The Irish standard., 1905-05-27
Religion in Oregon.

Religion IN oregon.
Kingsley is a small village of some
half a dozen houses in about the cen
ter of Wasco county, Oregon, and 25
Miles from The Dalles. Two and
half miles from this village there is
small frame church, and frame house
where the priest lives when lat
home" When the priest reaches this
isolated little home, dusty and tired in
summer, or half frozen in winter, after
six hours staging from The Dalles, he
proceeds to open up the house for
vetilation, shut for month or more
He next kindles a fire, gets his buck
cts and goes some 500 yards for wa
ter to neighbours in the ravine or
canyon near by. But he enjoys one
great luxury which can never be ap-
preciated by one unfamiliar with our
novel conditions and surroundings.
He can go out on his front porch and
take a most refreshing, generous
wash-undisturbed and unobserved by
living things, save, perhaps, by the
ubiquitous jackrabbit or hungry coy
ote, writes Father Hicken in the Occi-
dental Magazine.
Kingsley parish embraces all Wasco
county, except The Dalles and a mar
row strip along the Columbia river to
Hood river; all Sherman county and
at present the counties of Crook and
Wheeler-over $4,000 square miles.
The total population of these four
counties is only 23,O83, and the Catho.
lie population 200 souls, or some 40
families, of whom about one-half may
be counted on to support the church
and pastor. Within this immense mis-
sionary circuit there are some half
dozen pretty fair towns, from $50 to
800 of population each-Dufur, Wasco,
Moro (the county seat), Grass Valley,
Kent, Shaniko, Antelope-in all of
which there are but four Catholic fam
lilies. There are also quite number
of small villages and hamlets-Briggs,
Grants, Rufus, Boyd, Nansine, Wapa-
nitia, Wamic, Victor, Tigh Ridge, Ash
| wood-in which there is not a single
Catholic family, or, believe, individ-
ual There is not a Catholic Gin busi-
ness" or in the professions" in all
these towns, big or little. But we la
| Dor on undismayed, travelling from one
| Catholic family to another, teaching
the catechism, visiting the sick, lec-
| turing to non-Catholics, hearing con-
fessions and celebrating mass when
and where we can. Occasionally we
gather in stray Sheep" and some
times we are rewarded with a good
conversion. Usually it takes three
weeks or month to make the circuit
of our missions. But" said a dear
friend to us once, "how do you reach
these terrible places-these noun.
tains and canyons-how do you trav-
el?" WELL" we replied jocularly,
any way except to fly"
! Our dear Protestant friends are
more than kind. They take a deep
interest in our church work, and con-
tribute readily to all Catholic institu-
tions. Indeed, it is but just to them
to state here that the beautiful little
church which we have just built at
Wasco was almost wholly the result
of their liberality.
It is the first Catholic church in
Sherman county, and with the excep-
ton of The Dalles, 30 miles distant,
there is not another Catholic church
within radius of 100 miles.
The church is 76x2S feet. has living
apartments for the priest and a fine
basement throughout eight feet in the
clear. 1t is finished in the natural
woodward oil and varnish--and is
the pride of all Wasco. When com.
pleted and furnished it will, with the
ground donation, represent a cash val
ue close to $4,000, with a total out.
standing Indebtedness of about $500.
We're we able, through some benevo-
lent agency, to build even one little
church in each county. great things
could be accomplished for religion.
The priest would be within reasonable
reach of the widely-scattered little con.
gregations, the timid and the waver-
ing would he strengthened and the
poor fallen-away Catholics receive
new hope and encouragement.
Mrs. C. p. Preston, Insurance. Rea,