Italian Roots on Southeast 16th Avenue
St. Philip Neri Catholic Church stands on a quiet, tree-lined stretch of SE 16th Avenue in Portland's Brooklyn neighborhood, just east of the Willamette River and within walking distance of Ladd's Addition. The parish was founded in 1913 by the Paulist Fathers for the Italian immigrant families who had settled on Portland's industrial east side, and it remains Portland's second-oldest church still in service to that Italian-American community. More than a century later, the parish still wears its heritage openly, greeting visitors with a 'Benvenuti', hosting an annual Italian Festival, putting on spaghetti dinners, playing bocce, and supporting a music program led by a celebrated Portland pianist, while welcoming parishioners of many backgrounds into what its pastor describes as "a multiethnic and welcoming community intent on showing genuine love for the human person and respect for all God's creation."
A Parish Born for Portland's Immigrants, 1912 to 1913
Archbishop Alexander Christie saw the need. The 1910 U.S. Census counted roughly 90,000 Portland residents, and about 2,000 of them were Italian immigrants and their children, many working in the industrial east-side neighborhoods near the river. In 1912 the archbishop asked the Paulist Fathers in New York to send priests to start a new parish. Paulist Father Thomas Cullen traveled west to scout the mission, and within months Father Guy F. Quinan arrived directly from Rome to assist. Father Michael F. Smith, named the parish's first pastor in 1912, soon followed.
The founding priests celebrated their first Masses on the second floor of the Graziano family home on Division Street, where a few dozen worshippers gathered and the Grazianos' baby daughter became the parish's first Baptism. By 1913 the community had outgrown the makeshift chapel. A half-block on Hickory Street was purchased, and on June 1, 1913, Archbishop Christie blessed the cornerstone of the original church and school, which faced 16th Avenue and was dedicated to St. Philip Neri, the Apostle of Rome and one of the patron saints of the Paulist Fathers. Four Sisters of the Holy Child Jesus arrived from England that August, and by September 15 the Sisters were already registering children in a temporary chapel. First Mass in the new building was celebrated on Christmas Day 1913.
Belluschi's Sanctuary and the Postwar Expansion
The parish quickly outgrew the original 1913 church and school. In 1928 the Holy Child Sisters turned the school over to the Holy Names Sisters, who added staff to keep up with enrollment. A convent went up on Division Street in the mid-1950s on property once owned by Anthony Graziano, replacing a long streetcar commute for the teaching sisters. By the mid-1940s the congregation itself needed more room, and pastor Father Joseph F. Troy commissioned Portland's renowned architect Pietro Belluschi to design a new sanctuary. Ground was broken on the Feast of Christ the King in 1949, and the new church was consecrated one year later. The plain exterior was later faced in brick to match the convent walls, carillon bells from the Oregon Centennial Celebration were hung in the bell tower in 1960, and the concrete sanctuary walls were soon brightened with geometric designs and a red and gold baldacchino above the main altar. A redecorated Memorial Chapel included a Pieta carving.
Parochial school enrollment across the Pacific Northwest took a steep downturn in the early 1970s, and the elementary school closed in 1973, staffed to the end by the Sisters of the Holy Names. The building was remodeled and rededicated in January 1979 as the parish offices and the Paulist Evangelization Center, a mission of outreach, reconciliation, and ecumenical relations with the wider community. In 2004 the church's interior was redesigned to reflect the Second Vatican Council's call for greater lay participation: the main altar was moved to the center of the expanded sanctuary, front pews were angled to embrace the Table of the Lord, and a large skylight now directs natural light to the altar and ambo. The tabernacle was relocated to the left front shrine as a place of devotion and quiet prayer. The wall behind was later frescoed by parishioner and artist Jack Portland, while religious icons by parishioner-artist Mary Katsilometes were framed behind the statue of Mary, which was moved to the right front shrine across the sanctuary. The parish marked its 100th anniversary in 2013.
From Paulist Fathers to Archdiocesan Care, 2016 to Today
After 104 years, the Paulist Priests consolidated their ministries across the United States and withdrew from Oregon in 2016. The Portland archdiocese assumed pastoral care of the parish, with Archbishop Alexander K. Sample assigning administrator Father Nazario Atukunda to manage parish affairs for two years. Monsignor Richard Paperini then became pastor before retiring in 2020 as the early days of the COVID-19 pandemic were beginning to reshape daily life and church attendance. In July 2020 Archbishop Sample appointed Father Andrew Thomas to his first pastorate at St. Philip Neri, where he now leads the community with a reputation for warm, inviting preaching.
Mass Schedule, Reconciliation, and Adoration
St. Philip Neri keeps a small, steady rhythm of Masses through the week. The Saturday Vigil Mass is celebrated at 4:00 p.m., and the Sunday Mass is at 9:30 a.m. Weekday Masses are offered on Wednesday and Thursday at 9:00 a.m. and on Friday at 12:10 p.m. The Sacrament of Reconciliation is available by appointment through the parish office, and the community also gathers for communal Reconciliation services during Lent and Advent that include opportunities for individual confession. Adoration of the Blessed Sacrament takes place on the second Tuesday of each month from 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. in the Parish Center Chapel. The Anointing of the Sick is celebrated within the 12:10 p.m. Mass on the first Friday of each month and after Sunday Masses on the last weekend of the month.
The Seven Sacraments and OCIA
All seven Catholic sacraments are celebrated at St. Philip Neri. Baptisms are normally held during the Saturday Vigil Mass at 4:00 p.m. or the Sunday Mass at 9:30 a.m., and parents are asked to attend a Baptismal Preparation Class beforehand. Godparents must include at least one fully initiated Roman Catholic; a baptized non-Catholic Christian may serve as a Christian witness. Children prepare for First Reconciliation and First Holy Communion through the parish Religious Education Program, which begins classes in September for children who are seven or older. The Confirmation program for high school students begins each September and culminates in the sacrament. Adults who have not yet received Baptism, Eucharist, or Confirmation are invited into OCIA, the Order of Christian Initiation of Adults, which starts in September and concludes after Easter, with classes offered in English. Couples preparing for marriage are asked to contact Fr. Andrew at the parish office six months to a year before the desired wedding date.
Music Ministry with Kit Taylor
Music is a signature ministry at St. Philip Neri. Kit Taylor, described by the parish as one of the most gifted pianists and vocalists in the state, leads the music at every Mass as the parish's Music and IT Director. A Berklee-trained singer-songwriter with twelve songwriting awards, Taylor not only shapes the music program but also designs and maintains the parish's online presence and newsletter. On major holy days such as Easter and Christmas he brings in colleagues, including vocalist Amber Schroeder and saxophonist Willie Matheis. The parish's identity as Portland's "second church in service to the Italian immigrant community" is kept alive in part through this musical life, and the Italian Festival of Portland, hosted at and around the parish each year, has featured the Glory Singers, Michael Allen Harrison with Julianne Johnson, and appearances by Father Andrew and Tony La Stella that have been covered on KOIN 6 and AM Northwest.
Faith Formation for Children and Adults
Faith formation at St. Philip Neri is rooted in the parish Religious Education Program and in OCIA. Children's Faith Formation classes prepare children for the sacraments of Reconciliation, Eucharist, and Confirmation at the appropriate ages, and the parish invites parents and children to begin the conversation with Fr. Andrew. Adult inquirers, whether unbaptized, baptized in another Christian tradition, or already Catholic but preparing for Confirmation or Communion, find a structured path through OCIA, with regular ritual acts and a community of fellow seekers walking the same road. The parish also hosts adult Italian language classes through Studio Lingua, a way to engage with the heritage of the founding community.
Parish Councils and Liturgical Ministries
Parish life is shaped by three councils that advise the pastor. The SPN Leadership Council, established in 2021, meets monthly with Fr. Andrew to discuss parish programming, growth opportunities, and challenges, and serves as a liaison with other committees and ministries. The SPN Pastoral Council meets the second Sunday of each month at 10:50 a.m. in Carvlin Hall from September through May, offering pastoral counsel and reading the spiritual and practical needs of the parish. The SPN Finance Council, required by Canon Law, meets monthly after the 9:30 Mass to assist with stewardship of parish finances, prepare annual budgets, and protect parish property.
Liturgical ministry is open to anyone who would like to serve. Welcome Ministers greet worshippers, hand out music books, count attendance, and answer questions. Eucharistic Ministers assist with the distribution of Holy Communion and the setup and cleanup around it. Lectors proclaim the first and second readings. Altar Servers, who are youth who have received First Communion, assist the priest at the altar. Eucharistic Ministers and Lectors are typically scheduled to serve once per month.
The Altar & Rosary Society and the Food Pantry
The St. Philip Neri Altar and Rosary Society has been part of the parish for over fifty years, with a mission of caring for the church under the guidance of the Blessed Virgin Mary. The women of the society meet the second Tuesday of each month at 1:00 p.m. in Carvlin Hall between September and May. They purchase linens, vestments, candles, communion hosts, and wine, arrange weekly church cleaning, and assist at funeral receptions. Their most successful fundraiser is the Michael Allen Harrison Christmas concert, and they also host themed basket raffles and a community rummage sale. The society extends its care beyond the parish through donations to St. Vincent de Paul, Meals on Wheels, the Snowman Foundation (which funds music education for disadvantaged children), and the Bradley-Angle shelter, where members assemble Welcome Bags of hygiene supplies for residents and purchase Fred Meyer gift cards at Christmas.
A parish food pantry, now relocated to the Parish Center, welcomes contributions from parishioners and neighbors. The Building and Grounds Committee is also working to rebuild the parish bocce court as a living tribute to the parish's Italian roots.
Buildings, Grounds, and the Restoration Wish List
The parish campus occupies an expansive and aging block that includes the sanctuary, Carvlin Hall, the Nancy Salta Center, and several meeting rooms. The Building and Grounds Committee meets the second Tuesday of each month from 6:00 to 7:00 p.m. in Carvlin Hall and oversees ongoing maintenance. Recent projects have included upgraded outdoor security lighting tied into the existing camera system, maturing rain gardens installed by the City of Portland to divert storm water from the municipal sewer, and reliable subcontractors for landscaping, mechanical work, and roofing. Future projects on the committee's list include a rebuilt bocce court, the next wave of sidewalk repairs (financed through an Archdiocesan Safety Grant to address heaving caused by mature tree roots in Ladd's Addition), and long-term planning for the eventual replacement of aging roof systems across the campus. Volunteer work parties are scheduled semi-annually in the spring and fall.
Spaces for Rent on the Parish Campus
The parish opens several of its spaces to outside renters, subject to availability and approval. Carvlin Hall, a large venue on Portland's southeast side, accommodates 150 with chairs or up to 350 without, with a full kitchen, stage, piano, sound capabilities, and adjacent parking, and rents for $200 per hour or $1,150 per day. The church itself seats up to 300 for concerts, rehearsals, and special events at $200 per hour or $1,100 per day, with discounted rates for concert rehearsals. The Nancy Salta Center holds 120 and rents for $120 per hour or $550 per day. The St. Frances Cabrini Room, the St. Theresa of Calcutta Room, and the St. John Paul II Room each accommodate roughly 50 and rent for $70 to $90 per hour. The St. Catherine of Sienna Room in the parish Community Center offers Wi-Fi, HDMI hookups, and Chromecast and AirPlay streaming for $50 per hour or $300 per day. The St. Andrew Room holds 15 and rents for $30 per hour or $175 per day. All facility renters have access to a 100-plus-space parking lot, and water coolers are available in Carvlin Hall, the Community Center, and the Nancy Salta Center.
Studio Lingua and the Italian Festival of Portland
The parish's Italian heritage is most visible to the wider community through Studio Lingua, an Italian immersion preschool that operates on the parish campus and is currently enrolling new students. The school invites families to schedule a tour. Studio Lingua also offers adult Italian classes, and the parish remains a gathering point for the annual Italian Festival of Portland, which brings together parish leaders, parishioners, and the wider Italian-American community for music, food, and fellowship. The parish also hosts spaghetti dinners and concerts throughout the year, with proceeds supporting the work of the Altar and Rosary Society and parish operations. A large parking lot, a campus that includes meeting rooms named for St. Frances Cabrini, St. Catherine of Siena, St. Andrew, St. Theresa of Calcutta, and St. John Paul II, and an active bulletin and calendar keep the rhythm of the parish visible to neighbors throughout the year.
Parish registration is available through the parish office for anyone who would like to become part of the community, and gifts to support the work of St. Philip Neri can be made online. Music and parish videos are shared on YouTube, and online giving makes stewardship simple. The parish invites newcomers, returning Catholics, and anyone looking for a spiritual home to join the community of St. Philip Neri, "well, brothers and sisters, to do good in honor of God the creator."