| Archdiocese of Portland in Oregon Archidioecesis Portlandensis in Oregon |
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|---|---|
| Location | |
| Country | United States |
| Territory | 18 counties in Western Oregon |
| Ecclesiastical province | Province of Portland |
| Metropolitan | Portland, Oregon |
| Population - Catholics |
389,345[1] (12.8%) |
| Information | |
| Denomination | Roman Catholic |
| Rite | Roman Rite |
| Established | July 24, 1846 (as Diocese of Oregon City) Elevated to archdiocese July 29, 1850 |
| Cathedral | Saint Mary's Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception |
| Patron saint | Immaculate Conception |
| Current leadership | |
| Pope | Benedict XVI |
| Archbishop | John George Vlazny Archbishop of Portland in Oregon |
| Emeritus Bishops | Kenneth Steiner Auxiliary Bishop Emeritus of Portland in Oregon |
| Map | |
| Website | |
| archdpdx.org | |
The Archdiocese of Portland in Oregon (Archidioecesis Portlandensis in Oregon) is an archdiocese of the Roman Catholic Church in the Pacific Northwest region of the United States. It encompasses the western part of the state of Oregon, from the summit of the Cascades to the Pacific Ocean. The Archbishop of Portland serves as the Ordinary of the archdiocese and Metropolitan of the Ecclesiastical Province of Portland whose suffragan dioceses cover the entire three states of Oregon, Idaho, & Montana. The dioceses of the province include Baker (eastern Oregon), Boise (Idaho), Helena (western Montana), and Great Falls-Billings (eastern Montana).
According to 2005 statistics provided by the archdiocese, it serves nearly 400,000 Catholics. There are 312 priests, 498 sisters, 124 parishes, and 24 missions in the archdiocese. There are 8,981 pupils in 42 parochial elementary schools, and 5,153 students in ten high schools. Nine hospitals served over 1.25 million patients.
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The origins of the Catholic Church in the Oregon Country derive from a July 3, 1834, petition by French Prairie settlers to priests in Canada. In response to this petition, missionary priests, Rev. Francis Xavier Norbert Blanchet and Rev. Modeste Demers arrived at Fort Vancouver on November 24, 1838. The first Mass was celebrated on January 6, 1839 at St. Paul.
On December 1, 1843, the Vatican established the Vicariate Apostolic of the Oregon Territory with Rev. Msgr. Blanchet as its first Vicar Apostolic. A Vicar Apostolic is a bishop in a territory which has not yet been organized as a diocese. The following year, Rev. Pierre-Jean DeSmet, S.J., and fellow priests and Sisters of Notre Dame de Namur arrived in Astoria from Belgium.
On July 24, 1846, Pope Pius IX divided the existing vicariate apostolic into three dioceses: Oregon City (Oregonopolitanus); Walla Walla (Valle Valliensis); and Vancouver Island (Insula Vancouver). On July 29, 1850, the Diocese of Oregon City was elevated to an archdiocese with Archbishop Blanchet continuing to serve as its first archbishop.
Rapid growth in the Pacific Northwest lead to the loss of territory of the Archdiocese of Oregon City from which the Vatican created the Vicariate Apostolic of Idaho and Montana on March 3, 1868, and the Diocese of Baker City on June 19, 1903.
The Archdiocese was renamed by the Vatican as Portland in Oregon on September 26, 1928.
Historic parish churches in the archdiocese include:
The church's sex abuse scandal led the archdiocese to file for Chapter 11 reorganization on July 6, 2004, hours before two abuse trials were set to begin. Portland became the first Catholic diocese to file for bankruptcy. An open letter to the archdiocese's parishioners explained the archbishop's motivation.
From 1843 to 1846, the Oregon Country was an apostolic vicariate, led by Francis Norbert Blanchet. Once established as an archdiocese, it was led by the following:
Archbishops of Oregon City:
Archbishops of Portland in Oregon:
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