From my Journals

My first parish in Oregon, St Elizabeth of Hungary, John Day.

During this year I would like to share with you some excerpts from the Journal I kept while in Oregon, especially in John Day and Baker City. They are little snippets you will find here from time to time.

 My arrival - It felt like the Indianapolis 500. With Bishop Vasa driving through the heart of Eastern Oregon, even with my seat-belts securely fastened, I was literally holding on to my seat. As we passed Battle Mountain, just before Ukiah, we were at a precipice that left me spellbound, not only because of the beautiful hills covered with pine trees, but also because of the immense drop on my side, and with no guard rail ! As we finished this long, swerving curve which felt like a 360 degree turn, the Bishop even had the nerve to apologize for going slow. He said, ”Father Julian, I usually I go faster, but since you’re with me today, I’m taking it a little slower.”

With Bishop Robert Vasa in 2004

Nonetheless it was a breath-taking drive from Bend to the Columbia River, and then onto Route 84 along the mighty Columbia, with those awesome hills on the Washington side of the river. Then down to Pendelton, where we stayed overnight, in order for the Bishop to install the new Pastor there, a Nigerian priest. Our Indy 500 took place on Sunday afternoon during a spectacularly beautiful day. Since the Bishop had to continue on in his journey to Bend, he had another three hours to drive, so he dropped me off at my new home at St Elizabeth of Hungary in John Day, and after going around the place, inspecting the Rectory, visiting the Church and the Parish Hall, I asked for his blessing and he left me on my own, as the new Pastor of John Day. He picked up a Coca Cola from the refrigerator and simply said ‘Father Julian, you’re on your own now.’ It suddenly dawned on me that I was now on my own, as a Pastor for the first time in my life. There I would spend two and a half years, reviving a community that was almost dormant. (More to come)