Diocese of San José Timeline
BEFORE 1981
1777
Jan. 12: Mission Santa Clara de Asís is founded by Spanish Franciscan Missionaries on the banks of the Guadalupe River (just north of Highway 101 near the Mineta International Airport runway). It is the first to bear the name of a woman, St. Clare of Assisi, an early companion of St. Francis. Flood, fire, and earthquake force five relocations until the mission finally settles on its current site in 1822.
1803
St. Joseph Church is built on the site of the current basilica and is the first non-mission pueblo parish built in California for the benefit of Spanish settlers. The building is constructed of adobe and wood. Earthquakes and fires destroy three church buildings.
1840
Originally a part of the Diocese of Sonora in Mexico, San José and the rest of the Californias become part of the Diocese of Alta and Baja California, headquartered in Santa Barbara.
1850
The Diocese of Alta and Baja California is split between the American and Mexican territories, and San José becomes a part of the Diocese of Monterey.
1853
The northern half of the county becomes part of the newly established Archdiocese of San Francisco, while the areas around Gilroy and Morgan Hill remain in the Diocese of Monterey.
1876
March 19: The cornerstone for the fifth, and present, St. Joseph church building is laid. It is dedicated on April 22, 1877, the second anniversary of the fire that destroyed the previous church.
1922
The U.S. Catholic Church decides to use county boundaries for dioceses and the southern half of the county is transferred to the Archdiocese of San Francisco.
1981-1990
1981
Jan. 27: Pope John Paul II decrees the creation of the Diocese of San José.
March 18: On the vigil feast of St. Joseph, the Diocese of San José is canonically erected by Archbishops Pio Laghi, apostolic delegate to the United States, and John R. Quinn of San Francisco. The first bishop of San José is Pierre DuMaine, and the first cathedral of the diocese is St. Patrick Proto-Cathedral Parish.
1983
Jan. 14: Robert Passalacqua is the first priest ordained for the Diocese of San José at St. Patrick Proto-Cathedral.
Oct. 7: Bishop DuMaine dedicates the statue and Shrine of Our Lady of Peace to the Immaculate Heart of Mary on the feast of the Holy Rosary. Father Patrick Peyton of the Rosary Crusade is present.
Dec. 3: Father Anthony Mancuso and Father Gary Thomas become the second and third priests ordained for the Diocese of San José.
Bishop DuMaine collaborates with the University of Santa Clara to form the Graduate Program in Pastoral Ministries.
1984
The Committee on the Catechumenate starts at St. John Vianney with then-Father Terry Sullivan in the early 80s. The Catechumenate Support Group continued for years as a grass-roots support group.
Ad limina visit
1985
The Liturgical Ministry Formation Program is launched. This eight-week program in English and Spanish was presented in each of the six deaneries of the diocese from 1985–89. More than 3,000 parish liturgical ministers were trained during that time.
1986
St. Teresa of Calcutta visits the Diocese of San José.
1987
March 18: St. Joseph Church in downtown San José is closed for renovation.
The first Mass for divorced and separated Catholics is held at Holy Family Parish. Bishop DuMaine presides.
May: Cardinal Jamie Sin visits the Diocese of San José and celebrates Mass at St. Patrick Proto-Cathedral.
1989
Oct. 17: Loma Prieta 7.1 earthquake destroys St. Joseph College and damages several churches, including Sacred Heart of Jesus in San José and St. Mary in Gilroy.
The Diocesan Pastoral Resource Committee for Ministry to Gay and Lesbian Catholics is established. San José was the second diocese in the country to do so; Los Angeles was the first.
Joint Catechetical and Catholic Schools Conference is held.
1990
Nov. 4: After extensive renovation, St. Joseph Church is dedicated as a cathedral.
St. Brother Albert Chmielowski Polish Mission is established.
1991 -2000
1992
First Confirmation of adults is held on Pentecost Sunday.
Beginnings and Beyond (National Forum on the Catechumenate) is held in San José, and is one of the first forums with a track in Spanish.
1993
A Memorial Mass takes place at the cathedral for Cesar Chavez, a son of San José, who died on April 29. Symbols include the cross carried from Delano, the image of the Virgin of Guadalupe, the UFW flag, and the short-handled hoe.
Sts. Andrew and Paul Korean Catholic Mission is established in a remodeled storage building in Sunnyvale.
St. Francis of Assisi Parish in the Evergreen area of San José and Christ the King Parish in South San José are established.
1995
St. John Paul II designates the Cathedral of St. Joseph as a minor basilica; it became the Cathedral Basilica of St. Joseph.
1997
The Institute for Leadership in Ministry begins with 75 students (the Pioneer Class).
The five parishes in Palo Alto are consolidated into one under the patronage of St. Thomas Aquinas. Currently, St. Thomas Aquinas includes Our Lady of the Rosary, St. Thomas Aquinas, and St. Albert the Great worship sites.
The diocese launches the three-year Renew International program in all of its parishes as an opportunity for the faithful to grow in their faith in Jesus Christ and advance the kingdom of God as we reach the third millennium. Hundreds of small faith-sharing groups developed throughout Santa Clara County.
1998
Evening Prayer at Sacred Heart in San José is held to celebrate Father Rich Garcia, a son of San José, who had been appointed auxiliary bishop of Sacramento.
Sept. 17: A Mass of Welcome takes place for Bishop Patrick J. McGrath as coadjutor bishop of San José.
A new church for St. Brother Albert Chmielowski Polish Mission is formally consecrated.
1999
July 1: St. Patrick Proto-Cathedral Parish becomes the personal parish for the Vietnamese Catholics in the diocese, while also remaining as a territorial parish for the Spanish and English-speaking communities that surround it.
Nov. 27: Evening Prayer is held, at which Bishop DuMaine officially retires and Bishop McGrath becomes the second bishop of San José.
2000
Confirmation is held at HP Pavilion (now SAP Center) for young people from every parish in the diocese.
2001-2010
2001
The Deacon and Advanced Lay Leadership Formation begins under the guidance of Father Jack Bonsor and Anne Grycz, and in collaboration with Santa Clara University. The first deacon class was ordained in 2005.
2002
Deacon Bernard V. Nojadera, director of the Office for the Protection of Children and Vulnerable Adults in San José, is named as head of the U.S. Bishops’ Secretariat of Child and Youth Protection.
2004
The Catholic Community Foundation is established in conjunction with the capital campaign, Rooted in Faith ~ Embracing Our Future.
2005:
Sts. Andrew and Paul Korean Catholic Mission is recognized as a parish in the Diocese of San José with the new name of Holy Korean Martyrs Parish, in remembrance of the blood shed by Korean martyrs, sowing the seeds of faith in God. Soon, the community again had to relocate to accommodate the needs of a rapidly growing number of parishioners. With the guidance of Bishop McGrath, the community now resides in San José, serving 1,200 active parishioners.
The National Association of Gay and Lesbian Ministers Conference is held in San José.
2006:
March 18: A Jubilee Mass for the 25th Anniversary of the Diocese of San José takes place, with Bishop McGrath as principal celebrant and Bishop DuMaine as homilist. Representatives of every parish are present, along with many of the “founders” of the diocese, a large majority of diocesan clergy, and 15 visiting bishops.
Bishop McGrath makes a jubilee visit to each diocesan parish and mission. During the Mass that was part of each visit, a tessera, or tile, engraved with the name of the parish or mission is transferred from the parish jubilee cross to become part of the diocesan jubilee processional cross. The cross memorializes the 52 parishes and missions that were in existence at the time of the jubilee.
The Council for Lay Ecclesial Ministers is established.
After being held in San Francisco in 2004 and 2005, the annual Faith Formation Conference (collaboration with the Archdiocese of San Francisco and other Bay Area dioceses) is held in San José from 2006–2014. In 2015, the conference becomes the California Catholic Ministry Conference until 2020, when it was cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
2009:
August: Emmaus III, National Convocation of VIetnamese-American Priests, is held in Santa Clara.
2011-2020
2011:
May 25: Father Thomas A. Daly of the Archdiocese of San Francisco is appointed as the first auxiliary bishop of San José. In 2015, he became bishop of Spokane in Washington.
2012:
Feb. 19: Our Lady of Refuge Parish, a fruit of the 2006 Capital Campaign and the first parish established in the diocese in more than a decade, is dedicated.
The Chinese Catholic community is elevated to the status of mission by Bishop McGrath, and becomes the San José Chinese Catholic Mission.
Aug. 30: St. Patrick Proto-Cathedral is devastated by a three-alarm fire that destroys its sacred worship space.
2013:
April 28: Bishop McGrath signs a decree to rename the St. Patrick Parish after Our Lady of La Vang to reflect the church’s status as a personal parish for Vietnamese Catholics. The thriving parish continues its historic commitment to full ministry to all of its parishioners, in Vietnamese, Spanish, and English.
2014:
Nov. 16: Following evening Mass, a four-alarm fire destroys most of Holy Cross Church. The only item spared was its historic altar cross.
2017:
October: Emmaus VII, National Convocation of Vietnamese-American Priests, is held in San José.
2018:
May 19: The new church for Holy Cross Parish is dedicated.
July 1: St. Nicholas Parish and St. William Parish in Los Altos merge to become St. Nicholas and St. William Parish.
July 11: Bishop Oscar Cantú is appointed coadjutor bishop of San José.
2019:
May 1: Bishop McGrath retires and is succeeded by his coadjutor, Bishop Oscar Cantú.
June 13: Bishop DuMaine, first bishop of San José, dies.
2020:
January: Ad Limina visit.
March: The COVID-19 pandemic closes churches and schools, prompting clergy and the faithful to find new creative ways to worship and celebrate the sacraments, including virtual, outdoor, and parking lot Masses; and drive-through Confessions.
March: Catholic schools begin distance learning, with teachers teaching to students via videoconferencing.