The Archdiocese of Portland in Oregon (Archidioecesis Portlandensis in Oregonia) is an archdiocese of the Roman Catholic Church in the Pacific Northwest region of the United States. It encompasses the western part of the state of Oregon, from the summit of the Cascades to the Pacific Ocean. The Archbishop of Portland serves as the Ordinary of the archdiocese and Metropolitan of the Ecclesiastical Province of Portland whose suffragan dioceses cover the entire three states of Oregon, Idaho, and Montana. The dioceses of the province include Baker (eastern Oregon), Boise (Idaho), Helena (western Montana), and Great Falls-Billings (eastern Montana).
As published in the 2013 "Oregon Catholic Directory," this archdiocese serves 412,725 Catholics (out of more than 3.3 million people). There are 150 diocesan priests, 144 religious priests, 79 permanent deacons, 388 women religious, and 78 religious brothers. The archdiocese has 124 parishes, 22 missions, 1 seminary, 40 elementary schools, 10 secondary schools, and 2 Catholic colleges.
History
19th century
The origins of the Catholic Church in the Oregon Country derive from a July 3, 1834, petition by French Prairie settlers to priests in Canada. In response to this petition, missionary priests, Rev. Francis Xavier Norbert Blanchet and Rev. Modeste Demers arrived at Fort Vancouver on November 24, 1838. The first Mass was celebrated on January 6, 1839 at St. Paul.
On December 1, 1843, the Vatican established the Vicariate Apostolic of the Oregon Territory with Rev. Msgr. Blanchet as its first Vicar Apostolic. A Vicar Apostolic is a bishop in a territory which has not yet been organized as a diocese. The following year, Rev. Pierre-Jean DeSmet, S.J., and fellow priests and Sisters of Notre Dame de Namur arrived in Astoria from Belgium.
On July 24, 1846, Pope Pius IX divided the existing vicariate apostolic into three dioceses: Oregon City (Oregonopolitanus); Walla Walla (Valle Valliensis); and Vancouver Island (Insula Vancouver). That year St. Paul Church was erected.
On July 29, 1850, the Diocese of Oregon City was elevated to an archdiocese with Archbishop Blanchet continuing to serve as its first archbishop.
Rapid growth in the Pacific Northwest led to the loss of territory of the Archdiocese of Oregon City from which the Vatican created the Vicariate Apostolic of Idaho and Montana on March 3, 1868. In 1870, Catholic Sentinel was founded as the official newspaper of the archdiocese.
St. Boniface Church was erected in Sublimity, Oregon in 1889.
20th century
Further territory was lost when the Diocese of Baker City was created on June 19, 1903. St. Mary's Church in Mount Angel was erected in 1912.
Following the death of Archbishop Alexander Christie, Edward Daniel Howard was appointed the fifth Archbishop of Oregon City on April 30, 1926. His installation took place at St. Mary's Cathedral in Portland on August 26 of that year. On September 26, 1928, the name of the archdiocese was changed from Oregon City to Portland in Oregon, because there was another diocese called Portland (in Maine). During his tenure as archbishop, Howard created a chancery in the cathedral rectory, later transferring it to a separate building. He reorganized the St. Vincent de Paul and Holy Name Societies, fostered the growth of Catholic Charities, and removed the Catholic Sentinel from private ownership.
In 1931, Howard led a successful campaign to repeal local zoning ordinances that prohibited the building of churches and parochial schools. He convened the Fourth Provincial Council of the archdiocese in 1932, and held a synod for the clergy in 1935. In 1939, he founded Central Catholic High School in Portland and was named an Assistant at the Pontifical Throne by Pope Pius XII in 1939. He convened the Fifth Provincial Council of the Archdiocese in 1957, and attended all four sessions of the Second Vatican Council between 1962 and 1965.
21st century
The Archdiocese's sexual abuse scandal prompted the archbishop to file for Chapter 11 reorganization on July 6, 2004. Portland became the first Catholic diocese to file for bankruptcy. Vlazny described his actions by saying, "This is not an effort to avoid responsibility. It is, in fact, the only way I can assure that other claimants can be offered fair compensation." In April 2007, the Archdiocese announced a settlement had been reached and the bankruptcy court had approved a financial plan of reorganization.
On January 29, 2013, Bishop Alexander Sample was appointed by Pope Benedict XVI to be the new Archbishop of Portland, succeeding John George Vlazny, whose resignation was accepted at the same time.
Bishops
From 1843 to 1846, the Oregon Country was an apostolic vicariate, led by Francis Norbert Blanchet. Once established as a diocese and later an archdiocese, it was led by the following ordinaries:
Ordinaries
Bishop of Oregon City
- François Norbert Blanchet (1846â€"1850)
Archbishops of Oregon City
- François Norbert Blanchet (1850â€"1880)
- Charles John Seghers (1880â€"1884)
- William Hickley Gross, C.Ss.R. (1885â€"1898)
- Alexander Christie (1899â€"1925)
- Edward Daniel Howard (1926â€"1928)
Archbishops of Portland in Oregon
- Edward Daniel Howard (1928â€"1966)
- Robert Joseph Dwyer (1966â€"1974)
- Cornelius Michael Power (1974â€"1986)
- William Joseph Levada (1986â€"1995)
- Francis George, OMI (1996â€"1997)
- John George Vlazny (1997â€"2013)
- Alexander King Sample (2013â€" )
Auxiliary bishops
- Paul Edward Waldschmidt (1977â€"1990)
- Kenneth Steiner (1977â€"2011)
- Peter Leslie Smith (2014â€"present)
Other priests of this diocese who became bishops
- Francis Peter Leipzig appointed Bishop of Baker City in 1950
- Edward John O’Dea appointed Bishop of Nesqually in 1896
- Edwin Vincent O’Hara appointed Bishop of Great Falls in 1930
- Charles Joseph O’Reilly appointed Bishop of Baker City in 1903
- Liam Cary appointed Bishop of Baker City in 2012
High schools
- Blanchet Catholic School, Salem
- Central Catholic High School, Portland
- De La Salle North Catholic High School, Portland
- Jesuit High School, Portland
- La Salle High School, Milwaukie
- Marist Catholic High School, Eugene
- Regis High School, Stayton
- St. Mary's Academy, Portland
- St. Mary's High School, Medford
- Valley Catholic School, Beaverton
See also
References
External links
- Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Portland Official Site
- bankruptcy proceedings
- Catholic Sentinel - official newspaper
- Committee of Parishioners in Western Oregon, formed to participate in the Archdiocese's bankruptcy case
- October 2005 update on the status of Chapter 11 reorganization
