Since arriving here in July, I have heard it said several times, and in several forums, that the Southern Oregon parishes are the forgotten parishes of the Archdiocese. This of course is experienced by the fact that we are geographically far away from the Pastoral Center, and in order to participate in some of the Archdiocesan events, it is up to us to make the drive. Well, I don’t believe we are the forgotten parishes. As a matter of fact, I happen to know the great love Archbishop Vlazny has for us. He travels down here several times a year for different events, and he has worked hard at placing priests who can serve the people well. The very fact that we have five bilingual priests is amazing.

Maybe even more exciting than the priests, we had two of our very own parishioners, Joan Legg and Bill Ihle, awarded with medals from the Vatican. I like to think that we are fairly special to the Archdiocese. As a matter of fact, when I first came here from Our Lady of the Lake Parish, the OLM Administrative Council made it clear to me that we give much greater than expected, per capita, to the Archbishop’s Catholic Appeal.

It has been proven over and over again to me that there is something special going on here in our parish. We are award winners, we are incredibly generous, and we are on fire for God. We are definitely an integral part of the vitality of the Archdiocese of Portland.

-Father Sean