Welcome - St. Francis De Sales Cathedral Parish
2235 First Street, Baker City - OREGON 97814
Tel:541-523-4521 Fax:541-523-8362
Parish E-Mail: sfc@uci.net Fr Julian: julianmlt@uci.net
St Francis De Sales Cathedral sanctuary
at Christmas 2011
Check a new feature: PHOTO OF THE WEEK (further down, after the recent updates.) All photos are by Father Julian.
RECENT UPDATES______________________
2011 Updates
(December 29) Houses decorated for Christmas (further down)
(December 26) Two bald eagles on Christmas day (in "Oregon's Beauty" link)
(December 25) The Cathedral at Christmas (further down)
December 17) Quail encountered at Richland, (further down)
(December 7) Photos of the Christmas Lights Parade (in "Photo Album" link)
(November 8) Turkey Dinner pictures ( in "Parish Organizations" link)
(October 21) New watercolor projects (further down)
(October 21) Scenic views from Central Oregon (in "Oregon's Beauty")
(October 4) Angels in the Cathedral (in "Photo Album")
(October 4) Animal Blessing (in "Photo Album")
(September 28) Centennial Mass at Durkee mission church (in "Our Community" link)
(September 17) Parish Picnic Photos (in "Photo Album")
(September 17) Sharp shooter around - watch out (in "Photo Album")
(September 8) Scenic photos by Fr Julian from a 2,000 mile trip through
Washington, British Columbia, Montana and Idaho (further down)
(August 24) Halfway church extension project - new photos of the roof (in "Photo Album")
(July 20) New watercolor projects by Fr Julian ....more to come ( further down)
(June 13) Wild Lupines at Halfway (in "Oregon's Beauty" link)
(June 13) Floral arrangements in our Cathedral (in "Parish Organizations" link)
(June 13) Altar Society High Tea photos of tables ( in "Parish Organizations" link)
(May 21) Nature photos from Central Oregon ( in "Oregon's Beauty" link)
(May 17) Reflection photos (in "News from the Diocese")
(May 17) Nature photos (in "Oregon's Beauty" link)
(May 10) Photos of the First Holy Communion (in "Photo Album")
(April 28) Photos of the Easter Vigil and Easter morning Masses ( in "Cathedral Events")
(April 22) Holy Thursday altar display, (further down in "Photo of the Week")
(April 22) Photos from the Living Rosary with balloons (in "Photo Album")
(April 20) Photos from the Chrism Mass held on April 14 (in "Cathedral Events" link)
(April 20) Photos from the Palm Sunday procession and Holy Week functions (further down)
(April 4) Even more wildlife from Halfway ( further down)
(March 9) Wildlife from Halfway ( further down)
(February 26) Photos of the children's play (in "Photo Album" link)
(February 21) Photos of Bishop Vasa's last Mass with the priests, and a tribute given
by Father Julian at the reception on Feb 17 ( "News from the Diocese" link)
(February 21) New winter photos (in "Oregon's Beauty" link)
(January 31) Some wild-life characters encountered in winter (further down)
(January 31) Temporary Administrator assigned to Baker (in "News from the Diocese")
(January 28) Photo Pictorial on Bishop Vasa (in "News from the Diocese" link)
(January 24) Bishop Vasa appointed Co-Adjutor Bishop of Santa Rosa (in "Bulletin")
2010 Updates
(December 23) Christmas in Malta photos ( further down)
(December 20) In memory of Fr Julian's brother, Paul (in the link "In Memory Of")
(December 6) Christmas Light Parade photos ( in "Photo Album" link)
(December 6) New water-color projects - snippets from my past (further down)
(December 6) Winter photos, to be added periodically (in "Oregon's Beauty" link)
(November 14) Family Life Group Billboard (further down)
(November 14) Saints Parade in Cathedral (further down)
(November 14) Turkey Dinner photos (in "Photo Album" link)
(November 14) Wildlife and scenic photos (in "Oregon's Beauty" link)
(October 6) Animal blessing photos (in "Photo Album" link )
(October 6) St Francis play by 3rd Graders (in "Photo Album" link )
(October 5) Halfway hall extension project (in "Photo Album" link )
(September 20) Parish Picnic photos (in "Photo Album")
(September 17) Some new watercolor projects from Fr Julian (further down)
(August 26) Scenic photos from the Grand Tetons and Yellowstone Park (further down)
(July 30) Some summer photos from Eastern Oregon (further down)
(June 25) Photos of Jessica Ellis, MM Hansen and Mayce Collard moved to "In Memory Of" link
(June 19) Cathedral photos over the years in "Historical Photos" link
(June 14) First Holy Communion in Halfway (in "Photo Album")
This week's schedule
Sat 28 9 AM - 10 AM - Confessions
6:00 PM - Mass in the Cathedral
Sun 29 9 AM - Rosary in the Cathedral
9:30AM - Mass in the Cathedral
2:00 PM - Mass at Halfway
Mon 30 9:00 AM - Mass at St Alphonsus Hospital Chapel
Tue 31 7:30 AM - Mass at the St Francis Day-Chapel
Wed 1 9:00 AM - Mass at St Alphonsus Hospital Chapel
Thurs 2 7:30 AM - Mass at the St Francis Day-Chapel
Fri 3 6:00 AM - Mass to open Adoration in day-chapel
9:00 AM - Mass at St Alphonsus Hospital Chapel
3:00 PM - Divine Mercy chaplet and Benediction
Sat 4 9 AM - 10 AM - Confessions
2:00 PM - Mass at Halfway
6:00 PM - Mass in the Cathedral
Sun 5 9 AM - Rosary in the Cathedral
9:30AM - Mass in the Cathedral
12 noon: Mass in Spanish
Photo of the Week
The Cathedral in the spring
a scene to be seen, 4 months from now!
Our Cathedral at Christmas 2011
click on each photo to enlarge
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Various angles of the beautifully-decorated Cathedral at Chirstmas time. The last photo shows the decorators, Art and Catalina Corona.
Houses decorated for Christmas
These are a few houses in Baker City decorated for the Christmas season. The first three belong to parishioners Greg and Angie Boruch and they won the first prize in the local competition.
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Some friendly quail encountered in Richland
Among the many 2-legged, 4-legged and multi-legged creatures I encounter on my travels, here are some friendly quail I encountered on December 11 and 17, 2011 in Richland, on my way to my mission at Halfway.
(click on each photo to enlarge)
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Photos from a 2,000 miles trip
My annual summer photographic trip this year saw me driving exactly 2,000 miles through Washington State, British Columbia, Canada, Montana and Idaho. Unfortunately, because of the 2 cloudy and rainy days, I could not see any of the Canadian Rockies in the Kootenay County, nor of the Glacier National Park in Montana. But nonetheless, I was always on the lookout for the unpredictible, the scenic, the colorful and the surprising. Photos here include 40 of my photos, including some of the Helena Cathedral in Montana, the Sawtooth mountains in Idaho, scenic rivers, and other surprises that I encountered along the way.
(click on each photo to enlarge)
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Watercolor projects
Summer gives me the opportunity to work on one of my hobbies, doing some simple watercolor projects. As you can see from these paintings I did this summer, you can see a little bit of improvement over the paintings I did over the past two years, which you can see further down. The first one is in memory of my brother Paul, who died last December, and it shows me and him as altar-servers in the Vatican, where we did serve, me in 1966 and him in 1970. The next two show my parish in Rocky Point, NY and St Joseph's Abbey in Spencer, where I spent 6 months in 2002-2003 just before coming to Oregon. On the 8th row, you'll see that takes me back 25 years to my 2nd New York City Marathon in 1986. More paintings will be posted over the next few weeks......
(click on each painting to enlarge)
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Palm Sunday 2011 Procession
The annual procession with our resident donkey Zak was held on April 17, this year having Sam McCauley riding Zak. Below are some photos of this event taken by Chuck Staten and Colleen Clark. Other photos will be added of the Holy Week functions held in the Cathedral.
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Close encounters of the wild-life type
These are some of the characters I encounter as I travel on Eastern Oregon roads in the winter of 2010-2011. They include antelope, deer, elk, bald-eagles and anything that moves. (photos by Fr Julian)
(click on each photo to enlarge)
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Christmas in Malta
It was a sad and unfortunate trip to my homeland between December 9 and 18. Leading a funeral of a younger sibling was not what I dreamt of doing during this Advent and Christmas season, but I also made the best of my unexpected visit, and was able to take a few photos of the way they celebrate Christmas in Malta. The focus is obviously on baby Jesus, and so I share with you some photos I took on the extra two days I had with my other brother and sisters. Most of the images are of presepios, or creches or nativities which most people prepare for this festive and holy season, as well as street decorations. A few others come from an incredible collection 1500 babies Jesuses, which was officially opened as a permanent Museum. (click on each photo to enlarge)
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All Saints Parade
Our annual All Saints Parade was held in our Cathedral on November 7, where 17 children wore costumes of various Saints, which Father Julian introduced individually, giving a brief biography of each saint. Here are individual photos of each Saint, plus a few group photos. (photos by Bekki Hurley)
(click on each photo to enlarge)
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Watercolor projects from 2010
These are some new watercolor paintings from Fr Julian, simple artwork, with most scenes either from his native Malta or from his surroundings in Baker County and Eastern Oregon.
(click on each photo to enlarge)
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Summer Photos from Idaho and Wyoming
These are 60 of the best photos I took in mid-August of the Grand Tetons mountain range, Yellowstone National Park, some scnes from Idaho and Wyoming country roads, and various other animals and creatures I came across in my travels, including golden chipmunks, deer, elk, Clysedale horses and anything else that moved or was photogenic enough.
(click on each image to enlarge)
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Photos from Malta
These are just a few of the photos I was able to take while visiting my family in Malta. I was fortunate enough to be there during Holy Week, my first in 30 years, and so many of the photos are of decorations, Last Supper displays, including plates made from rice, beans, flour etc, exhibitions, decorated altars of repose, and processions during Holy Week and Easter.
Other photos show various architectural aspects of the Maltese islands, churches and other curiosities I came across. Photos of the Pope's visit are further down.
(click on each photo to enlarge)
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Pope Benedict XVI in Malta
While being with my mother and family in Malta, I was honored to concelebrate with Pope Benedict XVI on Sunday April 18, along with over 800 other priests and several Bishops. These are some photos I took of this special occasion, an open-air Mass which was the last Mass my mother was able to follow on TV, a week before she died. Incidentally I was told afterwards that the priests were informed beforehand that they should not carry any cell-phones or cameras with them during the Mass. As you will see, I should certainly be forgiven, as I snapped these beautiful photos which I am honored to share with you all.
(click on each photo to enlarge)
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Over Baker City
On Saturday August 29, I had the opportunity to fly over Baker City and some neighboring towns with parishioner and friend Steve Ellis. In a one hour flight, we were able to fly over the Cathedral, the entire town of Baker City, through the Powder River gorge towards Halfway, along the south side of the Wallowa Mountains, passing by North Powder, the Elkhorns, Haines and back home. I share with you some of the photos I took on this historic and memorable flight. The first photos shows the pilot and his passenger after a safe landing, then Halfway, North Powder and Haines, and the rest is over Baker City and quite a few above our Cathedral. Enjoy!
(click on each to enlarge)
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Summer photos by Fr Julian - the Oregon Coast and Crater Lake
These are some of the photos I took while visiting the Oregon coast and Crater Lake in mid-August 2009. These are 40 predominantly scenic shots. The second group of 40 photos (further down) contain other photos of animals and other curiosities encountered along the route.
(click on each photo to enlarge)
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More summer photos
These are some more miscellaneaous photos I took along my trip to the Oregon coast, encountering various animals and other curiosities. Enjoy them and praise the Lord for the beauty He gives us when we least expect it.
(click on each photo to enlarge)
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Summer scenes from around Eastern Oregon
These are some photos taken by Fr Julian during the summer months of 2009, including some flowers close-ups and a tremendous graceful gliding feat of a blue heron in the Powder River.
Watercolors by Fr Julian
Further down you will see a selection of watercolor paintings I did since I picked up another hobby of watercoloring this past July. They represent various scenes from Oregon and Malta, besides other local subjects, abstracts, and two Nativity scenes I created for my Christmas cards.
(click on each to enlarge)
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Who still says God doesn't exist?
During our annual Retreat at Mount Angel, I was able to take a few more photos to share with you. The first few are of the Abbey Church, inside and outside, plus a few Icons they have displayed around the Abbey.
The rest is a spectacular display of God's beauty in the forms of sparrows, finches, warblers and hummingbirds, plus a colorful heaven of tulips at the Monitor Wooden Shoe Tulip farm. Enjoy!
(click on each thumbprint to enlarge)
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Who says God doesn't exist?
Whoever says that God does not exist, encourage them to see some of these photos, and let them decide for themselves. Between Wednesday January 14 and Friday January 16, a blanket of fog covered the entire Baker Valley, and frost started to form on trees, branches and anything that was exposed. A winter wonderland slowly but surely descended on the entire area. These are some pictures I took in my free time, covering every corner and every field in Baker County to capture the best shot and find the best angle. After taking 400 photos, I chose the very, very best for you to admire here. These are just 50 of the best, but the other 350 photos are just as beautiful. There is no order in which these are pasted - I have a few around the Cathedral, in the local Golf Course and out in the country, besides some close-ups of frosted branches.
(click on each photo to enlarge)
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Sometimes I feel lucky that I am in a certain place at a certain time, as was the case on Sunday July 23. Just as I arrived from my mission Church at Unity, I see the sky becoming more and more impressive with a variety of cloud formation. Then, all of a sudden, the sky turned pink, and I stopped my car in front of the Cathedral, and this is the result....
A Historic Cathedral & Living Community
St. Francis de Sales Cathedral is located on the corner of First and Church Streets in Baker City, Oregon. It is considered the Bishop's parish, and so the Bishop presides at the major liturgical feasts and sacramental celebrations. There are approximately 450 registered families in the parish and mission churches.
The foundation stone of the Cathedral was laid in 1906, and the Church was officially opened in 1908. So in 2008, the cathedral celebrated its centennial. The Cathedral boasts of beautiful stained-glass windows from as early as 1923, as well a pipe organ, a piano and two choirs.
The Parish has now one Mission Church, which the priest visit weekly to celebrate Mass on weekends. St Anthony's in North Powder is now served by the priests from La Grande. And St Joseph's in Unity is now a part of the parish in Vale.
St Therese Mission - Halfway
St Therese in Halfway, outside St Therese in Halfway, inside
Every first and third weekends, Mass is held on Saturdays at 3 PM. On the 2nd, 4th and 5th Sundays, Mass is at 4 PM in the winter months, and 5 PM in the summer months.
Masses are also celebrated in St. Elizabeth's Hospital, three times a week, in the day-chapel, which was renovated and opened officially in May 2005, as well as the local prison. So believe it or not, the priests have to take care of 6 Churches within this parish, and they're not even given a helicopter!
We are an active, thriving community. Programs and services offered by and for the parish include:
- Religious education and sacramental preparation for adults, teens, and children,
- Spiritual presence and guidance at the hospital,
- Funerals, funeral planning, and grief ministry,
- Prison Outreach,
- Prayer chain,
- Spiritual Direction for those who need it,
- Counseling,
- Eucharistic Adoration on Fridays, 6am to 3:30pm,
- Prayer meetings,
- Historical interest in the Cathedral, plus much more
In addition, we are actively involved in the surrounding community of Baker County, providing the following:· Food Bank on Monday, Wednesday, and Friday from 10:00 AM to Noon
- Use of our facilities by different community organizations,
- Meeting space for Alcoholics Anonymous and Overeaters Anonymous,
- A charity fund to give financial help to those in need.
