About St. Mary · Maupin, Oregon
St. Mary is a small Roman Catholic mission church in Maupin, Oregon, a small community along the Deschutes River in Wasco County. It is a mission parish under the Diocese of Baker and is currently served by St. Alphonsus Catholic Church in nearby Dufur, with which it shares pastoral care. Sunday Mass is celebrated at 11:00 AM, with the Sacrament of Reconciliation offered a half-hour before. Like many rural Oregon missions, St. Mary is part of a long-standing network of small Catholic communities scattered across the wheat-growing plateaus of north-central Oregon, originally founded and sustained by visiting priests from The Dalles.
- Established
- circa 1900
- Patron
- The Blessed Virgin Mary
- Rector
- Father Augustine Okwuzu (pastor of the Sherman County cluster; the Maupin mission is served from St. Alphonsus, Dufur)
- Diocese
- Diocese of Baker
Why belong here
St. Mary in Maupin offers Sunday Mass and confession to Catholics in a sparsely populated stretch of Wasco County where parishes are few and far between. As a mission of St. Alphonsus in Dufur, it belongs to a tight-knit family of small Sherman County Catholic communities (alongside St. Mary in Wasco and St. John the Baptist in Grass Valley) that have been served by itinerant and resident priests for more than a century. For residents of Maupin and visitors traveling along the Lower Deschutes, it provides a regular weekly Mass and the chance to be part of a long-rooted rural Catholic tradition supported by the Diocese of Baker.
Mass times at St. Mary
Weekly Mass schedule
Confession times
- Sunday 10:30 AM – 11:00 AM (a half hour before Mass)
- Confession also available by appointment through the parent parish in Dufur
Parish Identity & Mission Status
St. Mary in Maupin is one of several small mission churches serving the rural communities of north-central Oregon. According to the Diocese of Baker parish listing and the GCatholic directory, it is classified as a mission of St. Alphonsus Catholic Church in Dufur. Its civil/legal name is Saint Mary Catholic Church of Maupin, Inc., a domestic nonprofit corporation registered in Oregon in 2002 under the Roman Catholic Bishop of the Diocese of Baker.
- Mission of St. Alphonsus, Dufur
- Diocese of Baker
- Legal entity: Saint Mary Catholic Church of Maupin, Inc. (Oregon Registry #10715696)
History of Catholic Life in Maupin & Sherman County
Catholic life in the Maupin area goes back to the late 19th century, when missionaries from St. Peter's in The Dalles rode circuit through what was then Wasco County, celebrating Mass once or twice a month in each community — often in the homes of parishioners. Around 1900 Maupin was elevated to parish status with Dufur as its mission; later the relationship reversed, and Dufur became the parish with Maupin, Wasco, Grass Valley, and Antelope as missions.
- Originally a mission of St. Peter's, The Dalles
- Became a parish around 1900, then reverted to mission status as Dufur grew
- 1954: Father Martin Quigley named first resident pastor of the Sherman County cluster
- Early 1950s: network of small churches completed with help of the Catholic Extension Society
Clergy & Pastoral Care
St. Mary in Maupin is served by the priest-pastor of the Sherman County cluster, currently based at the parent parish in Dufur. Resident priests have historically included Fathers Beard, Began, Condon, Conway, Keating, O'Connor, and Vogl, with Fathers Albrecht, Anselm, Benedict, Hazen, Kelbel, Stone, and Stryzyck serving in visiting capacities, according to the Sherman County historical sketch.
- Current pastor of the cluster: Father Augustine Okwuzu
- Parent parish phone (St. Alphonsus, Dufur): (541) 467-2580
Neighboring Catholic Communities
Because Maupin is a mission, parish life is intertwined with the other small Sherman/lower-Deschutes churches. A weekly bulletin and shared priest link St. Mary Maupin with the parent parish, St. Alphonsus in Dufur, and its sister missions St. Mary in Wasco and St. John the Baptist in Grass Valley.
- St. Alphonsus, Dufur (parent parish) — about 19 miles northeast
- St. Mary, Wasco — about 55 km northeast
- St. John the Baptist, Grass Valley — about 31 km northeast
- Closest large-parish Mass and Spanish Mass options: St. Peter's, The Dalles (about 48 km)
Sacramental Life & Devotions
Beyond the regular weekly Mass and confession, the mission shares in a cluster-wide program of penance services and Holy Day Masses. Advent Penance Services have been scheduled in rotation across the cluster (Maupin, Dufur, Wasco, Grass Valley, with the additional option of the Spanish-language service at St. Peter's, The Dalles). Confirmation, first Communion, marriage, and anointing of the sick are arranged through the pastor of the Sherman County cluster.
- Sunday Mass (English)
- Reconciliation before Mass and by appointment
- Cluster-wide Advent Penance Service
- Holy Day Vigil and Holy Day Masses coordinated across the cluster
Practical Info & Contact
Parishioners and visitors normally reach the mission through the parent parish in Dufur. The mission is not staffed daily; the best contact path is the St. Alphonsus parish office in Dufur.
- Address: 500 Dufur Ave., Maupin, OR 97037
- Listing on the Diocese of Baker parishes page
- Parent parish office: St. Alphonsus, 425 NE 2nd St., Dufur, OR 97021 — (541) 467-2580
Pastors & rectors through the years
- Father Martin Quigley1954–
Named first resident pastor of the Sherman County churches in 1954.
- Father Beard
Served in residence.
- Father Began
Served in residence.
- Father Condon
Served in residence.
- Father Conway
Served in residence.
- Father Keating
Served in residence.
- Father O'Connor
Served in residence.
- Father Vogl
Served in residence.
- Father Augustine Okwuzu
Current pastor of the Sherman County cluster; serves Maupin as a mission from St. Alphonsus, Dufur.