach St. Mary through its mission listing in the Diocese of Baker's Parish Finder. The posted phone number rings through to the La Grande-area contact for the mission, and the email address listed in directory sources ([email protected]) corresponds to the local deacon who serves the Elgin region. As a small rural mission with a single weekly Mass, the church encourages travelers and seasonal visitors to call ahead to confirm Mass times.
- Phone: (541) 437-8101
- Email: [email protected]
- Parish/Finder page: dioceseofbaker.org/parishfinder
- Mailing: P.O. Box 97, Elgin, OR 97827