About Us

Our Lady of the Lake Catholic Church is committed to Loving God, Loving Others, and Making Disciples of Jesus Christ. As Roman Catholics, we seek to honor our faith tradition by authentically and creatively presenting it in our community of Lake Oswego, especially to Catholics who have become disconnected to the Church.

I invite you to get involved in an authentically Catholic community that is a warm and open environment where you and your family will feel welcomed and at home. You'll experience community and a relevant message that "isn't about rules, but about your relationship" with God.

Our parish community offers many ways to grow in our faith, enrich our spiritual lives, and serve the needs of one another. We also actively reach out beyond the walls of our parish community serving those in need and fostering relationships with the most vulnerable in our city, region, and world.

Start by registering at our parish by the link above. Then check out our ministries and get involved. We look forward to walking with you.

Fr. John Kerns, Pastor

On October 12, our parish formally began with the dedication of Sacred Heart Catholic Church at 1st Street and E Avenue in Lake Oswego. That building, which held 50 people, still stands today as a private home in the First Addition neighborhood. Fr. Charles J. O’Reilly was our first pastor.

Next to the church on 1st Street, a parish house was built. Initially, it served as a rectory and parish hall, but now is a private home.

The parish house was reconfigured into four classrooms for Sacred Heart School that had three teachers who were Sisters of the Holy Names. In planning for a larger school, the parish acquired property on A Avenue.

Sacred Heart School moved to the present site at 650 A Avenue. For a time, the school gymnasium served as a temporary church.

Services were held in the school gym for 6 years. The original church and parish house in First Addition were sold.

The rectory was completed, with the second floor used for additional school classes. On Mother's Day, the parish name was changed to Our Lady of the Lake to honor the Blessed Mother and our location.

A block adjoining the school property was purchased for a convent and a school playground. Groundbreaking for the present church at 790 A Avenue also took place.

On June 24, Archbishop Edward Daniel Howard dedicated Our Lady of the Lake Church. The new church brought a surge of parishioners and school children.

The convent was completed to house 17 Sisters of the Holy Names to teach at Our Lady of the Lake School.

Due to a decline in nuns and school enrollment, the Sisters began to withdraw from teaching in parochial schools.

The convent became the parish center. During the late 1980's, the church was renovated to follow the liturgical guidelines of Vatican II.

The parish hall was updated into a more multi-purpose space.

The Sisters of the Holy Names of Jesus and Mary are no longer on the school
faculty.

The church was made more accessible; a courtyard and a fire-warning system were added to the school.

About Our Lady of the Lake