There were 180 families in the St., Mark Parish, when it was established in 1961 with Father Cornelius Linehan as the first Pastor. Masses were initially celebrated at Malabon School until a church building was complete. The day the parishioners had so eagerly waited for, the church burned to the ground just prior to the planned opening. Reconstruction began immediately and this time the transformer, the cause of the fire, was installed a safe distance from the church. Dedication Day of the Chruch on May 26, 1963.
The Parish Center, designed as an Educational Facility, was completed in June 1964. The Rectory, designed to complement the parish church was completed in 1966, dedicated by the Late Archbishop Robert J. Dwyer. Because all this construction took place within a very short time the parish ended up with a huge debt. The debt stood at $265,000 by 1971.
Father Kiernan, our second pastor was appointed in November 1968 and served with distinction until August 1, 1983. During his pastorate, on January 9, 1983, the parishioners gathered for another fire, the joyful burning of the mortgage. Thanks to the most generous contributions of many people, and in particular the Catholic Extension Society and the Charles Rikhoff Estate, the parish was now free of debt and remains so to this day.
Father James Dowd became the new pastor on August 1, 1983, and prepared for an outlay of a considerable sum of money for the maintenance of the aged buildings. Under his pastorate, the parish undertook an ambitious project, the first Eugene Oktoberfest. This has become a great success and had been a part of Eugene for ten years. A few years later the Parking Lot was paved.
In accordance with the Canon Law, The Parish Council was replaced with a Pastoral Council, whose main purpose is pastoral planning, enabling the parish to set short and long term goals and priorities now and in the future. In line with the code, an Administrative Council was formed using the expertise of people with business skills while advising the pastor on financial matters.
In July of 1988, Father Dowd was succeeded by Father Jeremiah Linehan who ministered to the parish for six years. During his pastorate, the church was remodeled and carepting added. The next thing was to start on the remodeling of the parish center. The storage rooms were added before Father Linehan left. In July 1994 Father Dan Reynolds became our fifth pastor.His goal was to collaberate with the parishioners of St, Mark to continue to make it more vibrant, exciting and daith-filled parish community.
Father Dan retired in 2006 and we started sharing a priest with St. Peters, Father Dick Rossman. Father Rossman retired in 2013. From 2013-14 we had Father John Marshal. We now have Father Michael J. Antony. We also have one deacon, Darrell Meter.