| Msgr. Patrick S. Brennan |
|
The parish community at St. Andrew goes back to 1907, when a small group of Irish Catholics gathered to celebrate Mass on NE Alberta Street. Eventually, a building (with a church and school) was erected and dedicated in 1908. A fire in 1920 destroyed the building. The school was rebuilt in 1922; the current church was dedicated in 1929. It was considered a "masterpiece" at the time. In the 1940's, African Americans, drawn to the Portland shipyards, moved into the neighborhood. Today, it is one of Portland's most beautiful churches and parish communities.