Facility Updates

November 12, 2023

Our new pews have arrived – The pews for our renovated church have been installed. The church’s old pews were taken apart and the wood cut and refinished to cover the columns and horizontal concrete beams in the church.

November 8, 2023

St Joseph Terrace improvement – This past week we also installed concrete curbs on the side of the dividing island in the middle of St. Joseph Terrace without curbs. This will help to keep soil from washing into the road after heavy rains.

November 5, 2023

Our new church windows have arrived – 12 new stained glass windows for the windows on each side of our renovated church are now in place. The windows were made for us by a studio in Florida.These new windows 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.

October 30, 2023

Our old parish and school signs are being replaced – The new school sign under construction next to the student drop off and pick up lane will have a large video screen funded with proceeds from last year’s St Joseph School golf tournament. The new parish sign under construction on Mission Blvd (shown at right) is being funded with donations to the parish beautification fund.

October 22, 2023

New Benches in the Mission Patio Garden – After Mass this weekend in the Mission church, step out into the Patio Garden and admire our new benches. The parish is grateful for the attractive benches which are a generous legacy gift from the Women of St. Joseph. We also would like to thank the Men’s Ministry for assembling and installing them. The new benches will be enjoyed by parishioners, visitors and school children for years to come.

October 15, 2023

Our Parish Shrine to St. Joseph has a New Roof – A roof of mission clay tile has replaced the old asphalt shingles on our parish shrine to St. Joseph. The old roof was wearing out. With its new roof and white paint the shrine matches the appearance of our other campus buildings along Mission Boulevard. Our St. Joseph shrine was blessed by Bishop Michael Barber as part of the parish’s rededication to St. Joseph on March 19, 2021.

October 9, 2023

Aches have been added to the beginning and end of our outdoor Stations of the Cross pathway – The Latin inscription above the entry arch means “Way of the Cross” and the inscription above the arch at the end of the path means “Go In Peace.”

September 30, 2023

Message in Stone – “Eagle-eyed” parishioners will have noticed a recently completed parish volunteer landscaping project along the Mission Boulevard frontage of our church. The project was a great fellowship opportunity, and proclaims to passersby an important message about what we believe as Catholics. What is this message? Hint: the Holy Family plays a role. Want another hint? See Philippians 4:5-7.

September 25, 2023

Church Renovation Progress – The new dividing wall between the church and hall has been framed. There are actually two walls,, spaced 30 inches apart. The space in between will help to prevent sound from the hall from being audible in the church, and vice versa. The wall will house speakers for our new digital organ.

What’s Happening in the Parking Lot? – Paving has been removed from several parking spaces at the south end of the parish hall. A 5 to 6 foot high masonry wall covered with stucco and painted to match the church is being built to surround new air conditioning and heating equipment. When the new equipment is fully operational sometime in 2024, we will no longer burn natural gas to heat the building. Heat pumps will electrically heat and air condition the church and hall. The two ADA parking spaces will be replaced closer to the new accessible entrance from the parking lot on the east side of the building.

This is the new entry walkway into the church and hall being constructed on the east side of the building. The old stairs at the entrance have been removed. Parishioners will enter the building from the parking lot on this gently sloping walkway.

September 22, 2023

Museum Repair Update – Plywood protection for the adobe walls and windows and noise insulation have been installed behind the green safety and security fence. Most of the major construction equipment has been delivered and staged. The specialized drilling equipment needed for our project is in high demand. Work at other locations has delayed its arrival at our location until now. Scaffolding for the drilling rig has been built. This will be followed by testing to ensure everything is functioning properly. Please visit the Museum Repair Project page for more information.

September 11, 2023

Painting the Path – The borders of the pathway for our Stations of the Cross have been painted red to symbolize Christ’s passion and blood. The pathway begins near the St Joseph shrine and ends near the rectory. Each station is lighted at night. Benches are located opposite each station along the pathway. Our new outdoor Stations of the Cross were blessed and dedicated during a parish celebration on September 15th.

September 5, 2023

Our New Outdoor Stations of the Cross Arrive – Parish volunteers help Father Anthony unload the truck and over the next two days installed all 15 stations along the already completed pathway. Station 15 at the end of the pathway portrays the Resurrection.

August 28, 2023

Gathering Area Maintenance – The gravel lot across St Joseph Terrace from the church and next to the Holy Family Picnic Area has been improved. Additional gravel was added to smooth out uneven areas and the gravel was covered with asphalt. We now have an all-weather gathering area for outdoor liturgies and for people visiting the Holy Family Picnic Area, our St Joseph Shrine and sleeping St Joseph monument, and our new outdoor Stations of the Cross. The gathering area can also be used for occasional overflow parking. It does not have painted parking spaces, so please be careful if you park there to not block other vehicles.

August 20, 2023

Water and Power for our St Joseph Shrine – A landscape irrigation pipe and low voltage electrical conduit has been installed between the Carriage House and our St Joseph shrine for future use ahead of the gathering area maintenance project. This will enable us to beautify the plantings around the shrine, improve lighting, and eliminate watering by hand for the plants around the shrine and the oleanders planted along our property frontage with Mission Blvd.

August 7, 2023

Museum Repairs Will begin Soon – Our project to repair the rock retaining wall and soil foundation along part of our Old Mission San Jose Museum building is about to begun. We will be installing security fencing, plywood protection, and portable toilets on the premises during the week of August 7th, and construction work will begin in September. We do not expect public access to the Museum or the adjoining Centennial Plaza to be blocked or interrupted at any time during the project. For more information, please visit the Museum Repair Project page under “Facilities” on the parish website.

July 17, 2023

Final Phase of Tree Trimming – The last section of brush clearing and palm tree trimming has been completed along the creek on the north side of the parish campus. This work reduces wildfire risk, improves access, and improves the appearance of our grounds.

July 9, 2023

Church Renovation Progress – Demolition of the old restrooms and other interior preparation work began the week of June 26. The old pews have been taken apart and the wood will be sawn and refinished for use in the new interior of our worship space. Our old kitchen stoves and other equipment have been donated to the Cistercian Monastery of Our Lady of Grace in Aptos. Please pray for the success of our project and the safety of the workers.

July 3, 2023

Renovation of Ministry House 1 Completed – The second of our two Ministry Houses has been renovated. Ministry House 2 was renovated last year. Both buildings were showing their age and needed significant maintenance. Our renovated Ministry Houses have been modernized with new floors, windows, roofs, interior finishes, heating and air conditioning to provide comfortable and functional spaces for our parish staff.

June 25, 2023

Outdoor Stations of the Cross – Work has started on our parish’s Stations of the Cross outdoor meditation path. A wheelchair and walker accessible, four foot wide concrete sidewalk has been completed, along with pedestals for the 14 stations and a 15^th station for the risen Christ. The walk will be illuminated at night. Landscaping and installation of the donated stations will be finished over the summer. Keep an eye on our progress!

June 18, 2023

Church Renovation Project Begins June 26 – Work to renovate our church and hall begins Monday, June 26. The church and hall will be closed until work is completed in December. All masses and Eucharistic adoration will move to the Mission church until the project is completed. When the church and hall reopen in December we will have a beautifully updated worship space with exterior stained glass windows and new floors, pews, baptismal font, and organ. The old restrooms will be replaced with larger, fully accessible restrooms and the kitchen will be renovated. The wall separating the worship space and hall will be replaced with a soundproof wall. The building entrances will have enclosed entry vestibules. More information can be found on the Facilities page of the parish website.

Pavement Painting – The faded stop lines, directional arrows, and other pavement markings in the parking lot and on St Joseph Terrace will be repainted on Monday June 19. Please observe temporary barriers set up by the painting contractor to avoid driving across wet paint.

May 28, 2023

St Joseph Terrace Paving Repairs – Damaged areas of St Joseph Terrace near the parking lot entrance were recently replaced and repaved on May 15. The repaving will prevent further damage and was funded from the parish’s maintenance budget. The asphalt pathways behind the Mission church and between the school and the Dominican Sisters were also seal-coated to extend the life of the pavements.

May 21, 2023

Have You Stopped to Smell the Roses? – The roses around our church are in full bloom! Take some time before or after Mass to enjoy them! Roses are a Catholic symbol for Mary, who because of her vital role in God’s plan to redeem the fallen world, is associated with the original purity and beauty of the roses in the Garden of Eden.

And have you noticed the beautiful plantings around our statues of Saint Michael the Archangel and Our Lady of Fatima? They have been “adopted” by several parishioners who keep them beautiful!

May 14, 2023

New Stained Glass Windows – Work is underway at the artist’s studio in Florida on twelve new stained glass windows for the side windows in the church as part of this year’s church renovation project. The picture on the right is the completed window showing St. Tekawitha. Click here to view illustrations of all twelve windows.

May 7, 2023

Caring for Our Trees – The beautiful Chinese Elm trees bordering the Mission cemetery and church parking lot have been trimmed to reduce the weight of the tree limbs and open up their canopies. This work will help prevent breakage and promote healthy tree growth. Several large, heavy tree limbs broke last year, blocking the pathway from the parking lot to the Mission Church side entry.

April 16, 2023

Church Renovation Update – Our church renovation project design drawings have been submitted to the City of Fremont for building permit approval. If all goes well work will begin by the end of June. Now we pray for a successful outcome! For more information and to see renderings of our renovated church interior please visit the Church Renovation Project page.

April 9, 2023

Preventing Water Intrusion at the School – St Joseph School has installed rain gutters on part of the school roof and connected the downspout to a storm drain. This will reduce rainwater accumulation behind the school. Also, a second sump pump has been installed and debris and roots have been removed from the existing underground sump pump drains behind the school. This work will help prevent future water damage to the school.

March 24, 2023

Improved Accessibility to St Joseph Cemetery – The parish has installed handrails along the stairs at the Felipe Common entrance into St Joseph Cemetery. We recently became aware of concerns from several parishioners that it was difficult for them to visit the graves of loved ones because these stairs didn’t have handrails. The parish’s St Joseph Cemetery is located on Mission Blvd about a mile south of the main parish campus.

March 18, 2023

Sleeping Saint Joseph Monument Dedicated – Bishop Michael Barber dedicated our Sleeping Saint Joseph monument following Mass and the conclusion of our first annual Saint Joseph Conference. Over 800 parishioners and visitors participated. Click here for more information about our Sleeping Saint Joseph monument.

March 12, 2023

Redirecting Storm Water – Asphalt curbs have been added on the downhill side of the pathway that separates the school playgrounds and future sports field from the Dominican Sisters campus. This will prevent storm water during heavy rains from flooding the playground areas and back side of the school. The Dominican Sisters are sharing in the cost of this work.

February 19, 2023

New Outdoor Banners – Have you noticed? Inspirational banners with religious images, Bible verses and words from saints are displayed from light poles around the parish campus. They remind us that the parish and school grounds are holy places. Take some time to walk around and see them all.

January 22, 2023

Termite Removal – No, the circus didn’t come to town! The rectory, rectory garage, and Ministry House 1 were tented for termite fumigation this month. Two to three days of repairs for minor wood damage in the rectory will occur next month. Termite damage to Ministry House 1 will be repaired later this year when Ministry House 1 is renovated. Over the last two years we have treated all parish and school buildings for termites except for the Mission church. Let’s pray we won’t have any more of these unwelcome visitors!

January 8, 2023

Water Damage From Winter Storms – Water from recent winter storms flooded floors and damaged walls in the school’s administrative offices and “Milk Room” building. Classrooms were not affected. Most of the repair cost is being covered by the Diocese’s insurance. A restoration company provided by the Diocese has removed damaged flooring and wall base and drilled ventilation holes at the bottom of the walls to dry spaces behind the walls using portable dehumidifiers and fans. Repairs will be made after the causes of the water intrusion are corrected.

December 18, 2022

Saint Joseph Dream Murals – Murals depicting the four dreams of Saint Joseph are being painted on the four sides of our Sleeping Saint Joseph monument in the Holy Family picnic area. In the Gospel of Matthew, God speaks to Joseph in dreams. In the first dream, Joseph is told to continue with his plan to marry Mary after he learns she has become pregnant with Jesus. Putting his faith in God, Joseph took Mary as his wife. After the birth of Jesus, in a second dream Joseph is warned to flee with his family to Egypt. He took the Holy Family on a perilous journey to an unknown country despite the anxiety he must have felt. Joseph went because he trusted God. In the third dream, Joseph is told it was time to return to Israel, and in the fourth dream to bring the Holy Family to Nazareth in Galilee instead of returning to Judea.

December 11, 2022

Unwanted Christmas Visitors – ‘Twas a few nights before Christmas and all through the house, something was stirring, but it wasn’t a mouse. While Father Manny, Max the Beagle, and Father Anthony were nestled all snug in their beds, termites were busy over their heads. Yikes! An inspection has found termites and areas of dry rot in the parts of the rectory and rectory garage. The main church and hall, school and museum were tented for termites in 2021. The rectory and rectory garage will be tented and repaired in 2023.

November 6, 2022

New Gate at the Mission Blvd Sidewalk Entrance to Gathering Area – The gate will be open whenever the Mission Blvd doors to the church are unlocked for Mass. When the gate is closed it will help to discourage vandalism. The gate can also be closed to prevent children running off into the street when we have events in our new gathering space. 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. They represent the twelve apostles. 11 of the oars are painted red for the 11 who died as martyrs for the faith. 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.

October 30, 2022

Gathering Area Nearing Completion – Our new gathering area on the Mission Blvd side of the church is nearing completion! The paving and new accessible walkways to the St Joseph Terrace side of the church, to the parking lot at the back of the church, and to a ramp from the front of the church to the gathering are in place. Railings and statues have been installed. Remaining work includes benches, lighting, and some additional landscaping. This project is being funded with donations from generous parishioners.

October 17, 2022

Sleeping Saint Joseph – The largest Sleeping Saint Joseph in the United States is now part of our Holy Family Picnic Area. Sleeping St Joseph is located across the gravel parking lot from our St Joseph shrine, which was rededicated in 2021.

You may notice we’ve also added shade umbrellas to some of our new picnic tables. We now have 22 tables for parish gatherings and family picnics. The Sleeping St Joseph and Holy family Picnic Area were funded with donations from generous parishioners.

October 2, 2022

Cleaning Up Our Future Sports Field Site – Our landscaping team continues to work on cleaning up our campus. Recently they have been trimming trees and removing overgrown brush from our property behind the Ministry Houses and school. This cleanup will reduce the risk of from wildfire and helps us to envision what our future sports field could become as part of the parish master plan.

September 25, 2022

Holy Family Picnic Area Expands! – Thanks to an additional donation from several generous parishioners, more picnic tables have been added to our popular Holy Family Picnic Area. The new tables were assembled by the Men’s Club, and families from our Chinese community spent a fun afternoon applying waterproofing to the new tables. Thank you everyone!

September 18, 2022

St Joseph Dream Garden Construction Continues – Last weekend paving for the north half of our new St Joseph Dream Garden was completed and work has begun to prepare the south half. Still to come is completion of the retaining walls, seating, lighting, and railings. The two new crape myrtle trees in the foreground were donated by a parishioner.

September 4, 2022

New Playground Completion – The school’s new playground is opening this month! Final work installing the rubber base was completed last week and we are awaiting the final inspection. Our new playground meets the latest California safety standards, including the resilient playground surface to minimize the chance of injury from falls. This project was managed by retired former school principal Kelly Mendoza and was funded by school parents, school savings, and a generous foundation grant.

August 21, 2022

New St Joseph Gathering Area – We’re sure you’ve noticed the re-landscaping work between the front of our church and Mission Blvd sidewalk. The ivy and grass have been removed and the ground has been leveled. Retaining walls with railings will be constructed on the upper and lower sides of the newly leveled area. Pavers will be installed with benches for parishioners to enjoy before and after Mass under the shade from our trees. Please observe the safety tape and avoid entering the construction areas. This project is being funded by generous members of the parish.

August 14, 2022

Beautifying St Joseph Terrace – Our landscaping team has been hard at work clearing the brush and old fencing between the palm trees in the median of St Joseph Terrace. Oleanders have now been planted between the palms that will bloom with red flowers next year.

July 17, 2022

School Projects Completed During Summer Vacation – Saint Joseph School has completed two projects while its students are on summer vacation. The new playground is nearing completion with installation of the playground equipment. And the school’s outdoor hallway has been repainted. The painting project was paid for by a recent school fundraiser. The playground was funded by generous donations from school parents, a foundation grant, and school savings.

July 10, 2022

Landscape Cleanup Continues – The work begun at last month’s Spring Cleaning Day is continuing along the creek on the north side of St Joseph Terrace. Trees are being trimmed and dead branches, overgrown shrubs and other debris is being cleared and removed. This work will improve wildfire safety and create a parklike environment for parishioners to enjoy.

June 26, 2022

Where have all the dumpsters gone? – Have you wondered where the dumpsters went that used to take up parking spaces under the trees by the entrance to the school’s parking lot? They were relocated earlier this year to the new gravel parking lot on the other side of St Joseph Terrace. But with the opening of the Holy Family Picnic Area, it was time for them to move again. On June 20^th they were moved to their new resting place on the other side of the Carriage House.

June 12, 2022

Newly Remodeled Parish Office in Ministry House 2 – Our Parish Secretary, Sandra Hernandez, greets guests at the front door of newly remodeled Ministry House 2 while Parish Business Manager, Gina Mehta, enjoys a quiet back room to keep parish finances current. They are very happy in their new home.

May 29, 2022

Mission Chandeliers Cleaned and Restored – Thanks to a generous donation from a parishioner, all the chandeliers in the Mission church have cleaned by a chandelier cleaning company. Each chandelier was removed from the ceiling, completely disassembled, all the strands and crystal pieces cleaned in an ultrasonic bath, reassembled, and rehung. Each chandelier took a day to clean. What a wonderful gift to the parish as we prepare to celebrate the 225^th anniversary of the founding of the Mission!

May 15, 2022

Caring for Our Trees – Work began last week to remove dead branches from 58 palm trees around the parish campus. Please avoid areas where tree trimmers are working. This work was included in this year’s parish operating budget. The parish has also hired a professional arborist to assess all our trees.

The continued drought has stressed many of our trees. A large sycamore fell near the creek earlier this year and was removed. Portions of the tree’s trunk were saved and provide rustic seating in our new Holy Family picnic area.

Limbs from a Chinese elm next to the Mission church cemetery recently broke and were removed. Several large trees near the Ministry Houses with overextended limbs have also been trimmed. And two olive trees have been planted to replace old olive trees that died.

May 8, 2022

Holy Family Picnic Area – Our new Holy Family picnic area has been completed! Please enjoy it after Mass and anytime you visit the parish grounds.

The picnic area has 12 tables. 12 symbolizes God’s power and authority. There were 12 tribes of Israel in the Old Testament (can you name all 12?). By Jesus’ passion and resurrection in the New Testament the 12 scattered tribes are brought back together, and Israel (we, God’s people) are restored to completeness as God’s family. Christ called 12 apostles (can you name them?) to bear witness to what He did and to spread the good news of the gospel to the entire world.

The picnic tables are located in four groups. Viewed from above, each area forms a letter of the alphabet. Can you identify the word they spell?

May 1, 2022

Family Picnic Area and Ministry House 2 Projects – Our new parish family picnic area is nearing completion. Located under the trees by the carriage house, the family picnic area will have picnic tables and more!

Repairs to Ministry House 2 on St Joseph Terrace are also nearing completion. Ministry House 2 will become the temporary home of the parish office when it moves from the carriage house later this month. Watch for an open house announcement in an upcoming bulletin!

April 24, 2022

Our Roses Bloom for Easter – The roses we planted last year around our church are in full bloom! The rose is a Catholic symbol for Mary, Queen of heaven and earth. Mary is also known as the “mystic rose” or the “rose without thorns” because of her role as the mother of Jesus Christ, the world’s savior. Before sin entered the world and corrupted it, tradition says the Garden of Eden featured roses with no thorns. Because of Mary’s vital role in God’s plan to redeem the fallen world, Mary is associated with the original purity and beauty of the roses God originally designed for the Garden of Eden.

Praying the rosary, which means “crown of roses,” is a spiritual bouquet to Mary. In our Catholic tradition, all roses symbolize God’s love at work in the world, but different colors of roses also symbolize different spiritual concepts. White roses represent purity and holiness. Red roses symbolize passion and sacrifice. Yellow roses mean wisdom and joy, pink roses gratitude and peace, and lavender roses wonder, awe, and change for the better. All five rose colors surround our church.

April 17, 2022

Pathway Repaved – The pathway behind the Mission church from the church parking lot to Dominican Field behind the museum was repaved on April 7th. The old pathway was rough, uneven, and starting to break up in places. We now have a smooth, eight foot wide walkway just in time for our 225^th anniversary Founder’s Day weekend activities June 11 and 12.

Fencing Contractor Needed – The parish facilities team is looking for a fencing contractor to enclose the relocated trash dumpsters near the carriage house. If you can help or have a recommendation, please contact the parish office.

April 10, 2022

New Ambo for the Church – A few weeks ago, we received a new Ambo (lectern) for the church. It was handcrafted by the same woodworker who made all the wood candle holders in the church, including the large Easter candle stand. Our new Ambo features three carved angels, one on each side. The angels represent God’s word being proclaimed. Each angel is mounted on a triangle. The three sides of the triangle represent God the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. Our old Ambo is being refinished and will have a new home in the Mission church.

Did you notice we replaced our wax candles last year when our new candle holders arrived? The new candles look like wax but have an internal oil reservoir to feed the wick. No more short, stubby, candle ends to throw away, no wax running down the sides of the candle holders or dripping on the altar linens, and we save money because we don’t need to continually buy more wax candles. The new ambo, candle holders and non-wax candles were funded by contributions to the church beautification fund.

April 3, 2022

Lighting Upgrade Project Completed – Our parking lot lights have been repaired and upgraded to energy efficient LED fixtures. The work included repairing the electrical circuit to the school parking lot lights. All the light fixtures in the church hall were repaired and six new fixtures installed. The parish hall is now much brighter for our CYO teams and parish functions. PG&E paid for the lighting upgrade project and will be paid back by keeping a share of the monthly electricity bill savings.

Separately, the parish purchased solar-powered security lights with motion detectors which have been installed in some of the trees around the church parking lot and in our new parking area across Saint Joseph Terrace from the church.

March 27, 2022

Lighting Upgrade Project Nears Completion – Work to replace fluorescent and incandescent lights with new, energy efficient LED lighting is complete in the school and kindergarten buildings, and nearing completion for the church hall, church exterior, and parking lot lights. A total of 386 light fixtures are being upgraded to LED. Our electricity consumption for these new fixtures will be 70% lower, saving us $900 every month. A PG&E energy-efficiency program is paying for our lighting upgrade. PG&E will recover its cost over time from part of the monthly savings. The pictures show some of the old light fixtures removed from the school and the new lights in one of our classrooms. Out with the old and in with the new – fiat lux!

March 20, 2022

Clean Up of the Former Rectory Site Completed – Our parish maintenance team has completed cleaning up the former rectory location. As already reported, the old basement has been filled in, the chain link fencing removed, and the overgrown vegetation removed. Ralph and Rueben have finished the clean-up with gravel to fill-in uneven spots and provide a smooth surface. With everything cleaned up it is easy to visualize our future church on this area and the grass behind it.

March 6, 2022

Blessing of new St. Mary Statue – On Sunday February 20^th Father Anthony, Deacon Lai and parishioners participated in blessing our new statue of St. Mary. St. Mary replaces one of the two statues at the north parking lot entrance that were stolen last month. St. Michael the Archangel will replace the other removed statue. Both statues will be securely attached to concrete supports and were donated by members of the parish.

February 27, 2022

Erosion Repairs Completed at St. Joseph Cemetery – Last month we shared a picture of the work being done to repair soil erosion along the Mission Boulevard frontage of St Joseph Cemetery located on Mission Blvd at Felipe Common. A leaking irrigation system and unstable soil on the slope above the sidewalk retaining walls were the source of the problem. The slope has been stabilized and burlap netting and wattles installed to keep the soil in place. Drought tolerant plants will be added later this spring.

February 20, 2022

New Gathering Area – Work will begin soon to re-landscape the area between the front of our church and the Mission Blvd sidewalk. The ivy and grass will be removed, and pavers installed to create a large new gathering area with benches for parishioners to enjoy before and after Mass under the shade from our trees. Our new gathering area will have statues of St Joseph, St Mary and Jesus that will be gently illuminated at night. This project is being planned and funded by generous members of the parish.

February 13, 2022

Missing Statues – On Monday evening January 31 the St Francis and Guardian Angel statues were taken from their pedestals at the church parking lot entrance. We are working to replace the statues and pedestals with a more vandal resistant design. Please pray for the misguided person(s) who did this damage.

Landscaping the Former Rectory Location – When the rectory was moved up the hill on St Joseph Terrace in preparation for our new parish church, temporary fencing was installed around the old rectory site to prevent accidents from the empty basement and other rubble. Thanks to the generous donation of company employees and demolition equipment by a friend of the parish, last week the overgrown shrubs were removed, the remaining walls demolished, the old basement filled in, and the site covered with soil. The old fencing will also be removed. We haven’t abandoned our plan to build our new church in this area, but until then we will have a safe and attractive area for other parish uses.

February 6, 2022

Repairs to Ministry House 2 – The parish has begun repairs to Ministry House 2. Parish staff located in Ministry House 2 have moved to Ministry House 1. The work on Ministry House 2 will take about six to eight weeks to complete, and then our parish office will move from the Carriage House to Ministry House 2. The repairs to Ministry House 2 ensure our employees and parishioners have a safe place to work and visit until the Carriage House is renovated.

Consolidating everyone from three buildings into just two will be challenging, but our parish team will make it work! Finding space for meetings and other parish activities will also be more challenging because meeting spaces in the ministry houses will now be used as office space. The “Facility Calendar” on our parish website can help. It shows all the meetings and activities scheduled each day in every parish building. It can be found on the drop down menu under “About Us” on the parish website.

January 30, 2022

Rain Gutters Replaced, Graffiti Removed and Flags Restored in Time for 225^th Anniversary – The leaking and unrepairable rain gutters on the front and back sides of the historic Old Mission San Jose Museum building have been replaced with new painted steel gutters that retain the shape and look of the replaced gutters. New downspouts have also been added where needed to ensure proper drainage. As required by the updated City of Fremont fire code, a leaf filter covering was installed over the rain gutters to prevent fire danger from flammable dry leaves. The filter covers will also avoid clogged downspouts. The parish will be receiving grants from the California Missions Foundation and the Committee for the Restoration of Mission San Jose to help defray the cost of this maintenance project.

The graffiti damage from last November on the walls of the Old Mission Church and Museum buildings has also been fully removed thanks to the combined efforts of kind donors, Saint Joseph Men’s Club volunteers, and our own parish maintenance staff. The temporary wall covers were removed, and Men’s Club volunteers supplied the elbow grease, paint remover, and power-washing to clean the southwest corner of the Church. Diligent paint research led to the purchase of required paint to prime and spot paint over the graffiti without damaging the historic adobe walls of the Museum. And for the finishing touch, a Men’s Club volunteer researched and ordered replacements for the broken flag poles at the front of the Museum, while generous donors funded the purchase of all new flags!

January 23, 2022

School Playground Progress – The temporary construction fence has been removed from the school’s playground area, marking the completion of the first phase of our school’s playground replacement project. The next step is installing new playground equipment. Unfortunately, the equipment supplier is experiencing supply chain delays so it will be several months before our new playground equipment arrives. These pictures show the completed playground area retaining walls, stairs, and railings. The contractor also replaced the wood retaining wall behind the school’s outdoor basketball backboards. The wood retaining wall had deteriorated from dry rot and was at the end of its useful life. The new concrete retaining wall won’t need replacing.

January 9, 2022

Termite Tenting Completed for St Joseph School – Our parish school was treated for termites the week between Christmas and New Year’s Day. The church and museum were also treated for termites last year. We have completed professional inspections of the buildings to document areas of damage requiring repair, and we are pleased that we caught the termites before they did much damage. The parish facilities team will be soliciting contractor bids for repairs later this year.

Repairing Erosion Damage at St Joseph Cemetery – Work to repair soil erosion along the Mission Boulevard frontage of St Joseph Cemetery was completed last week. A leaking irrigation system and unstable soil on the slope above the sidewalk retaining walls was the source of the problem. This second parish cemetery was created in the 1880’s and is located about a mile south of the parish on Mission Boulevard at Felipe Common. Drought tolerant plants will be added to help stabilize the slope later this spring.

January 2, 2022

Church Lighting Upgrade Completed – New LED ceiling lights have been installed in the ceiling of the church. As with the LED spotlights illuminating the Stations of the Cross, which were installed in November, the new ceiling lights use above-the-ceiling electrical conduits provided when the church was built in 1965, but not used until now. Many thanks to our volunteer parishioner electricians who donated their time and talents to complete the lighting upgrades to our church in time for our Christmas celebrations.

Termite Tenting Completed – Termite fumigation was completed at Saint Joseph school last week while the school was closed for Christmas break. This was the last parish building to be tented for termites. We now have a termite-free parish campus for the new year!

December 19, 2021

New Stairway Completed for School – As part of the St Joseph School playground replacement project, we now have an outdoor stairway connecting the kindergarten behind the school to the school and playground. School principal Patti Calton celebrates the completed stairs.

LED Lighting Upgrade – The parish and school have received $103,000 from PG&E to replace older fluorescent light fixtures with new energy efficient lighting. The new fixtures to be installed in the school, kindergarten, ministry houses and rectory garage will look the same, but they’ll be 70% more energy efficient. Our outdoor parking lot lights will also be upgraded. This project will save electricity and help us reduce our carbon footprint by 15%.

You may have noticed a shipping container (only one, not a stack like this photo!) near the parish office. EverWatt, our lighting replacement contractor, is using it to store equipment. The container will be removed at the end of the project. Work in the school will occur outside school hours. The contractor’s employees are vaccinated and will wear mouth and nose masks indoors.

December 12, 2021

Lighting the Exterior of our Church – Just in time for St. Nicholas Day December 6^th, a joyful band of parishioners came together Friday evening December 3^rd to hang Christmas lights from the eaves of the church and the trees at the north parking lot entrance. Our thanks to them for beautifully preparing the outside of the church for the Advent and Christmas seasons!

November 29, 2021

New Rain Gutters for Museum – The deteriorated and leaking rain gutters on the museum building have been replaced with new steel gutters painted to match the building. All the downspouts have been repaired and new downspouts added where needed. Leaf covers have also been installed on the gutters to prevent future clogs from leaves and pine needles. These repairs will prevent damage to the adobe walls from leaks and overflows. The cost of this work is $37,000. We have made a grant request to the California Missions Foundation to fund part of the cost and to the Committee for the Restoration of Mission San Jose.

November 14, 2021

Roof Repair Update – Recent rainy weather has delayed completion of repairs. The church and museum roofs are complete, and our contractor resumed work this week on the school and rectory roofs. The damaged and leaking rain gutters on the museum building will be replaced this month.

November 7, 2021

November 5, 2021 Vandalism – The Mission church and museum were defaced with red spray paint around 3 a.m. Friday morning November 5, and our statue of St Serra was covered in red paint. The statue of St Dominic at the Dominicans Sisters motherhouse was also covered in red paint and the sisters experienced other damage. According to the Fremont police Mission Dolores in San Francisco was also vandalized.

Parish Facilities Team member Gary Dorighi, parish maintenance staff and volunteers were able to remove the paint covering both statues using a pressure washer and scrub brushes. We are contacting professional painters for assistance with cleaning the spray-painted adobe walls because we don’t want to damage the walls. A police report was filed, and police are reviewing security camera footage.

New Lighting for Stations of the Cross – Our new stations of the cross in the church shine brightly with new ceiling-mounted LED spotlights. The new LED fixtures use conduit and junction boxes installed in the ceiling when the building was constructed in 1965 but until now never used. Members of the parish’s Vietnamese community donated the fixtures and wiring and installed these new lights as a gift to the parish.

Adoration Chapel Dedicated – The former crying room in the church has become our beautiful Eucharistic Adoration Chapel. The Chapel was blessed at 10 am Mass on October 31. The Chapel is open for adoration of the Blessed Sacrament on Mondays, Tuesdays, Wednesdays, and Fridays from 9 a.m. to 9 p.m., and Saturdays from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. On Thursdays adoration is in the Mission Church from 8:30 a.m. to 6 p.m. All are invited to sign up for adoration times using the parish website.

October 24, 2021

Roofers at Work – Repairs to our roofs on the church, school, rectory, and museum were completed last week. 249 broken roof tiles were replaced, and another 40 slipped and misaligned tiles were corrected. 25 linear feet of ridge line mortar was replaced and 21 roof penetrations for vents were re-flashed. This important work to protect our buildings from water damage cost $22,600 and was funded from our parish, museum and school maintenance budgets.

School Playground Construction Continues – What’s happening behind the green fence? Our old playground equipment has been removed and set aside for metal recycling. New concrete retaining walls and an access ramp are being constructed. Next steps include placing drainage rock on top of the prepared soil surface and installing a new underground electrical conduit to two light poles on the south side of the school parking lot to replace the existing sixty year old electrical connection to these lights that no longer works.

October 17, 2021

New Carpet and Wood Flooring in the Sacristy and Church – All the old, worn carpet in the church has been replaced. The new carpet is deep red to match the covering of our refurbished kneelers. Red reminds us of Jesus’ Eucharistic sacrifice which we celebrate at every Mass. Portions of the sacristy are now covered in high grade, low maintenance, wood grain patterned vinyl planks that match the golden oak color of our pews. Gold is the color that represents heaven! The new carpet and flooring are gifts to the parish from generous parishioners. And the carpet and flooring contractors deeply discounted their prices as gifts to us. We are blessed!

Eucharistic Adoration Chapel Completed – The conversion of the church’s crying room into our new Eucharistic Adoration Chapel has been completed with new chairs, carpet, tabernacle, and statuary. Adoration is a sign of devotion to and worship of Jesus Christ, who is present in body, blood, soul, and divinity, under the appearance of the consecrated host which will be on display. The chapel is available for quiet contemplation and adoration throughout the day and evening when the church is open. We are grateful for the generous donors who funded this project.

Roof Work Begins Monday – Work to repair missing, damaged, and misaligned tiles on the roofs on the church, museum, rectory, and school roofs begins October 18^th. Our roofing contractor will be onsite starting at 7:30 am Monday through Friday. Roof tiles are heavy! Please take extra care near these buildings and avoid contractor vehicles, ladders, and equipment. Work is expected to take about a week to complete.

October 10, 2021

Carpet Replaced in the Church – Thanks to some generous donors, this week the old grey carpet in the church was replaced. It was showing its age, damaged in places, and could no longer be cleaned or repaired. Even the Holy Spirit said it was time for replacement when hot coals accidently fell and burned the carpet on Pentecost Sunday! Enjoy our new carpeting and sacristy flooring at Mass this weekend!

October 3, 2021

Have you seen St Francis lately? Mr. Ruben Martinez has been beautifying the St Joseph Terrace entrance to our parking lot. St Francis now has grass, flowers, and lighting in his area. Please enjoy the new scenery.

September 26, 2021

Renovated Kneelers – Thanks to a very generous donation from one of our parishioners, the kneelers in the church were recently repaired and recovered. As part of the recovering work the old padding was replaced with new, softer padding. The parish and our knees are thankful for this gift!

September 19, 2021

Goodbye termites! The parish church and mission museum building were tented and fumigated for termites Monday through Wednesday of this past week after termites were discovered in both buildings. The cost is $25,000 and will be paid from the parish maintenance budget, which is supported by the weekly offertory. The next step will be detailed building inspections to identify any wood damage needing repair.

AUGUST 29, 2021

New retaining wall outside sacristy completed – Volunteers Ruben Martinez and Ramiro Trujillo have completed a beautiful retaining wall around the Birds of Paradise and olive tree outside the choir room/sacristy door on the St Joseph Terrace side of the church. Thank you Ruben and Ramiro!

August 15, 2021

New School Playground Coming Soon! – Work began this week on the new playground for our school. The current play area is too costly to maintain and no longer safe for our children to use. Our contractor has fenced off the work area and begun demolition of the old playground. The area will be re-graded, and a new retaining wall constructed prior to installation of new playground equipment later this year. For your safety, please watch for construction vehicles, follow all posted safety notices, and avoid the contractor’s work areas. This project is being funded by generous contributions from school families, a foundation grant, and school savings. Our special thanks to Kelly Mendoza, our former (now retired) school principal, for leading this project for our school.

August 8, 2021

New flooring and lighting – The church sacristy has new flooring and lighting thanks to the generous contribution of six parishioners who provided the materials and donated their time and skilled labor to install them. They’ve asked to remain anonymous, but their love of God and our church speaks loudly! The linoleum that ran the length of the sacristy has been replaced with Luxury Vinyl Tile (LVT). The “sea salt hickory” LVT looks like planks of wood and is tougher than the old linoleum. The old light fixtures have been replaced with new, energy-efficient LED lighting. Our parishioners’ work brightens the room and updates the sacristy.

August 1, 2021

Beautification Continues – Meet Ruben Martinez who maintains our parish grounds and Ramiro Trujillo. They pulled out all those old junipers along the church building, installed a water system and planted the roses. Currently they are building a beautiful retaining wall around the Birds of Paradise and olive tree outside the choir room/sacristy door. Thank you Ruben and Ramiro!

July 18, 2021

Notice Anything New In These Pictures? – New kneelers have been added for the comfort of those attending mass in our Mission church! Many thanks to the generous donor who also thoughtfully included repairing the kneelers that need attention in our main church. We are blessed to have so many benefactors at St. Joseph / Mission San Jose.

July 11, 2021

Mission Wall Repair – Time has taken its toll on our Old Mission Museum. Dating back to 1809, much of the building has been repaired, repainted, and seismically retrofitted. However, some of the walls of original adobe construction need repair. Proposals from general contractors have been solicited to investigate and recommend a repair solution for the stone and dirt-filled foundation at the southwest end of the Mission Museum building.

June 27, 2021

Let There Be Light Outside! – The old lights outside of the kitchen and St. Vincent de Paul were ancient, dirty and brown giving off not enough yellow light to work with when events were held at night. Now, thanks to our benevolent electrical donor, the lighting is a clean, bright white light that will add to the safety for all who park there.

June 20, 2021

Let There Be Light! – Have you noticed how much better you can see the celebrant and servers on the altar? And if you sit in the alcove on the left side of the church, you can read the worship aide easier now too. All that light is thanks to a most generous electrician who has donated his time to purchase and install LED lighting. We now have energy efficient and cost effective lighting in the sanctuary as well as all the recessed lights in the side alcoves where the choir sings.

June 13, 2021

Kneelers To Be Repaired – Our church was built in 1965—the kneelers are 56 years old. They have served us well over the years. But they are coming apart (1), corners are gone and there is cracking along the edges (2). Maybe you have noticed that the padding is hardening beneath our knees. Repairs and maintenance on the hardware will be made in the near future for our comfort and safety while praying.

June 6, 2021

Guardian Angel: Pray for Us – A guardian angel is assigned to protect and guide a particular person or group. Pope Francis noted that oftentimes, we have the feeling that “I should do this, this is not right, be careful.” This is the voice of our guardian angel. God said: ‘I send an angel before you, to guard you, to accompany you on the way, so you will not make a mistake’.

May 30, 2021

Saint Francis of Assisi – Recently a statue of Saint Francis of Assisi was installed at the driveway entrance welcoming everyone to our parish community. Saint Francis abandoned a life of luxury after hearing God call him to rebuild the Christian church and live in poverty. The statue of Francis is a reminder to us of a man who devoted his life to our Lord through solitude, prayer, helping the poor and taking care of all of God’s creation. He is the patron saint of animals and the environment and a model to those who honor God first, serve the poor and care for all creation.

May 23, 2021

Roses for Mary – Why are there roses in place of the ancient junipers? On Mother’s Day, Fr. Anthony introduced the new roses and why the colors were chosen in relation to Jesus’s mother, Mary. Purple tells of Mary’s anticipation of conceiving the blessed child; white is for Mary’s purity; pink stands for her joy; red is for her sorrow and the intense love she has for us; and gold represents her crown in heaven.

May 16, 2021

Mission Patio Garden Olive Tree Work – The historic Mission Patio Garden olive trees were trimmed back in collaboration with the Dominican Sisters’ campus-wide olive tree-trimming project. Many of these trees date back to the 19th Century, and the oil from their fruit was a source of chrism used for the Sacraments. More recently, the Sisters harvest the olives each fall to produce Mission San Jose olive oil for sale at their Christmas Boutique each year.

April 25, 2021

Stations and Holy Images –

Thank you to those who contributed for our new 14 Stations of the Cross, the Pictures of the life of St. Joseph and the Saints, and the images of the Divine Mercy and Our Lady of Guadalupe with our new Votive Candles. Your offerings have helped us beautify our Parish and make our Catholic devotions ever more present to all who enter.

April 18, 2021

New Stations of the Cross – We now have added new Stations of the Cross to St. Joseph Church. The previous stations we had were needing a definite upgrade and so now we have new Stations to help the devotional practices of many in our parish. Pictured to the left is Fr. Anthony and Ralph Martinez as they prepped, measured, and hung our Stations in their new placement on the walls of St. Joseph Church.

April 11, 2021

Bushes removed from Church Grounds – In our continuing effort to beautify our grounds, we have begun the process of removing the bushes from the school side of the church. This has the added benefit of being able to better see oncoming cars as we enter and exit the parking lot from St Joseph Terrace.

April 4, 2021

Mission Oak Trees Pruned – Work to spruce up our Old Mission continues with the pruning of oak trees facing Mission Blvd. The long overdue ‘haircut’ provides more light and better visibility from the porch area.

March 28, 2021

New Candles and Holders – We now have new candles surrounding the Tabernacle and Ambo. These candles help bring more beauty and direct our attention to the Blessed Sacrament in the tabernacle and the Proclamation of the Word during Mass. Our thanks go to those who helped prepare and craft the candle holders. Your generous donations and help express the love we all have for Christ.

March 21, 2021

Old Mission Facilities Update – The Old Mission Gift Shop and Museum have been closed for a year. While sad for school kids and visitors, the closure has provided an opportunity to catch up on some needed restoration. Here is a list of some projects that have been completed or are in progress.

Mission Patio Garden Wall Repair – Over the years, the plaster on the adobe wall suffered significant damage. Recently, with Committee for the Restoration of Mission San Jose funding, we were able to repair the wall to its original splendor.

Replace Dead Olive Tree – Even the Old Mission’s historic olive trees don’t live forever. We recently replaced one of them with a beautiful new tree funded mainly through personal donations. The beautiful olive wood was sold to local woodcarvers to defray some of the cost.

Repair West Mission Museum Wall – Time has taken its toll on our Old Mission Museum. Dating back to 1809, much of the building has been repaired, repainted, and seismically retrofitted. However, some of the walls of the original adobe construction need repair. The project is being organized into small and manageable work packages for individual contractor proposals and funding.

March 14, 2021

Moving the Crucifix – Our Church has already undergone multiple efforts to beautify and focus our worship. We began with the moving of the crucifix to above the tabernacle. Details on this are explained by Fr. Anthony on our website at this link.

Confessional Closets – We have also begun the process of bringing back our confessionals. Many ministries have assisted in cleaning up and clearing out the confessional “closets” and a few volunteers are in the process of bringing these confessionals back into full service.

St. Joseph Shrine Beautification Project – Our own Maintenance person, Ralph Martinez has begun the process of painting, cleaning, and adding lights to our St. Joseph Shrine, which will be rededicated to St. Joseph on March 19th.

Carriage House – We also have cleaned and organized the Carriage House garage and thank all of those who have helped.