About St. Thomas · Jefferson, Oregon
St. Thomas Mission is a small Roman Catholic mission church serving the rural community of Jefferson, Oregon, a small Willamette Valley town in Marion County just south of Salem. As a mission of the Archdiocese of Portland in Oregon, it is paired with St. Bernard Church in nearby Scio (Linn County), with the two communities sharing one priest and alternating Sunday Mass between them. The parish is named for the Apostle St. Thomas the Apostle, whose feast the universal Church celebrates on July 3, and its members gather for Sunday worship in the quiet, agricultural landscape of the Mid-Willamette Valley near Interstate 5.
- Patron
- St. Thomas the Apostle
- Rector
- Peter O'Brien
- Diocese
- Metropolitan Archdiocese of Portland in Oregon
Why belong here
St. Thomas Mission offers a faithful Catholic sacramental life in the heart of rural Jefferson — a small, intergenerational community where worshippers know one another by name. With Sunday Mass celebrated twice a month and a pastor shared with neighboring St. Bernard's in Scio, the mission is an intimate setting for prayer, the Eucharist, and connection to the broader life of the Archdiocese of Portland in Oregon. For Catholics living in or passing through the Jefferson, Millersburg, or south-Salem area, St. Thomas is a welcoming country parish rooted in the agricultural Willamette Valley.
Mass times at St. Thomas
Weekly Mass schedule
About St. Thomas Mission, Jefferson
St. Thomas Mission is a small Roman Catholic mission church in Jefferson, Oregon, a rural Willamette Valley community in Marion County located just south of Salem and near Interstate 5. The mission belongs to the Metropolitan Archdiocese of Portland in Oregon, the second-oldest archdiocese in the United States. As a mission, St. Thomas does not operate as an independent parish; instead it is partnered with St. Bernard Catholic Church in nearby Scio (Linn County) and the two communities share a pastor and alternate Sunday Mass between their two church buildings.
- Parish type: Catholic mission
- Location: Jefferson, Marion County, Oregon
- Archdiocese: Metropolitan Archdiocese of Portland in Oregon
- Patron: St. Thomas the Apostle
- Sister parish: St. Bernard Catholic Church, Scio, Oregon
History & Relationship with St. Bernard, Scio
St. Thomas Mission is a dependent mission of St. Bernard Catholic Church in Scio, Oregon — both within the Archdiocese of Portland in Oregon, whose Catholic origins in the Pacific Northwest go back to 1838. Because St. Thomas is a mission rather than a standalone parish, it shares pastoral leadership with St. Bernard's, and the two congregations alternate Sunday worship between their two towns. Mater Dei Radio featured the two churches together on its 'Parish of the Week' program, noting their proximity to Interstate 5 and their rural Willamette Valley setting. The mission's legal entity is registered with the Oregon Secretary of State as 'St. Thomas Catholic Church, Jefferson, Oregon' (Assumed Business Name #151803195), with Father Peter O'Brien — who also serves as president of the St. Bernard Catholic Church, Scio, Oregon nonprofit — listed as authorized representative.
- Sister mission: St. Bernard Catholic Church, 38810 Cherry St., Scio, OR 97374
- St. Bernard phone: (503) 394-2625
- Shared pastor: Fr. Peter O'Brien
- Oregon Secretary of State Assumed Business Name #151803195
Clergy & Pastoral Leadership
St. Thomas Mission is currently served by Father Peter O'Brien, who is also pastor of St. Bernard Catholic Church in Scio. The two congregations form a single pastoral assignment under the Archdiocese of Portland in Oregon. Parishioners seeking information about weekday Masses, confession, anointing of the sick, marriage preparation, baptism, or RCIA are typically directed to coordinate through the St. Bernard parish office in Scio.
- Pastor: Fr. Peter O'Brien
- Parish office: c/o St. Bernard Catholic Church, Scio, OR
Visit, Location & Contact
St. Thomas Mission is located at 647 North Third Street in Jefferson, Oregon 97352, a few blocks off the main highway and convenient to Interstate 5 south of Salem. Visitors and parishioners can reach the parish office by calling (541) 327-2343 — the number shared with the St. Bernard/Scio pastoral assignment. The mission also maintains a presence on Facebook under the name 'St. Thomas Catholic Church, Jefferson Oregon.'
- Address: 647 N. Third St., Jefferson, OR 97352
- Phone: (541) 327-2343
- Facebook: facebook.com/stthomasjefferson
- Archdiocesan Parish Finder: archdpdx.org/parishfinder