Parish and School News - Catholic Sentinel

Breaking through the myths of civil divorce and marriage nullity

BEAVERTON — Among the many myths that exist among Catholics is the idea that individuals who have gone through a civil divorce cannot receive Communion.
‘Awe, wonder and joy’: Catholic schools nurture girls in STEM

A 6-year-old Lara Shamieh was at the Oregon coast with her family when she discovered a dead shark washed up on the beach. It was rotting and smelled foul, but the little girl rushed up to investigate. “I was so excited because I wanted to see what was inside,” said Shamieh, now 40. Shamieh grabbed a piece of drift wood and used it as her first-ever dissection instrument, carefully probing and studying the cartilaginous fish.
Forming youths in the faith

LAKE OSWEGO — The phrase “meeting them where they’re at” often is used to describe methods of evangelization and formation. Nowhere is this phrase put into practice more than during open gym basketball at Our Lady of the Lake Parish here on Sundays.

The youth-focused project was dreamed up by Gerardo Butalid, the parish’s director of youth ministry.
Marking 60 years together

Robert Joseph Dryden and Frances (Sayles) Dryden of Woodburn will celebrate their 60th anniversary April 12. They were married on that day in 1958.
Flora finishes remodel

Some 70 dedicated parishioners turned up March 17, shovels and trowels in hand, to help plant the 80 trees and hundreds of shrubs and ground-cover plants that make up the landscaping in new beds surrounding the front and sides of the remodeled St. Joseph the Worker Church in Portland.
Marching for our lives on Palm Sunday

On Palm Sunday, families arrived at St. Peter Church in Southeast Portland. The peaceful day reflected healing from last year’s trauma.
Family serves together

DALLAS — Members of St. Philip Parish here regularly witness the devotion of one of their dedicated families, the Johnsons.
La Salle Prep receives $1.25 million

MILWAUKIE — Vancouver resident and philanthropist Elsie Franz Finley and her late brother, Robert W. Franz, have donated $1.25 million to La Salle Prep.
Future fightin’ Irish?

EUGENE — As part of “Catholic Top and Jeans Day” during Catholic Schools Week, O’Hara School third-graders in teacher Emmy Pusateri class sport Pusateri’s impressively large collection of Notre Dame gear. The teacher is a 2013 graduate of the South Bend, Indiana, university.
Ministry reviews ethics

The Caregivers Ministry of St. Juan Diego Parish will host Thompson Faller, an emeritus professor of philosophy and of the ethics of health care at the University of Portland, Sunday, April 15.
Lenten contemplation labyrinth

As part of St. Peter Parish’s observance of Friday of the Passion of the Lord, the parish opened a labyrinth made of thousands of cans of food that were collected during Lent.
Public Witness

Parishioners from Sacred Heart Parish in Newport and Our Lady of Guadalupe Mission in Siletz gather March 17 to pray. Young children stand beside fellow Catholics 90 years their senior while praying the rosary at the Toledo Police Department gazebo.
Remembering St. Joseph

“Viva San Giuseppe” shouted the patrons in the hall at St. Philip Neri Parish in Southeast Portland after a table honoring the feast day of St. Joseph was blessed by Father Nazario Atukunda, pastor of the parish.
St. Mary Academy’s Rose Festival queen

Senior Jennifer White has been named Rose Festival queen for St. Mary’s Academy in Portland.

White, who plans to attend Loyola Marymount University in Los Angeles this fall, is team captain of St. Mary’s dance company and club leader of the school’s novel club.
Newman Center turns 100

CORVALLIS — The Newman Center at Oregon State University here will celebrate the center’s 100-year anniversary with Archbishop Alexander Sample April 14. An open house at the Newman Center begins at 2 p.m., and a procession to St. Mary Parish will follow at 4:15 p.m. for a 5 p.m. Mass with the archbishop.
Adventuring at church

Every summer, children flock to their local parishes for a week of games, music, snacks and crafts all based on Catholic teaching. Each of the vacation Bible school programs have a different flavor, just like the parishes that coordinate them.
University of Portland unveils Franz Campus

The University of Portland intends to turn a 35-acre riverfront property along the Willamette River into a new academic, sports and utilities complex.
Central Catholic Open Mic Night turns 20

It was a night to remember as Central Catholic High School students and staff took the stage at Revolution Hall in Southeast Portland for their February Open Mic Night.
Seeking mystery and beauty

HILLSBORO — As patrons began filing into the pews at St. Matthew Parish, tidbits of songs and voices from the sacristy gave the audience a glimpse of the performance they were about to witness. Soon, the Tudor Choir presented by Cappella Romana took to the steps of the front of the church to present a selection of sacred music from the Tudor and early American era.
Maximilian Kolbe at parish

St. Anthony of Padua Parish in Southeast Portland will host the one-man play “Maximilian: Saint of Auschwitz” by St. Luke Productions.
Building a house of worship

Work on the new church at St. Anne Parish in Grants Pass continues as the foundation was poured shortly before Christmas and the steel infrastructure began being erected in January.
Campus ministry maestro

Each Friday at Jesuit High School, optional Masses draw a thousand teens. Students are lining up to lead retreats. Some freshmen choose the Southwest Portland school specifically for its campus ministry.
Parishes use social media to reach out, build community

More and more, Catholic parishes in western Oregon are attracting new members via electronic outreach, including Facebook and Twitter.
Celebrating Lunar New Year

Beginning the Year of the Dog, parishioners and Vietnamese community members came together Feb. 15 at Our Lady of Lavang Parish in Northeast Portland for Mass and a celebration in honor of the Lunar New Year.
Death penalty’s problems examined

SALEM — For Catholics, Lent is a period that includes reflection on the deepest church teachings, in particular the crucifixion of Jesus and the sacrifice he made for the world.
Students send coats and prayers

OREGON CITY — St. John the Apostle School here celebrated part of Catholic Schools Week doing a service project to help those in need.
St. Mary’s grad is the keynote speaker at LA pro-life event

Karen Gaffney, a graduate of St. Mary’s Academy in Portland, has a large set of accomplishments — most of which focus on challenging herself and promoting the value of every life.
Fundraising luncheon sets record

More than 800 people filled the Portland Hilton Grand Ballroom this fall to support future women leaders of St. Mary’s Academy, raising a record-breaking $510,000. The 24th annual Food for Thought luncheon supports tuition assistance.
Scholar-athletes honored

Malakai Salu of Central Catholic High School and Travis Spreen of Jesuit High School have been chosen as two of 16 football scholar-athletes in Oregon by the National Football Foundation.
CYO swimming crowns champions

The 2017-18 Catholic Youth Organization swimming season ended with a spectacular set of championship meets held at the Mount Hood Aquatic Center.
SMA students speak up on MLK Day

Students from St. Mary’s Academy gathered to reflect on the message of Martin Luther King Jr. as they planned the school’s assembly in celebration of the civil rights leader.
All Saints talks forgiveness

Father Ray Carey, an archdiocesan priest and clinical psychologist, will speak at All Saints Parish in Portland March 7 at 7 p.m. on “The Art of Forgiveness.”
SSMO sister renews vows

NEWBERG — Sister Juanita Villarreal, a member of the Sisters of St. Mary of Oregon, renewed her vows Feb. 2 during the Mass of the Presentation of the Lord at St. Peter Parish here.
Vitality reigns

KEIZER — Members of St. Edward Parish here will not hesitate to call the community extremely vibrant, with more than 120 ministries in the parish.

Jeanie White, a parishioner of eight years, credits this to the parish’s founding not long after the Second Vatican Council.
Teens shower community in love

Youths involved in the LifeTeen and confirmation preparation ministries at Resurrection Parish in Tualatin took to helping those in the community as part of the ministries’ winter retreat.
New advancement director for O’Hara

EUGENE — In December, O’Hara School welcomed Michelle Meador as director of advancement.
La Salle Prep will host free talk on reducing teen anxiety

La Salle Prep is bringing Kevin Ashworth, a senior clinician with the Northwest Anxiety Institute in Portland, to the school on Feb. 15 for a free discussion on how to reduce teen anxiety. The talk will start at 7 p.m. in the school’s Hamersly Library.
Student housing to return to Marylhurst

Marylhurst University has embarked on a seven-month project to renovate the building known as Villa Maria into student housing.
Essay competition for young Catholic writers

LOS ANGELES, Calif. — The Rebus Institute has announced its first Maritain Essay Competition for young writers ages 16 to 22 in the field of human rights.
Dental kits give dignity

MILWAUKIE — The lottery was a low-key affair — just a man standing at the front of a church dining room, choosing winners out of a hat.
Constitution team earns third at state competition

The Central Catholic Constitution team earned third place in the We the People state competition, held Jan. 13 at the Mark O. Hatfield U.S. Courthouse in downtown Portland. It was the sixth year the team has participated in the tournament.
American Heritage Girls troop opens at St. Alice

SPRINGFIELD — Christine Beldner’s daughter Mia, now 13, had been involved with Girl Scouts in Alabama since she was 5. Both of Mia’s brothers were Boy Scouts.
North Portland shelter receives grant from Lowe’s

The Community of Hope Shelter, which receives many volunteers from Holy Cross Parish in North Portland, received a $95,159 grant from The Lowe’s Gives Foundation for Phase 2 of the shelter’s building renovations.
Centering prayer workshop to be held at St. Andrew

An introductory workshop on centering prayer will take place at St. Andrew Community Center Saturday, Feb. 3, from 9 a.m. to 1:30 p.m.
Our Lady of Sorrows Taize

“Come experience the peace and love of our God in this simple, but moving, ecumenical prayer service,” write organizers of the Taize prayer services being held monthly at Our Lady of Sorrows Parish in Southeast Portland.
UP ranked top for value in Oregon

According to Kiplinger’s Best College Values 2018, the University of Portland is the top ranked private university in Oregon for offering the best value for students based on academic quality, cost, and financial aid measures.
St. Francis School takes kindness to new level

SHERWOOD — The reigning “Kindest School in the Country” — according to ThinkKindness.org — is taking things to a new level this year. As with Catholic schools around the nation, the hallways of St. Francis School already were filled with love and kind acts.
St. John the Baptist middle schoolers knit hats for ill children

MILWAUKIE — This year at St. John the Baptist School, new electives were added for middle school students. From Lego robotics to crafting and knitting, students have a wide variety of classes from which to choose.
Servant leadership in action at Holy Trinity

BEAVERTON — Holy Trinity eighth-grader Emilie Colner lights the path of service for peers. Colner is a 13-year-old student who loves volleyball, volunteering and school.
St. John Fisher students use 3-D printer to create prosthetic hands

Working with e-NABLE, St. John Fisher librarian Sundi Pierce and Merrit Holub, principal, have initiated a makerspace after-school club for seventh- and eighth-graders.
A 110-year legacy of music education

This year marks the 110th anniversary of Holy Redeemer School, which serves students in North and Northeast Portland.
St. Agatha Storm Store saves pups

Saving dogs’ lives has become a passion for St. Agatha School fifth-graders Josie Maitland and Justine Pashley. Every other Wednesday at the Southeast Portland school, they spend their recess and lunch hour setting up a school-supply shop called the “Storm Store,” named after school mascot the Storm.
Grandparents Day creates memories

GERVAIS — “Do justly, have mercy, walk humbly with your God.” Micah 6:8 is the theme for the year at Sacred Heart School here. Students live, learn and thrive daily under this theme. And during Catholic Schools Week it is especially meaningful.
St. Joseph the Worker Church ready for the generations

Archbishop Alexander Sample celebrated a dedicated Mass at the rebuilt sanctuary Sunday, Jan. 28, with an estimated 800 parishioners bursting through the seams of the new space — which now seats 520, versus 390 before the work.
Educator of the week, teacher of a lifetime

On Jan. 5, the third- grade teacher at St. Rose School in Northeast Portland, Peggy Johnson, was honored as educator of the week by K103 radio and Concordia University.
Student-athletes thrive at St. Mary’s

MEDFORD — There is much excitement on the St. Mary’s School campus as the new year begins. A STEM center and student commons is being constructed, as well as a new residence hall for boarding students. St. Mary’s 2.0, an innovative new curriculum launched last August, has taken flight and students love it.
Tim Culligan keeps Holy Cross humming

“Holy Cross School is so blessed to have Tim Culligan as a legacy and a critical member on the school and parish staff,” said July Johnson, Holy Cross principal.
Students collaborate with Swedish peers

This fall, St. Pius X School in Northwest Portland began a three-year partnership with JDO Foundation’s Global Collaboration Program.
Actions louder than words

“When we say The Madeleine School is a faith-filled Catholic community committed to nurturing the growth of the whole child, we mean it,” says a school statement.