St. Frederic’s Catholic Church, St. Helens, Oregon

Our Parish for the Week of September 3

St. Frederic’s Catholic Church, St. Helens, Oregon

About the Parish

  • The parish celebrated their 100th Anniversary in 2011!
  • Frederic’s shares that they are “a Catholic Christian Community that works and prays together to deepen our love of God and to share that love by ministering to each other and the extended community in holiness and justice.”
  • The pastor is Father Nicolaus Marandu!

Parish Activities

  • They have a parish St. Vincent De Paul hotline to help those who need assistance
  • The Women’s Society helps support the parish through ministries like funeral receptions and Christmas Bazaar with items that they’ve made.
  • Knights of Columbus (meets at St. Wenceslaus in Scappoose)
  • Liturgical Ministries
  • Mix of musical small groups and ensembles such as Folk Ensemble, Traditional Choir, Hispanic Choir, Youth Choir, or the Children’s Choir
  • Communion visits to the homebound
  • Sacramental Preparation, plus Faith Formation for kids and also a very active Youth Group (they just did a Seaside retreat!)
  • Corpus Christi procession in June
  • Parish picnic in August
  • Blessing of teachers and students is coming up at the 11 am Mass on Sunday, September 8.
  • Parishioners have been bringing flowers from their yards to decorate the church this summer!

Corpus Christi Procession

Upcoming Events

  • Viva Mexico on September 15 with food, entertainment, and more in parish hall
  • Ecumenical Catholic / Lutheran Picnic and Potluck on September 15 in the park
  • Women’s Breakfast Brunch on September 22
  • Frederic October Fest on Saturday, October 5
    • 11 am to 8 pm
    • Dinner and drinks
    • Can also buy 5 gallon buckets of sauerkraut
  • Chili Feed Fund Drive – if they meet $10,000 goal they celebrate with a free Chili Feed in the hall in November!

Liturgy Schedule

  • Sunday Mass Schedule
    • Saturday: 5:00 PM
    • Sunday: 8:00 AM
    • 11:00 AM Bilingual
  • Daily Mass Schedule
    • Tuesday: 8:30 AM
    • Wednesday: 8:30 AM
    • Thursday: 8:30 AM
    • Friday: 8:30 AM Adoration to follow

Father Marandu getting his picture taken for the Parish Directory!

Parish History

  • From a small mission outreach in the opening years of the 20th Century, St. Frederic’s has grown to become a vital part of the St. Helens community. The turn of the Century saw three distinct communities – St. Helens, Houlton, and Milton. Today they are one growing community of both long standing families and new, representing a diverse community of all different heritage and cultures.
  • Prior to 1908, the faith needs of both Rainier and St. Helens were provided by pioneer missionaries who responded to sick calls and made periodic visits. Mass was celebrated once a month.
  • The original church was known as St. Mary’s Hall and erected in 1911 for $1,437. Known as a mission church, during the years of WWI, St. Mary’s saw priestly vacancy every three years still filled from the Cathedral in Portland and also by Rev. Dr. Urban Fisher O.S.B of Scappoose. In 1916 Archbishop Christie appointed Rev. William Hampson pastor of both Rainier and St. Helens. By the end of the war, there was an influx of Italian families to St. Helens. Descendants of many of these families are still members of the parish.
  • In 1919 a new Church building was erected for the growing population of the area. The Morgus family gave a substantial memorial financial contribution to the church, funding the two lots where the church would stand and the marble statue of St. Frederic, Bishop and Martyr. The cornerstone was laid by Archbishop Christie on October 17, 1920. The new church was dedicated on January 21, 1921 in memory of Frederick Morgus.
  • The “Roaring Twenties” saw two different fires do considerable damage to St. Frederic Church.
  • The first parochial school in Columbia County opened in St. Helens in September 1928 staffed by four Sisters of Holy Names. As the community grew, so did the parish and the school. The building used today as the Parish Center, was erected in 1946 as the parish Convent for the sisters who taught at the growing school.
  • In 1960, St. Helens was one of the places visited during the Presidential campaign, when John F. Kennedy, Jr. was the first Catholic to be elected President of the United States. One of his stops was in front of St. Frederic Church.
  • Numerous priests served St. Frederic Church over the years, some for as short a time as three months and others for several years.
  • Over the years several religious orders became a part of our history and heritage. The School was staffed by The Sisters of Holy Names of Jesus and Mary from Marylhurst. Sisters served as Pastoral Associates too. In recent years they were joined by Hispanic sisters from Sisters of the Missioneros del Rosaria de Fatima of Mexico.
  • As the Gothic church began to show its age, the difficult decision was made to build a new church. The school had closed in 1974, and the Parish had three aging buildings. To make room for the new facility, the old school, rectory, and church were removed. The new church was dedicated on January 23, 1983 by Archbishop Cornelius Power.

Learn more about the parish on their website!