From Bay Avenue to Monterey Avenue
The story of St. Joseph's Catholic Community begins in 1904, when the parish was established with the Chapel of Our Lady of Mt. Carmel in Aptos and the Sacred Heart Chapel at the Del Mar Hotel serving as missions. Its first pastor, Fr. Patrick J. Hennessy, oversaw the construction of a church and rectory at the corner of Bay and Capitola Avenues. That building stood for nearly seventy years and became one of the recognizable landmarks of Capitola.
By 1970, the parish was ready for a new home. Architect Thomas R. Richmond was hired, and parishioners gathered at the Good Shepherd School auditorium to share what they hoped to see in the new building. Ground was broken on Mother's Day in 1972 on a site along Monterey Avenue. The last Mass at the old church was celebrated on the feast of St. Joseph, March 19, 1973, and the new church opened on June 23, 1973. Four stained glass windows from the original sanctuary were installed in the confessionals of the new church, the carved wooden statue of Our Lady of Carmel (brought from Spain in 1876 and housed at St. Joseph's since the 1920s) was given its own niche overlooking the congregation, and the bell at the front of the property was moved from the old site to the new.
Bishop Most Reverend H.A. Clinch of the Diocese of Monterey dedicated the new church on February 24, 1974, "for the Worship of God and in memory of a good and generous people." Today the parish describes itself as a loving and supportive Catholic community devoted to living and spreading the Word through the celebration of the Eucharist, prayer, and service.
Masses in English and Spanish
Three Sunday Masses anchor the parish week. The 8:00 AM and 10:00 AM Masses are celebrated in English, and a 12:00 PM Mass is offered in Spanish. The 8:00 AM Sunday Mass is livestreamed each week and archived online so that parishioners who are traveling, ill, or homebound can keep up with the Sunday liturgy.
On Saturday evening, a Vigil Mass is celebrated at 4:00 PM. Weekday worship follows a steady rhythm: a Communion Service on Monday and Tuesday mornings at 8:30, and Daily Mass on Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday at the same hour. Confessions are heard on Thursday mornings from 9:30 to 10:30.
A House of Adoration
St. Joseph's maintains an unusually generous schedule of Eucharistic Adoration. On Mondays and Tuesdays the chapel is open from 6:00 AM until 10:00 PM. Wednesday adoration runs from 6:00 AM straight through to 3:00 PM on Thursday afternoon. Friday adoration resumes at 6:00 AM and closes at 3:00 PM. The chapel is closed on Saturdays and Sundays. Parishioners can sign up for a Holy Hour to keep watch during these stretches.
Forming the Youngest Parishioners
Religious Education at St. Joseph's begins with Lambs for Jesus, a liturgically based program for preschool and kindergarten children ages three to six who are potty trained. The class meets on Sundays during the late-morning Mass in the Parish Center, with circle time, art projects, and prayer built around the upcoming Sunday's Gospel.
Students in grades one through five gather on Thursdays from 4:15 to 5:30 PM in the Parish Center for Religious Education classes that include a Living Rosary, Works of Mercy service projects, Christmas carols, and Stations of the Cross. First Eucharist preparation begins in first grade. In the first year, students attend the Thursday sessions; in the second year they add a Sunday morning session from 9:15 to 10:30 AM. The Sacrament of Reconciliation is celebrated during Advent, and First Eucharist is received during the Easter season. All families are required to attend Sunday Mass.
Teens, Confirmation, and OCIA
Confirmation preparation begins in high school and unfolds over two years, with the sacrament conferred during the Easter season of the second year. Sessions open with a time of worship, move into small-group discussion with catechists around a particular theme, and are rounded out by retreats, discipleship service, and active participation in Sunday Mass and special liturgies. Pascuala Rios, the parish's Religious Education Coordinator, walks families from First Eucharist through Confirmation.
For adults who have never been baptized or who are completing their initiation into the Catholic Church, the parish offers the Rite of Christian Initiation of Adults, increasingly referenced on the parish announcements by its newer name, OCIA (Order of Christian Initiation of Adults). Classes begin in the Fall and move through five phases: Inquiry, Catechumenate, Purification and Illumination, the Paschal Triduum (when the Sacraments of Initiation are received), and Mystagogy. Coordinator Marilee French frames the process as one of discernment rather than examination, a time to ask questions and explore the Catholic tradition in community.
Sacraments for Every Stage of Life
Adult Formation at St. Joseph's reaches beyond OCIA. The parish speaks of "Life-Long Formation," in which liturgy, ministry, and education are woven into a single web of communal faith. Sherry Cassedy coordinates Adult Formation and curates programs and faith-sharing opportunities throughout the year.
The parish welcomes families preparing for the Sacrament of Baptism with a preparation process that includes an Ascension Press course, a Godparent Sponsor Form signed by each godparent's pastor, and, when applicable, a letter of permission from a family's home parish. Preparation should be arranged at least two weeks in advance, and baptisms are not scheduled during Advent or Lent. On the day, families are asked to arrive by 8:30 AM, dress the child in white, bring a baptism candle (a nearby shop called Agnus Dei on Walnut Avenue carries a selection), and offer a thank-you card and offering to the priest. A $200 offering per child is requested.
Couples preparing for marriage are asked to contact the parish at least six months in advance. The process includes parish registration, a meeting with Fr. Wayne, the parish's Celebration of Marriage Guidelines, and a marriage preparation class.
For families arranging a funeral, the parish walks them through registration, paperwork, the death certificate, and a meeting with the pastor, with the goal of celebrating the life of the deceased as a community.
Reflections Online and in the Bulletin
Beyond Sunday Mass, St. Joseph's keeps a steady digital presence. Sunday Mass videos are archived online, and each Friday morning at 10:00 AM, Reflections from the Inside is broadcast on Facebook Live, offering parishioners a regular rhythm of shared prayer and reflection. The Good News, the parish's weekly bulletin, is published online in PDF form.
Parishioners who want to support the church financially can do so through online giving, text-to-give, qualified charitable distributions from a traditional IRA (for those over 70 1/2), mailed checks, or by naming the parish as a beneficiary in a will or trust. The parish grounds are tended by a Landscape Ministry that meets every Saturday at 9:00 AM.
The Pastoral Team
Fr. Wayne Dawson serves as pastor. The ministry leaders include Jolene Smith (Pastoral Associate), Marilee French (OCIA/RCIA), Tammy Garcia (Liturgy), Carolyn Hooper (Elderly and Homebound), Pascuala Rios (Religious Education), Nery Romero (Outreach and Hispanic Ministry), Sherry Cassedy (Adult Formation), and Aaron Fernandes (Parish Communications).
Visitors will find the parish at 435 Monterey Avenue in Capitola, just minutes from Highway 1. Office hours run Wednesday through Friday from 10:00 AM to 3:00 PM, and the main phone line is (831) 475-8211.