St. Paul Roman Catholic Church in St. Paul, Oregon,

United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territori ...

, was the first church in

Oregon Oregon () is a state in the Pacific Northwest region of the Western United States. The Columbia River delineates much of Oregon's northern boundary with Washington, while the Snake River delineates much of its eastern boundary with Idaho. T ...

to be built with bricks when it was constructed in 1846.Corning, Howard M. ''Dictionary of Oregon History''. Binfords & Mort Publishing, 1956. p. 215. It is the oldest brick building in the Pacific Northwest. It was listed on the

National Register of Historic Places The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the United States federal government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures and objects deemed worthy of preservation for their historical significance or "great artistic ...

in 1979.

Background

In 1836, French Canadian pioneers on the

French Prairie French Prairie is located in Marion County, Oregon, United States, in the Willamette Valley between the Willamette River and the Pudding River, north of Salem. It was named for some of the earliest settlers of that part of the Oregon Country, Fr ...

in the

Willamette Valley The Willamette Valley ( ) is a long valley in Oregon, in the Pacific Northwest region of the United States. The Willamette River flows the entire length of the valley and is surrounded by mountains on three sides: the Cascade Range to the eas ...

built a log cabin chapel along the

Willamette River The Willamette River ( ) is a major tributary of the Columbia River, accounting for 12 to 15 percent of the Columbia's flow. The Willamette's main stem is long, lying entirely in northwestern Oregon in the United States. Flowing northward b ...

near the

Methodist Mission The Methodist Mission was the Methodist Episcopal Church's 19th-century conversion efforts in the Pacific Northwest. Local Indigenous cultures were introduced to western culture and Christianity. Superintendent Jason Lee was the principal leader fo ...

.Chapman, J. S. (1993). ''French prairie ceramics: the Harriet D. Munnick archaeological collection, circa 1820-1860 : a catalog and Northwest comparative guide''. Anthropology northwest, no. 8. Corvallis, Or: Dept. of Anthropology, Oregon State University. This structure was later moved to St. Paul and served as the church for the community until the current structure was built in 1846. After several requests for a religious leader by the French Canadians in the Willamette Valley beginning in 1834, and a second request in 1836, the

Roman Catholic Church The Catholic Church, also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the largest Christian church, with 1.3 billion baptized Catholics worldwide . It is among the world's oldest and largest international institutions, and has played a ...

sent several priests including

François Norbert Blanchet François Norbert Blanchet (September 30, 1795 – June 18, 1883) was a French Canadian-born missionary priest and prelate of the Catholic Church who was instrumental in establishing the Catholic Church presence in the Pacific Northwest. He was on ...

to Oregon Country.Horner, John B. (1919). ''Oregon: Her History, Her Great Men, Her Literature''. The J.K. Gill Co.: Portland. After receiving permission from the

Hudson's Bay Company The Hudson's Bay Company (HBC; french: Compagnie de la Baie d'Hudson) is a Canadian retail business group. A fur trading business for much of its existence, HBC now owns and operates retail stores in Canada. The company's namesake business di ...

, Blanchet moved south of the Columbia River and gave the first Mass in the Willamette Valley on January 6, 1839.Blanchet, Francis Norbert, and Edward J. Kowrach. Historical sketches of the Catholic Church in Oregon. Fairfield, Wash.: Ye Galleon Press, 1983, p. 80 While preaching to the Catholic community at that church, Blanchet lived behind the altar. On December 11, 1843,

Pope Gregory XVI Pope Gregory XVI ( la, Gregorius XVI; it, Gregorio XVI; born Bartolomeo Alberto Cappellari; 18 September 1765 – 1 June 1846) was head of the Catholic Church and ruler of the Papal States from 2 February 1831 to his death in 1 June 1846. He ...

created an apostolic vicarate out of Oregon with Blanchet as the archbishop.

New building

After the original log structure burned down, parishioners decided to replace the old church with a brick structure.St Paul Catholic Church-St. Paul Oregon
/ref> On May 24, 1846, the cornerstone was laid on the new red-brick building. Upon completion, Blanchet dedicated the new church building on November 1, 1846.

References

External links

Parish information
from St. Paul Parochial School
"St. Paul Catholic Church, Marion County"
from the Oregon Historical Society {{DEFAULTSORT:Saint Paul Roman Catholic Church, St. Paul, Oregon Roman Catholic churches completed in 1846 19th-century Episcopal church buildings Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Portland in Oregon Roman Catholic churches in Oregon National Register of Historic Places in Marion County, Oregon Churches on the National Register of Historic Places in Oregon Churches in Marion County, Oregon 1836 establishments in Oregon 19th-century Roman Catholic church buildings in the United States

Background

New building

See also

References

External links