Father Theodore Lange was born in Salem in 1978 on August 11th. He is the 4th of five children. He graduated from Sprague High School in 1996. He attended Lane Community College and earned an Associate of Science Degree in 1999. He worked at Impac Inc. then at St. Jude Parish in Eugene as a full-time youth minister for a year prior to entering Mt. Angel Seminary in 2002 where he earned a Bachelor’s Degree of Arts in philosophy and literature in 2004. He was sent to the Pontifical North American College in Vatican City, attaining a Sacred Theology Bachelors from the Pontifical Gregorian University in Rome in 2007, and in 2010 a Licentiate in Sacred Theology with a specialization in patristics and the history of dogma.

Fr. Theo was ordained a Deacon on October 4th, 2007 at St. Peter’s Basilica by Archbishop John Foley and a priest on June 13, 2009 by Archbishop John G. Vlazny at St. Mary’s Cathedral, Portland, OR. His ministry experience has included work at St. John the Baptist Parish and Christ the King Parish in Milwaukie, Jackson Memorial Hospital in Miami, Florida, Our Lady of the Mountain Parish in Ashland, Sacred Heart Parish in Medford, and Shepherd of the Valley Parish in Central Point, and Our Lady of Fatima in Shady Cove.

Most recently he has been serving at Mt. Angel Seminary as a formation director and a professor of spirituality and theology while substituting around the State on weekends. He also serves as a Missionary of Mercy, commissioned by Pope Francis on February 10th, 2016. He serves as the State Chaplain for the Knights of Columbus, a chaplain for Rachel Vineyard Retreats, ecclesial adviser for Cantus Angelorum, and volunteer chaplain at the State Penitentiary. Fr. Lange also is currently serving on the Archdiocesan continuing education committee, serves as a chaplain to the Divine Mercy Our Lady of Fatima Apostolate and is spiritually affiliated with the Family of the Pierced Hearts.

Here in Veneta, Father Theo looks forward to getting acquainted with the West Lane community, growing the St. Catherine parish and will also serve at Marist High School in Eugene as teacher and Chaplin.