A San Bruno Parish Shaped by Many Cultures
Saint Bruno Catholic Church stands on the west side of San Bruno Avenue, a few blocks from the Interstate 280 interchange in the heart of San Bruno, California. The parish, part of the Archdiocese of San Francisco, has served the city since the first Mass was celebrated in a converted stable called Cody's Hall in 1906. A century later, Saint Bruno remains a gathering place where English, Spanish, Tagalog, Tongan, and Fijian voices meet around the same altar each week.
The parish is best known for three things: a robust schedule of bilingual Masses, a perpetual adoration chapel open around the clock, and a multicultural identity expressed through four distinct communities - Filipino, Tongan, Fijian, and Latino - that worship side by side throughout the liturgical year.
The Story Behind the Church on the Avenue
Saint Bruno's roots go back to a converted dance hall on the corner of Mills and San Bruno Avenues, where the first Mass was offered in 1906. Detective Cody of the San Francisco Police Department owned the building, and Mass was said over what had once been his horse stable. Within a year, a small group of lay Catholics - Miss Mercy Silva, Joseph Huff, Albert Conturri, J.J. Jones, and Mrs. J. Valentine - had organized a committee to petition the archbishop for a parish. The Silva family donated a fifty-foot lot at the corner of San Bruno and Hensley Avenues, and ground was broken on the first church on November 13, 1908.
That first Saint Bruno's was designed in the style of the early California missions, with the influence of Mission Santa Barbara, by architect J.J. Foley. A bell cast in 1886 by W.T. Garratt and Company of San Francisco hung in the belfry and was rung every Sunday half an hour before Mass until the mid-1940s, when it was reserved for special occasions. Saint Bruno's became a separate parish in 1912 under its first resident pastor, Rev. William J. Cantwell.
By 1959 the original church had outgrown the community, and the present Modern Mission style church was built by Reardon Construction of San Francisco. The doors opened for the first time at Midnight Mass on Christmas Eve of that year. The old church was demolished in 1960 to make room for a parking lot, and the original bell was preserved and given a permanent home on the north side of the present building, where it can still be seen.
The Patron: Saint Bruno of Cologne
The parish takes its name from Saint Bruno of Cologne, founder of the Carthusian order, whose feast day is October 6. Born in Cologne and a noted teacher at Rheims, he was appointed chancellor of the archdiocese at forty-five and is honored as a patron of Calabria and one of the patron saints of Germany. The parish prays: "Father, You called Saint Bruno to serve You in solitude. In answer to his prayers help us to remain faithful to You amid the changes of this world."
A Week of Masses in Two Languages
Mass is the center of parish life at Saint Bruno, and the schedule is built to serve both English-speaking and Spanish-speaking Catholics of the San Bruno peninsula.
On weekends, the Saturday vigil offers Mass at 4:30 p.m. in English and 6:00 p.m. in Spanish, with an additional morning Mass at 9:00 a.m. on Saturday in English. Sunday Masses are at 8:00 a.m. and 12:00 p.m. in English and 10:00 a.m. in Spanish. Weekday Masses are held Monday through Saturday at 9:00 a.m., with two exceptions: Tuesday's Mass is celebrated at 6:00 p.m., and Thursday's Mass is offered in Spanish.
On the first Friday of each month, the parish gathers for a bilingual Mass at 6:00 p.m., preceded by a Holy Hour of Eucharistic Adoration from 5:00 to 6:00 p.m. Holy Day of Obligation Masses follow a different pattern, with 9:00 a.m. in English and 6:00 p.m. in Spanish. The Sacrament of Reconciliation is offered every Saturday from 3:30 to 4:30 p.m.
The Adoration Chapel Open Around the Clock
Just steps from the main church, Saint Bruno's adoration chapel is open twenty-four hours a day, seven days a week. The parish invites visitors to spend time in prayer before the Blessed Sacrament and quotes Christ's words in the Gospel of Matthew: "Could you not watch one hour with me?" Catholics believe that the body, blood, soul, and divinity of Jesus Christ are substantially present in the Eucharist, and adoration is one of the most distinctive devotions of the parish.
Two prayers are particularly associated with the chapel. The first asks that the Eucharistic presence "teach me how to love as you have loved me" and that the fire of the gospel be enkindled in the one who prays. The second is a more traditional Act of Adoration, addressing Jesus "true God and true man, present in the holy Eucharist" and asking Mary, Mother of the Eucharistic Lord, to pray for a deeper love of her Son.
The Seven Sacraments
Saint Bruno's celebrates all seven sacraments of the Catholic Church and welcomes parishioners at every stage of life.
Baptism is celebrated on the second and fourth Saturdays of the month at 11:30 a.m. in English, and on the second Saturday in Spanish. Baptismal classes are held on the first and third Saturdays at 11:30 a.m. Parents begin by contacting the parish office for a registration form. The parish teaches that baptism "ushers us into the divine life, cleanses us from sin, and initiates us as members of the Christian community." In an emergency, the sacrament may be administered by any person who pours water on the candidate's head while saying, "I baptize you in the name of the Father, and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit."
Confirmation is offered to students in grades eight through twelve. Classes meet on Tuesday evenings, beginning with the 6:00 p.m. Mass and continuing until 8:15 p.m. Students complete twenty-five community service hours and ten liturgical hours during the year. The parish teaches that confirmation "perfects Baptismal grace" and gives the Holy Spirit "to root us more deeply in the divine filiation, incorporate us more firmly into Christ, strengthen our bond with the Church, associate us more closely with her mission, and help us bear witness to the Christian faith in words accompanied by deeds."
The Eucharist is described by the parish as the heart of Catholic life. Saint Bruno's teaches that "the Risen Jesus is truly and substantially present in the Eucharist" and that the priest, through ordination and the action of the Holy Spirit, brings about the transubstantiation of bread and wine into the Body and Blood of Christ. The Mass is divided into the Liturgy of the Word and the Liturgy of the Eucharist, and Catholics in a state of grace are welcomed to receive communion.
Confession (Reconciliation) is heard every Saturday from 3:30 to 4:30 p.m. The parish walks penitents through the four steps of the sacrament: contrition, confession of sins to a priest, reception of absolution, and a renewed commitment to live a Christian life.
The Anointing of the Sick may be received by anyone struggling with illness, and the parish asks that the office be notified when someone who cannot come to church would like the sacrament brought to them. Rather than only being offered at the moment of death, the anointing is celebrated as a communal sign of God's presence in human suffering.
Marriage at Saint Bruno's requires arrangements to be made at least six months before the proposed date. The parish teaches that marriage is "a visible sign of God's love for the Church" and that the sacrament gives spouses the grace to love each other with the love with which Christ has loved his Church.
Holy Orders continues the mission entrusted by Christ to the apostles through three degrees: the episcopate, the presbyterate, and the diaconate. The parish welcomes men discerning a vocation to contact the office.
CCD and Confirmation: Forming the Next Generation
The parish's faith formation programs for children and youth are coordinated through the Saint Bruno Religious School office. Kacey Carey serves as Director of Religious Education, and Teresa Navarro serves as Spanish CCD Coordinator.
The Confraternity of Christian Doctrine (CCD) program offers catechism classes for students in grades one through seven in English and in Spanish. Classes meet on Saturday mornings from 9:00 to 11:00 a.m. between September and May, with registrations over the summer. Parents are expected to participate in formation sessions during the school year to reinforce what the children are learning.
The Confirmation program begins in eighth grade, with students typically confirmed in ninth grade. It is offered in English only. The Tuesday evening format begins with the 6:00 p.m. Mass and continues with class until 8:15 p.m. Parents attend three required meetings during the year, and students complete service and liturgical hours to advance.
The Spanish CCD teaching team is a long-tenured group of parishioners. Teresa Navarro has served for more than twenty years. Delmi Castillo has taught for over fifteen years and works alongside her husband Ramiro, who directs the Spanish RCIA. Maria Valencia, Mayra Valencia, Yolanda Ojeda, Maura Romero, Arturo Giron, and Lourdes Serrato round out a team in which several members have given two decades or more to the children of the parish.
OCIA: Becoming Catholic as an Adult
Adults who wish to become Catholic, or baptized Catholics who have not yet received the other sacraments of initiation, are welcomed through the Order of Christian Initiation for Adults, known at the parish as OCIA. The program is offered in both English and Spanish, with Deacon Guillermo Quant directing the English program and Ramiro Castillo directing the Spanish one. Classes are held on Thursdays at 7:00 p.m. in the upper room of the parish hall. The full program takes about a year, with most adults receiving the sacraments at Easter.
Four Communities Sharing One Parish
Saint Bruno's describes itself as "a multi-cultural community, founded in 1912, that welcomes everyone to worship God, especially through the Holy Eucharist and Perpetual Adoration, in order to be a light and truth for others." Four communities give the parish its particular character.
The Filipino Community has long been part of the parish and gathers for devotions and devotions to Our Lady of Manaoag through a perpetual novena. The Tongan Community and Fijian Community bring Pacific Island Catholics together in shared worship and cultural celebration. The Latino Community shapes the parish's bilingual character, with the 10:00 a.m. Sunday Mass in Spanish, the 6:00 p.m. Thursday Mass in Spanish, and Spanish-language CCD, RCIA, baptism preparation, and quinceañera preparation all part of the regular rhythm of parish life.
The patron saint's feast day is observed every October with a novena and a triduum of Masses, closing with a festival in the parish courtyard.
Getting Involved in Parish Life
The Parish Pastoral Council, whose members include committee chairs, community representatives, a youth representative, and parishioners elected or appointed by the pastor, meets on the third Thursday of each month to provide counsel to the pastor on liturgy, religious education, youth development, and the parish's care for the earth and for justice and peace. Marianella Sobalvarro chairs the council.
The Parish Finance Council, chaired by Rosa Willis, assists the pastor in the wise stewardship of the parish's material gifts. The council oversees the accounting system, prepares the annual budget, reviews income and expenditures, coordinates fundraising, and oversees building and grounds maintenance. It meets every other second Thursday of the month.
Liturgical ministries include lectors, altar servers, ushers, extraordinary ministers of the Eucharist, the liturgical committee, and the music ministry. Pamela Rojas chairs the Liturgy Committee. The parish prayer groups include the Misioneras de la Caridad, the Our Lady of Manaoag Perpetual Novena, the Rosario de la Virgen de Fatima, the Pequeñas Comunidades, and AA Grupo Serenidad.
Newcomers are invited to register as parishioners through the parish office, and online giving is available through the parish's Our Sunday Visitor giving portal.
Visiting Saint Bruno's
Saint Bruno's is located at 555 West San Bruno Avenue in San Bruno, a short drive from the Interstate 280 exits for San Bruno Avenue and El Camino Real. The parish has two parking lots; street parking along both sides of the church, in the direction of traffic, is also an option when the lots fill on Sunday mornings.
The parish office is open Tuesday through Saturday from 8:30 a.m. to 5:00 p.m., closing for lunch from 1:00 to 2:00 p.m. The office is closed on Sundays and Mondays. The Religious Education office is reached at (650) 398-0853, and the main parish number is (650) 588-2121. The mailing address is stbruno555@gmail.com.
Father Roland De la Rosa serves as pastor, with Deacon Guillermo Quant assisting. The parish's mission is summarized in the words of Matthew 28: "Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, to the close of the age."