About St. Paul Catholic Church · Silverton, Oregon
St. Paul Catholic Church is a bilingual (English/Spanish) Catholic parish serving Silverton, Oregon, in the Mid-Willamette Valley. Currently administered by Fr. Arulkumar James Kanagaraj, SDB, it offers weekend Masses in both languages, a weekday daily Mass (Tuesday–Friday), a Saturday Vigil, weekly Confession, and a robust Faith Formation program. The parish is part of the Archdiocese of Portland in Oregon and sits at 1410 Pine Street. For more than three decades St. Paul has combined traditional parish life, youth ministry, Respect Life advocacy, and a vibrant Hispanic Ministry — the Spanish Mass and Spanish-language sacramental prep being central features of the parish community.
- Patron
- St. Paul the Apostle
- Rector
- Fr. Arulkumar James Kanagaraj, SDB (Parish Administrator)
- Diocese
- Archdiocese of Portland in Oregon
Why belong here
St. Paul gives parishioners daily and weekend Mass in both English and Spanish, plus a substantial Hispanic Ministry serving Silverton's Latino families. Faith Formation runs PreK through 12th grade, including a two-year Confirmation program and Middle/High School Youth Groups, and the parish offers a Respect Life Ministry, RCIA, sacramental prep for First Reconciliation/First Eucharist, and outreach to the sick. Worshippers can also pray in the parish's St. Cosmas & Damien Perpetual Adoration Chapel — a distinctive devotion not every parish of this size maintains.
Mass times at St. Paul Catholic Church
Weekly Mass schedule
Confession times
- Saturday 3:00 PM – 4:00 PM (and by appointment)
Adoration times
- St. Cosmas & Damien Perpetual Adoration Chapel (open daily; consult the parish for the current adoration schedule)
Welcome to St. Paul Parish
St. Paul Parish is a bilingual Catholic community rooted in Silverton, Oregon, in the heart of Oregon's Mid-Willamette Valley. The parish website — stpaulsilverton.com — opens with the words of the Apostle: 'It is no longer I, but Christ who lives in me.' Visitors and parishioners can find the Liturgical Schedule, current Homilies, Weekly Bulletin, Online Offertory Giving, the Job Opportunity board, and a portal to the St. Cosmas & Damien Perpetual Adoration Chapel from the home page. The parish also invites online registration as a parishioner or for Faith Formation programs.
- Office hours: Monday–Friday, 9:00 AM–4:30 PM
- Phone: (503) 873-2044
- Fax: (503) 873-0304
- Email: [email protected]
- Newsletter list sign-up available on the home page
Parish Staff & Volunteers
Fr. Arulkumar James Kanagaraj, SDB, serves as Parish Administrator. Day-to-day parish operations are supported by a Secretary/Administrative Assistant, a Coordinator of Faith Formation and Youth Ministry, and several volunteer coordinators. The parish's community life is sustained in large part by these unpaid leaders who direct Hispanic Ministry, Music Ministry, Sacramental Coordination, and Ministries/Bookkeeping.
- Fr. Arulkumar James Kanagaraj, SDB — Parish Administrator
- Secretary / Administrative Assistant
- Coordinator of Faith Formation and Youth Ministry
- Evelin Trejo De Vazquez (Volunteer) — Hispanic Ministry Coordinator
- Francisco Lara (Volunteer) — Hispanic Music Ministry
- Betty Jean Cordill (Volunteer) — Music Ministry Coordinator
- Margaret Tingwall (Volunteer) — Music Ministry Coordinator
- Debi Edsinga (Volunteer) — Sacramental Coordinator
- Joanie Gilbert (Volunteer) — Coordinator of Ministries & Bookkeeper
Parish History
A core chapter in St. Paul's story is its Hispanic Ministry. In 1992 Father Ed Coleman began a Spanish Mass every other weekend; demand moved it to weekly almost immediately, and in 1999 the parish launched Spanish-language religious education classes. Sister Rocio Moreno Soto directed that education from 2003 until she departed in early 2017, a transition that drew the parish into an extended conversation with the Archdiocese of Portland about the future of Spanish-language programming. Today the parish continues to celebrate its 12:30 PM Spanish Sunday Mass and maintains a volunteer Hispanic Ministry led by Evelin Trejo De Vazquez.
- 1992 — Spanish Mass launched by Fr. Ed Coleman
- 1999 — Spanish-language religious education classes begin
- 2003–2017 — Sister Rocio Moreno Soto leads the Hispanic religious-education program
- 2008 — St. Paul Catholic Church, Silverton, Oregon, is registered as a domestic nonprofit in Oregon
- Ongoing — 12:30 PM Sunday Spanish Mass and volunteer-run Hispanic Ministry
Faith Formation & Youth Ministry
Faith Formation at St. Paul serves children from PreK through 12th grade and is built around Sunday morning classes (11:15 AM–12:15 PM) so families can attend Mass together before formation. Sacramental preparation is layered into this work: First Reconciliation precedes First Eucharist, and Confirmation is a structured two-year process for high-school students beginning with active participation in Youth Group.
- Faith Formation Classes — PreK through 5th grade, Sundays 11:15 AM–12:15 PM
- Confirmation — two-year program for grades 6–12 who have received First Communion
- Year 1 of Confirmation: Faith Formation Class Sundays 11:15 AM–12:15 PM + retreat
- Year 2 of Confirmation: Confirmation Class Sundays 11:15 AM–12:15 PM + retreats + service
- Middle School Youth Group — grades 6–8, twice monthly, Thursdays 6:30 PM
- High School Youth Group — grades 9–12, twice monthly, Thursdays 6:30 PM
Sacraments & Sacramental Preparation
The parish maintains a comprehensive sacramental program with bilingual registration where applicable. The sacramental page — titled 'Sacraments/Sacramentos' — lays out policies for each sacrament, noting for example that Baptism requires parent and godparent preparation sessions, and that Marriage requires at least one party to be an active, registered parishioner with six months' notice to the parish office.
- Baptism — parent & godparent sessions required; register through parish office
- First Reconciliation / First Eucharist — usually received in 2nd or 3rd grade after at least one year of religious education
- Confirmation — two-year high-school process; see Confirmation webpage for registration forms
- Eucharist — daily 8:00 AM Mass; Communion visits to the sick on request
- Reconciliation — Saturday 3:00–4:00 PM and by appointment
- Anointing of the Sick — first Fridays after Mass, Senior Spirit Luncheons, emergencies, and by appointment
- Marriage — six months' notice; contact Pastor at 503-873-2044
- RCIA — faith-formation process for adults entering the Catholic Church
- Older Children — Reconciliation/Eucharist arranged through the pastor
Hispanic Ministry / Ministerio Hispano
Hispanic Ministry is one of St. Paul's defining ministries. After more than two decades of Spanish-language Mass and formation, the Sunday 12:30 PM Spanish Mass remains a fixture of parish life. The parish also runs sacramental preparation and religious education in Spanish, coordinated by a team of volunteers under Evelin Trejo De Vazquez, with Francisco Lara directing Hispanic Music Ministry to support the liturgy.
- Sunday Spanish Mass — 12:30 PM
- Spanish-language sacramental preparation
- Hispanic Ministry Coordinator: Evelin Trejo De Vazquez
- Hispanic Music Ministry: Francisco Lara
- Parish also offers a Spanish-language bulletin and online-registration workflow
Respect Life Ministry
St. Paul's Respect Life Ministry promotes the Catholic Church's teaching on the dignity of human life from natural conception to natural death, in line with the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops. The group meets on the second Friday of each month, beginning with the 8:00 AM Mass and followed by a Rosary and a 9:00 AM meeting. The parish links to Natural Family Planning resources, pregnancy-support centers, post-abortion healing, and other Respect Life resources through the ministry page.
- Meets 2nd Friday: 8:00 AM Mass, Rosary at 9:00 AM, meeting follows
- Contact: Cathy Peters, 503-602-1968
- Affiliated resources: Northwest Family Services (NFP), Birthright of Salem, the Archangel Pregnancy Resource Center, Rachel's, the National Helpline for Abortion Recovery, and Generation Life Chastity Project
Giving, Bulletin & Practical Tools
St. Paul offers an Online Offertory Giving option managed from home, a Weekly Bulletin, current Homilies, and a Liturgical Schedule accessible from the home page. The parish also posts job opportunities online and encourages parishioners to register as members or update their contact information through an online form.
- Online Offertory Giving — manage automatic giving from home
- Weekly Bulletin and Homilies published online
- Parishioner registration / contact update form available
- Job Opportunity board embedded in the website
Vocations & Archdiocesan Connections
St. Paul is one of the parishes of the Archdiocese of Portland in Oregon. The parish's sacramental page directs those discerning priesthood or religious life to the Archdiocesan Vocations Director, Fr. Rev. Peter Julia (503-233-8368, archdpdxvocations.org). The Archdiocese lists Fr. Arulkumar James Kanagaraj, SDB, in its clergy directory as Pastor of St. Paul — Silverton.
- Archdiocese of Portland in Oregon (affiliation)
- Vocations referrals to archdpdxvocations.org
- Fr. Rev. Peter Julia — Archdiocesan Vocations Director (per parish site)
Pastors & rectors through the years
- Father Ed Coleman
Launched the parish's Spanish Mass every other weekend in 1992; it soon expanded to weekly and the Spanish-language religious education program was begun in 1999.
- Father Basil Lawrence
Pastor referenced in 2017 coverage who, together with the Archdiocese, worked through a transition of the Hispanic Ministry after the departure of longtime religious educator Sister Rocio Moreno Soto.
- Fr. Arulkumar James Kanagaraj, SDB
Currently listed as Parish Administrator on the parish website and in the Archdiocese of Portland clergy directory.