About St. Mary · Oregon, Illinois
St. Mary Church is a Roman Catholic parish in Oregon, Illinois, with a secondary worship site at St. Mary Church in nearby Polo. It belongs to the Diocese of Rockford and serves the communities of Oregon and Polo in Ogle County. The parish celebrates Mass in English at both worship sites, with the Sunday 8:30 AM Mass in Oregon livestreamed for those unable to attend in person. It is one of the historic Catholic congregations in the Rockford Diocese, tracing its presence in the Oregon area back more than a century.
- Patron
- Blessed Virgin Mary
- Rector
- Rev. Joseph P. Naill
- Diocese
- Diocese of Rockford
Why belong here
St. Mary Parish offers a close-knit, bilingual site community where parishioners can worship at either the Oregon church or the Polo mission church, both staffed by the same pastor. The parish maintains a regular schedule of daily Mass in English, weekly Eucharistic Adoration on Thursday mornings in Oregon, Saturday confessions at both sites, and live-streamed Sunday Masses for the homebound. Its long heritage of Catholic education and sacramental life in Ogle County — including the historic role of the Presentation Sisters and former parish school — makes it a grounded, faithful option for Catholic families in the Oregon and Polo area.
Mass times at St. Mary
Weekly Mass schedule
Confession times
- Saturday: 9:00 AM – 9:30 AM (Polo)
- Saturday: 3:30 PM – 4:00 PM (Oregon)
Adoration times
- Thursday: 8:50 AM – 10:00 AM (Oregon)
Parish Overview
St. Mary Church serves Catholic families in Oregon and Polo, Illinois, in the Diocese of Rockford. The parish operates two worship sites — St. Mary Church at 301 N 4th Street in Oregon and a second St. Mary Church at 211 Franklin Avenue in Polo — under shared pastoral leadership. The parish office (the Parish Center) is located at 881 Mongan Drive, Oregon, IL 61061. Worship is celebrated entirely in English, and Sunday Mass from the Oregon site is livestreamed for those unable to attend in person.
Worship Sites
The parish maintains two churches for the convenience of its members in Ogle County.
- St. Mary Church — 301 N 4th St, Oregon, IL 61061
- St. Mary Church (Polo) — 211 Franklin Ave, Polo, IL 61064
- Parish Center / Office — 881 Mongan Dr, Oregon, IL 61061
History and Catholic Education
St. Mary Parish has a long-standing connection with Catholic education in Ogle County. In 1944, the pastor Father Arthur Kreckel invited the Sisters of the Presentation of the Blessed Virgin Mary from Staten Island, New York, to staff a new parish school and convent. Four foundresses — Mother Mary Regis Joseph Newton and Sisters Mary Rita Joseph Ryan, de Lourdes Joseph Donlon, and Paul Joseph Fidaleo — arrived on September 27, 1944, and were welcomed by Bishop John Boylan of the Diocese of Rockford. The sisters opened a kindergarten and nursery and taught catechism in Oregon and the nearby communities of Byron and Morris.
- 1944 — Four Presentation Sisters arrive from Staten Island to begin a new community and school at St. Mary Parish.
- 1945–1949 — Grades one through eight added one grade (or two) at a time as the school grows.
- 1959 — A new school building is dedicated at the parish.
- 1963 — Oregon Presentation community amalgamates with the Dubuque Presentation Sisters.
- 1968 — Grades seven and eight dropped from St. Mary School.
- 1971 — Parish school closes due to declining enrollment; a comprehensive CCD program for children, teens, and adults replaces it.
- 1977 — Presentation Sisters withdraw from the parish after more than three decades of service.
- Late 1890s — St. Mary's mission in Byron, Illinois, is founded from the Oregon parish.
Pastoral Leadership
The parish is served by Fr. Joseph P. Naill, pastor. As pastor of a multi-site parish, he oversees worship, sacraments, and parish life at both the Oregon and Polo churches. The diocese email [email protected] is the parish's published email address.
- Rev. Joseph P. Naill — Pastor
- Parish Office Phone: (815) 732-7383
- Parish Email: [email protected]
Contact and Communication
Parishioners and visitors may reach the parish through the parish office phone or the diocesan email; the parish also publishes news and event updates on its website at stmaryop.org, including a livestream of Sunday Mass.
- Phone: (815) 732-7383
- Email: [email protected]
- Website: http://www.stmaryop.org/
- Parish Office: 881 Mongan Drive, Oregon, IL 61061