Welcome! This year I begin as pastor at St. Mary’s, a great community of faith that has such a long and rich history and is filled with such warm and wonderful people. Our parish includes the descendants of the German and Swiss Catholic families who moved or immigrated into the area beginning in 1867, the descendants of Mexican-American / Latino Catholic families who have moved or immigrated here over many years, as well as many individuals and families from other places who now call St. Mary’s their home.

Our Benedictine heritage of over 135 years comes from both the Monks of Mount Angel Abbey (from Engelberg Abbey, Switzerland), who were and continue to serve as priests, as well as the Sisters of Queen of Angels Monastery (from Maria Reichenbach Monastery, Switzerland) who have served as teachers in religious education and other ministries. Both of these Benedictine communities have operated schools that educated generations of parishioners. The parish was founded in 1881 with Frs. Adelhelm Odermatt, pastor, and Nicholas Frei, assistant.

We are a vibrant community of committed and active Roman Catholics. We have 1182 households and 3871 individuals from around the Willamette Valley. The Sacraments are celebrated in both English and Spanish. You can see in the faces of the individuals and families of this parish the diversity and beauty of our community, often referred to as “Catholic Central” by others in the Archdiocese of Portland. We got that name because of the parish, two Benedictine religious communities, and the Carmelite and Missionaries of the Holy Spirit formation houses nearby in a town of about 3000!

We welcome all as Christ (Rule of St. Benedict, Ch. 53,1) to St. Mary’s Parish and invite all for the celebration of the Sacraments, prayer, ongoing faith education opportunities at all age levels, and community involvement. Don't hesitate to contact us for any needs and if you wish to register as parishioners.

Gratefully,
Ralph Recker, OSB
Pastor, St. Mary Parish
Mount Angel, OR