23 February 2012

Lentorama 2012: Know Your Diocese!


Day 2: Archdiocese of Portland in Oregon


I feel kind of bad for the Archdiocese of Portland in Oregon, having to go through life with the "in Oregon" modifier so it's not confused with the Diocese of Portland that covers the entire state of Maine. Even worse, Portland wasn't the first home of the archdiocese, as Oregon City served as HQ until 1926.

Still, this is the first archdiocese founded in the western US, thanks to a petition by French missionaries and the later arrival of a group of Belgian priests and nuns.

Recent history has less to crow about, as the archdiocese was the first in the US to declare bankruptcy in the wake of sex abuse scandals, doing so in 2004. The declaration came just as two cases were heading to trial, with victims seeking over $150 million in damages.

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