St. Rose of Lima

2727 Ne 54th Ave


St. Rose of Lima was a 16th century saint from Lima, Peru, known for her ascetism. She is said to have slept on boards covered with shards of glass. Opposing her parents' desire for her to marry, she cut her hair short and disfigured her face to discourage suitors. When young, she brought the sick and hungry to her parents' home to minister to them.

The church is in northeast Portland across the street from the Southeast Asian Vicariate and there were a scattering of parishioners who appeared to be Southeast Asian immigrants -- likely from Vietnam. The exterior is reminiscent of the Spanish-inspired church architecture of California. Perhaps this is why it is named after a South American saint. Overall, the church felt very much like Holy Redeemer church, also in northeast Portland, with plenty of young families from the surrounding neighborhoods of Hollywood and Rose City.

The most memorable thing about this church was the sermon given by its pastor, Fr. Peter Smith. Father Smith begins at an advantage having a South African accent. His sermon was at the same time academic and folksy. The readings contained admonitions to be prepared, especially concerning the end times. He began sharing historical information about the destruction of the Jewish temple in Jerusalem in approx. 70 AD by the Romans. Next he told a story of driving in the country in South Africa when a herd of elands came unusually close to his car. By the time he had activated his camera he had missed the rare chance to photograph these retiring animals, the largest of all antelope. He then told a second story about his being ready to seize an opportunity (this time to pick up a check from friends who never allow him to do so). The moral of these stories was to be prepared to take advantage of spiritual opportunities God may bring our way. His sermon was really excellent on many levels.

St. Charles Borromeo

www.stcharlespdx.org/


St. Charles Borromeo, like St. Philip Neri church, is named after an Italian saint. Charles Borromeo was a 16th century bishop of Milan - a reformer with a heart for the poor.

The present church structure at St. Charles was built in 1954 "in the style of California mission churches" according to the parish website. The exterior is brick and although adorned with multiple brick crosses, I could not see a cross on a steeple. The interior walls are made of cinder blocks and yet it is a handsome interior. The stainglass windows are made with large divisions of glass, which cause the images to appear abstract.

The church was remodelled in 1995 "in a style to draw the people together as a family around the Table of the Lord's Word and Sacrament." What this means is that the pews no longer face the crucifix at the end of the church. Instead, the pews face across the the short side of the church and the alter has been moved to where the pews face. The area where the alter is almost the entire length of the church and fit a piano, three song leaders and the altar with plenty of spare room.

The most striking thing about St. Charles Borromeo is the diversity of the parishioners. Like a mini-UN, there are Latinos, Whites, Blacks, Asians and Pacific Islanders. As the parish bulletin puts it: "Saint Charles Borromeo is a Catholic parish for people who enjoy the celebration of the Eucharist in a culturally rich and diverse community."

The people were friendly and seemed actively involved. Looked like a fine place to go to church.

St. Philip Neri Church

http://www.stphilipneripdx.org/


St. Philip Neri Church is located near SE 18th and Division. It was once a predominantly Italian-American parish. The present church building was built in 1950. The interior is a cavernous space with a ceiling that must be 60 feet high. The interior is spare and the acoustics are supposedly excellent. Today, however, the PA system was intermittent, with the right-hand speakers going on and off.

A man I assumed to be the pastor, Father Gerald Tully, CSP, (Congregation of St. Paul -- The Paulists) asked visitors to raise their hands and then asked everyone to introduce themselves. My pew neighbors were quite friendly. Dress was generally informal, with lots of jeans. On the conservative-liberal spectrum, I would say this church tends toward the liberal side.

The St. Philp Neri parish emphasizes faith-building, outreach and social justice. Next to the church there are buildings dedicated to these goals called the Paulist Center. It has its own website explaining its works.

The most unique part of the Mass was that the homily was given by a woman, not by the presiding priest. This, to say the least, is not a common practice in Catholic churches. I am not sure I have ever heard a woman preach the sermon in a Catholic church before. I do not know whether she was a lay person or a religious. She was not wearing a habit but not all nuns do. She gave an informative and rather academic exposition mainly concerning the Old Testament reading, which was from the book of Daniel. Should you think that everyone believes women should be preachers, however, just do a web search on "should women preach" and read what you find. There are plenty of bible versus that can be used to argue that women should not preach. The opposing arguments are likely to be that those verses were written in a time and in a culture very different to our own, and should not apply today. I leave it to others to decide this question.

St. Philip Neri made an impression on me as a friendly church and with the Paulist Center, like an excellent place to get involved in church activities outside of Mass.

Saint Patrick Catholic Church

http://sites.google.com/site/stpatrickpdx/


St. Patrick Catholic Church is another beautiful Catholic church. Unfortunately, progress has left it positioned almost directly under the Highway 30 exit from Interstate 405 in northwest Portland. Ignoring that unfortunate fact, it is a handsome historic stone edifice in what was once a working class neighborhood. Built in 1889, it is the oldest Catholic church in Portland.

There are only two Masses: an 8:30 a.m. Mass in Spanish and a 10:30 a.m. Mass in English. I went to the 10:30 Mass on a cool and rainy November day. The sun came out intermittently during Mass, though, highlighting the stained glass windows.

Monsignor Timothy Murphy presided. Father Murphy is as dry as the Sahara. At first his delivery was so clipped and monotone I thought he might be angry or depressed. He could give Ben Stein a run for his money.

Not recognizing me as one of their own, the parishioners treated me like the dangerous unknown entity that I have come to expect to be treated like at these unfamiliar Catholic churches. Northwest Portland is now home to the fairly well-to-do. I am curious to see if when I visit some poorer churches on the east side the natives are any friendlier.

Holy Rosary Church

holyrosarypdx.org

(I didn't really go to church twice today. I am just a little late in getting around to posting this visit.)

I go to Holy Rosary quite often - almost as much as I go to St. Mary's Cathedral. It has quite a few Masses so it's easy to find a convenient time. I like the 1 p.m. Mass. There is also a Gregorian chant Mass each Sunday and once a month a latin Mass in the Dominican rite.

Holy Rosary is old fashioned. First, you will see many women with their heads covered, just as in the old days. Second, you will see families with 5 or 6 children, all under the age of 10. Where else in Portland do you still see large families? Third, during most all the Masses there is no kiss of peace. After the congregation says to the priest, "and peace be with you," the priest just continues with the Mass. There is no pause for handshaking or greeting your neighbor.

Another thing that sets this church apart is lots of times for confession. A priest (or sometimes two) hears confession virtually every day of the week. I think this emphasis on confessions is very good and holy.

Holy Rosary, although part of the Archdiocese of Portland, is staffed entirely by the Dominicans, the Order of Preachers. They live together in community at the rectory. Holy Rosary was damaged by fire in the 1990's and has been remodeled. It was beautifully done.

Almost in keeping with the 1950s old-fashion style of the place, the parishioners are far from outgoing. It's really a flaw of American Catholic churches in general, but I think the parishioners at Holy Rosary are particularly distant. I have been there scores of times and only once did a parishioner speak with me - an usher asked if I would like to volunteer as an usher. Except for that one time, the parishioners are truly Catholic in their reserve.

As a stranger to a Baptist church, I have been greeted by three different people on a single visit asking about my status and inviting me to join this or that group or committee. I think it is perfectly possible to go to a Catholic church every Sunday for a year and not meet another parishioner. Catholics are not taught to be outgoing or even friendly, much less evangelical. The Catholic Church in the United States mostly grows through birth and immigration, not from the evangelical efforts of its members. But I will leave the remainder of that discussion for another day.

As I said earlier, though, I go to church here quite often. I think I do because of the atmosphere at Holy Rosary, and the word that best describes it is "holy."