Since Archbishop Alexander Sample was installed to head the Archdiocese of Portland in April 2013, five other churches have also been expanded: Shepherd of the Valley Church in Central Point, Saint Edward in Kaiser, Saint Andrew Dung-Lac Mission in Hillsboro, Saint Joseph the Worker in Portland, and Saint Alexander in Cornelius.
Bishop Smith said the expansion in the archdiocese is largely due to an increase in Catholic immigrants, including the Latino, Vietnamese, and Filipino communities.
In the last five years, he said, large groups of Latin Americans have moved to Portland, taking advantage of rural employment opportunities. He said parishes and seminaries have seen an influx of Latin American immigrants, now making up an estimated 40 percent of the archdiocese.
Saint Alexander Catholic Church, which was dedicated last year, was a small parish and the only Catholic Church in the city of Cornelius. Bishop Smith said the parishioners were not wealthy, but they dedicated their time and resources to building up the parish, which now welcomes 2,000 parishioners every weekend.
Likewise, the newest parish, Saint Anne's, received an abundance of support, even when experts were pessimistic about the fundraising. He said the community has a reputation of generosity, offering not only cash but skilled labor, like hand-crafted doors.
"The experts said, I think, they could raise about $2.3 million or $2.5 million max, which wasn't even close to what they needed," he said. "[However,] they raised more than double."