Tucked into a residential stretch of South San Francisco on Miller Avenue, Mater Dolorosa Catholic Parish has been a steady Catholic presence on the Peninsula since 1961. For sixty-five years the parish has gathered families, students, religious sisters, and visitors around a schedule that runs from pre-dawn adoration to evening prayer, in both English and Latin, and at a recently expanded chapel built to keep up with the demand. As the parish enters its sixty-fifth anniversary under the theme "One Body In The Eucharist, Journeying To Holiness," its calendar tells the story of a community that takes seriously both the ordinary rhythms of parish life and the extraordinary forms of Catholic worship.
Sixty-Five Years on Miller Avenue
Mater Dolorosa marked its founding in 1961, and the parish has grown into one of the active Catholic communities of northern San Mateo County. The church, parish center, and the Monastery of the Contemplatives of St. Joseph share the Miller Avenue campus, with the adjoining San Lorenzo Ruiz Hall serving as the main gathering space for parish meals, family catechesis, and receptions. As part of the anniversary, the parish has been investing in a Sanctuary Renovation, with proceeds from anniversary events going toward restoring and renewing the worship space for the next generation of parishioners.
Father Vito Perrone, C.O.S.J., serves as pastor. The clergy team also includes Parochial Vicar Father Joseph Homick, Parochial Vicar Father Andrew Mbinkar Berinyuy, S.C.H.P., and Permanent Deacon Ramon de la Rosa. Frances Lidwell is the parish manager, Evangeline de Guzman the finance manager, and Felisa Cepeda the Director of Faith Formation. The parish's stated mission is to live the baptismal commitment of its people under the guidance of the Holy Spirit and Mary, Mother of God, reaching out to all people in accordance with the values and ideals of the Gospel.
Masses Throughout the Week
The Mass schedule at Mater Dolorosa is unusually full, with several different rites available every day of the week. On Sundays the parish offers Holy Mass in English at 8:00 a.m., 10:00 a.m., and 12:00 noon, with a Latin Mass in the Extraordinary Form at 2:00 p.m. A Byzantine Divine Liturgy is celebrated at the Contemplatives of St. Joseph Monastery at 8:00 a.m. on Sundays and 10:00 a.m. on Saturdays.
Weekday Masses are celebrated at 8:00 a.m. in English and at 12:00 noon in the Latin Extraordinary Form, Monday through Friday. Saturday brings an 8:00 a.m. English Mass, a 9:00 a.m. Latin Mass, and the Sunday Vigil at 5:00 p.m. in English. On the last Saturday of each month, the Saturday evening Mass is celebrated in Tagalog. On the second Saturday of the month, a 7:00 p.m. Mass in Spanish is offered beginning in October. Reconciliation is heard on Saturdays from 3:00 p.m. to 4:30 p.m., or by appointment for urgent needs.
Holy Days of Obligation bring a full day of Masses at 8:00 a.m., 10:00 a.m. (in Latin), 12:00 noon, and 7:00 p.m. On the first Friday of every month, a Healing Mass is celebrated at 7:00 p.m., followed by Eucharistic Adoration until midnight. The Legion of Mary leads the First Saturday Devotion and Rosary in the Sisters' Monastery, prayed after the 8:00 a.m. Mass.
Adoration in a New Chapel
Eucharistic Adoration is one of the defining practices at Mater Dolorosa. The parish offers Adoration Monday through Friday from 6:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m., pausing only for the 8:00 a.m. and 12:00 noon Masses, and on Saturdays from 10:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. Sign-up sheets are available in the pews for those who want to commit to a specific hour, but the chapel is open for drop-in prayer as well.
The parish has recently opened a new chapel dedicated to expanding the hours and uses of Adoration. The new space hosts special Masses for small groups, novenas after Mass, weekend Adoration during weddings and parish functions, and private prayer. The chapel is open from 6:00 a.m. until 7:00 p.m. Monday through Saturday, and until 6:30 p.m. on Sundays. Each weekday at 6:00 a.m. the day begins with a Holy Hour of Adoration, followed by Morning Prayer in Gregorian Chant at 7:00 a.m. and the 8:00 a.m. Mass. On Thursdays, Adoration continues through a 5:00 p.m. Eucharistic Procession and concludes with Benediction at 6:55 p.m. On Fridays the schedule includes an 8:30 a.m. Eucharistic Procession. Saturdays close the week with 6:30 p.m. Byzantine Compline at the monastery.
The Latin Mass and the Byzantine Liturgy
The parish is home to two distinct traditional Catholic liturgies. The Latin Mass in the Extraordinary Form is offered every weekday at noon, on Saturdays at 9:00 a.m., and on Sundays at 2:00 p.m. The 10:00 a.m. Mass on Holy Days is also celebrated in the Extraordinary Form. Morning and Evening Prayer are sung in Gregorian Chant throughout the week, and a weekly "Deep Listening to Scripture Readings" follows Evening Prayer at 6:00 p.m.
The Byzantine Divine Liturgy, celebrated in the chapel of the Contemplatives of St. Joseph Monastery, is offered on Saturdays at 10:00 a.m. and Sundays at 8:00 a.m. The Contemplatives also lead a monthly Holy Hour at the parish with sacred silence, Vespers, Lectio Divina, and Benediction, held on the first Saturday of each month from 3:30 p.m. to 4:45 p.m. The prayers of that hour are offered for the Gabriel Project, the unborn, mothers and fathers, the culture of life, and the conversion of those who act against human life.
The Sacraments
Like every Catholic parish, Mater Dolorosa prepares its members for the seven sacraments and welcomes non-parishioners for many of them. Parents are asked to contact the parish at least three months before a desired Baptism date and are expected to be registered, practicing Catholics. The parish publishes Baptismal Guidelines for those preparing a child's baptism.
Children preparing for First Communion enroll in the Faith Formation program one year before the year of direct preparation, with First Communion typically celebrated in the second grade. Confirmation preparation follows the same pattern, with the sacrament usually received in the eighth grade. Engaged couples are asked to contact the parish at least six months before a desired wedding date. For the sick, the priests are available for the Anointing of the Sick at home or at the hospital, and parishioners who are unable to attend Mass can call the parish to arrange a visit from a Minister of the Eucharist who brings Communion to the home.
Family Faith Formation
Family Faith Formation is the centerpiece of the parish's catechetical work, now in its fourth year. Designed for children from preschool (ages four to five) through high school, the program follows a family-centered model that ties Sunday Mass to lessons at home and small-group gatherings at the parish. Children, teens, and young adults up to college age are placed in age-appropriate small groups, with high school teens who have already been confirmed invited into a High School Discipleship group.
Families gather for the 10:00 a.m. Sunday Mass, and on the first and third Sundays of the month Mass is followed by hospitality, a large-group family activity, and small faith-sharing groups from 11:00 a.m. to 1:15 p.m. Parents meet in a parent group while the children work with a catechist, and home lessons and activities are distributed for the other weeks of the month. Special family retreat days mark the seasons of Advent and Lent, with additional gatherings for the Feast of Our Lady of Sorrows, All Saints Day, the Feast of the Holy Family, the Feast of St. Joseph, and Pentecost.
Registration for the 2026-2027 year is open online, with a parent meeting held each August for new and returning families. Fees are $100 for the first child, $125 for two, and $150 for three or more, with a separate fee structure for families in the second year of sacramental preparation. The parish notes that registration is not complete until both the form and the fee are submitted. New families are also asked to provide a copy of each child's baptismal and First Communion certificates.
For children in kindergarten through fifth grade, the parish also offers Children's Liturgy of the Word during the Sunday Mass. After the scripture readings, children are invited forward and led quietly to the parish center by a catechist, rejoining their families in church during the Offertory.
Music Ministry and Pilgrimage
Music is woven into nearly every part of parish life. The Music Ministry is led by three directors: Marlon Evangelista, Dr. Jennifer Donelson, and Aida Gamboa. The choir sings for Sunday Masses, Holy Days, weddings, funerals, and the annual Jubilate Deo and Holy Is Thy Name concerts. The parish also maintains a Reader schedule and Extraordinary Minister of Holy Communion schedule, both available to view in advance.
The choir has built a tradition of pilgrimage that has taken the group to Rome, where they have served as choir for Mass at St. Peter's Basilica during the Jubilee Year. Members describe those trips as formative moments in both faith and community. Concerts by the Philippine Madrigal Singers USA and Canada Alumni, with the Mater Dolorosa Music Ministry participating, have been a highlight of recent anniversary celebrations.
Ministries of Service and Outreach
The parish organizes its ministries around four pillars: Worship, Education, Service, and Temporal (the practical work that keeps a parish running). The worship team includes Extraordinary Ministers of Holy Communion, Readers, Sacristans, the Altar Society, Ushers, the Flower Ministry, the Music Ministry, and the COSJ Third Order. The education pillar gathers Family Faith Formation, OCIA and sacramental preparation, the Patrician Society, the Adult Catechesis and Speakers Series, and Lay Mission.
Service ministries reflect the social teaching of the Church. St. Vincent de Paul ministers to those in need, the Second Harvest Project supports the local food bank, the Gabriel Project accompanies women in crisis pregnancies, and the Rachel Project offers post-abortion healing. Hospitality welcomes parishioners after Sunday Masses, and the parish employs a licensed counselor, Betti Magoolahan, LMFT, who sees parishioners through the parish counseling ministry. The Women's Club, the Legion of Mary, and the Knights of Columbus Council 14818 round out the parish's service and social life. The Knights sponsor an annual Spaghetti Dinner and Pancake Breakfast and have raised money for parish security equipment and other needs.
Behind the scenes, a Temporal team handles parish maintenance, the Security and Safety Committee, church clean-up, gardening, counters, and office and monastery volunteers. Parish leadership is shared with a Parish Council and a Finance Council. Anyone interested in joining a ministry is invited to call the parish office.
Giving and Legacy
Parish support comes through the Sunday collection, mailed or dropped-off envelopes, and online giving through a dedicated PayPal link. The Mater Dolorosa Legacy Giving program invites parishioners to consider planned gifts, including bequests, charitable gift annuities, charitable remainder trusts, donor-advised funds, and qualified charitable distributions from IRAs. Securities, stock, and life insurance are also accepted. The parish notes that the legacy program is part of preparing for the next chapter of Mater Dolorosa, and Father Vito is available to connect prospective donors with the Finance Committee. Parishioners can also sign up for the parish's Flocknote to receive news and announcements by email or text.
Planning a Visit
Mater Dolorosa Catholic Parish is located at 1040 Miller Avenue in South San Francisco, in the Archdiocese of San Francisco. The parish office is open Tuesday through Friday from 8:30 a.m. to 12:00 noon and from 1:00 p.m. to 5:00 p.m., and can be reached at (650) 583-4131, extension 1. For someone who is approaching death and needs the Anointing of the Sick, the urgent line is 650-930-7819. New parishioners are invited to register using the form available from the parish, and a Sunday bulletin is posted online every week. The parish's livestream of select liturgies is broadcast on Facebook.
First-time visitors will find parking on the parish grounds and a schedule that makes it easy to drop in for a weekday Mass, an hour of Adoration, or the Saturday Vigil. The most active time of the week is Sunday morning, when three English Masses, a Byzantine Liturgy, and the Family Faith Formation gathering bring the campus to life, with hospitality following each of the morning Masses in San Lorenzo Ruiz Hall.