Roman Catholic Diocese of Oakland - History

History

The first known Mass celebrated in the area that is to become the Diocese of Oakland was on March 27, 1772 by Father Juan Crespí on the shores of Lake Merritt. Twenty five years later, Mission San José was established in what is now Fremont, becoming the first parish in the area. Within time, Mission San José became the most prosperous of the California Missions and after secularization by the Mexican government the Mission remained an integral part of area with many of the early pioneer families sharing close ties with the Mission.

In the 1820s the Peralta family, landowners of much of what would become Alameda County, built a chapel on the grounds of Rancho San Antonio in present-day Oakland. The chapel was served by priests from the Mission and was called Saint Anthony's chapel.

The area came under episcopal control in 1840 with the establishment of the Diocese of the Two Californians. After the Mexican–American War in 1850, the diocese was split in two with the Diocese of Monterey in California administering the areas under American control. In 1853 Joseph Sadoc Alemany, the Bishop of Monterey, moved his seat to San Francisco and became the first Archbishop of San Francisco. At the time Mission San José was the only parish in the East Bay.

In 1858, Archbishop Alemany sent Father James Croke to establish a parish in Oakland. Fr. Croke founded St. Mary, Immaculate Conception at Eighth and Jefferson Streets.

By the turn of the twentieth century many parishes were formed in Berkeley, Fremont, Livermore, Hayward, Oakland and San Leandro to reflect the growing populations in the East Bay. After World War II rapid growth in the San Francisco region led Pope John XXIII to establish the Diocese of Oakland in 1962 from the eastern portion of the San Francisco Archdiocese. Saint Frances de Sales was established as the diocesan mother church and Floyd Begin of Cleveland, Ohio was installed as Oakland's first bishop.

In the following decades the Cathedral of Saint Francis de Sales developed a national reputation for a lively liturgies and social ministries. The cathedral parish was also known for its excellence in music, developing what was called the "Oakland Cathedral Sound." Unfortunately, the cathedral church suffered damage in the 1989 Loma Prieta earthquake. The diocese deemed the repairs too costly (estimates were at $8 million for both the Cathedral and Sacred Heart Church) and instead opted to demolish the churches. It is now known as the Saint Mary-Saint Francis de Sales Parish.

In May 2005, ground was broken for the new $131 million Cathedral of Christ the Light, located on the shores of Lake Merritt in Oakland. The new Cathedral opened in 2008 with a new parish formed out of the current cathedral parish of Saint Mary-Saint Francis de Sales.