| History of St Edward The Martyr Parish |
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| Sisters, OR |
In the years prior to 1963, Catholics who lived in the Sisters area attended Mass in Redmond or Bend. The Sisters area had long been a favorite spot for recreationists, especially in summertime. Occasionally, Mass was offered at picturesque Camp Sherman.
In 1962, Mr. and Mrs. Rex Trowbridge donated land for a church on the east end of Sisters near a small state park. Under the guidance of Father McCormack and a planning committee headed by Pete Leithauser that included Rex Trowbridge and Mrs. Hugh Amsberry, the new church was constructed.
On Christmas Day 1963, Mass was celebrated for the first time in St. Edward the Martyr Church of Sisters. Bishop Leipzig formally dedicated the church on April 5, 1964. The mission consisted of sixteen families in Sisters and eight families in Camp Sherman. As this was a mission of Redmond, various priests came from there to say Mass, and for several years, Sisters Brandan, OSF, and Bernadette, OSF, taught religious education classes for the children one day a week. Lay people of the parish assisted them in their religious education efforts, and assured that routine maintenance and cleaning of the mission church were performed.
In 1978, Father John Murphy was assigned pastor and became the first resident priest. Under his pastorship, the church was moved to its present location in the Heavenly Acres Subdivision on the McKenzie Highway, and a rectory was built.
In July 1989, Father Michael Miles was assigned as pastor. During his time as pastor, the parish hall was added to the church building. The growth of the parish, which began under Father Murphy, continued under Father Miles.
In 1994, Father Miles was reassigned, and St. Edward the Martyr Parish was left without a pastor. Msgr.William Stone and Msgr. Bernard Keating, with the assistance of Father Robert Cieslinski, were pressed into service for most of the weekend Masses. Deacon Bob Hagenbach was appointed parish administrator, and he and his wife, Nancy, moved into the rectory.
In 1996, Father Thomas Faucher, arrived in the parish on loan from the Diocese of Boise to be the Judicial Vicar at the Chancery Office in Bend and to serve as part-time pastor of Sisters. During Father Faucher's time, the parking lot was paved, a new additional overflow parking lot was built, an addition was built onto the rectory and the parish hall kitchen was remodeled. The construction of the church addition and St. Winefride's Garden were also completed. In June of 2002, Father Faucher left St Edward's to return to his home diocese and, after a sabbatical, become the pastor at St. Mary's Parish in Boise, ID.
Father James Logan came from St. Joseph's in Prineville to be St. Edward's new pastor. He delivered his first Mass on June 30, 2002. Like Father Faucher, Father Logan became the Judicial Vicar at the Chancery Office in Bend, as well as St Edward's pastor.
The parish continues to grow with the June 2003 figure at approximately 200 households. The number of visitors attending services at St. Edward's often fully utilizes the new addition and sometimes overflows it.