St. Philip Neri Catholic Church - Portland, Oregon

09/05/2026

Blessing of the Animals

Sunday, Sept. 20
3:30 p.m.
The Grotto Plaza

We give thanks for the joy, the beauty, the love, the fidelity, the encouragement and the comfort that our animal companions have given to us.

Please join us for our annual Blessing of the Animals. Pets must be properly restrained.

People and pets of all faiths welcome.

09/01/2026

“When the people in the synagogue heard this, they were all filled with fury.” (Luke 4:28)

For thirty years, Jesus had lived a quiet, private life in Nazareth. But when he did go public, he didn’t hold back. He was too committed to the salvation of all people to soften his message.

In today’s Gospel, we read how his fellow Nazoreans start by speaking well of him and his message. But then he crosses a line and challenges their understanding of God’s plan. So we probably shouldn’t be surprised that they end up trying to throw him off a cliff! After all, Simeon had warned that many of Jesus’ own people would turn against him (Luke 2:34).

Citing miracles by Elijah and Elisha, Jesus points out that the Gentiles are not enemies; they, too, can receive God’s kindness. At these words from one of their own, his neighbors are “filled with fury” and try to kill him (Luke 4:28). In time, he would willingly hand himself over to an angry mob. But this day, Jesus passed through their midst unharmed.

His time had not yet come; he had so much more to teach them.

As Messiah, he had not come to settle scores with difficult people or hostile nations, as some Jews had hoped. He had come to restore what was lost to all people by sin. Because sin and death are the real enemy.

The reaction of Jesus’ neighbors can help us examine our own thoughts. “Am I happy with his message until it challenges some deep-seated attitude in me?”

Jesus loves us too much to leave us stuck in limiting mindsets and ways of thinking.

GOD’S PLAN IS BIG. He wants every person to return to him and receive salvation. God created everyone to have an eternal relationship with him, and it’s Jesus’ victory that overcomes division and restores all of us to the Father and to one another.

Let in the light of his truth today. Accept Jesus’ message. Don’t try to silence him as his neighbors did. Where is the “line” that you don’t want him to cross? Who do you see as an “enemy”?

Jesus is calling you to love everyone as he does and trust in him to overcome sin in each human heart—starting with your own.

Let’s pray together:
“Lord, open my eyes to the ways I resist your good plan. Come and heal me.”

(Today’s devotional is courtesy of The Word Among Us, July/August 2026, and comes from the gospel of Luke 4:16-30)

08/30/2026

Next concert at St Philip Neri on October 4th. Please join us.

08/21/2026

Please come and join us in celebrating our sacred liturgy with The Most Reverend Alexander K. Sample, Archbishop of Portland, OR on Sunday at 11:00AM.

Fr. Andrew Thomas will be singing “The Prayer” as a duet along with Tony La Stella as a prelude so be sure to get there a few minutes early.

Mr. La Stella will also be singing a piece from the beautiful Verdi Requiem as a Post-Communion presentation.

And even though there is no mass on Saturday, remember to come to the Italian Festival Of Portland (Festa Italia). It runs from 10:00AM-10:00PM and again on SUNDAY from Noon-6:00PM beginning after mass.

To our parishioners and community. Come and join us in celebrating our sacred liturgy with The Most Reverend Alexander K. Sample, Archbishop of Portland, OR on Sunday at 11:00AM. Fr. Andrew Thomas will be singing “The Prayer” as a duet along with Tony La Stella as a prelude so be sure to get

08/20/2026

Come and join us this weekend on Saturday and Sunday for our Italian festival of Portland the great Italian festival, of NW. Here is a segment for you to watch a Fr. Andrew and Greg DeMaestri from Tuesdays show AM Northwest.
Tickets are $7 dollars online and $10 at the door for entry.
visit Italianfestivalportland.com

Italian Festival of Portland returns Aug 22–23 at St. Philip Neri with pasta, paninis, desserts, beer & wine gardens, grape stomping, bocce, kids zone, vendors, and live Italian entertainment. Limited tickets.

08/19/2026

Come and join us this weekend on Saturday and Sunday for our Italian festival of Portland the great Italian festival, of NW. Here is a segment for you to watch a Fr. Andrew and Greg DeMaestri from Tuesdays show AM Northwest.
Tickets are $7 dollars online and $10 at the door for entry.
visit Italianfestivalportland.com

Enjoy the videos and music you love, upload original content, and share it all with friends, family, and the world on YouTube.

08/07/2026

As August 15th approaches, we want to invite you to a special Mass for The Solemnity of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary.

Saturday, August 15
8 p.m.
The Grotto Plaza

All are welcome to join us for Mass and a candlelight rosary procession.

08/06/2026

“We ourselves heard this voice come from heaven.” (2 Peter 1:18)

Did you notice the authority and immediacy of Peter’s testimony in today’s second reading? We were there. We saw his majesty. We heard the Father’s voice.

The New Testament comes to us across two thousand years as personal historical testimony. Jesus, the beloved Son of the Father, walked, talked, ate, and drank with the disciples who accompanied him. They saw the astounding miracles he performed. They heard his teaching, which rang with authority and moved their hearts. They prayed with him. Some of them (Peter, James, and John) were even with him on the Mount of Transfiguration when he manifested his glory and the Father spoke from heaven.

But the power of Peter’s declaration doesn’t come simply from one man’s experience of the glory of the Lord. It comes from the power of the Holy Spirit, both guiding Peter’s testimony and enabling us to hear it as God’s word. When we read these words, we are hearing the Father himself speaking to us. As the Second Vatican Council taught, “In the sacred books, the Father who is in heaven meets his children with great love and speaks with them” (Dei Verbum, 21).

As you read or hear the Gospel for today’s feast of the Transfiguration, know that God himself is speaking to you, as he spoke to Peter, James, and John on the mountain: “This is my beloved Son . . . ; listen to him” (Matthew 17:5). He wants you to see the majesty of his Son, Jesus. He wants you to hear his voice.

What might the Spirit want to say to you through these readings?

He may want to teach you something new or remind you of something you already know but may have lost sight of. Perhaps, as he did for Peter, he wants to show you his glory in the face of his Son. Or he may want to reassure you that you can hear him. The same Holy Spirit who inspired Peter lives in you! You can ask him to open the eyes and ears of your heart—today, tomorrow, and every day after.

Let’s pray together: “Lord, let your word come alive in me today.”

(Today’s devotional is courtesy of The Word Among Us, July/August 2026, and comes from 2 Peter 1:16-19)