September 24, 2006VOL. 44, NO. 15Oakland, CA

St. Mary’s Center to relocate to church site

By Carrie McClish
Staff writer

Last month’s merger of Oakland’s St. Andrew-St. Joseph Parish with St. Mary-St. Francis de Sales Parish to become the Catholic Parish of Christ the Light also launched a new chapter for St. Mary’s Center.

The non-profit institution had been struggling to find a new home since being told it had to leave its current location. That property, the parish hall of St. Francis de Sales Cathedral before the 1989 earthquake destroyed the church, is being sold.

St. Mary’s Center, which provides services to low-income seniors, families, and preschoolers in downtown and west Oakland, will move to the St. Andrew-St. Joseph site by the end of November.

It’s a good location for St. Mary’s Center, said Father John Direen, who was administrator at St. Andrew-St. Joseph Parish and is now parochial vicar at the Catholic Parish of Christ the Light.

The area has several low-income senior citizen apartment complexes and the church is zoned for a shelter.

St. Mary’s operates a winter shelter for homeless seniors and serves meals for seniors every day.

“I am hopeful St. Mary’s presence will make a difference in the neighborhood,” he said.

Last month the diocese negotiated a lease-purchase agreement with St. Mary’s Center for five years. During that time, the center will pay the diocese $1 per month and has the option to buy the property at below the market rate.

As part of the agreement, the parish soup kitchen will be demolished to make way for parking. The rectory, parish hall and early childhood center will be renovated. There will be no renovations to the church.

St. Mary’s Center will pay for the renovations.
Covenant House, which had been leasing the parish hall for a shelter for homeless teens, will temporarily occupy the church building in the evenings until the end of the year. At that time Covenant House will move to its new home near Jack London Square.

Meanwhile, some items from St. Andrew-St. Joseph Church have been taken to St. Mary-St. Francis de Sales Church, home of the newly combined parish.

Four statues, the baptismal font and a large crucifix will have places of prominence in the church, Father Direen said.

The pews, the Stations of the Cross and several large stained glass windows, including the rose window featuring Jesus in the Garden of Gethsemane, have been placed in storage.
Some of the pews will be used in the new mortuaries that are being built at diocesan cemeteries, said Jim McCann, associate director of diocesan facilities.

In a related aspect of the merger, the sacramental records from St. Andrew-St. Joseph Parish will be transferred to the new Catholic Parish of Christ the Light because these records follow the parishioners, said Father Raymond Breton, diocesan judicial vicar.

Diners enjoy one of the last meals served at St. Andrew-St. Joseph Soup Kitchen. Those over 55 will be able to eat at St. Mary’s Center.
CHRIS DUFFEY PHOTO

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