Welcome to Sacred Heart-St. Louis Catholic Church. Situated in the Willamette Valley of Western Oregon we take pride in our two most distinguishing characteristics: farming and the Eucharist. Why farming? Well, it is just what a majority of us do around here. Established in 1847 our Catholic community grew amidst the annual harvests. And why the Eucharist? Well, it is just who we are as Catholics. Since 1986 Sacred Heart-St. Louis parish has provided perpetual Eucharistic adoration for the faithful as they strive to strengthen their relationship with Jesus Christ by spending time with him in front of his true presence.
Farming and the Eucharist go hand-in-hand because you cannot have the Eucharist without cultivating the earth and you cannot have farming without God’s presence in the world. This simple truth reveals God’s desire to penetrate every aspect of our lives with His presence. When we come to the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass every day we bring to the altar the fruit of the land that God has given us out of our own toil and present that back to Him in thanksgiving as a pure and unblemished sacrifice.
The community here at Sacred Heart-St. Louis Catholic Church strives to allow God to penetrate all aspects of our lives as we take to heart the Second Vatican Council’s teaching found in Lumen Gentium which states that the Eucharist is "the source and summit of the Christian life” (LG, 11). The Eucharist is the source in that it is where all our blessings come from and it is the summit because it is the place of greatest union with Jesus Christ we can taste here on earth. With the Eucharist at the center of our lives God’s love is ever more able to flow into our ministries, our community and into the lives of those who pass through our church doors each and every day.
We welcome you to browse our website to learn more about this unique Catholic community nestled in between farming and the true presence of Christ in the Eucharist. May God be glorified in all we do!
Yours in Christ,
Fr. James Herrera
Pastor - Sacred Heart-St. Louis Catholic Church