Basilica of St. Joseph, Alameda facts for kids
Quick facts for kids |
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St. Joseph's Basilica
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 Location in Oakland, California
Location in California
Location in the United States
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| Location | 1109 Chestnut St., Alameda, California |
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| Area | 0.4 acres (0.16 ha) |
| Built | 1921 |
| Architect | H.A. Minton |
| Architectural style | Mission/Spanish Revival |
| NRHP reference No. | 78000642 |
| Added to NRHP | September 18, 1978 |
The Basilica of St. Joseph is a beautiful Catholic church in Alameda, California. It has a long history, going all the way back to when Alameda was first settled. This church started as a mission of St. Anthony's in Oakland. St. Joseph's became its own parish in 1885. It is now part of the Diocese of Oakland. The Basilica was added to the National Register of Historic Places on September 18, 1978. This means it's an important historical building.
Contents
How St. Joseph's Began
The story of St. Joseph's started with a Catholic mission in Alameda. This mission was created in 1873. It was set up by Archbishop Jose Sadoc Alemany of San Francisco. The mission was meant to serve the growing number of Catholic people in the area.
A man named Mr. Minturn, who was not Catholic, gave the land for the first church. This first Catholic church in Alameda was built in 1873. It was used for worship for over twenty years. Priests from St. Anthony's Church in Oakland helped with the mission. Father William Gleeson would ride his horse or walk to Alameda every Sunday. He would offer Mass and teach Catechism.
The number of people attending the church grew. Father J. B. McNally began to help Father Gleeson. The church was made bigger twice in seven years. Finally, in 1881, a new church was built. Father Gleeson chose this spot because it was close to the Sisters of Notre Dame de Namur. They had just built a girls' school next door. This school, Notre Dame Academy, taught girls from first to twelfth grade.
Becoming a Parish
Father Michael McNaboe had been a pastor in Suisun for ten years. In 1882, Archbishop Alemany asked him to come to San Francisco. Then, in 1885, the new archbishop, Patrick William Riordan, told Father McNaboe to start St. Joseph's Parish in Alameda. The parish covered the whole city of Alameda. Father McNaboe passed away on March 1, 1892.
Archbishop Riordan then chose Father John J. Sullivan to be the second pastor of St. Joseph's. Father Sullivan saw right away that a bigger church was needed. The first stone for the new church was laid on August 12, 1894. Archbishop Riordan dedicated this new wooden church on January 20, 1895. Father Sullivan became ill and left his role in January 1898. Father Patrick A. Foley took his place. After fifteen years in Alameda, Father Foley moved to a church in San Rafael, California.
In 1906, Father James Bernard Praught became pastor of St. Joseph's Church in Rio Vista. In 1913, he became the pastor of St. Joseph's Parish in Alameda. Father Praught started the St. Joseph Elementary School for boys and girls in 1916. The school building was finished in 1922.
Sadly, the old wooden St. Joseph Church burned down on September 29, 1919. A new church was then built. It was designed in the Spanish Colonial Revival Style. This style was copied from an old mission in Monterey.
In 1925, Archbishop Hanna divided Alameda into three parishes. These were St. Joseph, St. Phillip Neri, and St. Barnabas. St. Joseph continued to serve central Alameda. Catholic elementary school students from these parishes would attend St. Joseph Boys High School and Notre Dame Girls High School. In 1976, another parish, St. Albert The Great, was built.
Father Praught placed a special plaque on the Saint Joseph Tower. It had a message about time, God's gift, and prayer.
On August 17, 1935, Archbishop John J. Mitty of San Francisco led the ceremony to make the altar and church of St. Joseph's sacred. This was one of the few churches in the Archdiocese of San Francisco to be consecrated. In 1943, after thirty years at St. Joseph's Parish, Father Praught retired. Father Robert J. O'Connor took over. Father Praught remained a Pastor Emeritus until he passed away in 1949. Father O'Connor passed away in 1957.
Father Alvin P. Wagner became the next pastor of St. Joseph's. On September 8, 1962, Pope John XXIII honored Father Wagner as a Monsignor. He was formally installed by Bishop Begin. In the same year, the Diocese of Oakland was created. St. Joseph's became part of this new diocese. Monsignor Wagner retired in 1983. The Congregation of the Sacred Hearts of Jesus and Mary (SSCC) then took over the church. In 2007, they decided to leave. Bishop Allen Vigneron returned the parish to the diocesan priests.
St. Joseph Basilica Building
The new church building was designed by architect H.A. Minton from Massachusetts. He had moved west to help rebuild San Francisco after the 1906 earthquake. The first stone for the new church was laid on August 22, 1920. Archbishop Edward Joseph Hanna of San Francisco led this event.
The church received a bell donated by the Knights of Columbus. This bell was made from metal from the old church's bell, which had been destroyed in the 1919 fire. The first Mass in the new church was held on December 25, 1921.
In the spring of 1972, Pope Paul VI gave St. Joseph's Church a special honor. It was named a minor Basilica. This made it one of only four basilicas in the western United States. The others were missions in San Francisco, Monterey, and San Diego. Being a basilica means it has special symbols. These include a yellow and red umbrella-like canopy (called an umbraculum) and a bell (tintinnabulum). These are carried in processions.
The basilica also has a Schoenstein organ, which is a type of pipe organ. The basilica was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1978.
Pastors of St. Joseph's
Here is a list of the leaders who have served St. Joseph's:
- Father William Gleeson (1873-1885)
- Father Michael McNaboe (1885–1892)
- Father John J. Sullivan (1892-1898)
- Father Patrick A. Foley (1898-1913)
- Father J. Bernard Praught (1913-1943)
- Father Robert J. O'Connor (1943-1957)
- Monsignor Alvin P. Wagner (1957-1983)
- Father Patrick A. Goodwin, SSCC (1983-1993)
- Father Jeremiah Holland, SSCC (1993-2001)
- Father Richard Danyluk, SSCC (2001-2007)
- Father Anthony Herrera (2007-2008)
- Father Ray Zielezienski (2008-2008)
- Father Fred Riccio (2008-2013)
- Father George Alengadan (2013-2019)
- Father Mario Rizzo, Parochial Administrator (2020-present)
Schools Connected to St. Joseph's
Even when it was still a "mission," a school was started. On March 27, 1881, Sister Marie de Sacre Coeur and four Sisters of Notre Dame de Namur opened the Notre Dame Academy for Young Ladies. In 1887, Father McNaboe asked the Sisters to also teach at a boys' elementary school.
In 1922, a new school for both boys and girls was given to the parish. Theresa Ettinger donated it in memory of her husband, Victor Ettinger. Father J. Bernard Praught became the first principal of this new school. The last Sister to teach in the elementary school, Sister Agnes Anzoli, left in the 1990s. As of 2015, the school had about 270 students from kindergarten to eighth grade.
In 1922, Notre Dame Academy was renamed Notre Dame Girls High School. In 1960, the old girls' high school was taken down. A new Notre Dame Girls High School and a convent for the Sisters were built.
In 1935, Father Praught asked the Marianists (Brothers of Mary) to start a Boys High School in Alameda. St. Joseph Boys High School opened on August 26, 1935. Brother Matthew Betz was its first principal. Students came from Oakland, San Leandro, and Berkeley. In 1970, the Brothers of Mary left St. Joseph Boys High School. Monsignor Wagner then looked for another teaching group to take their place.
St. Joseph Boys High School and Notre Dame Girls High School joined together in 1983. The combined school is now called St. Joseph Notre Dame High School. It is approved by the Western Association of Schools and Colleges and the Western Catholic Educational Association.
See also
In Spanish: Basílica de San José (Alameda) para niños
