We are excited to share our plans for the upcoming renovation of our church and hall!  We will update this page as our plans move forward.

We are working with an architect and engineers who are generously donating their time to the parish.  We hope to submit drawings to the City of Fremont in early 2023 for plan check and permitting.  Depending upon the city building department’s comments, we may need to revise the drawings.  Once we have approved drawings we will share them with contractors for pricing.  We anticipate the renovation will cost around $3 million. We will have a better estimate after the City of Fremont’s permitting process is completed.  If all goes well we could begin construction next summer with completion by Christmas 2023.  We will use the Mission church during construction.

Remodeled Worship Space

The movable wall separating our worship space from the church hall will be replaced with a permanent, soundproof wall to enable activities in the church hall at the same time as Mass and other liturgical celebrations in the church.  We will replace our aging organ with a new state of the art digital organ.  Our old pews and kneelers will be replaced.  Wood and stone will be added to the interior to represent the type of buildings St Joseph may have helped to build.  Wood planks created from the old pews will clad columns and beams as shown in the rendering above.

New Altar

A new altar generously donated by the St Joseph Chinese Community is being carved from olive wood taken from the dead olive tree removed from the front of the church in 2021.  This olive tree was more than 200 years old.  The carvings on the new altar show the Last Supper on the front, an Ohlone Indian woman making bread on one end panel, and Christ, the holy wine-presser, on the other end panel.  The columns framing the Last Supper have four carved animals traditionally used to represent the four gospel authors (Mark, Mathew, Luke, and John).  The columns were made in Jerusalem using olive wood from Jesus’ land. 

New Font

The wood baptismal font saved from our 1869 parish church and placed in storage is being restored and will replace our existing font. The 1869 church was built of redwood and stood on the site of the original Mission church until it was moved to make way for rebuilding Mission San Jose.  Click here for more information about our 1869 church. 

Restored Stained Glass Windows

In addition to the two stained glass windows behind the altar we have six additional windows in storage that were acquired and restored for the new church project.  Two of these windows will be added to the two already in the sanctuary.  These windows portray The Holy Family, Jesus with the Children, Jesus the Good Shepherd, and Jesus’ Agony in the Garden.

The other four windows portray Jesus with Martha and Mary, St Anthony with the Infant Jesus, Saints Agnes, Lucy and Agatha, and St Margaret Mary with the Sacred Heart of Jesus.  Two will be located on the new back wall of the worship space and two in the new entry from the parking lot.

12 New Stained Glass Windows

The exterior windows on each side of the worship space will be enlarged for 12 new stained glass windows. These new windows will depict St Mary Magdalene, St Francis of Assisi, St Claire of Assisi, St Dominic, Blessed Augustus Tolton, St Lorenzo Ruiz, Vietnamese Martyrs, Chinese Martyrs, Joseph from the Old Testament,  St Kateri Tekakwitha, St Mother Teresa of Calcutta, and St Gianna Beretta Molla.

New Entry Vestibules

The entry porches on both sides of the church will be enclosed with glass and new doors to create welcoming transitions into the worship space.  The stairs on the parking lot side of the church will be replaced with a wide, gently sloping, and accessible walkway from the parking lot to the floor of the church.  

Air Conditioning

The old gas heaters (original to the building) for the church and hall will be replaced with a modern, energy-efficient electric heat pump system to heat and cool the building and improve ventilation.

New Restrooms

The old men’s and women’s restrooms will be demolished and replaced with larger, fully accessible restrooms that will accommodate more people.