History of the School
The history of St. Paul Parochial School dates back over 170 years. The Church and school were the first Catholic Church and school built in the Oregon territory. In the early 1830’s, French trappers settled on the east side of the Willamette River, 30 miles south of the river’s confluence with the Columbia. These trappers, mostly Catholic French Canadians, lived in log cabins and in 1836, they built a log church. In 1839, Father Blanchet arrived, established a 2,500-acre mission and named it after St. Paul, the missionary saint. St. Joseph’s College, the first Catholic school in Oregon, was built due to the inspiration of Archbishop Blanchet with funds from a former fur trader, Joseph Larocque. On October 17, 1843, St. Joseph’s College, a primary and secondary school for boys, opened with Father Antoine Langlois in charge.
On September 9, 1844, six Sisters of Notre Dame de Namur, who had braved icy seas on their ship the Indefatigable, opened Sainte Marie de Willamette in St. Paul. The school building was a shed and the first classes were held in the fields. In 1846, Archbishop Blanchet oversaw construction of the brick church that still stands today in the center of St. Paul. The church served as the cathedral for the Oregon Territory, a 3,500 square-mile expanse that covered a good piece of the Pacific Northwest. Both schools endured until most of the families of St. Paul left for the California gold fields. In 1853, the Sisters left for San Jose. As more and more pioneers made their way to Oregon, the Sisters of the Holy Names of Jesus and Mary answered Archbishop Blanchet’s call. In 1861, they arrived in St. Paul, planted crops and began classes in the abandoned school building. The Sisters of the Holy Names of Jesus and Mary served in St. Paul well into the 1980’s. Their charism, “We educate to bring liberation, we stand in solidarity with those who are invisible, discounted, and disenfranchised, and we work with others to bring about a world of just relationships”, lives on in the work of St. Paul Parochial School today.
The history of St. Paul Parochial School dates back over 170 years. The Church and school were the first Catholic Church and school built in the Oregon territory. In the early 1830’s, French trappers settled on the east side of the Willamette River, 30 miles south of the river’s confluence with the Columbia. These trappers, mostly Catholic French Canadians, lived in log cabins and in 1836, they built a log church. In 1839, Father Blanchet arrived, established a 2,500-acre mission and named it after St. Paul, the missionary saint. St. Joseph’s College, the first Catholic school in Oregon, was built due to the inspiration of Archbishop Blanchet with funds from a former fur trader, Joseph Larocque. On October 17, 1843, St. Joseph’s College, a primary and secondary school for boys, opened with Father Antoine Langlois in charge.
On September 9, 1844, six Sisters of Notre Dame de Namur, who had braved icy seas on their ship the Indefatigable, opened Sainte Marie de Willamette in St. Paul. The school building was a shed and the first classes were held in the fields. In 1846, Archbishop Blanchet oversaw construction of the brick church that still stands today in the center of St. Paul. The church served as the cathedral for the Oregon Territory, a 3,500 square-mile expanse that covered a good piece of the Pacific Northwest. Both schools endured until most of the families of St. Paul left for the California gold fields. In 1853, the Sisters left for San Jose. As more and more pioneers made their way to Oregon, the Sisters of the Holy Names of Jesus and Mary answered Archbishop Blanchet’s call. In 1861, they arrived in St. Paul, planted crops and began classes in the abandoned school building. The Sisters of the Holy Names of Jesus and Mary served in St. Paul well into the 1980’s. Their charism, “We educate to bring liberation, we stand in solidarity with those who are invisible, discounted, and disenfranchised, and we work with others to bring about a world of just relationships”, lives on in the work of St. Paul Parochial School today.