Dear Parishioners of St. Joseph Catholic Church/Mission San José,

I am Father Garrett McGowan, your Parochial Vicar. I am very excited to be joining you. I was ordained this year on May 23 after almost thirteen long years of formation. I still have a long way to go as far as being formed. With God’s grace and your prayers and help I will learn how to be a good priest.

It is an honor to be assigned to the Mission, since it is the oldest parish in the Diocese, and to have it as my first assignment is something I find pretty amazing. This parish has more history than anywhere else in the Diocese. What an honor to be here!

A bit about myself. I went to seminary at Mount Angel in Oregon from 2013–2017. After that I spent a year at Saint Patrick’s Seminary and then I took a couple of years off. I spent time in a Benedictine monastery in New Mexico, the Monastery of Christ in the Desert. It lives up to its name. There is no city around for hours. It lies in the middle of a canyon in the desert of northern New Mexico. I came back to Saint Patrick’s Seminary and they finally let me out in December of 2025.

I work as a chaplain in Santa Rita Jail in Dublin. Best ministry I have had. Without a doubt, it has been an eye-opening experience to a side of ministry that too often goes forgotten about, unfortunately.

I served four years in the Navy. In that time I drove small boats and worked a bit with the Marine Corps and Navy Construction Battalions (Seabees). I have also worked for Harley-Davidson. Don’t ask me to fix your bikes. I have been out of the industry too long, have not kept up with the latest technology the company has put out, and have not been riding for a few years. I worked at a couple of nightclubs in San Francisco as a bouncer (please don’t ask me for any stories).

I enjoy going on long drives, good food, learning about various time periods in history, traveling when I can get the time, pipe smoking, and books by J. R. R. Tolkien.

Looking forward to getting to know you all. Peace of Christ be with you all, and I wish blessings for each of you. Looking forward to our journey of faith together.

PAX, Fr. Garrett McGowan