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The following is taken from entries by Father Hermann in the register of St. Anthony Church:
"In 1878, steps were taken to build a small church, about 20 feet by 40 feet in size. Patrick Forrestal and his wife donated four acres of timberland on the northwest corner of their farm - about one mile from Beaverton. (This was about where the tennis courts and park are located on Cedar Hills Boulevard.) But there were no means to clear the place and I would not build the church in the timber for obvious reasons.
Mr. Bernard McKenna offered one acre of cleared ground to build upon, plus one acre of timberland. (Southwest of the bowling alley on Walker Road.) John O'Brien also donated two acres of timberland. A strip of 1.4 acres lying between the two lots was bought by Archbishop Blanchet from Bernard McKenna for $14. This place was and is the most central location of the Catholic settlers in that section.
For want of means, the church was not finished inside, nor a vestry built as intended. In 1880, the building was painted outside - three coats. In 1882, it was necessary to move the church from its first location to the opposite corner of the lot. (Near where the cemetery is presently located on Murray Road.) Two reasons for the move were the changing of the country road and the selection of a suitable burial ground.
The long desired addition was put up in 1882, but not in a good way, and many things had to be altered at the final finish, causing a great outlay of money. To provide for the things required for the church additions, divine services and other necessities, an Altar Society was started on a small scale in 1879.
In 1884, the undersigned undertook at his own risk, to finish the church, and succeeded."
The dedication of the church on Oct. 22, 1884, was entered in the records as follows: In the year of 1884, on Oct. 22, Reverend Francis Fierens, in the absence of Archbishop Charles John Seghers, blessed the church near Cedar Mill at Beaverton, in honor of St. Anthony of Padua. On this occasion, we had the privilege of the hymns and canticles. Present were Reverend Dominic Faber, Rev. Father G.C. Thibau, Rev. M. J. White, Rev. Ed. O'Dea, and Rev. Joseph E. Hermann. The Great Litany of the Saints was recited during the Mass. There was a Solemn Mass and a Sermon and Benediction. The blessing of the stations occurred on Nov. 3, 1884. There were thirteen for Confirmation in October, 1885, by Archbishop William H. Gross.
Signed, Joseph Edward Hermann
Rector of the Church of the
Visitation of the Blessed
Virgin Mary (formerly St. Francis Xavier, Verboort.)
Interior of St. Anthony Church in Cedar Mill, around 1900.
The Rev. Charles Wierienski became pastor in 1886. He was succeeded by Father Dominic Faber in 1887. With the blessing of the new church, the thoughts of the parishioners turned in another direction - they must have a Catholic school for their children.
The year of 1888 was a building year for the fledgling parish. As soon as the weather allowed, building began on a new school and the school was ready to open Sept. 3. The Dominican Sisters were in charge and tuition was set at $1 a month - a formidable sum for those days.
But the school was only part of the building. Work also began on a parsonage. The Catholic Sentinel of Aug. 23, 1888, described it as "a neat, two-story structure 24 feet by 28 feet." The eight- room structure cost $800 and was completed in October.
In 1891, Father Hermann returned as pastor of St. Anthony Parish, replacing Father Dominic Faber who went to a new parish in Cornelius. Father Hermann was replaced by the Rev. M. J. Kelly in 1892.
Even in those days, there were problems in finding enough sisters to staff the existent Catholic schools. For a time, the school was without sisters and then, on Jan. 21, 1895, the school opened under the direction of the Sisters of Mercy from New Zealand. And their convent was not long in building - it was dedicated Sept. 24 of that year by Archbishop William H. Gross.
It was in 1895 that Father Kelly left the parish and it was served by priests from Portland. Father Arthur Lane provided priestly services during 1896 and Father Gibney, also from Portland, served the parish in 1897.
Rebuilt St. Anthony School, around 1899. The Sisters of Mercy were not destined to enjoy their new home for long. In 1897, both the convent and the school were destroyed by fire.
The two buildings were rebuilt again, two years later, in what became a community project as Protestant neighbors pitched in to help members of the struggling parish in the rebuilding. Archbishop Alexander Christie dedicated the sisters' house and the school.
Father Gibney was pastor during the rebuilding of the convent and the school. He was succeeded by Father John Heinrich from Portland who served during 1898, the year which saw the United States come to grips with Spain in the Spanish-American War.
He was succeeded by Father Levecque, also from Portland, who served the parish in 1899 and 1900, the last of the Portland priests to serve in such a capacity.
In the next year, Father L. A. LeMiller was appointed to the parish and he was assisted by Father Reutgen, Father O'Reilly, Father Anthony Moore, and Father Tompkin, all from St. Mary's Home, through 1903. Father Tompkin and Father Moore served the parish through 1905.
Sts. Peter and Paul Church on Cooper Mountain was built in 1902 in property donated by the Gassner family. Under the guidance of Father O'Riley, four families helped with the construction: the A. Gassners, Nick Kemmers, A. Burkharts, and the T. Meehams.
The necessities for the altar, including an artistic tabernacle veil, were provided by Mrs. Rigert and the Sisters of St. Mary of Oregon.
The Cooper Mountain Mission was served by priests from St. Mary's Home and from Portland.
One of the first Masses said there was a High Mass on Easter Monday, March 31, 1902, by Father Moore from St. Mary's Home. The choir was led by Father LeMiller.
After only a few years, Mass was said there less frequently. As roads and transportation improved, the church fell into disrepair. It stood idle for at least 15 years and was torn down about 1931.
The first church to serve Beaverton was a remodeled cheese factory. In 1903, Archbishop Christie bought a tract of land in Beaverton to establish a church.
By that time, Beaverton, which had been incorporated 10 years earlier, was outstripping Cedar Mill in population and seemed the logical place to establish a new church. Father LeMiller acquired a building which had been part of a cheese factory and moved it to the land purchased by the archbishop.
The site was approximately where Damerow Ford now is located, on Canyon Road, just east of Hall Boulevard.
However, it was some time before the church was ready. There is no record of Mass being said there until 1908. On Aug. 2, 1908, the church was dedicated to St. Mary and Mass then was said every Sunday in Beaverton.
The first funeral in the church was that of Owen Murray on Dec. 4. 1909. The first child baptized was Georgiana Malarkey on the day after Christmas in 1909.
The first marriage was of Decatur and Helen Ford, March 12,1910.
Father Tompkin and Father Deeney from St. Mary's Home and Monsignor Rauw, each in his turn, served the little parish until 1911 when the Rev. T. J. Daum was named as the first resident pastor in Beaverton. He lived in a little house near the church which had been rented for a rectory.