About St. Paul · Saint Paul, Oregon
St. Paul Catholic Church is a historic Roman Catholic parish in the small town of Saint Paul, Oregon, in the heart of French Prairie in the Willamette Valley. It is the first Catholic parish established in what is now the State of Oregon, and its 1846 brick church is the oldest brick building in the Pacific Northwest, listed on the National Register of Historic Places since 1979. The parish belongs to the Archdiocese of Portland in Oregon, is served by Father Christopher Siluvai Rayan, and offers Mass in both English and Spanish, along with a Catholic parochial school on the same street.
- Established
- 1836 (log church); parish established 1839; current brick church 1846
- Patron
- Saint Paul the Apostle
- Rector
- Rev. Christopher Siluvai Rayan
- Diocese
- Archdiocese of Portland in Oregon
Why belong here
St. Paul is the oldest Catholic parish in Oregon, with a continuous worship life stretching back to 1839, set in the historic 1846 brick church on Christie Street. It is a small, family-style community that gathers for daily and Sunday Mass in English and Spanish, Eucharistic Adoration, Bible study, a Men's Group and a Women's Group, OCIA (for adults becoming Catholic), Confirmation preparation, and a Community Breakfast — all in a parish that still operates its own Catholic elementary school. Visitors and parishioners are drawn by the parish's deep French Prairie roots, its bilingual liturgical life, and the chance to belong to a living piece of Pacific Northwest Catholic history.
Mass times at St. Paul
Weekly Mass schedule
Confession times
- Tuesday after 6:00 PM Mass until finished
- Saturdays 4:00–4:40 PM
- By appointment (call 503-633-4611)
Adoration times
- Tuesdays 5:00–6:00 PM
- Thursdays 8:00–8:30 AM
- Thursdays 9:00 AM–12:00 PM
Parish History — The First Catholic Parish in Oregon
St. Paul Parish traces its origin to a plea from French Canadian Catholic settlers on French Prairie. In 1834 and 1835, with the help of Dr. John McLoughlin of Fort Vancouver, they asked Bishop Joseph Provencher in Red River for a priest. The Holy See annexed the Oregon Country to the Vicariate Apostolic of Red River in 1836, and the settlers built a 30-by-70-foot log church at Fairfield, which Dr. McLoughlin had floated up the Willamette to Saint Paul. Father Francis Norbert Blanchet offered the first Catholic Mass in Oregon there on January 6, 1839, blessed the log church under the patronage of Saint Paul, and made Saint Paul his permanent home on October 12, 1839 — establishing Oregon's first Catholic parish.
- 1834: First letter from French Canadian settlers to Bishop Provencher (July 3)
- 1836: Holy See annexes Oregon Country to Vicariate Apostolic of Red River (Feb 28); log church built at Fairfield
- January 6, 1839: First Catholic Mass in Oregon offered at the Saint Paul log church, Feast of the Epiphany
- May 1839: First Catholic cemetery in the Pacific Northwest blessed at Saint Paul
- October 12, 1839: Father Blanchet takes up permanent residence — first Catholic parish in Oregon
- October 17, 1843: Saint Joseph's College for boys opens (first Catholic boys' school in PNW)
- September 9, 1844: Sisters of Notre Dame de Namur open the oldest Catholic school in Oregon
- November 1, 1846: 60,000-brick church dedicated on site
- 1870: Steeple added to the brick church
- 1898 (May 25): First church in Oregon to be consecrated, by Archbishop William Gross
- 1979: Listed on the National Register of Historic Places
- March 25, 1993: Mount Angel Earthquake damages the church; altars and statues unharmed
- November 5, 1995: Church rededicated after restoration
- January 5, 2014: 175th Anniversary of the First Mass celebrated with Archbishop Alexander K. Sample
Architecture of the 1846 Brick Church
The current church is a cross-shaped brick building erected in 1846 by the parishioners themselves, using 60,000 bricks fired on the church site. It is the oldest brick building in the Pacific Northwest. The walls are five bricks thick with no cement or mortar between them, an 84-foot bell tower (steeple added in 1870) houses a bell cast in Belgium and installed in 1846, and two 15-by-15-foot side chapels flank the nave. After the 1993 Mount Angel Earthquake, the walls were taken down in sections, reinforced with steel and concrete block, and refaced with the original bricks; a reconciliation room and restrooms were added, stained glass was re-leaded, the pews refinished, and a new sound system and altar of sacrifice installed. The steeple was highly reinforced and the weathervane regilded.
- Built 1846; dedicated November 1, 1846
- 100 feet long × 45 feet wide; two 15×15-foot side chapels
- Cross-shaped plan; 84-foot bell tower with Belgium-cast bell
- Five-brick-thick walls (no original cement or mortar)
- Listed on the National Register of Historic Places, 1979
- Restored and rededicated November 5, 1995
Pastor and Parish Leadership
St. Paul Parish is currently served by Father Christopher Siluvai Rayan, who also serves as Pastor of Holy Rosary Parish in Portland in the Archdiocese of Portland in Oregon. In spring 2025, the parish and school communities marked the 25th anniversary of Father Christopher's priestly ordination — a Priestly Silver Jubilee — with a concelebrated Mass joined by 22 priests of the archdiocese, including Auxiliary Bishop Peter Smith and Vicar for Clergy Msgr. Joseph Betchart, followed by a festive community celebration.
- Rev. Christopher Siluvai Rayan — Pastor
- Father Christopher's Priestly Silver Jubilee celebrated with 22 priests and Auxiliary Bishop Peter Smith (2025)
Faith Formation and Sacramental Preparation
Faith formation at St. Paul is built around the parish school, family-based sacramental preparation, and adult OCIA. First Reconciliation and First Communion are prepared in coordination with St. Paul Parochial School, including a Sunday family component led by Father Christopher and Mrs. Abesa. Confirmation is offered as a two-year (A/B year) cycle, meeting twice a month from September through April for students 12 and older, with arrangements possible for those also needing Baptism or First Communion. OCIA (formerly RCIA) classes for adults begin each September on Thursday evenings in the rectory and are taught by a team of local parishioners under the pastor's oversight.
- First Reconciliation / First Communion: school-day and Sunday family sessions
- Confirmation: two-year A/B curriculum, twice monthly September–April
- OCIA (RCIA): Thursday evenings starting September 18, 6:00–7:00 PM in the rectory
- Contact: Sophie Connor for Confirmation; parish office 503-633-4611 for OCIA
Parish Groups and Fellowship
Small groups are at the heart of parish life at St. Paul. The Ladies of St. Paul Parish gather Tuesday mornings from 8:00 to 9:00 AM in the rectory conference room for Bible study, fellowship, and prayer; the Men's Group meets Thursday evenings in the rectory. Beyond these regular groups, the parish hosts a Community Breakfast and the annual Rodeo BBQ Chicken fundraiser, both popular moments of parish-wide fellowship and service.
- Women's Group: Tuesdays 8:00–9:00 AM, rectory conference room
- Men's Group: Thursday evenings, rectory
- Community Breakfast (quarterly parish fellowship)
- Rodeo BBQ Chicken — annual parish fundraiser
St. Paul Parochial School
St. Paul Parochial School, located just up the street at 20327 Christie Street NE, continues the parish's 19th-century educational mission as a PreK–8 Catholic elementary school. The school is closely coordinated with the parish for sacramental preparation and is staffed by a principal, Amanda Davidson, and a team of classroom, specialty, and preschool teachers. (The school's PreK program and the parish's sacramental catechesis share resources on Christie Street, the same street the parish and its historic 1846 church have called home for nearly 180 years.)
- Address: 20327 Christie St NE, Saint Paul, OR 97137
- Phone: 503-633-4622
- Grades: PreK–8
- Principal: Amanda Davidson
- Roman Catholic affiliation; member of NCEA
St. Paul Cemetery
Saint Paul parish also cares for two historic Catholic cemeteries, the earliest of which is the first Catholic cemetery blessed in the Pacific Northwest (May 1839, next to the Knights of Columbus Hall on Highway 219). The 'New' Catholic Cemetery east of Saint Paul on Highway 219 was established in 1874 and is the burial site of Archbishop François Norbert Blanchet (d. 1883). Cemetery information is handled through Meghan Thompson at the St. Paul Telephone office.
- Original (Old) Catholic Cemetery: blessed May 1839, first Catholic cemetery in the Pacific Northwest
- New Catholic Cemetery: established 1874, east of Saint Paul on Highway 219
- Archbishop Blanchet buried in the New Cemetery in 1883
- Inquiries: Meghan Thompson, St. Paul Telephone office, 503-633-2111
Visit, Contact, and Practical Information
The parish office is reachable by phone and email, and the current weekly bulletin is the authoritative source for any last-minute changes to the Mass schedule. The mailing address is PO Box 454, Saint Paul, OR 97137, while the church and parish office sit at 20217 Christie Street in the small town of Saint Paul, Oregon, in the heart of French Prairie between Newberg and Salem.
- Physical address: 20217 Christie Street, Saint Paul, OR 97137
- Mailing address: PO Box 454, Saint Paul, OR 97137
- Phone: 503-633-4611
- Email: [email protected]
- Website: https://www.stpaulparishstpaul.org/
- Diocese: Archdiocese of Portland in Oregon
Pastors & rectors through the years
- Father Francis Norbert Blanchet1839–
First priest in Oregon; offered the First Mass on January 6, 1839; took up permanent residence at Saint Paul on October 12, 1839, establishing it as Oregon's first Catholic parish; later Vicar Apostolic, first Archbishop of Oregon City.
- Father Antoine Langlois1843–
Placed in charge of St. Joseph's College for boys when it opened in Saint Paul in 1843.