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Thriving Parishes Project to Corvallis and Newport, OR


St. Patrick Mission in Newport, OR and St. Anne Church in Corvallis, OR | January 31st to February 2nd, 2025


Thriving Parishes Project Program Director Priest Andrew Smith was on the road again, this time visiting St. Patrick Mission in Newport, OR and St. Anne Church in Corvallis, OR. The Church Health Teams for both communities met Friday afternoon at Dn. John and Sally Gallagher’s farm and worked into the evening.

Fr. Andrew drove out to the Oregon Coast to concelebrate and preach at the Divine Liturgy at St. Patrick Mission with Archpriest Stephen Soot; Dn. John Gallagher assisted. St. Patrick has many icons of Celtic Saints, and so it was fitting that in addition to celebrating the memory of the martyr Tryphon, the Venerable Brigid of Ireland was also commemorated on February 1. Fr. Andrew introduced the full scope of the Thriving Parishes Project to the faithful after a potluck breakfast. The community was founded in 2018 as a daughter parish of St. Anne and, though it rents out space in All Nations Lutheran Church, expertly sets up and takes down a makeshift iconostasis, altar table, and analogia, all custom built by Sean Stephens.

After returning to Corvallis, Fr. Stephen invited Fr. Andrew to concelebrate at the festal portions of the All-Night Vigil for the Meeting of the Lord. The next day, Fr. Andrew preached at the Festal Divine Liturgy and addressed the parishioners after coffee hour. St. Anne Church was founded in 1990. Fr. Stephen Soot was ordained to the Holy Priesthood in 1992 in order to serve this budding community in the Willamette Valley, and has faithfully served it ever since, first as a bi-vocational priest, then a full time priest. Like St. Patrick Mission, the services at St. Anne were once celebrated in a rented-out space and has moved to a different location multiple times. It has been at its current location at the historic Lewisburg Grange Hall since 2003, and counts over 100 members.

The parish hosted its first Thriving Parishes Project learning module discussion (on charities) this past week. Just as we hoped, it fostered a lively and introspective conversation. Both of these communities expressed great interest in experiencing what else will be offered in the coming months and years.


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