About St. Patrick of the Forest · Cave Junction, Oregon
St. Patrick of the Forest Catholic Church is a small Roman Catholic mission parish serving Cave Junction and the rural Illinois Valley of southern Oregon, within the Archdiocese of Portland in Oregon. It is administered as a mission of St. Anne Parish in Grants Pass and is considered the oldest church in Josephine County, tracing its origin to a chapel built in 1864 at the Allen Gulch mining camp near Waldo. The parish of roughly 165 registered families gathers each Sunday at 407 W. River Street for Mass and Reconciliation, and is currently shepherded by Fr. William 'Bill' Holtzinger, who also serves St. Anne Parish and the Our Lady of the River mission in Rogue River.
- Established
- 1864
- Patron
- St. Patrick
- Rector
- Rev. William (Bill) Holtzinger
- Diocese
- Archdiocese of Portland in Oregon (mission of St. Anne Parish, Grants Pass)
Why belong here
St. Patrick of the Forest is a small but unusually historic mission parish — believed to be the oldest church in Josephine County — where every member of the roughly 165-family congregation knows one another. The mission gathers each Sunday for Mass and confessions and is supported by three priests who also serve neighboring St. Anne Parish in Grants Pass and Our Lady of the River in Rogue River. Visitors and parishioners consistently describe the community as a welcoming, faith-centered group rooted in the Illinois Valley's pioneer Catholic heritage.
Mass times at St. Patrick of the Forest
Weekly Mass schedule
Confession times
- Sunday 10:30 AM
Parish Overview & Identity
St. Patrick of the Forest Catholic Church is a small Roman Catholic mission parish located at 407 W. River Street in Cave Junction, Oregon. It serves the rural Illinois Valley of southern Oregon — one of the most remote corners of the Archdiocese of Portland — and is administered as a mission of St. Anne Parish in Grants Pass. The parish identifies itself as the oldest church in Josephine County, with origins reaching back to 1864.
- Parish type: Catholic Mission
- Diocese: Archdiocese of Portland in Oregon
- Parent parish: St. Anne, Grants Pass
- Sister missions: Our Lady of the River (Rogue River)
- Address: 407 W. River Street, Cave Junction, OR 97523
- Phone: 541-592-3658
History of the Parish
The parish was founded in 1864 at the Allen Gulch mining camp near Waldo by Father James Croke, an Irish missionary and brother of the Archbishop of Cashel. After failing to raise funds in Jacksonville, Croke turned to the rough Illinois Valley mining camps and in two days collected $400 from the 70 miners at Allen Gulch; he walked up to 25 miles to gather nearly $900 in total, and the first chapel was built in two weeks. Archbishop Francis X. Blanchet blessed it on March 17, 1864, and returned October 8, 1867 to bless the cross and cemetery. The original chapel served until the 1890s, when mining collapsed and the building fell into disrepair. Parishioners continued gathering in private homes for several decades before officially relocating about 12 miles north to Cave Junction in the early 1950s. The parish was renamed St. Patrick of the Forest around that same period, and the current sanctuary was added in 1980.
- 1864 — Original chapel built at Allen Gulch; blessed by Archbishop Blanchet on March 17
- 1867 — Archbishop Blanchet blesses the church cross and cemetery on October 8
- 1890s — Mining decline; original building abandoned
- Early 1950s — Congregation relocates to Cave Junction; parish renamed St. Patrick of the Forest
- 1967 — Local judge Laurence Cushing deeds West River Street property to the parish
- 1980 — Current sanctuary and worship area built on site
- March 2014 — Parish celebrates 150th anniversary
Clergy & Pastoral Staff
The mission is currently served by Fr. William 'Bill' Holtzinger, pastor of the St. Anne cluster that includes St. Patrick of the Forest, Our Lady of the River in Rogue River, and St. Anne Parish in Grants Pass. The parish About page also names Fr. Harry Holwell and Fr. Paschal Ezurike among the priests serving the Cave Junction mission.
- Fr. William 'Bill' Holtzinger — Pastor
- Fr. Harry Holwell — Priest of the cluster
- Fr. Paschal Ezurike — Priest of the cluster
Cemetery & Historic Cross
The most tangible link to the parish's 1864 origin is the tall camphor-wood cross that stood in the original Allen Gulch cemetery. Nothing remains of the original chapel building itself, but the cross was preserved and now stands in the parish's current cemetery, providing a direct physical connection between today's Cave Junction congregation and its pioneer founders.
- Camphor-wood cross from the original 1864 Allen Gulch chapel still stands in the parish cemetery
- Original chapel site at Allen Gulch near Waldo no longer has any church structure
- Archbishop Blanchet blessed the original cross and cemetery on October 8, 1867
Parish Life & Community
St. Patrick of the Forest is a tight-knit mission of roughly 165 registered families. Members describe the congregation as 'a wonderful, welcoming group of people' where being part of the church is 'more than just having a place to attend Mass on Sundays.' The mission shares pastoral resources and sacramental ministry with St. Anne Parish in Grants Pass and Our Lady of the River in Rogue River, forming the southern-Oregon Catholic cluster within the Archdiocese of Portland.
- Approximately 165 registered member families (as of 2014)
- Clustered with St. Anne Parish (Grants Pass) and Our Lady of the River (Rogue River)
- Long-standing March 17 St. Patrick's Day dinner tradition
Pastors & rectors through the years
- Fr. James Croke1864
Irish missionary and brother of the Archbishop of Cashel who collected funds and oversaw construction of the original Allen Gulch chapel.
- Archbishop Francis X. Blanchet1864, 1867
Blessed the original Allen Gulch church on March 17, 1864 and returned October 8, 1867 to bless the cross and cemetery.
- Fr. Harry Holwell
Listed as priest of the parish cluster (also parochial vicar of the cluster).
- Fr. Paschal Ezurike
Listed among the priests serving the Cave Junction mission.
- Fr. William 'Bill' Holtzinger
Current pastor of the St. Anne cluster; oversees St. Patrick of the Forest, Our Lady of the River, and St. Anne Parish in Grants Pass. In April 2022 he publicly reflected on an upcoming reassignment while remaining in role until a successor is named.