12 - History of St. Joseph’s Church, Roseburg

12

History of St. Joseph’s Church, Roseburg

1 p.; clipping

A clipping of an article titled ‘History of St. Joseph’s, Roseburg’ by Fr. Bernard Clery OFM Cap., chronicling the early foundations of the Catholic Church in Oregon’s Umpqua Valley. It highlights Father Croke as the first priest to visit the region, traveling on horseback from Oregon City in 1853 and returning in 1854 by buggy to minister across towns like Canyonville, Jacksonville, and Albany. The narrative transitions to Archbishop F. N. Blanchet’s September 1858 journey to the southern part of the diocese, noted for a carriage accident that threw the archbishop to the ground without serious injury. The text reproduces an entry written by Archbishop Blanchet in 1868, establishing a church register for the ‘mission of St. Stephen the Martyr’ at Roseburg to record regional baptisms, marriages, and burials. It also outlines key historical milestones, including an 1854 mission preached by Father Bouchard, an 1864 land deed from Aaron Rose, the construction of the first Catholic church building under Father Wenzierski around 1879, the parish being named St. Joseph’s in 1886, and the Irish Capuchins taking charge of the mission in 1912.

ISAD(G) 2nd edition