St. Juan Diego Parish

St. Juan Diego Parish
5995 NW 178th Ave

Portland, OR 97229

St. Juan Diego is the newest church in the Archdiocese of Portland.  It is named after the man to whom the Virgin of Guadalupe appeared in 1531 at Tepeyac Hill, now part of the most northern district of Mexico City.  Archbishop Vlazny founded the Parish on July 31, 2002, the same day as Pope John Paul II canonized Juan Diego.

Although there is nothing particularly special about the outside of the church, the inside is something to see.  It is a large, roomy space with exceeding high ceilings.  There are many floor to ceiling windows that provide most of the interior light.  The pews are arranged in an incomple circle around the alter, which appears to be made of solid fir.  There are two tree trunks on the wall behind the alter, each some 30 feet tall.  It is an impressive space. 

The church is located off SW 185th in the far reaches of westside Portland.  It is across the street from the Portland Community College Rock Creek campus.   Despite being named after a Mexican saint, the parishioners were overwhelmingly white at the 11:30 am Mass I attended. 

The words to songs or prayers were projected onto one of the walls -- a very modern touch.  I would highly recommed a visit to this Parish, if only to view its unique and beautiful interior.