St Joseph ChurchSaint Joseph churchFrom June to December 2023 our parish church underwent major renovation, the most significant since the structure was first built in 1965. Click Here to learn more about the 2023 renovation. Originally intended to be a school gym and temporary church, it has become our unique and special parish church. Click Here to learn about the five churches we have worshiped in since 1797.
Wood and Stone
The carved wood panels under the lighted sanctuary windows show (from left to right) a fish, which symbolizes Faith, the Greek letters Alpha and Omega, and an anchor, which symbolizes Hope. The carved wood panel under the former altar beneath the tabernacle depicts the Chiros, which symbolizes Christ, who is the Alpha and Omega.
The Altar Relics
Stained Glass
When the lights are on inside or the sun shines through from outside the mystery of faith comes to life in these windows; the light of God shines and makes all things fabulous. Click Here to see each window and learn more about how they were made. Our Paintings and StatuesStained glass windows, paintings, and statues were the most common means of teaching the early Christians. Since most people at that time could neither read nor write, art was a crucial way to share stories from the Bible and to present truths of the Faith. Religious art today helps to focus our mind on an aspect of prayer or worship. For example, our statue of Jesus on the cross in the sanctuary helps us remember the sacrifice of Jesus. We do not worship statues and paintings, that would be idolatry, the placing of people or objects in reverence above God. Rather, we offer prayers to the person whose image is represented on the statue or in the painting, communicating to someone who already resides in heaven. We are asking them to pray for us in heaven. In Revelation (5:4-8) the saints carry the prayers of the faithful to God like incense. Additionally, when we offer prayers to Mary, we do so knowing that she has a special place in Christ’s heart as His mother.
We have many beautiful paintings and statues in the church. The Family Room contains 5 pictures depicting events in the life of St. Joseph. On the wall outside the Eucharistic Adoration Chapel are paintings of Our Lady of Guadalupe and the Divine Mercy. Our statues of Mary and St. Joseph have honored places on each side of the sanctuary. Paintings of the 14 Stations of the Cross are located on both sides of the church. Our statue of the Resurrected Christ watches over the parish hall. Paintings of saints can be found in many other areas of the church. Wedding Feast of the LambOur most magnificent painting is the 50 feet wide by 7 feet high oil painting of the Wedding Feast of the Lamb on the back wall of the worship space. Commissioned by the parish for St. Joseph Church, this unique and original piece of art depicts God’s dream for humanity, in which all are transformed and beautified by the waters of Baptism. The union of the Holy Family in the painting’s center represents the union of God with humanity. At this wedding feast, holy men and women of faith from different times and places in history gather happily around the Holy Family. This is what the Holy Mass offers: participation in the heavenly wedding banquet.
Click here to learn more about this painting, the artist, and how it was created. Baptismal Font
The Baptismal font and the two stone Holy Water fonts as you enter the church were placed in storage when the 1869 church was moved to make way for reconstruction of the Mission church. Click here for more information about our 1869 church. San Damiano Cross
Saint Joseph Dream Garden
The Dream Garden is covered with pavers to create a large gathering area for parishioners to enjoy under the trees before and after Mass. There are built-in benches for seating, flower planters, and a low wrought iron railing featuring grape vines enclosing the area. Statues of Jesus, Mary our Lady of La Vang, guardian angels, and landscaping are illuminated at night. An accessible walkway and ramp connect the Dream Garden to church entrance and parking lot. Mission Boulevard Entry Gate
Heart of the Family Statue
Additional Statues Near the ChurchStatues of St. Michael the Archangel and Our Lady of Fatima appear at the St. Joseph Terrace entrance to the church parking lot. Across St. Joseph Terrace is our outdoor Sleeping St. Joseph monument, outdoor Stations of the Cross, and St. Joseph the Worker statue.
  Sleeping St. Joseph  Outdoor Stations of the Cross  Organ and Piano
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Saint Joseph Catholic Church
The Altar, Ambo, Tabernacle, Altar Cross, votive candle stands and other sanctuary furniture are made from handcrafted wood. The Altar, Ambo, and Tabernacle are unique to St. Joseph Church and were envisioned, designed, and built by parishioners and friends of St. Joseph. Our former altar was refinished and moved to the back of the sanctuary to support our handcrafted wood tabernacle. Our main altar was carved from the wood of a dead olive tree removed from the front of the church in 2021. 
The red tile which borders the altar platform and aisles along the pews recall the blood of Christ poured out for us in the Holy Eucharist. The pews have two inset metal nail heads on each end the same size as the heads of the nails on the crucifix above the altar. The wood around the building’s columns and beams were made from the church’s old pews. The flooring under the pews is faced with wood, the sanctuary floor is red and white stone tile, and the floors in the entry vestibules and Mission Blvd stairs are faced with stone tile. Wood beams support the ceilings and roof. The interior doors are solid wood and the stained glass windows are trimmed in wood. When we enter St Joseph Church we are meant to see a building crafted in wood and stone like one which St Joseph might have built two thousand years ago.
It is the tradition of the Catholic Church to place relics of martyrs or other saints in altars to recall how the early Church celebrated Holy Mass on the tombs of martyrs in the catacombs beneath the city of Rome. Our altar contains eight relics including St. Junipero Serra, St. Mother Teresa of Calcutta, and Blessed Carlo Acutis. We venerate their relics to remember them, honor their holiness, and ask for their intercession. 
Stained glass images are designed to convey a theological truth that God makes all things new and beautiful. Our eight restored and twelve new stained glass windows commissioned by the parish for St. Joseph Church beautifully depict our Lord and holy people from many eras and places, such as St. Kateri Tekawitha, St. Francis, St. Mother Teresa, Venerable Augustus Tolton and many more.
The Baptismal font is located below the Wedding Feast of the Lamb painting. The seven streams of water on the painting represent the seven sacraments of the Church, and the center stream flows to the Baptismal font. The Easter candle stands next to the font.
Located on the wall above the Wedding Feast of the Lamb painting is a San Damiano Cross painted for us by parishioner Jose Isla. This wonderful and very detailed painting took seven and a half months to create. The original San Damiano Cross dates from around the year 1100. According to Franciscan tradition, it was while praying before this cross in the chapel of San Damiano, just outside Assisi, that St. Francis received God’s call to rebuild the Church. The purpose of an illustrated cross like this was to teach the meaning of each depicted event and strengthen the faith of the people who could not read or write. 
There is a painted wrought iron gate at the Mission Blvd sidewalk entrance to the Dream Garden. At the heart of the gate is a cross painted red, representing the passion of Christ whose blood pours out for the salvation of the world. The center of the gate has the shape of a boat, which traditionally symbolizes the Church. There are twelve oars radiating from the boat to the sides of the gate, representing the twelve apostles. 11 of the oars are painted red for the 11 apostles who died as martyrs. The white oar represents Saint John, who is the only one who died a natural death. Together they move the Church (all of us) forward, rowing the boat on the ocean of life. The waves at the bottom of the gate represent our world, where the Church exists and evangelizes. It recalls the scene when Jesus was in the boat as a storm approached. With Jesus in our boat, we are safe from storms, and as His Church we will continue to move forward in our mission to bring souls to Christ.
Outside the church entry vestibule on the parking lot side stands The Heart of the Family, a life-sized statue of the Holy Family commissioned by the parish. Cast in bronze and six feet tall, the statue beautifully captures the intimacy and happiness of the Holy Family. It shows us Jesus as the heart of their home and family relationship, and how we too can have peace and contentment in our families when we keep Jesus at the center of our relationships. 
Music as part of the liturgy is meant to play a role in the sanctification of the faithful as we lift our voices in worship of God. Our parish is blessed with many talented musicians and choirs, and as part of our 2023 church renovation we obtained a new organ and piano to accompany them. Our state-of-the-art Rogers Infinity Series digital organ is the only one of its kind in northern California. At the heart of our organ’s magnificent sound and versatility is high-resolution digital recording technology that captured the true essence of renowned organs worldwide, so that each of the hundreds of possible settings on our organ reflect the character of these original instruments. Our Yamaha Clavinova digital piano recreates the sound of a wide range of keyboard instruments including a concert grand piano.