St Joseph ChurchOur renovated parish 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 a unique and special church. Click Here to learn about the five churches we have worshiped in since 1797.
Wood and StoneThe Altar, Ambo, Tabernacle, Altar Cross, 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 new altar was carved from the wood of a dead olive tree removed from the front of the church in 2021. Click Here to learn more about our altar. The carved wood panels under the lighted sanctuary windows show (from left to right facing the sanctuary) a fish, which symbolizes Faith, the Greek letters Alpha and Omega, and an anchor, which symbolizes Hope. The carved wood panel under the old altar under the tabernacle depicts the Chiros, which symbolizes Christ, who is the Alpha and Omega. The Altar RelicsIt 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. Click Here to learn more about our altar relics. Stained Glass
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 saint 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. Our Mission Blvd entry vestibule contains one of our two statues of Sleeping St. Joseph. Additional statues of St. Michael the Archangel, Our Lady of Fatima, Our Lady of Lavang, and others surround the outside of our church. Wedding Feast of the LambThe 49 feet wide by 7 feet high painting of the Wedding Feast of the Lamb on the back wall of the worship space is the largest and only one of its kind in the world. Commissioned by the parish for St. Joseph Church, this unique and original piece of art will capture your heart and mind. It 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 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.
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. Click Here to learn about each image depicted on our San Damiano Cross. Organ and Piano
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Saint Joseph Catholic Church
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 beautifully depict the life of our Lord and saints from many eras and places, such as St. Kateri Tekawitha, St. Francis, Venerable Augustus Tolton and many more. When the lights are on or the sun shines through, the mystery of faith comes to life in these windows; the light of God shines and makes all things fabulous. 
The magnificent Baptismal font below the painting is from the 1869 church. The font was cleaned and restored for us by a local artist. The Baptismal Font and the two stone Holy Water fonts as you enter the church were removed from the 1869 church when it was sold and placed in storage until now. 
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.