The St. Mary Roman Catholic Church (full name: St. Mary, Our Lady of the Presentation, Catholic Church) in

Eugene, Oregon Eugene ( ) is a city in the U.S. state of Oregon. It is located at the southern end of the Willamette Valley, near the confluence of the McKenzie and Willamette rivers, about east of the Oregon Coast. As of the 2020 United States Census, Eu ...

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 territorie ...

, was established in 1887. It is part of the

Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Portland in Oregon The Archdiocese of Portland in Oregon (''Archidioecesis Portlandensis in Oregonia'') is an archdiocese of the Catholic Church in the Pacific Northwest region of the United States. It encompasses the western part of the state of Oregon, from the s ...

Background and history

Although Catholic missionaries first came to the upper Willamette Valley in the 1850s, St. Mary Parish was officially established in 1887, when Fr. Francis Beck became the first resident pastor. The first regularly scheduled Masses were said in a church bought from the Methodists and moved to 11th & Willamette. The Church's official title was "Church of the Purification of the Blessed Virgin Mary." A four-room school was established and built alongside the church in 1889.Gimpl, Sr. Caroline, S.N.J.M. et al. ''St. Mary Parish Centennial: St. Mary Catholic Church 1887-1987''. Express Press Printing and Graphics, Eugene, Oregon, 1987. p. 1-3. The second St. Mary church building was built specifically for the parish at 11th & Willamette during the pastorship of Fr. James O'Farrell. It was dedicated on March 24, 1907. Around 1920, the bulk of St. Mary's present city block was purchased, the old church was moved from 11th & Willamette to the 11th & Lincoln corner of the block, and the old four-room school was moved to the Lincoln Street side of the block and expanded. Fr. Edwin O'Hara was pastor during this time.

Current building

On February 2, 1927 ( the Feast of the Presentation of the Lord also known as

Candlemas Candlemas (also spelled Candlemass), also known as the Feast of the Presentation of Jesus Christ, the Feast of the Purification of the Blessed Virgin Mary, or the Feast of the Holy Encounter, is a Christian holiday commemorating the presentati ...

day), ground was broken for the present St. Mary Catholic Church. It was completed and dedicated on October 12 of that same year. The church was "built in modified

Gothic style Gothic or Gothics may refer to: People and languages *Goths or Gothic people, the ethnonym of a group of East Germanic tribes **Gothic language, an extinct East Germanic language spoken by the Goths **Crimean Gothic, the Gothic language spoken b ...

so prevalent in American Catholic churches of the time, this Church was designed by

Joseph Jacobberger Joseph Jacobberger (March 19, 1869March 18, 1930) was an American architect based in Portland, Oregon. He partnered with Alfred H. Smith in the firm Jacobberger and Smith. Early life Jacobberger was born on March 19, 1869, in Lautenbach, Haut-Rhi ...

, a Portland Architect."Gimpl, Sr. Caroline, S.N.J.M. et al. ''St. Mary Parish Centennial: St. Mary Catholic Church 1887-1987''. Express Press Printing and Graphics, Eugene, Oregon, 1987. p. 17. Windows from the old church building were incorporated into the walls of the new north and south transepts. The main altar was built in Italy "using Botticini

marble Marble is a metamorphic rock composed of recrystallized carbonate minerals, most commonly calcite or Dolomite (mineral), dolomite. Marble is typically not Foliation (geology), foliated (layered), although there are exceptions. In geology, the ...

and

reredos A reredos ( , , ) is a large altarpiece, a screen, or decoration placed behind the altar in a church. It often includes religious images. The term ''reredos'' may also be used for similar structures, if elaborate, in secular architecture, for ex ...

of red Verona

."Gimpl, Sr. Caroline, S.N.J.M. et al. ''St. Mary Parish Centennial: St. Mary Catholic Church 1887-1987''. Express Press Printing and Graphics, Eugene, Oregon, 1987. p. 17. Originally, a large crucifix was mounted above the altar and backed by a dark blue and gold brocade drape. Since then the main altar was moved to the right side of the Church, and the wall behind the altar was painted gold. The original altar rail and baptismal gates had been crafted by hand; however, these were removed. The 1,398-pipe organ still in use today, was built and installed by the Reuter Organ Company. The building and grounds of St. Mary Church have undergone many changes throughout the years. During recent building, renovation, and restoration on the block, special attention has been given to recognizing and working within the style and tradition of the main church. In addition to the

sanctuary A sanctuary, in its original meaning, is a sacred place, such as a shrine. By the use of such places as a haven, by extension the term has come to be used for any place of safety. This secondary use can be categorized into human sanctuary, a saf ...

, the block now houses an Adoration Chapel, Shrine of

Our Lady of Guadalupe Our Lady of Guadalupe ( es, Nuestra Señora de Guadalupe), also known as the Virgin of Guadalupe ( es, Virgen de Guadalupe), is a Catholic title of Mary, mother of Jesus associated with a series of five Marian apparitions, which are believed t ...

, Parish Hall, Teen Center (formerly the Auxiliary Hall), offices, conference rooms, library, classrooms, nursery, and courtyards.

Parish boundaries

A decree establishing the boundaries of the parish of St. Mary in the city of Eugene from the Most Reverend William Levada, Archbishop of Portland in Oregon, on July 1, 1994, states:

Beginning at the northeast corner of the parish where the I-5 bridge crosses the Willamette River, south on I-5 to 30th Avenue, west on 30th Avenue to Amazon Parkway, north to 29th Avenue continuing west to Lorane Highway, southwest on Lorane Highway to the section line one section north of the line between Township 18 & 19, west to range line between 5 & 4 west, north to Highway 126, east on Highway 126 to Seneca Road, north on Seneca Road to the Coos Bay line of the Southern Pacific Railroad, east on the Coos Bay southern Pacific Railroad line to its junction with the mainline of the Southern Pacific Railroad, east on Cross Street to North Polk to the Willamette River and east on the Willamette River to the I-5 bridge. These boundaries exclude St. Thomas More Parish (University of Oregon campus).

School

St. Mary Catholic Church has a school named O'Hara Catholic School. It is a pre-school through 8th-grade school. It was founded in 1889 as the parish school for St. Mary in downtown Eugene. The school later became closely associated with the Sisters of the Holy Names who staffed the school for over 70 years, starting in 1916. In 1968, the campus moved to its larger and present location (formerly St. Francis High School) on West 18th Avenue, and it was called St. Mary School. The school became the first area school in Oregon in 1971, serving multiple parishes. In 1978, the school's name was changed to reflect its diverse area of service and to honor Archbishop Edwin Vincent O'Hara. Archbishop O'Hara was instrumental in developing a strong focus on the mission of Catholic education. He was the first Superintendent of Catholic Schools of Oregon and the sponsor of the first Catholic high school in Eugene. The pastor of St. Mary Catholic Church is the pastor of the school; however, O'Hara school serves like an area school serving several parishes in the area, including: St. Jude, St. Peter, St. Mark, St. Thomas More Newman Center, St. Alice, St. Helen, St. Catherine of Siena, and St. Henry.

Shaping Eugene

In addition to purchasing and converting the Methodist church to a Catholic church and moving it to 11th and Willamette Street, Fr. Francis S. Beck (pastor from 1887 to 1894) saw the need to establish a school. He arranged for some Benedictine Sisters from Mt. Angel to run a school in Eugene from a "four-room building which faced Willamette Street."Gimpl, Sr. Caroline, S.N.J.M. et al. ''St. Mary Parish Centennial: St. Mary Catholic Church 1887-1987''. Express Press Printing and Graphics, Eugene, Oregon, 1987. p. 2. The sisters arrived in 1889. The school was called the "Academy of Our Lady of Victory." Later in 1895, the

Sisters of Mercy The Sisters of Mercy is a religious institute of Catholic women founded in 1831 in Dublin, Ireland, by Catherine McAuley. As of 2019, the institute had about 6200 sisters worldwide, organized into a number of independent congregations. They a ...

took over for the school. In addition to establishing the parish Church and School, Fr. Beck purchased the land for a cemetery in 1889; this became present-day Mt. Calvary Cemetery.Gimpl, Sr. Caroline, S.N.J.M. et al. ''St. Mary Parish Centennial: St. Mary Catholic Church 1887-1987''. Express Press Printing and Graphics, Eugene, Oregon, 1987. p. 3. During Fr. John A. Moran's time as pastor (from 1911 to 1920), the Sisters of Mercy took over the Eugene General Hospital in College Hill, Oregon in 1912. It became "known as Mercy Hospital nd in additionthey opened a nurses training school."Gimpl, Sr. Caroline, S.N.J.M. et al. ''St. Mary Parish Centennial: St. Mary Catholic Church 1887-1987''. Express Press Printing and Graphics, Eugene, Oregon, 1987. p. 9. Consequently, Fr. Moran arranged to have six Sisters of the Holy Names come to run the school in 1916. In 1919, Fr. Moran had purchased the property in the West 11th block between Charnelton and Lincoln streets. Later, Fr. Edwin V. O'Hara (pastor from 1920 to 1929) would convert the two-story building at 727 West 11th (now an eye clinic) to the rectory. The Holy Names Sisters were moved in 1921 to the house at 1116 Charnelton St. which is presently part of the Poole-Larsen Funeral Chapel. The Church and school buildings were moved to the northeast corner of 11th and Lincoln.Gimpl, Sr. Caroline, S.N.J.M. et al. ''St. Mary Parish Centennial: St. Mary Catholic Church 1887-1987''. Express Press Printing and Graphics, Eugene, Oregon, 1987. p. 11-12. In 1921, the State Superintendent of schools, J. A. Churchill, would accept St. Mary as a 'standard school' by the State of Oregon.Gimpl, Sr. Caroline, S.N.J.M. et al. ''St. Mary Parish Centennial: St. Mary Catholic Church 1887-1987''. Express Press Printing and Graphics, Eugene, Oregon, 1987. p. 12. in 1922 there was a serious threat to Catholic Education. "The Oregon School Bill of 1922 ttemptedto force all children to attend public school."Gimpl, Sr. Caroline, S.N.J.M. et al. ''St. Mary Parish Centennial: St. Mary Catholic Church 1887-1987''. Express Press Printing and Graphics, Eugene, Oregon, 1987. p. 14. Fr. O'Hara was drawn deeply into the fight to have this law declared unconstitutional. His cause came to a successful conclusion in the Supreme Court decision of March 17, 1925. Father Edmund Murnane (pastor from 1950 to 1969) became convinced that St. Mary Parish was too large and should be divided into more than one parish. Money that has been collected in a capital campaign in 1952 was used. "A ten-acre tract in the River Road District and a twenty-six-acre tract in the Washington School District became the sites for St. Peter and St. Paul parishes respectively."Gimpl, Sr. Caroline, S.N.J.M. et al. ''St. Mary Parish Centennial: St. Mary Catholic Church 1887-1987''. Express Press Printing and Graphics, Eugene, Oregon, 1987. p. 25. A second campaign was begun in 1954 to raise $240,000 to begin building on these properties. During this time an eight-classroom addition to St. Francis High School was built on the property on 18th and Jefferson Street which would eventually become O'Hara Catholic School. It became apparent that more parishes were needed. St. Mark Catholic Church was carved out of the original St. Mary parish in the Bethel-Danebo district. It was started in 1961, and it was originally named St. Ansgar. The site was purchased in 1956, and the first Mass was scheduled to be celebrated on September 15, 1961; unfortunately, a fire burned the parish hall to the ground. Thankfully, insurance was able to cover most of the cost to rebuild. Masses were celebrated in a public school until the new hall could be built. Upon completion, it was "blessed by Archbishop Howard in 1963."Gimpl, Sr. Caroline, S.N.J.M. et al. ''St. Mary Parish Centennial: St. Mary Catholic Church 1887-1987''. Express Press Printing and Graphics, Eugene, Oregon, 1987. p. 26. At the encouragement of Fr. Murnane, the construction of the Newman Student Center (with a chapel) on Emerald Street south of 18th Avenue was begun in 1965. "Given the name St. Thomas More, this parish has no boundaries since its prime purpose is to serve the faculty and students of the university."Gimpl, Sr. Caroline, S.N.J.M. et al. ''St. Mary Parish Centennial: St. Mary Catholic Church 1887-1987''. Express Press Printing and Graphics, Eugene, Oregon, 1987. p. 26. Fr. Murnane foresaw the growing needs in the south hills of Eugene so he purchased land in that area which would later become St. Jude parish which was built in 1972.Gimpl, Sr. Caroline, S.N.J.M. et al. ''St. Mary Parish Centennial: St. Mary Catholic Church 1887-1987''. Express Press Printing and Graphics, Eugene, Oregon, 1987. p. 26. Always with a vision for the future, as pastor of the St. Mary Parish, Fr. Murnane purchased a 28-acre tract of land in north Eugene and "in 1965 he began negotiations with the Marist Brothers of Poughkeepsie, New York, to administer and staff" a new high school together with Sisters of the Holy Names and lay teachers.Gimpl, Sr. Caroline, S.N.J.M. et al. ''St. Mary Parish Centennial: St. Mary Catholic Church 1887-1987''. Express Press Printing and Graphics, Eugene, Oregon, 1987. p. 27. Ground was not broken until May 1967, and Marist High School opened its doors on Sept. 9, 1968. Fr. Murnane also saw a need for a contemplative community in the parish. "He negotiated with the nuns of the Carmel of St. Therese in Alhambra, California, to establish a monastery."Gimpl, Sr. Caroline, S.N.J.M. et al. ''St. Mary Parish Centennial: St. Mary Catholic Church 1887-1987''. Express Press Printing and Graphics, Eugene, Oregon, 1987. p. 28. A house was purchased on Greenhill Drive west of Eugene and seven

Carmelite nuns , image = , caption = Coat of arms of the Carmelites , abbreviation = OCarm , formation = Late 12th century , founder = Early hermits of Mount Carmel , founding_location = Mount Ca ...

arrived on November 4, 1957, to begin the Carmel of Maria Regina monastery, which still exists today as a contemplative presence in Eugene.

Social concerns

In 1927, Fr. O'Hara brought two Corpus Christi sisters to Eugene to do social work. That same year, he organized a unit of St. Vincent de Paul Society in St. Mary Parish.Gimpl, Sr. Caroline, S.N.J.M. et al. ''St. Mary Parish Centennial: St. Mary Catholic Church 1887-1987''. Express Press Printing and Graphics, Eugene, Oregon, 1987. p. 14, 27. Shortly after Fr. Murnane came to Eugene, he established the Catholic Charities of Lane County. The offices were in the rectory of St. Mary Church. Frank Nearing became the director. He also reorganized the St. Vincent de Paul Society and hired Harold C. McDonald to be its executive director. In 1966, Fr. Murnane started a home for unwed mothers "of all creeds and races."Gimpl, Sr. Caroline, S.N.J.M. et al. ''St. Mary Parish Centennial: St. Mary Catholic Church 1887-1987''. Express Press Printing and Graphics, Eugene, Oregon, 1987. p. 14, 27.

Pastors and administrators

* Rev. Francis Beck, pastor from Aug. 1887 – Jan. 1894. * Rev. Martin Stravens, pastor from Jan. 1894 – 1895. * Rev. James H. Black, pastor from Aug. 1895 – May. 1897. * Rev. William A. Daly, pastor from June 1897 – 1898. * Rev. Ladislaus Pryzbylski, pastor from 1898 – Aug. 1901. * Rev. Peter Beutgen, pastor from Oct. 1901 – Mar. 1904. * Rev. A. Reidhaar, pastor from Apr. 1904 – Feb. 1906. * Rev. Joseph O. Farrell, pastor from Feb. 1906 – Aug. 1911. * Rev. John A. Moran, pastor from Sept. 1911 – May 1920. * Rev. Edwin V. O'Hara, pastor from Jun. 1920 – Jan. 1929. * Rev. Francis P. Leipzig, pastor from Jan. 1929 – Sept. 1950. * Rev. Edmund J. Murnane, pastor from Oct. of 1950 – June. 1969. * Rev. Emil H. Kies, pastor from July 1969 – July 1987.Gimpl, Sr. Caroline, S.N.J.M. et al. ''St. Mary Parish Centennial: St. Mary Catholic Church 1887-1987''. Express Press Printing and Graphics, Eugene, Oregon, 1987. p. 39. * Rev. Scott Vandehey, pastor from July 1987 – June 1999. * Rev. Mark Bachmeier, pastor from July 1999 – June 2011. * Rev. Liam Cary, pastor from July 2011 – Apr. 2012. * Rev. Bryce McProud, interim administrator from May 2012 – June 2012. * Rev. Ronald Nelson, pastor from July 2012 to present.

References

External links

St. Mary Catholic Church
(official website) {{DEFAULTSORT:Saint Mary Roman Catholic Church, Eugene, Oregon Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Portland in Oregon Roman Catholic churches in Oregon Buildings and structures in Eugene, Oregon