I visited St. Mary's Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception while visiting Portland, Oregon for confession and Saturday Vigil Mass. The priest was inviting and inspirational. The vocal and pipe organ music was lyrical with the natural acoustics of the church. The stained glass was beautiful and the alter depictions were reverent. The fresco laden baptismal font was large and impressive Mass was well attended and the confession line exceeded time for the priest to hear all confessions before Mass began. He graciously agreed to hear all additional confessions after Mass. I would love to attend Mass again on a return visit to Portland, Oregon. read more

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Came to Mass here and enjoyed it very much. The church is airy and there are a ton of beautiful images to look at. I found everyone to be friendly and will be coming back. The choir was awesome! It was great to see how a different church does a service and to hear a choir sing some of the songs was very moving. Check it out if you can! Side note : I wrote Raquel offering to get her medals blessed at my church since I have the "in" being Catholic. I could say a freakin ton but I will make a note that to us all this stuff is for a real reason and it isn't kitsch. You will find jerks in every place including my home (crap I am the only one there) but it should not be a factor in your faith. Because even if you don't believe in anything you will come across good people. It is sort of a numbers game. read more

I've been to this church 3-4 times in the past decades. Twice, for a funeral, but I LOVE the inside of the church, it is a Cathedral, first of all, and I've seen much larger cathedrals during my 3 weeks trip in Europe, and more in Spain just recently. The last time I attended, a real mass there, from a Filipino Archbishop visiting from California, just a year ago. Again, I was impressed with the whole package. Today, I made a phone call, trying to reach a Reverend I knew from another church. The person answering the phone, she put me on hold for a brief moment, just checking I think, if he was available, and was told he was having a meeting - maybe, I could have talked to him then, if he was free. Instead, she took all my information down, jotted them down, I could tell she was really trying to understand me, even though with an accent - because she was asking me how to spell or making me repeat my contact informations. UPDATE:: I heard from the Reverend by email AND phone, almost as fast as I hit this review 'send' button. read more

Great accoustics! And a lovely location, and this interior is such a joy with the stained glass windows that picture the Catholic interpretation of the Bible. Not that I am an expert or anything in stained glass, but from where I was sitting it was looking very nice, and fairly old, with an intricate palet of colors and almost all glass panels had also been painted. The benches are the normal hard wooden ones with straight backs, and you can pray. The lighting was clear, and well placed. I definitely recommend this place for concerts. read more

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Saint Mary's Cathedral is absolutely beautiful and for sure a labor intensive work of art. The organ reminded me of the Basilique de Sainte-Marie-Madeleine . That is a great honor for the St Mary's Cathedral if one knows the history of the French Basilique. We attended the Christmas service, it was packed, the priest greeted all the faces he had not seen since Easter. He had a good sense of humor and gave a brief and meaningful sermon with the ever present crying noise of a few children in the background, when you have an average of 10 to 20 children and bring them all to church, one or two is bound to cry during service, no big deal! And if you didn't hear that, just go there again, problem solved. read more

I went to this place for 20+ years, then one Sunday last year the current pastor really opened my eyes to the bigotry and hatred he has for the Gay Catholic. He was very insulting and just rude. I left there feeling very sad. I did not leave GOD, I left this horrible place. I have since found a welcoming and loving place that welcomes ALL, not just those who they wish to welcome( by the way the did take my time and money for over 20 years!!)) Please, look for a place that you feel welcomed and loved, never leave GOD for these ridiculous men that preach at some of these churches!! read more

I called St Mary's to get general information about having my recently purchased medals blessed, and the woman by the name of Liz (perhaps Elizabeth S.??) first recommended that I go to my own home church to have them blessed, but then once finding out that I am not affiliated with a particular religion insisted they would never bless my medals. I am actually quite shocked at how rude I was treated by what I feel was religious snobbery. Catholicism is a religion that has always appealed to me, and have been researching into converting to. I was looking forward to talking with the priest and perhaps leaving with that positive feeling to make that jump to converting. Even if it was Catholic protocol to refuse to bless the medals of a non-Catholic, I would expect the manners, and decency to something closer to Christ himself. I sincerely hope that someone with St. Mary's reads this, and opens their heart and church to those who have a high respect for the Catholic religion, and only has the simple request of having their medals blessed. read more

St. Mary's Catholic Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception is located in the Alphabet District and near the JELD-WEN field for the Portland Timbers. Major cross streets are NW Davis St and NW 18th Ave. What's so cool about this place? Amazing architecture Sublime stain-glass windows 11AM choir is quite celestial!!!! The cathedral also has a Catholic school which is adjacent to the building. You can see the building to your right if you are driving on the 405 freeway. Unfortunately parking is very difficult (which is why I gave 4 stars) in the area considering that there are also a couple churches in the area and their services seem to overlap St. Mary's. On Sundays, you can also park in the play ground of the school's campus if you can't find street parking or their parking lot on 18th & Davis is packed. Other than that this place is amazing and I would recommend going at least 15-20 minutes before service starts instead of 5 minutes prior to mass starting. I would definitely come back here to hear the choir and would bring visiting family members to check this place out! read more

Saint Mary's is as good as it gets! The building is absolutely spectacular. They have ample parking adjacent to the church. The homilies are spot on and are though provoking. You will be amazed at the art throughout the building. My favorite service is the Sunday evening service. They have an incredible musical liturgy at that Mass that is uplifting and joyful. read more

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I love St. Mary's Cathedral at Portland! The building is BEAUTIFUL, the music is the Best! Monsignor Patrick gives so deep homilies, yet you can fully understand their meaning. People is welcoming, not pushy or judgmental. Plenty of options of time to go to mass on Sundays, my favorite is 5:30 pm. read more

My home church. The building is beautiful. The clergy are caring and non-judgmental. Their RCIA program is great and very educational if you're looking to join the faith. Peace be with you. read more

Saint Mary's It was Wednesday Christmas morning and I was at the Northwest Hostel watching It's a Wonderful Life. Soon a woman I'd seen before at the hostel entered the dining room, she had her bagel on a plate and a coffee in her hand. She seemed rushed so I offered her a seat at the table where I was sitting. She refused the chair because she said she was preparing to go to church services. After she hurried out the door, I thought perhaps I should attend so I followed her example. I called three churches: the first church I contacted was First Immanuel Lutheran Church. I left a message but the church would not be open until 5 or 6 p.m. in the evening. The second church I phoned was Trinity Episcopal Cathedral. They said the church service will be ending within 5 minutes. My third choice was Saint Mary's Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception. I was told that the service would begin within 5 minutes but the church was near the Hostel. As I walked towards the church, I realized my clothes could be an issue so I asked a parishioner. She said no one cared about my clothes because that didn't matter. I went through the doors of the church with other parishioners and I found a seat in a pew close to the stage. I participated in the church services including taking the holy communion. The priest noted the humble beginnings of the church: the baby Jesus born in a manger in Bethlehem.The sermon contrasted the life of Augustus Caesar who at the time was the most powerful man in the world because he was the emperor of Rome. While Jesus was born into a fishing family. But the sermon spanned the two thousand plus years since the birth of Jesus and compared Rome with the current Catholic Church. Despite some very serious issues and challenges, the Catholic Church is the single most powerful religious organization on the face of the planet. Its influence has spread to the four corners of the Earth. Some might argue Rome, then the capital of the empire and today the capital of the country of Italy, is now subordinated to the church located in Vatican City. At Saint Mary's, Women played a significant role in the affairs of the Christmas day service. Some women in the church read scriptures from the Bible. Others were part of the altar service. Women sang as members of the church choir. People attending the church services reflected a large but diverse congregation of various nationalities, ethnic groups and multigenerational families. Saint Mary's was built in 1926 and it was renovated 1996. The cement floors were replaced, the overhangs were removed and the choir's organ (the Cathedral has two) became the primary one for the church. The workers and artisans who restored the building used people from the surrounding neighborhood as models for early apostles and members of the Catholic faith throughout the structure. After the Christmas service ended: I took photographs of the church and members of the congregation were very helpful and accommodating. read more

This Cathedral is like wow beautiful. Putting aside religion for a moment, it is a magnificent piece of architecture that can be appreciated by many. I've visited lots of Cathedrals in almost every continent, and although this isn't like St. Peter's in Rome, it is definitely wow in its own special way. Going inside a church is a sensory experience for me, which isn't an end in of itself but which leads me to something greater. The pictures, smell of candles/incense, statues of saints, dipping hands in Holy water, ambiance etc. etc... Questions I get asked a lot from friends: Wassup with you Catholics worshipping icons, saints, statues, stained glass windows, etc. etc.? Isn't that unnecessary? ... False. We do not worship it. Simply I look at it like this... When I admire art, I go beyond it praise the artist who created it. Essentially, the art isn't the artist. I believe that God gave us our senses to experience Him in more ways than one... Yes, THERE ARE MORE SENSES THAN JUST TASTE! haha. Anyway, I see tourists passing through here at times. Be sure to pick up their Religious Artworks Pamphlet located in front if you want a guide to the descriptions and symbols. You'll find yourself being reminded of all the stuff you learned in high school Western Civ (I LOVED that class! Hi Mr. Hiefield & Mr. Mcguire!). It's really beautiful. The lighting is amazing and the acoustics makes the choir sound like angels. Foreals. I am not a parishioner at this particular place, but I come here every once in awhile. Today I had to cancel students in the evening to come for Ash Wednesday mass.. i was little late and of course, it was packed! I couldn't get a seat. Dang those Catholic C.E.O s (Christmas & Easter Only)! Now they are including Lent... haha j/k. As I always say, doesn't matter why you're there~ even if it's not for the "right" intentions - like checking out people hehe. as long as you're present, it's good. :) This place is good. So it's Lent... Just as exercise for your body is necessary, let's not forget our wills.... Fasting, praying, almsgiving, etc is like resistance training for the will/the mind... strengthens it, focuses it, tunes it, prepares it to fight the everyday battles in our lives. Discipline isn't just for the body, but also for the mind, the soul, the will... all works together as one to make us a whole person. keep 'em sharp kids! I'm off to the wilderness. Ciao. read more

We went to Monsignor Pat regarding our son and he didn't care. Extremely cold and uncaring. He is the leader of this church and the school. All he cares about is raising the millions of dollars needed for the church renovation. read more

Great choir! Nice church. The mass was packed with a nice mix of people. Sermon was a little formal for my liking.

What a gorgeous building. I went here for the first time for a friend's funeral. The area around the alter is so lovely, the benches are actually comfortable, and the priests were interesting to listen to. read more

I like the Mass options at the Cathedral, and I'm glad there is a a daily evening Mass. The newer younger priest who serves here gives good homilies and hopefully is an indicator of the quality of priests coming out of the local seminary. There's a good number of daily Mass parishioners every evening. read more