St Cyril Catholic Church
9205 SW 5th Street
Wilsonville, OR 97070
503-682-2332
9205 SW Fifth Street
Wilsonville, OR 97070
(503) 682-2332
The community of Wilsonville, named after its first postmaster, grew around Boone's Ferry, established in 1847 by Daniel Boone's great-great-grandson. The ferry operated until the I-5 Boone Bridge was completed in 1954.
The first Masses in Wilsonville were celebrated in the St. Anthony Chapel railroad car, which traveled between Salem and Portland, stopping in Wilsonville and other Willamette Valley communities once a month. In 1925, the Bishop granted permission to build a church in Wilsonville, and parishioner George Stangel donated seventeen acres stretching from 5th Street to the Willamette River. Construction of St. Cyril Catholic Church was completed and dedicated in 1926. The river section, initially known as Parish Park and later Columbia Park, was sold during the Great Depression to pay taxes.
The original church had six pews on the right side and five on the left. The tabernacle recess's back wall is the original back wall of the first altar. There was a small door on the right that led to a small sacristy where early priests lived. In 1927, a small house was moved to the east side of the church to serve as the Rectory. The current entrance porch is the original entrance.
In 1979, the rectory was removed, and the church was expanded to its current size. Francis Roos, a parishioner, crafted the altar, which contains a relic of St. Cyril. The large stones under the fir trees, where the Annex (the old office building) was located, were from the church's basement excavation. The church interior was remodeled in 1992 and again in 2004. The church bell is inscribed to St. Theresa, who was canonized in 1926, the same year St. Cyril was dedicated. In 2001, Father Paul Peri dedicated a plaque above the front door in honor of the Parish's 75th anniversary.
In 1952, St. Cyril became a mission church to St. Francis Parish in Sherwood. Both churches had about 40 families each. By the 1960s, St. Cyril had grown to 100 families, requiring two Masses on Sunday. Priests from Mt. Angel assisted during this time. By 1987, three Masses were held for 120 families, and by 1998, the parish grew to nearly 400 families. By 2004, there were 600 families and still three Masses. St. Cyril became a full-fledged parish again in 1992.
Wilsonville continued to grow along Boones Ferry Road, the main street at the time. The old two-story Feed Mill at Boones Ferry & 5th Street was used as a Social Hall for dances, performances, and dinners. Many of our current parishioners' parents met there. Victor & Helen Bruck, the first couple married at St. Cyril, had their son Earl baptized here as the second baby in the parish.
Under Father Paul Peri's leadership, the Berger property, a former chicken farm across from the church, was purchased in 1998. The Berger home (built in 1937) became the Parish Office, and in 2001, construction on the Parish Hall began, dedicating the building on February 14, 2003, by Archbishop Vlazney.
Father Dan Adams succeeded Father Peri as Pastor in July 2001, and during his six-year tenure, the parish grew significantly. Father Stephen Stobie served as Pastor from July 2007 to June 2012, followed by Father Mark Gikenyi (from July 2012 to June 2015), and Father Brian Allbright (from July 2015 to 2023). In 2023, Father Ted Prentice became the current Pastor of St. Cyril Parish.