Church faces change

Published 5:00 am Tuesday, June 21, 2005

Members of St. Francis of Assisi Catholic Church in Bend received news Sunday that a long-standing relationship between the local Catholic Diocese and the Capuchin Franciscans is coming to an end.

By this time next year, the three priests who serve St. Francis of Assisi will no longer work in Bend. New priests will be hired by the Diocese of Baker to fill their positions.

The decision was part of a discussion that has been ongoing for 15 years between the Capuchin Franciscan Province of Our Lady of the Angels based in San Francisco and the Diocese of Baker, said the Rev. Jim Logan, chancellor of the diocese. In 1990, the Capuchin Franciscans decided to pull their priests out of parishes in Hermiston and Roseburg because of a lack of priests to staff the churches.

When that took place, Logan said, St. Francis in Bend became the last church in Oregon served by the Franciscans.

”From that time on, we knew it was a likelihood that they would have to pull out of Bend someday as well. They would return to that discussion every five years of whether the Capuchins would be able to” adequately staff the church, Logan said. ”Within the last three years, it has been, if anything should happen to any of the Capuchins here, there was nobody to take their place. They do need at least three members in the household to continue their community life together.”

Capuchin Franciscans are Catholic priests recognized as a separate religious order by the church in Rome. Their focus is on prayer, ministry and a life shared in community with other friars, according to www.capuchinfranciscans.org.

As with most segments of the Catholic church, fewer men are signing up to become Capuchin Franciscan priests, Logan said. Two of the three priests at St. Francis are currently in their early 70s, he said, and they have both experienced health problems. With no one in line to replace them, the diocese has to prepare to recruit new priests for the Bend church.

”There is a commitment to make sure there are at least three clergy people there,” Logan said.

He does not yet know if Bishop Robert Vasa will hire three priests or a combination of priests and deacons. Vasa was could not be reached for comment.

The Capuchins have served St. Francis in Bend since 1910, according to information from the church, and many parish members were sad to learn of their departure scheduled for June 2006.

”We’ve been going to mass here for 30-some years,” said Glenn ”Pat” Patterson. ”We’ve known a lot of good, caring, wonderful priests here among the Capuchins and we just feel sad that they aren’t going to be here anymore.”

Patterson is a member of the St. Vincent de Paul district council and has been involved with the nonprofit organization that provides meals and social services to the needy for 20 years. He said the change in leadership at St. Francis will probably not affect St. Vincent de Paul, which is a Catholic organization, because it runs without much influence from the church now.

”My hope is that what has been announced about the Capuchins leaving here does not come to pass,” Patterson said. ”It has nothing to do with St. Vincent de Paul except where their heart is, is where our heart is … in helping one another.”

Officials from St. Francis of Assisi Catholic School in Bend and current priests at St. Francis could not be reached for comment.

St. Charles Medical Center-Bend, which has its roots in the Catholic Church, is also unlikely to be affected by the change, said Todd Sprague, spokesman for the hospital. The only difference for the hospital, he said, will be the new priests coming in to minister to patients.

The change in priests is likely the only difference that most parishioners will notice, Logan said.

”Honestly I wouldn’t expect huge change. The biggest difference will be the personalities of who is available,” he said. ”You will no longer see the priests going around in the brown robes traditional of the Capuchins. But there should be pretty good continuity for the life and the ministry of the parish.”