Saint Agatha Catholic Church & School, Portland

Our Parish for the Week of December 10:

Saint Agatha Catholic Church & School, Portland

This week we are heading over to the Sellwood neighborhood of Portland to the vibrant community of Saint Agatha Catholic Church and School! Here’s some great things to know about this wonderful parish.

  • Fr. Luan Tran is the pastor, and recently visited the kindergarten class of the school to read the story of Christmas!
  • Saint Agatha Catholic School serves Preschool through Middle School, has a Learning Support center to help all students with their unique needs and learning styles, and isa member of CYO.
  • Recently parish families gathered to make Advent wreaths together, and each week of Advent the school gathers to light the Advent wreathe candles.
  • The school is currently praying the Novena to St. Lucy, who has a connection to St. Agatha. St. Lucy and her mother prayed at St. Agatha’s tomb for Lucy’s mother, who had suffered for years from a blood disease. St. Agatha appeared to St. Lucy and foretold her mother’s recovery and her own martyrdom.
  • During the “Week of Giving” in November students brought in items for St. Vincent De Paul Society.
  • The school recently held a Grandparents and Grandfriends Day in late November!
  • The Harvest Festival is a big hit at the school with pumpkin carvings and costume contest!
  • Each Lent the parish holds a Way of the Cross through the Sellwood area.
  • The parish hosts a special Divine Mercy Hour on Divine Mercy Sunday.

Good Friday Way of the Cross through the Sellwood neighborhood

Upcoming Events

  • Taize Prayer this Thursday, December 12 at 6 pm
  • School Christmas Program K – 5 on Thursday, December 19 at 6:30 pm
  • Church cleaning and decorating the morning of Christmas Eve
  • Christmas Eve Mass at 5 pm featuring the St. Agatha School Choir, with hot cocoa and cookies after!
  • Christmas Mass at Midnight and 10 am
  • New Years Mass at 10 am
  • St. Agatha School Auction on February 8

Celebration of the Crowning of Mary and Feast of Saint Joseph the Worker

Regular Parish Ministries

  • Coffee and Donuts
  • Prayer Line run by a team of parishioners, with the first Saturday Mass also offered for these intentions
  • Sacramental preparation, including initiation for children
  • Men’s Bible Study Thursday mornings (with breakfast!) to focus on readings for next Sunday Mass
  • Altar Society tending to the beautification of the church, while also supporting outside ministries like the Mother and Child Education Center and Well Water Project for third world countries
  • Communion and Liberation “School of Community” Wednesday Nights, which includes reading and meditation with meeting
  • Friends of St. Agatha which ensures the viability of school, provides sustaining income to offset cost. Originally this group went door-to-door getting pledges to support the school, and has now formed a trust.
  • Knights of Columbus
  • Respect Life which holds a monthly Rosary for Life, in addition to regular meetings, providing important updates in the bulletin, sharing resources
  • St. Vincent De Paul Society – which is currently delivering Christmas Food Boxes!

 

Liturgies and Devotions

  • Mass
    • Saturday at 5 pm
    • Sunday at 8:30 & 10:30 am, 12:30 pm in Latin
    • Tuesday through Saturday at 8:30 am in the Adoration Chapel
    • 1st Friday at 3 pm (Mass with Devotions)
  • Rosary and Divine Mercy Chaplet prayed after daily Mass
  • Confession Times
    • Saturdays 3:30 – 4:30 pm
  • Adoration Times
    • Monday through Friday from 6:30 am until 8 pm in the Adoration Chapel
    • Parishioners can sign up for a personal holy hour
  • Weekly Devotions to our Mother of Perpetual Help
    • Tuesdays at 7 pm
    • Benediction along with hymns and novena prayers

Lunar New Year Celebrations

Parish Mission Statement

  • Saint Agatha Parish is centered on the living Word of God and Christ’s Eucharistic presence in the Liturgy. We are committed to evangelization through Catholic education and faith formation. By spreading the Good News of God’s love and salvation, we encourage adherence to the greatest commandments: love of God and neighbor. We welcome new disciples to the Catholic Church and promote the culture of life, peace, and justice.

History of the Parish

  • St. Agatha Catholic Church was founded in 1911 when Sellwood was a small village with unpaved streets. Prior to that the Catholic residents of Sellwood were served by the Benedictine fathers at Sacred Heart parish in the Brooklyn district. Many children walked three miles of board sidewalks and muddy streets to Sacred Heart School. A group of three women concerned about the distance and the road conditions appealed to Archbishop Christie for permission to build a parish school in Sellwood. They received excellent neighborhood support for this venture as they went door to door.
  • In April of 1911, St. Agatha was established canonically as St. Agatha Mission, and Mass was celebrated in the homes of a few of the Sellwood Catholic residents. The parishioners met with Father John Cummisky, OSB, the pastor, and it was decided that a two-story brick building would be built to serve as a school and chapel. A bungalow residence was built for the pastor adjoining the parish. On Thanksgiving Day, just a few months later, Archbishop Chrisite assisted by Rt. Rev, Abbot Placidus, OSB, Very Rev. Prior Adelheim, OSB, Father Cummisky, and other clergy, dedicated the new combined church and school building. The Benedictine Sisters from Sacred Heart Parish opened the school in February 1912 with 38 registered pupils. In 1915, The Sisters of St. Mary of Oregon agreed to direct and staff the school which they did for 58 years. Over time the enrollment climbed to 175 students as Portland grew. The Mill Lumber Company came to the area, bringing with it many Russian Catholic immigrants which further came to the area, bringing with it many Russian Catholic immigrants which further increased enrollment. Since Vatican II, the doors of the school have also been open to other students desiring a Christian education. Among some of the school’s notable graduates is Dorothy Hester Stenzel, an acclaimed pilot in 1930, and a member of the Aviation Hall of Fame.

  • The cornerstone for the current church was laid on New Year’s Day, 1920, and the church was dedicated on October 3, 1920, on Holy Rosary Sunday by Archbishop Christie. The church was designed in the Early Gothic Style, measuring 70 x 120 ft., built of hollow brick and native tufa stone quarried on land belonging to the Benedictine fathers at Mt. Angel. On December 21, 1924, the marble high altar was blessed, and the hand-carved crucifix, the work of Oregon artist Esther Hult, was unveiled.
  • The first eighty years of St. Agatha under the leadership and direction of the Benedictine fathers were remarkable for their commitment to growth and construction in the parish. In 2000, the Benedictine fathers turned over their pastoral responsibilities to the Archdiocese. During the last five years of his twenty-one-year tenure as pastor, Father Cosmas White, OSB supported the launch of the campaign “Our Children, Our Legacy.” In the fall of 2001, construction began on-site for the new school building and gymnasium. The new facilities opened for students in January 2003.

Learn more about the parish on their website!